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

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