Okay, most decidedly not the week we planned to have finance wise. After having a conversation with my husband, we knew we would be spending a lot more money then we had planned, and the Xbox fund would be put on hold for this month for some very neglected necessity spending. Allow me to elaborate.
When South County Boy moved from Utah to California back in March, so began the slow initial beginnings of the "newly wed 9." For those of you who don't know what i'm talking about, think "freshman 15" and we will both be on the same page. You begin to stress about the wedding, spend less time in the gym since you have a million things to do, and get more "comfortable" with the junkier foods that your man likes to keep in the house and comfort foods begin to weight you down. Food portions increase gradually and you start to stick to your more comfortable clothes... then you stop getting on the scale all together until you try and "dress up" for a date with your husband and reality sets in... A lot of your clothes just don't fit anymore and you acknowledge your new bad habits have helped to invite the "newlywed 9" into your life.
We already knew that we'd be spending a lot of money on SCB this month as we pick up the things he would need for his job... (Apparently it's very common for people to split their pants at work and have to go to TJ Maxx to get a new pair--- which happened to his co-worker on SCB's first day of work...) so we knew we'd be picking up some things for him... But we didn't figure we'd need to go shopping for me... But it was time to bit the bullet, get on the scale, and enter reality and see how bad the damage actually was...
We decided to first hit Kohls and get me some new "foundation pieces" to make myself more comfortable while I attempt to evict the Newly Wed Weight Gain... especially since you really can't fib by with bras that are too tight!
Kohls had send us a 20% off coupon for our entire purchase... as well as a $10 off a purchase of $20 in their intimate apparel section... so we started there... Since we are still newly-weds, we decided to get matching sets and buy things off their clearance/sale racks to stretch our dollars further.I got three matching sets and a pair of gym/yoga pants (a work uniform staple of mine). We ultimately Spent $55.21 and saved $86.76 by staying to the sale racks... we also got $10 in Kohls cash to come back to the store with on another day... and that's what we did.
 |
| The button up I found at Kohls! |
We picked up 3 tank tops (White, Blue, and a nice Purple) for $5.99 each on sale... a simple T-shirt with a nice pattern on it that I can dress up or down for $7.20.... & we splurged on a plaid button up because I actually found one that fit (an impossible feat until now because my arms were always way too tight in them) for $20.99 and a pair of khaki shorts for $11.40. Pair that with our $20 of free money and our 15% off coupon and we paid $34.39 and saved $102.08... not too shabby... I should have enough basics to get by until the weight comes off... if not, well i'll cross that bridge when I get there.
We also hit Target and spent WAYYY more then we planned. We only went in for about a $10 purchase of Ibuprofen and decongestant... but while we were there we scoped out the clearance rack and found men's shorts on sale for $10- $10.50 a piece. With the California weather we have come to the conclusion that the hubby can't survive on 2 pairs of shorts for any longer (especially since ripping them is pretty common at his job)... Between 2 Target runs we got 4 pairs of shorts for $41.50 and some Ibuprofin (4.97), decongestant ($5.34). As we were leaving to walk out we noticed all their patio furniture was clearances... and we left with 2 Chairs, ($21.00 each)... a grill brush $3.99... Side table $11.90... and 2 folding beach chairs ($7 each)... All in all, $133.29 when we went in to spend $10..... But I have $75 in Credit Card Cash that we used for the new patio furniture... so in a few weeks we will get that and use it towards the patio furniture... but for now we have taken the money out of our budget.
Oh ya, and we also spent around $101.36 on Amazon.com because SCB needed a larger cell phone battery and a new case that would hold it... plus a car charger. I told him when he got his first paycheck we'd order them because his work area is in "roaming" area and it uses the battery a lot faster that way... plus he is a boy and he likes his gadgets... so we did.
I guess we just aren't used to having money... lol... Next month we plan to tighten it up, finish the Xbox off and pay for a doctor visit and a dental check up for SCB and get back on track...
But we did manage to save a few dollars in the Roth Ira... so that's a plus... and we did create our "giving" accounts for general giving and one specifically for Child S.H.A.R.E. ... So we can't be all bad...
August 13:
- Giving--- $20 Check to my Church (were still sticking it out there... and its slowly getting better for the two of us... as an added plus there were more people there this week then last!)
- Gas $36.94
- Kohls $55.21 (3 bras, 3 panties, one pair of gym pants)
- Ross $10.76 (A pair of pants for SCB)
- Fresh & Easy $44.56
- Costco $7.32 (lunch)
- Costco $20.48 (Granola Bars -$12.79; Granola Thins -$7.69)
- Walmart $8.48 (Powdered Gatoraid)
August 16:
August 17:
- Supercuts $21.00
- Chile's: $40.00
- Targets $133.29
- Mnt Dew: $2.24
- Mnt Dew: $2.24
- Amazon.com $101.36 (cell phone stuff)
Job &Work Updates:
After I don't know how many paychecks, I'll finally be getting one without overtime on it... so we can at least establish my baseline pay for our monthly budgets till the end of the year on my end... but SCB also needs to get his W2 amended because somehow he's considered single for the feds, married for the state and they are taking out additional federal withholding when they should be withholding more from the state... So we will have to wait for a full paycheck in 2 weeks so we can start budgeting his money so we don't end up like a month like this one... (but at least he only had 1 weeks worth of pay so we didn't do too much damage this week).
Money Goals:
As I mentioned earlier, the x-box fund is taking a break this month... and we will budget it into the first paycheck we get from SCB so we will have it covered and paid in full in 2 weeks....
- Xbox fund: $132.00... of $350.00 saved...37.71% Saved
As for the Roth IRA, we have $171.32 sitting in it from my first paycheck of the month... and we have money budgeted from the second check to go in there if **nothing else goes wrong**
- Operation Roth IRA: $171.32/$5,000.00... 3.42% Saved
Giving:
I also mentioned we set up some giving accounts... One for Child S.h.a.r.e., and one for general giving. We decided for now, when we make it to church on Saturdays we will be writing a $20 check each week and when we don't make it, well add those funds to our general giving account. As for Child S.h.a.r.e., the account we have set up is for expenses so I can participate in the LA Marathon to raise money for child share... and hopefully so we can match all the donations people make on my behalf... we will also use this money to buy Christmas gifts for the organization to give out to kids in the program.
But here's where we need your help. My husband and I love the idea of supporting small charities with our other giving account, but we need ideas... We have a few lined up but do you have an organization you love that you'd like to see us support? Lets us know about it so we can bless someone with it.
- Child Share Fund: $46.00
- General Giving: $72.00
Does your husband have his own Roth?
ReplyDeleteDH and I do almost all of our giving to our local food bank. We live in a small town, so there is just one food bank and it is run out of our church so it's really easy for us. Still, its a great feeling knowing that we are helping to fill such a basic need (food!) and also that we are helping people in our own community. If you've got one nearby, I know food banks across the country are under huge strain right now.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous- SCb doesn't have his own Roth IRA yet... but he will next year. Since we don't have much time to max out anything for the year, we are opting to max out mine since I already know the funds I want to invest in. Next year we will open an additional Roth IRA for SCB.
ReplyDeleteI donate mainly to animal shelters around where I live. I am a very big animal lover and animals need help very much. I would consider giving time or money to animals. We have fostered, adopted, donated, volunteered and so on! It's great!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your savings progress. I noticed you have fully funded your ER fund. That's awesome. Good for you.
ReplyDeleteWe give regularly to our church, a foundation for children with health issues, and a listener-supported radio station.
ReplyDeleteHowever, at Christmastime (or whenever else the need arises) we get a real kick out of doing something random and unexpected for a friend who has been a blessing to us but that we know is not in a comfortable financial position.
One time it was a cashier's check for the family whose daughter got a serious E Coli infection, resulting in the dad missing a lot of work.
I quietly listened for years as a friend of ours talked about how nice it would be to have a Kitchenaid mixer when cooking for her family of 5. We purchased one, wrapped it up, and anonomously delivered it to their house during the Christmas party they were hosting for our small group. It was so much fun and gave us such a good feeling!
Right now I am thinking about the best way to anonomously help out an elderly couple in our church following a brain operation the husband just had resulting from a fall. He's lucky to be alive, but I also know the financial stress could be devastating as well.
Maybe a fund for these random happenings in life would be enjoyable for you too!
"Don't give until it HURTS, give until it feels GOOD!" -Dale Carpenter
I think everyone does a little bit of spending now & then! I wouldn't stress! :) As for where to donate, check out KIVA.com, I think you'd be interested!! :)
ReplyDelete@Carla- I already have an account set up with Kiva and have made around 23 successful loans so I'm sure you all will see those posts re-activated as my husband and I start lending again via their site...
ReplyDeleteHere's how to get more out of your Kohl's (and many other) deals: After hitting sales and using Kohl's cash or coupons, pay for the remainder of the purchase with a discounted gift card. Go to GiftCardGranny.com and look for the name of the store you want under "buy cards."
ReplyDeleteNote that some places now charge for shipping and some don't, and that card availability ebbs and flows. But if there are places you patronize regularly (Kohls, Regal Cinemas, Petco, Chili's, whatever), buy these cards and use them like cash.
This was the subject of one of my MSN Money columns. If it's kosher to post the URL, here it is:
http://money.msn.com/saving-money/gift-shop-with-gift-cards-and-save-freedman.aspx
Congratulations on your wedding. :-)