As a reminder, my husband pays the "big bills" like mortgage, phone, and electricity. I pay for groceries and the pets and that somehow evens things out.
Um. I have no excuses for what you're going to see, but I'll explain it all. Here's how it all shook out.
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Entertainment ($17.15, <1%) - Spotify and parking when I was in Madison one afternoon.
Fitness ($47.48, 1.2%) - This is my fitness classes for the rest of the year.
Cars ($50.81, 1.3%) - Gas a few times.
Eating out ($120, 3.1%) - I had a friend in town a few days and we ate out quite a few times.
Personal care ($130, 3.4%) - Pedicure, haircut, and some makeup items.
Savings ($200, 5.2%) - The usual.
Bills ($256.01, 6.6%) - Water/sewer, and house/car insurance.
Health ($301, 7.8%) - Periodontist visit. My periodontal care is not paid for with insurance so this is all out of pocket for me.
Pets ($383.16, 9.9%) - Food for both girls, I bought a card for the dog bath (5 baths for $40), and I bought some birdseed.
Gifts ($431.37, 11.2%) - Greeting cards, a present for a bloggy friend, and a graduation present.
Groceries ($844.08, 21.9%) - There was no Costco trip this month, so this wasn't too bad.
Clothes ($1080, 28%) - Here it is. Here's the big one. I bought new shoes to replace some that I need for the fall and winter, some winter dresses, and some leggings. I honestly don't have a good cold weather wardrobe for my job and last year I muddled through, but this year I want to make sure I have seven solid outfits. I'm still on the lookout for fun tights and/or leggings that aren't made of plastic. If you've got any leads, let me know. As you all know, I'm not at all frugal about the clothes I buy, but I try to buy ethically and I try to shop small businesses.
My new shoes are handmade here in the United States from CYDWOK (replacing a different pair I had for 13 years or so and had repaired repeatedly until they couldn't be repaired again) and I bought several items from Rowan Grey Clothing, a small place out of Michigan that handmakes all their items.
Do I spend more than the average person on clothes? Yes. But I'm trying to do the best I can.
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What do you spend more money than average on? Do you feel like you have to justify your spending?
Buying high quality clothes and shoes is a sound investment, esp if you need to look professional and comfortable at work.
ReplyDeleteI spend a lot on food. I have a big family, but I don't shop for deals like I used to. I buy what we will eat and things that make life easier. Prepackaged crackers and snacks for lunch boxes I could live without, but I won't because they will be eaten by picky kids and then I don't have to think hard about what's going into the lunchboxes. My husband asked if we could spend less on food- we could, we'd just eat a lot more pasta and oatmeal, like when my big kids were little.
Food! We spend so much money on food. Like you, we could *probably* decrease costs, but that would cost us time and time is so limited these days that I can't prioritize decreasing food costs right now.
DeleteI don't think that spending $1,000 all at once for clothes is that extreme. I don't remember clothing being a very frequent line item in your monthly recaps. If you're buying good quality stuff that brings you joy and is going to last, then your cost per wear will end up being nothing.
ReplyDeleteThe thing about tracking spending is that the goal isn't to spend no money. It's to know where your money is going. You're allowed to spend as long as you have the money and feel good about where it is going.
For me the big eye opener that got me to unstrangle my purse strings was travel. For the first day trip that I made, I felt bad about "wasting" gas, and for the first out of town trip that I did, I had serious "wait, is this OK?" pangs. But then I saw the joy that I got out of spending the money and relaxed.
Yes! I am careful about what clothing I buy and I don't have any items in my wardrobe that go unworn.
DeleteI feel like you do a nice job on your trips of doing pretty frugal things, though. You're not getting rooms at the Four Seasons and going to Disney World all the time, you know? You're visiting lighthouses and government buildings. That seems reasonable to me!
Maybe you spent more than the average person on clothes THIS MONTH, but I would say your yearly spending in that category is probably below average. Besides, buying ethically-made items from small businesses is going to cost more than Old Navy, but that's something you can feel good about.
ReplyDeleteI have really not been spending much money lately! But I am taking this little trip to see my son this month, which I stupidly did feel I had to justify. I even worked some extra days to make up for the cost. I don't know why I felt like I don't deserve to go away for a weekend! I have to get over this ridiculousness.
Oh, Jenny, I have two weekends away planned for this month and I haven't even considered spending less in order to pay for them! They're just the cost of my life right now! You deserve nice things and fun weekends with your children and to feel the cool, crisp air of a Midwestern autumn!
DeleteSeptember was a nightmare. Let me just say that we helped Sam buy a house.
ReplyDeleteIt was gratifying to be able to do so; I'd rather see where some of my eventual Bequest Money goes now and enjoy it; it is not going to be money we will miss.
I agree with Birchie about the ethos of tracking spending. You're just being intentional about your money. No one could say your clothing expenditure isn't that.
Yay! It is better to see the money used than to just having it sitting somewhere, isn't it?
DeleteMy clothing purchases are not spur of the moment, that's for sure. I had these shoes on my Christmas wish list last year, as well as one of the dresses I purchased, so I am careful about them. I just think that the eye popping amount might make some people uncomfortable and I'm trying to get in front of that.
Heck yeah! We went to Costco!
ReplyDeleteProbably music for me. Between Spotify premium, albums, and the occasional concert, that adds up! But I never worry about justifying it to anyone. Music is such an important part of my life it's worth every penny.
ReplyDelete