I posted my budget and debt here in August:
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...light=misagoat
I just finished the tracking for the entire month of August. Some things look better than I thought and some look a lot worse. The good news is that we can work on the problems.
Someone had commented to add all the 'other' categories so that I knew where my money went. Based on tracking August expenses the categories on my budget include:
Mortgage (includes taxes and insurance)
Internet/Phone/TV
Car payment 1
Car payment 2
Electric/Gas
Water (quarterly)
Car insurance
Gas/car expenses
EZPass
Food
Health Care
Household goods
Take-out
Beer/Wine
Eating out
my spending
DH spending
School expenses
and our credit card payments.
August total credit card debt:$17134.50
September total credit card debt: $16708.35
Down $426.15!
Things I noticed: Our grocery bill is reasonable, I can cut back but it wasn't terrible.
We can definitely cut back on unnecessary spending/take-out/eating out. We did pretty well this month with take-out, meaning we cooked more and ate at home more. The eating out tends to happen more when we are already out and it adds up.
I didn't realize how much I actually spent on health care. Not a huge number in the budget but more than I thought. Those copays/prescriptions add up. I am pregnant so I have regular appointments.
Ok so the plan is:
1-No credit cards!
2-Track spending
3-pay down debt
4-Improve from August (spend less! cook more! use coupons!)
5-Defer student loans (FT student again)
I am going to school full time starting next week to finish my BSN using my GI Bill and will be getting a monthly BAH payment. I also am going to work at my old job per diem. I can pick up extra shifts fairly easily if I need/want to and the pay rate is higher since I am not eligible for benefits. That keeps my resume/work experience current and is flexible for school/maternity/new baby but also offers the opportunity to work more when I need the money-like during summer and school breaks. I can work Tuesdays and Saturdays with minimal childcare expenses (son would go to before school care for 1 hour on Wednesday).
We are keeping both cars, one will be paid off within the year. The one we would sell/trade has some body damage that would affect resale.
Thanks for your support. I need a place to be accountable and work through the budget issues.
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...light=misagoat
I just finished the tracking for the entire month of August. Some things look better than I thought and some look a lot worse. The good news is that we can work on the problems.
Someone had commented to add all the 'other' categories so that I knew where my money went. Based on tracking August expenses the categories on my budget include:
Mortgage (includes taxes and insurance)
Internet/Phone/TV
Car payment 1
Car payment 2
Electric/Gas
Water (quarterly)
Car insurance
Gas/car expenses
EZPass
Food
Health Care
Household goods
Take-out
Beer/Wine
Eating out
my spending
DH spending
School expenses
and our credit card payments.
August total credit card debt:$17134.50
September total credit card debt: $16708.35
Down $426.15!
Things I noticed: Our grocery bill is reasonable, I can cut back but it wasn't terrible.
We can definitely cut back on unnecessary spending/take-out/eating out. We did pretty well this month with take-out, meaning we cooked more and ate at home more. The eating out tends to happen more when we are already out and it adds up.
I didn't realize how much I actually spent on health care. Not a huge number in the budget but more than I thought. Those copays/prescriptions add up. I am pregnant so I have regular appointments.
Ok so the plan is:
1-No credit cards!
2-Track spending
3-pay down debt
4-Improve from August (spend less! cook more! use coupons!)
5-Defer student loans (FT student again)
I am going to school full time starting next week to finish my BSN using my GI Bill and will be getting a monthly BAH payment. I also am going to work at my old job per diem. I can pick up extra shifts fairly easily if I need/want to and the pay rate is higher since I am not eligible for benefits. That keeps my resume/work experience current and is flexible for school/maternity/new baby but also offers the opportunity to work more when I need the money-like during summer and school breaks. I can work Tuesdays and Saturdays with minimal childcare expenses (son would go to before school care for 1 hour on Wednesday).
We are keeping both cars, one will be paid off within the year. The one we would sell/trade has some body damage that would affect resale.
Thanks for your support. I need a place to be accountable and work through the budget issues.
