It would have been ok, if I just took the 1,050 option profit and stopped at that point. But I did not, so I lost it, and possibly more. So in total, we spent close to 900 more than we took home in January.
I'm not including the gift anywhere in these numbers, because the purpose of it is not to cover overspending.
This month I have GOT TO do better.
I will challenge myself to cut down food costs and some discretionary spending. The challenge is to see how much I can bring it down in February compared to last month.
January total spending - massive overspend :(
February 3rd, 2014 at 04:22 pm
February 3rd, 2014 at 04:32 pm 1391445161
February 3rd, 2014 at 05:15 pm 1391447724
I do feel you. We're in a no spend month right now in an attempt to free up cash and right the ship financially.
Also, we're looking for recurring expenses we can cut entirely (Inspired by the new book the $1,000 challenge). We just cut cable, and frankly, we don't miss it a bit.
February 3rd, 2014 at 07:19 pm 1391455159
February 3rd, 2014 at 07:24 pm 1391455491
Would you get a discount if you paid life insurance annually or semi-annually?
Good luck.
February 5th, 2014 at 04:50 pm 1391619027
"I can't" is not an acceptable answer here, by the way. "Yes, I can," or conversely, "No, I don't want to" is, but either way, recognize you are making a choice, not having something forced on you.
You could apply that focus to every aspect of your budget if you wanted. The tough love question is do you really, or do you just want to vent? At the end of the day, only putting something into action is going to affect change.
February 5th, 2014 at 05:27 pm 1391621235
We pay DH's life insurance annually, because it is like $3 a month in savings, but for my insurance there is no difference, so I autopay it monthly.
EarlyRetirement, I am trying to cut food budget this month, without sacrificing stuff that is important (I'm not going to start eating at McDonalds to save money). Yes, eating out is a want (which I want to keep to some degree), but a lot of our budget is fresh produce and high quality meat and fish. So in spite of eating 2K worth of food per month, we are fit and both are size XS. But I am trying to get it down this month.
February 7th, 2014 at 01:47 pm 1391780871
Similar to you and your DH I believe, we were very high wage earners before achieving FI and retiring, closer to 7 figures than 5. We are the epitome of 'The Millionaires Next Door' and the way to get there is pretty simple. Set up a lifestyle that is below your means, and stay there even as your income rises.