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

Will Dividends Teach My Kids to Work Hard?

After reading an article about education and learning from Mr. Money Mustache last week I starting thinking about my kids and their upbringing vs. how I was raised.  There was lots of discipline but also a tremendous amount of freedom.  That combined with loving parents taught me many lessons in life that I believe have led me to a great career and the joy of raising a large family.  The one thing that worries me the most is a fear that my children do not value gifts or money they receive as much as I did as a child. As a child I remember talking with my sister days before my birthday.  We share the same birthday one year apart.  We would spend the time talking excitedly about what we might get for our birthday.  Gifts were usually only on birthdays or major holidays.  Easter baskets filled with candy, or presents on Christmas or birthdays. Growing up with one TV that didn’t get the best reception left us with plenty of time to day drea...
Read more

What to write about when you have no money to invest?

Image
Without any money to invest from January all I could do is screen and learn about some new stocks that came up this month.  It is my hope still to save enough where I can actually invest on a regular basis again.  Part of me wants to start using loyal3 or computershare.com .  Buy for free and sell for free on Loyal3 or for a fee on Computershare.  That way I can continue to invest in some of the strong dividend payers these companies allow you to buy.  The other part wants simplicity and is willing to pay the fee to keep all my money in one place with one tax document.   The third part just reminded me my goal is to first rebuild an emergency fund.  That part is such a downer and is no fun.  The fourth part is my wife who wants me to put any free money into home improvements.  I avoid that conversation at all costs.   The house will hold up and last longer than me.  My time is what I want not a nicer house. I cou...
Read more

The Cost of A Vacation for Six

Image
All investing and no fun can lead to a happy me but a not so happy family .  I am the only one who actually doesn't mind managing the finances and money matters in my family.  The kids are slowly learning and my wife leaves it to me since I use my computer and online services.  Both systems work but my system allows me to get things done faster and produce reports I enjoy studying. Here is the breakdown of our 7 night trip to the beach and a 2 day visit with my brother: Lodging $1,966 This was the largest expense.  We stayed at hotels during the trip there and while visiting my brother.  Luckily we have a relative that works at a major hotel chain and is able to pass a discount on to us.  The remainder of it which was the big chunk was the condo on the beach that we stayed at.   I found it as one of the deals on Kayak.com .  Overall the site was easy to use and compare different places.  Unfortunately I should have listened to ...
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.