H1/Q2 Budget Check-In 2018

We’re halfway done with 2018 and this year is both crawling and flying by. Let’s check in on my goal to decrease my spending to $18,360 this year ($18K + 2% inflation).

Monthly Bills (including Rent, Utilities, Internet, Phone and Transit)

• January: $962.90 – We we forced to buy rental insurance for the first time. Streak broken 🙁
• February: $965.64
• March: $911.94
• April: $951.96
• May: $891.52
• June: $985.01
• Average: $944.83

CHANGELINGS

Groceries

• January: $158.53
• February: $93.93
• March: $134.14
• April: $146.14
• May: $78.97
• June: $71.67
• Average: $113.81 – This is $18/month or 14% less than last year!

Eating Out

• January: $42.06
• February: $64.57
• March: $130.46 – We went wild this month, taking advantage of a Wagyu beef special, going to brunch and while my partner was away I went out with lots of friends
• April: $12.50
• May: $20.31
• June: $53.05
• Average: $54 – Less than last year!

Alcohol

• January: $57.15
• February: $43.92
• March: $85.48 – My partner was gone for a week so I went out with friends more than usual
• April: $31.59
• May: $49.18
• June: $55.36
• Average: $57.26

Parties (Bringing food and drinks to people’s houses for parties)

• January: $6.50
• February: $0!
• March: $39.46
• April: $13.01
• May: $14
• June: $35.25
• Average: $17.71 – Less than last year!

LONGTERM

Giving

• January: $25
• February: $0
• March: $0
• April: $0
• May: $0
• June: $0
• Average: $4.16 – Much less than the $41.37 per month I spent last year!

Electronics

• January:$0
• February: $0
• March: $0
• April: $0
• May: $0
• June: $10.09 – The taxes on a free $120 Kindle Paperwhite
• Average: $1.68

Taxes

• January:$0
• February: $0
• March: $0
• April: $1,475 – I earned more money than anticipated last year so I owed the IRS some money. Woe is me 🙂
• May: $0
• June: $0
• Average: $246

Credit Card Fees

• January:$0
• February: $0
• March: $0
• April: $0
• May: $0
• June: $95 – The annual fee for my Chase Sapphire Preferred, which is my trip insurance and in all previous years has paid for itself when I’m stranded in a city overnight and need a last minute hotel
• Average: $15.83

RAINY DAYS

Household Goods

• January: $8.15
• February: $15.01- Including our first purchase of Drano! We’re such adults
• March: $16.19 – Batteries are expensive!
• April: $4.49
• May: $8.18
• June: $3.06
• Average: $9.18 – 29% less than last year!

Personal Products

• January: $0!
• February: $6.50
• March: $10.25
• April: $8.98
• May: $0!
• June: $0!
• Average: $4.29

Clothing

• January: $0!
• February:$0!
• March: $20.42 – I bought a new bikini for our Ecuador trip because my partner informed me that the last one was falling apart. 10 years for a Target bikini isn’t bad!
• April: $0!
• May: $0!
• June: $0!
• Average: $3.40 – This is higher than my $0 from the same period last year 🙂

Entertainment

• January: $11.50 – Bought a childhood favorite game: Age of Empires while it was 75% off
• February: $16.82 – Black Panther theater ticket and Blade Runner 2049 Redbox
• March: $30.48 – Sims 4 Cats & Dogs! Coco and Jumanji on Redbox
• April: $32.35 – I bought watercolor supplies to try a new hobby and tickets to Pacific Rim 2 (the abomination)
• May: $19.85 – I bought a full priced ticket to Deadpool 2. No regrets!
• June: $6
• Average: $19.50

Furniture

• January: $0
• February: $0
• March: $137.62 – We bought a portable air conditioner to make Seattle’s increasingly hot summers bearable. Look at us being so fancy!
• April: $0
• May: $0
• June: $0
• Average: $22.94

Grass

• January: $18
• February: $0
• March: $0
• April: $0
• May: $0
• June: $0
• Average: $3

Medical

• January: $13.75 – I was sick for 24 hours and loaded up on sugar free cough drops and drugs for the flight home
• February: $0
• March: $0
• April: $0
• May: $0
• June: $0
• Average: $2.29

VACATION

Vacation Spending

• January: $49.26
• February: $191.77 – Singapore
• March: $0
• April: $68 – This is for 3 campsite reservations of 2 nights each around Washington
• May: $75.81 – This was remaining camping expenses and our trip to Ecuador
• June: $200.41 – Ecuador and Camping
• Average: $97.52 – 15% less than last year!

Travel

• January: $446.40 – Roundtrip summer flight to ATL for 2 weeks
• February: $775.70 – Christmas flights: 2 weeks ATL, 1 week HF
• March: $0
• April: $80.98 – Taxes for my travel hacked flight to Costa Rica
• May: $0
• June: $0
• Average: $217.18 – This is $72.52/month less than the $289.70 average from last year!

H1 AVERAGE MONTHLY SPENDING: $1,843.95
– Minus flights and one-time expenses: $1,342

So far this year I’ve spent $11,063.71, 60% of my $18,360 goal, and that includes all the flights I’m buying this year for $1,303.08, $1,475 on taxes and $95 in annual credit card fees. If the rest of my spending stays the same and I remove those one-time expenses I’m projected to spend $19,115.71 in 2018. I’m projected to be $755.71 or 4% over my goal. No big deal. I guess it’s a good thing I decided to chill out about this stuff huh 🙂 . To the rest of the year!