I'm not speaking here of mortgages, rents, taxes or other non-discretionary expenses. I'm asking about all of the other things...this question was part of an exercise designed to focus people on spending habits.
So far, this year, I've paid property taxes, condominium association fees through the end of August, and my homeowner's policy for the year. I've got income tax to look forward to in April.
Apart from these, my monthly expenses include electricity, for which I pay the same amount each month regardless of the season so I have no huge dips or rises to contend with which makes budgeting easier, my internet cost which I think is too high but because I do not have a television and do not want "bundled" phone, internet and cable, I have no choice unless I want to cancel internet home service. That would mean spending money to go to the library or another WIFI spot to use the internet, write posts and check e-mail because I would need a bus or cab. We don't have a dearth of providers in this area either and the other company is no better, according to users. I have already experienced two internet outages this month, and had my phone been bundled, I'd have had no way to call and tell them or the use of the phone in an emergency. My mobile, which is now the only phone I have, has been running between $25-35 per month. I'm now in the habit of keeping it switched off unless I'm expecting a call or need to return one. It keeps things quieter, has reduced the number of nuisance calls and is far cheaper on a monthly basis than its predecessor. I also have no contract and get a small discount as a member of AARP.
My transportation costs vary depending upon how much I travel but are generally about $50. Groceries are about $45 per week and I'm attempting to reduce this further. I have both Netflix and Acorn.com and a membership of $45 per month. Netflix has a lot of foreign movies which I enjoy and Acorn is wonderful for those who enjoy British programming. Though my public library system also offers streaming for movies and other items such as e-books and music via Hoopla, further investigation is needed before I determine whether to give up my paid subscriptions though at the moment I am leaning in that direction. An Alumni Association membership comes with an array of benefits including my university library but the distance to and from my flat would be an added expense. Some streaming is a possibility there as well and various discounts and access to insurance products might be useful. I have been a member of my credit union for thirty years which has kept banking costs to a minimum. I also get a very low interest credit card which I attempt to pay off every month. During Jacob's illness, that wasn't always possible but his bills have now been paid off in full.
Additionally, I've shed my weekly Starbucks habit and had restaurant food twice since the beginning of December. Other than Aldi, I've spent $125 at Target and another
$25 on household supplies. Instituting a waiting period of 72 hours between purchases has helped me determine whether I want something or actually need it, and has further curbed spending. Haircuts, which are $15 at a neighborhood discounter, have been reduced to $9.99 with advanced purchase on a gift card. I have a total of eight and can use them anytime I choose as the gift card does not expire. I am not buying any books this year since I already have some on my TBR shelf and more on my Kindle.
The re-model is complete, with everything in working order and paid by check, so no debt was accrued. Unlike many of you, I do need to pay for cleaning and repairs. My next adventure may be a new wheelchair but that won't be for some time. My current chair is a titanium build, not covered under Medicare. From a brick and mortar vendor, it retailed for $8000 in 2009. While online prices are considerably less, once made, it cannot be returned, so measurements must be precise. Unlike the purchase of small cars, vendors do not take monthly or partial payments.
I've spent nothing frivolously or out of boredom, made my meals and coffees at home and will research options outlined here. Though I've agreed to meet a lovable stray and the man currently sheltering him, whether he likes me or my home remains to be seen. I'm under no pressure since the gentleman and this cat are from my vet's office. The man has already told me that if he and his family cannot find the cat another home, he will stay with them even though one of the older felines in the home objects. It all depends upon what the cat decides. Very often, cats adopt people and the deal is done. He may have already chosen his family.
I am still researching assistance dogs but remain concerned over the costs of feeding and vet bills, getting the dog groomed and out to a dog park regularly and other things. No decisions will be made quickly.
Wishing you all a good weekend.
7 comments:
I have spent money on health insurance, a doctor's visits and prescriptions. Rather a lot of money. And on family birthday presents. I have also subsribed (with a one-off payment of $50) to a green bin service where my garden waste will be collected fortnightly. I need to follow your example on the book front. Badly.
I hope your weekend is pleasant and restorative.
Hmmm... interesting post - especially the "why" part. Last year was a particularly spendy year for me - what with the bathroom remodel and ripping out the carpet (need for area rugs) and all. I guess when it comes down to it, mostly I spend money trying to solve problems, which doesn't always work out - but it does more often than it doesn't, so I guess that's a win. I think my biggest discretional expense over the past year or so has been tools - both for working on the house and working on my bike. I'm really hoping to curb that a bit this year, but I do still have some big projects looming (the kitchen, Oy!) so I guess time will tell on that one. But when push comes to shove, I always feel that it's better to spend money on tools so you can fix things yourself than to pay someone else to fix it for you. To that end, my only real discretional spending so far this year was a cable cutter/crimper tool for my bike so I could fix the shifter cable that broke last week. It wasn't the cheapest tool, and I might have been able to make do without it, but this way I have some peace of mind knowing that I did it correctly (albeit with a bit of cursing) and next time all I'll need is the cable.
It sounds like you are very organized with your finances. We have a monthly budget that we stick with. So far it has worked very well for us.
I finally made it to visit your blog! This is the first post I read and it's right up my alley :) Thanks for typing it all up.
It sounds like we're on the same page for a lot of things: I don't bundle my phone/internet, don't have cable, love Acorn (I cancelled it once I watched everything I was interested in, though. I think I might try Brittbox next if I ever get time to watch TV again). I love my library and usually don't buy books but I bought a couple recently because I wanted to read them very much and they're not offered by my library system, which discontinued the interlibrary loan program back during the crisis of 2008. As for nuisance calls, I keep a "home line" (which is a cell phone line on my family plan, cheaper for me than a traditional home line) but the phone is permanently turned off. If someone wants my home phone number, that's the number I give, but I tell everybody that I don't like talking on the phone (I don't) and I ask them to email me instead. If I really want to talk to someone, then they get my personal cell phone number. However, I have also started getting many nuisance calls and messages on that one so now I leave it on "DO NOT DISTURB" mode (it's an iPhone) and only my Contact's phone calls get through. Everyone else gets sent to voicemail directly and if I don't know the number, I just block them afterwards.
I track everything we spend to the penny and in many spreadsheets, but I still think I spend too much. We spent way too much money in Eating Out/Ordering In last year so I'm on a mission to curb that as much as I can this year. So far this month we've only gone out twice but each time it was to celebrate one of my kids' birthdays. Certainly, we could afford a much higher standard of living if we didn't save as much as we do for retirement and other expenses. I'd rather make do with my crappy kitchen for a few more years than risk having to turn off the AC when we're older or not being able to afford whatever prescriptions we need!
It's unbelievable that vendors of the wheelchairs don't offer credit plans or installments. Even roofers and dentists these days have deals with various credit companies to offer 0% interest monthly payments to their customers! People in wheelchairs don't have a choice, they have to have the wheelchair. I don't imagine that most people can easily afford to pay $8,000 cash for one! I'm really sorry to hear that.
I'm sorry to hear about your cat's illness and passing, I gather. Good luck with the prospective new kitty! It can be tricky if they've been spooked by other cats so maybe give it some time? I'm sure you know all about it.
I shall go read more of your blog now, e. Thanks for visiting mine these past couple of weeks! Have a great weekend. We're finally getting more "Florida-like" temperatures, aren't we? So hopefully we can turn off the heat this weekend. Yay!
I'm not much of a shopper, so I don't spend much beyond day-do-day expenses like food and rent and transportation. Occasionally we go out somewhere swanky for dinner, or to a movie, and a couple times a year I fly back to the states to see family -- those are the big luxuries.
Pretty much the only discretionary expenses we have are for entertainment - meaning books (for both of us, most purchased second-hand at quite low prices), cable (for husband), craft materials (very few, for me - I like to use cast-off clothing and thrift store supplies in order to have a recycling component to my crafts). We rarely go out to eat, and usually cover it with one of the gift cards we receive at Christmas.
You seem very well organized, highly motivated, and good at researching your options, all of which are valuable tools in getting spending down as low as possible.
The "why" question is an important one - and one I'm really focusing in on this year. I have internet through cable and I actually hate that it was cheaper to get it with limited cable than without. How does that even make sense? I also have Netflix. I'm enjoying the idea of not shopping at all - after almost a month, it's starting to feel more natural. We've cut way back on eating out, too. But I want to travel and that will be my one big expense that I feel okay about. (Oh, and I helped my son out when he totaled his car.)
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