Hi everyone
I apologise for the lack of posts. I'm been running around a lot lately. I'm still trying to play catch up after being sick, but I now have a bunch of appointments to attend. In a perfect world, I'd have all my appointments scheduled in one week, so I can get it over & done with. I like to have my life simplified. I would just like a week or 2 to stay home to work and declutter without interruptions, but that's not gonna happen. I'm hoping that I can get back to normal by next month. Most of my appointments should be over with by then.
Well, the good news is that we mainly stuck to the budget last month. Here's how we did.
Groceries/HBA/Cleaning
Produce market : $61.04
Aldi : $54.31
Kroger : $6.79
Meijer : $35.56
Sams : $99.44
Walmart : $33.92
Walgreens : $28.72
CVS : $0 (Paid with gc)
Rite Aid : $2.12
Total OOP : $321.90
Earnings
$7.25 Ibotta
Total earnings : $7.25
My earned drugstore rewards are not included in this amount.I count them when I spend it.
Once again, Sams was intentional. I did really well at the beginning of the month, but then did a last trip before month end. I need to go back this month, because Sams was out of the non-GMO chicken breast the last time. I don't buy regular chicken, so I need to go check if they have non-GMO in stock again. The low Sams number was due to $75 gcs that I had to spend. So thankful for those gcs.
We stuck to the budget for the most part. I did another Meijer trip for sale soda (big mistake). Well, it was a great deal on the Mountain Dew Spark. On sale for 3/12, earn $2 each Ibotta and $1.50 Fetch. So I spent $12 and earned back $7.50. Great deal right? The downside, I didn't bother to check if this was diet soda. I was in a sugar coma after reading the label. So we tried it and I got an upset stomach after the first few sips. My body can't handle this much sugar. The other bad part is that it tastes awful. Like bad candy. On to Plan B.
The Aldi number was high because of the samosas (8 boxes) I bought. No regrets.
I'm budgeting $400 for this month. I'm hoping for a much lower number, but I need to stock up on chicken since Sams was out of chicken and I read about bird flu somewhere. Chicken is our main meat source, so I need that. I also need to pick up a few more things at Sams. Nothing major, but with constant price increases, I don't know how much I'll be spending. I noticed that the kitchen garbage bags have increased by a whopping $5!!! Not $1-2. I can understand small increases, but $5 on one item is crazy!
MONEY EARNED (SIDE HUSTLE)
GCs Earned $45 ($25 Mypoints, $10 Microsoft, $10 Swagbucks)
Personal items (things we've had listed for the past 2 years) : $165.49
2022 Closet cleanout : $34.32
Big goal : $0
4K Challenge: $44.07
Rakuten : 17.68
Total earnings : $306.56
I was pleasantly surprised by our personal earnings this month. I didn't expect that, but I'm thankful for it - especially since I splurged.
Nothing listed from my closet this month, since I spent the better part of the month in bed being sick (back).
I did splurge on myself to the tune of $177.63.
Purchased another Christmas gift for DS and paid with a Macy's gc. I know! Who talks about Christmas in March? I'm up to 2 gifts for DS now and only spent $3.18 OOP thus far. I call that a big win, especially since one of the gifts is a collectors item.
YTD Earnings :
GCs (point earning sites) : $70
Ibotta : $49.52
Personal items : $287.93
2021 Closet cleanout : $114.88
Big goal : $0
4K Drugstore challenge : $59.64
Rakuten : $17.68
Total Earnings (excl Ibotta) : $550.13
EXPENSES (Clothing/shoes/accessories, Christmas gifts)
OOP : $177.63
Christmas gifts : $0
Total OOP $177.63
Total Christmas gc cash saved : $390.00 (this will be used to buy holiday gc gifts and Target gcs)
YTD OOP (clothing/shoes/accessories, Christmas gifts, discounted gift cards) : $415.57
YTD Christmas OOP : 3.18 (I'm making a note of this to track how much I'm spending on Christmas)
YTD side hustle income (personal, closet cleanout, drugstore) : 480.13
YTD GC bonus/savings earned : $26.00
YTD Clothing/Christmas Balance : $64.56
Yay! We're finally in the black again. I'm very happy with that number. It's not much, but I'm making progress.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
It's never to early to shop for Christmas! Good job.
ReplyDeleteThank you Linda! I always shop for Christmas gifts year round. It helps lower my holiday stress & saves me $$$
DeleteHey "I" talk about Christmas in March! lol I keep my eyes out for presents all year and stow what I buy away in a tub in the "stockpile/guest" room until Dec. I pity the fool who waits until Dec. to buy Xmas gifts. ;-)
ReplyDeleteYou're a girl after my own heart Sluggy! I do the exact same thing. We're the 'smart' ones...lol
DeleteSpeaking of Christmas gift cards, I think I better start planning and making my gifts this year.
ReplyDeleteYou did very well on the cash side hustle.
God bless.
Thank you Jackie! It's never to early to start working on Christmas gifts :)
DeleteI enjoyed reading about your budget and how you make things work for you and your family. $400 budget is a good goal and you were under that this month. You make me want to do better on the points programs. I need to step up my game on those. I hope your back is feeling better now. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Belinda! I hope you earn lots of rewards points. It has paid for our clothing & Christmas gifts for many years now. My back is much better. Thank you.
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