Monday Musings: Week 22

Here is this week’s spending report. 

Week 22 Spending
Groceries /Food	$170
Clothing	$15
Toiletries	$5
Miscellaneous	$47
Basketball fee	$5
Total	$242

  

May Spending Report

Category	Spent	Budgeted	Savings
Groceries*	$568	$700	$132
Miscellaneous	$47	$120	$73
School	$10	$50	$40
Entertainment	$40	$75	$35
Toiletries	$10	$50	$40
Piano Lessons	$20	$80	$60
Clothing	$66	$60	-$6
Gifts	$59	$75	$16
Hair Care	$0	$30	$30
Benevolence	$0	$35	$35
Discretionary Cash	$25	$25	$0
Total	$845	$1300	$455

My monthly savings are not as impressive as they were in April, but we had more traveling, more company, and more events this month. I am very THRILLED to report that we were able to pay Esther’s $2506 orthodontist bill for the balance of her treatment. 100% of this amount was funded by savings from our household spending since January of 2014. I can’t begin to tell you what a great feeling it is to know that we were able to save so much. Honestly, the whole process hasn’t really been horribly painful. We’ve had to make adjustments, but I’ve been really surprised by the amount we’ve been able to cut back without really feeling it.

I’m feeling a little bit of a letdown now that there is no cushion in my household account, but I look forward to building it back up in the next months. I’m not sure how our spending will change over the summer months, but our goal is to fund a fall trip to the beach. I think that’s a bandwagon everyone can jump on!

Cell phone update: My phone which was dying last week was given a new lease on life. It wouldn’t charge, but after some cleaning of the contacts and a little adjustment, it seems to be working fine. We’ve decided that we’ll pay for a basic phone for any of our children over 16 who are attending school full-time. If they are determined to have a smartphone, then the bill is on them. So far, one has found an unlocked iPhone on e-bay and ordered it. He’ll be setting it up on Straight Talk within the week. The monthly cost for Straight Talk is just under $50 for unlimited talk, text, and web. If that doesn’t work out for him, he should be able to bring that phone to Verizon and get back on the plan with us. In the meantime, Syd and I will stick to our basic phones, and the other two kiddos have until June 30 to make a decision on what they want to do.