As a reminder, my husband pays the "big bills" like mortgage, phone, and electricity. I pay for groceries and the pets and that's relatively even.
Groceries ($854.15) - It was my turn at Costco. *heavy sigh* We actually spent a lot more than usual here because I stocked up on snack food because my husband's brother and his family were visiting and I hosted book club. I don't think it's too bad considering all that.
Personal care ($428.02) - Look, I know that this number is more than some of you spend on personal care ALL YEAR, but this was me stocking up. I purchased regular AND purple shampoo and conditioner (I only use the purple every two or three weeks); heat protectant for my hair; styling product for my hair; moisturizer; lots of makeup, including new foundation, mascara, and eye and face primer; and shower oil. Was it a lot? Yes. But if you're a lady who wears makeup, this is the price you must pay. And I can't imagine having to buy much beyond more face lotion and sunscreen in the near future.
Pets ($332) - I bought both girls food. I splurged and got Zelda a new litter box after the Great Radioactive Litter situation of 2025. Also, Zelda had to get some medicine.
Savings ($200) - I'm catastrophizing, but why bother with saving money since the economy is going to collapse?
Cars ($161.30) - Gas a few times and an oil change for the new car.
Donations ($130) - Local charities got it all.
Gifts ($124.20) - I bought a roll of stamps, which is most of this. I also bought a tiny dog some presents.
Bills ($117.09) - Home and car insurance.
Entertainment ($60.50) - This was the charge for the golf simulator when my husband's family came to visit us. Extortion!
Fitness ($42.30) - I had to buy a pass for my fitness class through the end of April.
Eating out ($8.21) - I stopped at Dunkin' after the oil change. I deserve a treat after doing dumb chores.
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When's the last time you ate out?
Our last time eating out was the pizza that we got on Friday. Our restaurant spending was very lean in Feb - mostly because it was Too Damn Cold to go outside.
ReplyDeleteYay for a low spend month for the pets, which you were overdue for. As far as the economy collapsing, we've been there and done that many times.
I DREAM of ordering a pizza on a Friday night. *sigh* It's probably better for me that it's not an option.
DeleteEngie, any time you need someone to talk to re: expenditures on personal care, I AM YOUR GIRL. We are in this together. My health/ beauty expenditures are HIGH, let's just say that. But I - like you! - really care about how I present, and I feel l like I need all the help I can get.
ReplyDeleteI spent over a thousand dollars on groceries THIS WEEK ALONE. Now, in my defense, I had a trip to Costco on Tuesday that was almost $800, but I didn't go to Costco the entire month of February, so I was really low on so many of my standard/ pantry items. But things are so expensive now and they are only going to get worse. I don't think I spend frivolously but groceries! Are so expensive! How do people with very limited means get by? I have no idea what people do! I am in a position of privilege, more privileged than most, I think, and *I* feel like this is insane. We don't eat out, I don't buy a lot of wild things, this bill is almost entirely staples and some meat/ dairy/ produce.
I don't actually think of my beauty expenditures as high, but they aren't non-existent like the people who wash their face with bar soap and apparently don't use sunscreen regularly. But I do tend to stock up all at once so it looks terrifying two or three times a year!
DeleteI follow a subreddit called r/povertyfinance and people make low food budgets work by shopping sales (which I do not do), going to the most inexpensive grocery stores, going to food banks, and making use of deals on apps from fast food places. At least, that's my understanding of the situation. It sounds like a lot of time and effort. Oh, and they don't buy any produce. It's all variations of rice and beans. I don't take the fresh fruit I eat every morning for granted, that's for sure.
$8.21 on eating out??? You are FRUGAL. We don't eat out in restaurants very much, but we do usually get takeout once a week. i also think your grocery spending is low.
ReplyDeleteGlad Zelda is doing well!!! She deserved a new litter box.
Ha! I just don't eat out very often. I'm obviously not frugal based on my shampoo and conditioner budget!
DeleteWe rarely eat out. Like only every few months. The last time I ate out was a couple of weekends ago when I met friends for lunch at a local bar. I had a burger, fries, and a beer because BAR!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like the PERFECT bar food, to be honest. I'm drooling thinking about it.
DeleteWe eat out very, very rarely. I don't like chain restaurants because the food quality is shameful. I end up fussy and complaining that I could have made the entree at home far better and more cheaply. My favourite restaurant is wonderful, but it's pricey. Sometimes, I crave a French 75 and really good food, so we go. But it's $150 at least, and yikes. Still, they are an independent, local place that sources locally, too, so I like supporting them, and we know everyone there.
ReplyDeleteHooray for Zelda getting a new litterbox. I think that's wise. I got new ones for Piper and Marlowe not long ago, and because they are big cats, I got big boxes. But that means we go through litter much faster, and that stuff is expensive.
YES! I always think I can make the food better for a fraction of the price. It is why I almost get fried fish when I eat out - I would NEVER make that at home.
DeleteWe don't actually go through litter that quickly. I'm happy to say that having one cat and only one box is probably the reason why. Whew. At least we have one relatively low pet expense! I think this is only the third or fourth litter box we've gotten for Z, too. They can last for years at a time.
I chucked at 'extortion', hee hee. We've felt this when we try to do some simple family fun like bowling. I do not wear much makeup and my face cleaning/moisturizing routine is pretty simple and for this I think my husband should be grateful . . . well, except that I may or may not have made up for that when buying shoes last night. Um, I am committed to returning some of them - but I want to figure out what clothes I'm packing for our Italy trip and I need to know that before I select my footwear. I am totally in support of buying a treat after handling unfun chores.
ReplyDeleteThe five of us went bowling and it was $60 for shoes and the lane rental for two games. That is a lot of money, but I guess when you do the math, it's only $12 a person. Maybe that's an okay price.
DeleteHa ha. My shoes are not cheap, either. But I do try to get them repaired and wear them for years and years.
I bought myself a sandwich yesterday after taking my car in to get its regular maintenance. I too needed a treat after the ridiculousness of the car place.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I think you are doing GREAT with the personal care costs. Seems totally reasonable to me. Making oneself feel prepared to face the world -- especially right now -- is NO SMALL FEAT.
I always give myself a treat after doing dumb things. In two weeks I have a periodontist appointment and I'm already psyching myself up for it by telling myself I can get a coffee-type drink afterwards.
DeleteI have to stop being defensive about my personal care habits. I wouldn't judge someone else for it, so why am I so harsh on myself?
I only eat out when there's no other choice, such as when I travel, so the last time was in August. I don't love eating out - I have trust issues. Yay for buying a present for Blanche!!! She deserves all the presents! And a new litter box for Zelda - she deserves that too!
ReplyDeleteMy husband has trust issues about eating things other people have prepared, too. You're not alone in the world!
DeleteWe had appetizers at Paddy's on Saturday, so I guess that counts as the last time we ate out! (I did pick up sandwiches from Gino's Deli in Madison on Tuesday, but we ate those at home, so I'm not counting that.)
ReplyDeleteSandwiches from a deli would be counted as "eating out" in my spreadsheet because I did not pay for them at the grocery store. I have strict rules about categorization!!!
DeleteThat definition works for me!
DeleteWe had take out pizza last Friday. Oh wait, I did buy the 13 year old and her friend a chai after their voice lesson on Saturday. We definitely eat out more than I would like. I'm finding I don't always find it very satisfying to eat out. Plus I like cooking.
ReplyDeleteOh, ha! I do not mind the actual cooking, but I do mind the stuff leading up to it - the planning, the shopping, the thinking. So I would love if eating out were more of an option for us, but since it's not, I will just move on with my life eating delicious food we've made in our own kitchen.
DeleteI will say it makes traveling super hard. Like, your day out in NYC? We'd spend the whole day trying to find a place that would be safe for my husband to eat thing he had brought with him. And we'd have to plan for every morsel he ate or drank before we left the house in the morning. That's maybe the worst part of it for me. There's little spontaneity in traveling for us.
I miss my dog SO MUCH, but I will admit that I like having that extra money. SIGH. I would rather have a dog, but since my Ted is not on board, I will find my silver lining where I can.
ReplyDeleteWe eat out for dinner pretty much every Friday night. It started in 2020 as a way to help the restaurants, getting takeout, and we've kept it up because we like it. We don't go to chain restaurants, unless they are small local chains with maybe 2 or 3 restaurants. It's expensive, but generally Ted pays. I buy groceries Mon - Thurs, we go out on Friday, and he buys groceries on Sat and Sun. Who knows how this came about, but here we are, it works for us. Last Friday I went to dinner with a girl friend, and I brought cash to try to partake as much as I could with the spending boycott. That got confusing because I had cash and my friend had a credit card and we ended up only giving our server 1/2 of the tip. Not cool, I had to go back the next day and give her the rest.
I spent $100 on shampoo yesterday. It's a liter bottle and lasts forever, but it's spendy.
LOL on your savings comment. I sometimes think, well, if the world ends, I guess it doesn't matter that I spent so much of my life underemployed and don't have much of a savings. HA!
Pets ARE expensive. They are a luxury these days, I guess.
DeleteI still am dumbfounded that you shop for groceries daily. I would find this a frustrating way to spend time!!
Oh Costco! I can easily spend a few hundred dollars there in one pop and that is just for one person, so I can see how it is easy to spend as much as you did. I think when it's just me, I am a fairly basic eater, and am happy to eat the same thing over and over, but when there are other people, I definitely spent more on groceries (even if you break it down to a per person cost). Luckily now I don't store anything and so that keeps me from spending very much. I would say that I generally spend about $150 on groceries and about $200 on dining out per month, but most of the dining out is when I am visiting friends, whereas if I am by myself, I spent a lot less.
ReplyDeleteI usually only eat out with friends or if I'm treating myself because I did an adult chore. I don't think my eating out expenses are excessive, but I'm starting to think my willy nilly approach to groceries is maybe not the best one. Oh, well. You gotta eat.
DeleteThe last time I had take out (which I consider eating out) was on Paul's birthday. The last time I actually ate in a restaurant was when I was in Grand Rapids, MI so the 3rd week of February!
ReplyDeleteI think your personal care line item is not bad at all. Mine ebbs and flows depending on whether I had a haircut or not as it is not cheap but only happens about 3 times/year. And then add in other things like lotions and make up and under eye creams that I continue to buy in the hopes they will solve my under-eye circles and it really grows...
Hmm... the last time I ate out was yesterday. I love going to restaurants and I hate cooking.
ReplyDeleteMy beauty/personal care budget can get very high, but I like what I like and it's what I like to splurge on. Like Lisa said, though, it ebbs and flows. Sometimes I'm spending $500 and sometimes I'm spending $40.