August Budget- The No Spend Month

I will be the first person to say that the hubby and I forgot what the word budget meant last month and went a little crazy in certain areas. While we spent the least amount of money we have on eating out and groceries, that number is skewed by our vacation and being away from home since those outings didn't count in the final figures. So we have decided that its time to rein things in and invoke our first married No Spend Month!!!


For the Month of August we will only pay our bills and buy groceries and gas. It's our goal at the end of the month to be able to fix SCB's trunk and try and really get the car fund off and running since we depleted it last month with maintenance repairs. 

As for ongoing items, we still need to get SCB to the dentist and the slush fund is sitting still over $2k despite last month. 


We have also been seriously considering getting new slider doors for the condo so if we do run our wall unit AC it all won't suck the wonderful cold out the door... that and I want them replaced before the fall when the Santa Ana winds come and lift our slider door off the ground and then drop it back down everyday since it doesn't fit in the jam properly.


We have the money set aside for our holiday trip out to Utah ($300 to cover gas and tolls), so all that's really floating around of concern is the dental work, the windows, the car fund, paying extra on the mortgage, and maybe replacing the vent in the bathroom... and maxing my Roth IRA. (when I lump it in like that it seems less intense).


Here's our August No Spend Budget:

Paycheck #1:

• Mortgage (P&I, Property taxes, MIP): $809.40
• Giving $120.00
• Fast Offering: $10
• Groceries & Food: $240.00
• Prescriptions/doctors appointments: $20.00
• Overtime (give 10%, the Roth, Birthdays, & savings)

Paycheck #2:

• Giving: $120.00
• HOA: $262.50
• Insurance (2 Autos, earthquake, homeowners) $135.00
• Utility Bills (2 Cell Phones, Electricity, Internet): $230.00
• Prescriptions/doctors appointments: $10.00
• Gasoline/Auto: $150.00
• Christmas: $50.00
• Roth IRA $161.90

We have $80 that normally would be spent on eating out, and that will hopefully go towards my roth and other savings goals.


How we spent our Money Last Month:

• Groceries/House Supplies: $167.41
• Eating Out: 60.17
• Gasoline: $130.21
• Car Repairs/Other: $237.00
• Giving: $276.94
• Prescriptions: $0.00
• Housing: $1,071.90
• Re-occurring Bills (Cell, Electricity, Internet): $226.18
• Gifts/birthdays: $38.22
• Clothes: $0.00
• Other: $464.26
• Medical/Dental/Vision: $0.00
• Vacation: $425.24

How we spent our Money thus far in 2012: 

• Groceries/Household Supplies: $1,598.04
• Eating Out: $942.21
• Cars
• Gasoline: $978.98
• Car Repairs/Smog/Registration/INS: $1035.01
• Giving: $1243.29
• Prescriptions: $113.00
• Housing: $7600.03
• Re-occurring Bills 
• Cell: $960.56
• Electricity: $299.46
• Internet: $255.40
• SCB's Wood Turning: $812.21
• Gifts/Birthdays/Holidays: $474.40
• Medical/Dental/Vision: $333.95
• Vacation: $941.81
• Utah
• $85.52 Shopping
• $168.88 Gasoline / Tolls / Transportation
• $119.98 Food/Eating Out
• Disneyland: $142.19 (Parking, Food, & Shopping)
• Utah/Great Basin National Park
• Gasoline: $194.05
• Tolls: $12.00
• Souvenirs: $48.27
• Campsite: $18.00
• Cave Tours: $16.00
• Food/Going Out: $136.92
• Clothes/Other: $1,256.56