October 2016 Frugalmaster Results

I am beginning to realized I am always over budget on some category(s) each month and under on others.  I was over on 2 and under or on target for 4.  I guess that is good but I am starting to wonder if budgets are right for me.  I will dwell on that this holiday season and see if I want to further simply my life come next year.

Income was below normal

Not only can I not keep under budget on everything but I can't keep my income steady either.  The job market is extremely hot in the software industry and I changed jobs again.  This time I have taken on a role in the industry as an architect.  It  only took me a long 18 years but I finally did it!  I am going from bi-weekly paychecks back to twice monthly paychecks.  With the slight delay I only pulled in 3 weeks of salary for the month.



 Needs were over budget

I had sent out for a reimbursement for my wife's vehicle.  There was a recall on a part that we had fixed back in February.  The check came in for the that but it wasn't enough to keep us within budget.

I noticed my food expenses have been creeping up (not including baby food).  Prices are shifting as summer ends and fruit and vegetable prices are doubling where I live.  As I write this a pint of strawberries is running $5.  So with that said I switch the family over to less healthy canned fruit and veggies.


The other large expense was gift cards for a dresser for my other daughter and for a modern energy efficient toilet.  My plan is to slowly replace all of the 5 GPF toilets in my house with ones that use 1.25 GPF.  I hope this helps curb my unhealthy water bill.

Guilt Free Spending Money (Wants) was over budget

Again over budget.  I think either I need to get serious about saving and actually get the family to follow my budget or increase the budget for this category.

It is always weird writing this but our #1 spend in this category for the month was candy.  There are always good deals to be had around Halloween so my wife stocks up for the year.  That plus a trip to my wife's favorite fudge and candy factory and I am out over $200.  My wife doesn't spend on clothes or shoes like most women so this is her thing.
  
Even though we were over budget the savings rate still remained positive at 3%



It was a close one but I managed to save another $145 this month.  I am OK with that considering some of my larger expenses this month.  I hope you were in the green this month!

Save for tomorrow, live for today,

Dividend Family Guy

Comments

  1. Dividend LifeNovember 30, 2016 at 7:35 PM

    Hi DFG,
    Congrats on the new job, I hope it's rewarding both financially and professionally. SW architecture is always fun. I'm not really sure how to describe my current role; I've moved from software to system engineering over the last 3 years.

    It looks like your needs spending was improved again this year, so that's always worth a celebration.

    I'm interested what you work out with your budget going forward. I've decided mine is really more of a target and a means of tracking spending rather than a strict limit. Only when I'm constantly over-budget for several months in a row do I decide it's worth adjusting it in my six monthly review; otherwise I tend to shuffle money around between categories.

    Anyway hope November worked out for you and that you're all set for Christmas. I can't believe it's December already!
    Best wishes,
    -DL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dividend Family GuyDecember 4, 2016 at 8:09 AM

      I am not sure how to describe my role either ;-) It is a mix of SW and Systems so I am in the same boat. Yeah I look at the budget as a guideline and just for helping me measure things. Have a good Christmas as well DL.
      Peace,
      DFG

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DFG Stock Screen v.2

Image
Dividends grow like leaves on a tree. Why Change The last and only Dividend Family Guy stock screen was posted when I had started writing this blog.  A lot of it still holds true but like everything else it should be reviewed (annually for me) and adjusted.  Always learning and growing is a good way to become financially independent.  I have learned quite a bit in a year and some of that will be applied to version 2 of my stock screen. First Change My struggle continues on whether or not to include all companies listed in Dave Fish's U.S Dividend Champion's spreadsheet  ( All CCC worksheet).  Most of the companies with the most potential for growth tend to be Challengers (5-9 years of dividend growth).  These are also the most likely to cut dividends as it has not baked into the culture long enough.  I am not saying this doesn't happen to the kings (Diebold for example) but it is much rarer. Building a solid core first, then once it is established take so
Read more

DFG May/June 2018 Dividend Income

Image
Just a quick post that I am still alive and investing (and I have a new job.)  There is much going on in the DFG household right now that I will post in a few weeks or months ;-).  Also, once I transfer my 401k from my previous company which doesn't pay dividends to my IRA there will be another big boost to dividend income.  Below is just a quick snapshot where I am at year to date. Monthly Dividends per Year Month 2016 2017 2018 January $64.97 $8.95 $1,888.84 February $191.28 $275.61 $625.06 March $352.10 $440.32 $720.46 April $72.44 $19.14 $98.55 May $133.78 $375.12 $623.41 June $1.64 $458.51 $767.35 July $2.07 $25.78 $0.00 August $266.35 $374.19 $0.00 September $353.09 $492.02 $0.00 October $10.82 $36.30 $0.00 November $270.28 $329.14 $0.00 December $361.71 $399.05 $0.00 YTD Total $2,080.53 $3,234.13 $4,723.67 YOY Growth 55.45% 46.06% Happy 4th, Dividend Family Guy
Read more

February 2015 Budget

Image
February is my best month so far this year and my best month ever since I started watching my expenses in 2013.  Between no more car payments and some other adjustments I was able to cut my spending and work towards my goal of rebuilding my emergency fund.  Let's take a closer look and see where I saved and where the DFG family went over.  Yes it is almost the end of March but better late than never. Income I have decided to follow some of my fellow bloggers and not look at any windfalls (bonus, tax refund, etc.) that might fall within the month.  I will look at my fixed budget (based on 2 paychecks in a month) and track whether or not I stay within that budget.  By keeping it simple I will have a consistent budget which will help me with my spending. What about big purchases or travel?  That will come out of the emergency fund.  So if I do not have enough cash for it, it doesn't happen. I liked the features of Quicken 2015 from Dividend Life's review so I d
Read more

Investment Disclaimer

This webpage is provided for general information only and nothing contained in the material constitutes a recommendation for the purchase or sale of any security. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at dividendfamilyguy at gmail dot com.