I'm not getting discouraged but boy did the budget blow up in my face this month! Wow! It was my very first month making a very detailed budget and I spent hours upon hours trying to perfect it. I guess I did okay for my first try, Dave Ramsey says to just try it our for a couple months and keep adapting. It will take time.So, you've seen my initial feb. budget and the mid-month update (if you haven't you can click here http://enchantedstorybookparties.blogspot.com/2009/02/budget-update.html to see it), now here is how I actually did.....
Grocery: My budget was about 50.00/week for a total of 200.00 I ended up spending 216.91 so I was only over by 16.91 so I guess that's not too bad. I have decided to budet a monthly trip to Costco, which should cut down on my weekly spending. Some of the essentials that take up a lot of my budget (peanut butter, oatmeal, bottled water, etc.) are a GREAT deal at Costco. I go with my mom so I don't have to spend the 50.00/yr on my own membership.
Special Occassions/Presents: I had a lot of occassions this month but I actually ended up coming in 122.48 under budget! Yea!
Childcare: I had budgeted 120.00 but ended up spending 140.00 to come in at 10.00 over. Not too too bad.
Mortgage/House: Came in as planned right at 1.133.18
Hygiene/Target/Baby: I didn't really know how to plan for here, because we always need a lot and have unexpected things in this category. I thought 30.00 would be enough but I was way wrong. I ended up spending 93.94 for an overage of 63.94. I think 50.00 will be enough in the future, we had to buy my daughter a new car seat this month, so it was a little higher.
Savings: Came in right at 20.00, as planned
Unexpected/Forgot to Plan: I completely failed in this category, although some things couldn't be helped. You can click the link above for why this category went a whopping 751.02 over budget here. Now, I guess you can't say "over budget" because I don't budget anything for this category, this is the accidental category for emergencies and such. We had dr. visits, meds, MRIs, certain unmentionables and etc. Hopefully this category never goes this crazy again.
Car: I ended up not having time to get my tires rotated so I came in 40.05 under budget, but it will go into March's budget.
Gas: Prices fluctuated up and down so we went 5.59 over budget. Not bad.
Pets: Only went over 1.88
Utilities: Our gas bill was a little more than I thought it would be so we went over 6.33
Debt: I landed some extra money as my mom lived with us for a bit and paid us rent so I paid an extra 100 on our credit card so I went over budget 100 with that extra payment.
Medical/Health: Technically over, but it fell in the unexpected/forgot to plan category.
Entertainment/Restaurants: I was dying at work and had to buy subway, which was 5.38 and caved for two coke slushies which totaled 2.88, so we're 8.26 over
Blow Money: Spent 0
Clothing: Now, here is where I had an accident. You know how they say that when you go on an extreme diet, you'll end up purging on 10,000 calories in one day? Well, this was kind of like that. I was at Target and had a purge in the toddler girl clothing section. They just got their new spring clothes and I was like a crack addict. Don't worry, though, I have now checked myself into rehab, but since it's voluntary I can leave at any time :) I went over 86.45, bad mommy.
So, the grand total is an overage of 768.06 (I didn't count the 100 over for the debt section b/c I just used the 100 in unexpected rent money my mom gave us for letting her stay with us for a little while that month). The MRI actually took us over what we made that month, so we had to dip into savings to pay the almost 500.00 bill for my daughter's MRI, but we have since replaced the funds and are trying to make up for it.
Preview for next month, drumroll............It's my best friends wedding, I'm the matron of honor, my daughter is the flower girl, it's out of town, WATCH OUT BUDGET.
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