Spending Roundup for March
Here’s the breakdown of where my money went in March:
Fixed Expenses
These are the easy ones. My car payment, car insurance, AT&T bill, cable/internet, and CC payments fall into this category. I budgeted $750 and spent $750.
Groceries/Household
Budget was $250. I spent $212.20. Hooray!
Gas
Gas is currently $3.52/gal. in my area. Thank goodness my car gets 43 mpg! I budgeted $200 and spent $200.66. I may have to adjust my budget if gas prices keep rising.
Roth/Savings
I contributed $200 to my Roth in March and $200 toward savings, just as planned. This is automated so it’s easy to stay on track! I also rolled an old 401(k) into an IRA, so that $200 will be rolled into my Roth as soon as the paperwork is processed.
Utilities
Budget was $150. I spent $148.81. This is another possible area of adjustment, because I know my electric bill is going to rise when I start running the air conditioner. Time to get on levelized billing!
Restaurants
Budget was $150. I spent $173.32. FAIL!
Cigarettes
Budget was $100. I spent $101.92. I really want to quit throwing this money out the window, but it’s so hard to quit. I’m going to try to smoke less than a pack a day in April.
Miscellaneous
Budget for this category was $150. I spent $220.24, including $150 on random unnecessary shopping. FAIL!
Overall, my budget for the month was $2150 and I spent $2207.15. Over by $57.15.
thanks for visiting my site. Smoking definitely is an expensive habit. Packs costs about $9/pack where I live. It's a tough habit to break, but it's definitely worth while. I'm on my 5th day without smoking…it's tough.
$9 for ONE PACK?!?!?! Wow! I'm paying $38 per carton, so about $3.80 per pack, and I thought I really had something to complain about. I made it about 6 days in 2009, but that was my last attempt to quit. Even tried Chantix in 2007 and smoked the whole time I was taking it. I don't know what I'm going to do; I just know something needs to happen here!
Hello! I just wanted to say hi and welcome to the Yakezie group. I am participating in the challenge, too (at The Single Saver), and am loving every minute of it. Your site looks great. Keep up the good work. Denise @ The Single Saver
Great job on the spending! Have you tried hypnotism for the smoking?
You know, I have a former coworker who does hypnotherapy. He mentioned a long time ago that I should try it but I never did. That's definitely a thought!
In Chicago a pack of cigarettes cost about $9. I know. it's ridiculous. Today is my 5th day without smoking