Budget Recap - November 2006
Overall I’m pleased with the budget this month.
Dining out is still too high, but we’re working on that. Basically, until my job situation improves, this is probably just the reality of our life.
Groceries were exceptionally high because of a trip to costco. Also, I don’t take the time to pick out household purchases from the food purchases, so it all looks like a big food budget when we go to costco.
Gasoline is one of the better categories since we spent less than $150 on gas (we originally budgeted about $300 for gas). My commuting to work and general exhaustion in the evenings has reduced my fill ups to once a month. For some reason, the partner’s gas usage is also down, along with a significant decrease in gasoline prices. Last month, we spend $281.79 on gas.
Medical was high because of a dentist appointment — just what we needed to use up the rest of the FSA.
Cell phone has been ridiculously high because I’ve been going over my plan for several months in a row. I finally got a clue, realized I wasn’t decreasing my talk time, and upgraded my plan. Argh. I also eliminated my text messaging plan because I never use it anymore.
Savings did not get deposited in November and the $300 will be added to the December deposit.
Next month I’ll try to look at the ebay progress that the partner is making. I think we’re finally agreeing on what to do with the money which is only coming in at about $500 month right now. It’ll probably end up in savings until we get the house under way and then go toward paying off debt once that is in order.
There may be some changes based on credit card purchases once the bills arrive. I’m actually looking forward to seeing one of the bill this month.