Frugal August
Bills & Utilities: Artificially 70% lower this year. Ugh, I thought I'd adjusted the Duke due dates to keep this more consistent, but we didn't end up paying a utility bill in August. I *think* I now have this set to be paid around the middle of each month, but we shall see. We did pay two Internet bills this month; unfortunately, one of them came with a late fee of $8.95. This is the one bill that Francisco is in charge of. :P I just emailed him and asked him to look into setting this up for recurring payment to ensure we aren't late on a payment again.
Entertainment: No spending this year.
Food & Dining: We spent 48% less this year. That's $100 less on groceries and over $300 less on restaurants. It's seriously striking how much less we eat out now.
Gifts & Donations: Francisco returned the Bluetooth headphones he'd gotten me, so we actually had a credit this month.
Health & Fitness: 69% less this year. I had a charge last year for glasses frames that I'm pretty positive I ended up returning [I am so a chronic returner.] Pharmacy expenses were higher this year though as Francisco is keeping Allegra in business.
Pets: 79% lower this year. Looks like we had to buy our kitties flea treatment last year.
Shopping: 56% lower this year. Last year, I bought more clothes, while this year, we actually had a credit for clothes because I returned some shoes #chronicreturner. Electronics expenses were higher this year as we tested out some bluetooth headphones and microphones. We also bought replacement air filters this year and stocked up on pain relievers.
Travel: This is the only Master Category that's higher than the previous year. One more AirBNB booked, and you'll definitely be seeing the rest of the lodging expenses in September's numbers as we wrap up the planning for our upcoming trip.
Summary: We spent 36% less than last year. Wow, that's over a $1,000 difference - I can dig it!
Awesome! Where is your next trip?
ReplyDeleteWe are going to Iceland!
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