Monthly Report -- Black April, Thank God For Extra Income

    It's a good thing April ending when it did, because I was on a steady skid the last week!
    I ate lunch out multiple times (which makes no sense since I only need to bring lunch with me 3 times a week) and grabbed some unnecessary snacks (bad for the budget and my hips!!) and spent on some other random items.

    I finished the month in the black $100 (more technically, but I'll get to that), which is just about the remainder of my income once I go through all budgeted items.
    I have to say, though, that extra income was what saved my butt. I earned some money from a freelance assignment I did a little bit ago, and I got a city income tax refund (which, technically, isn't extra income) so that provided a decent cushion.

    Here's the breakdown for the month:

    Income -- Nice! Got about $400 here.

    Car Insurance -- This is a cheat. I budget $200 a month for this, but the payments are only extracted eight months a year. This was a non-pay month.  So, if I counted this money, I'd be more than $300 in the black for the month.

    Gas -- I could write a whole post ranting about gas prices (and I just might). I spent $35 this month, on one fill-up... and not even a whole fill up. Just half my tank... I drive a sedan for crying out loud. Anyway, I hardly drove anywhere at all so I saved a ton here.

    Groceries -- I can't say I really saved here. I just didn't go shopping this last Sunday, which is why I stayed under budget in the category.

    Clothes -- My trouble category! I hardly spent a thing and came $100 under budget.

    Where I did badly:

    Cell phone -- I paid off the last of those silly charges from playing with the e-mail function on my phone. So, went about $36 over here.

    Metro and parking -- Went $19 over here. I haven't figured out the fare system for D.C. public transportation yet. They say it's $1.35 for rides, but it also seems to depend on how far you travel or something... I dunno, all I know is that I always seem to run out of money on my card before the end of the work week. I also spent $14 on parking in the last week of the month because I drove to work.

    Personal travel -- I don't have a personal travel budget per se, so any time I take a trip or anything, it's a budget buster. My trip to New York and my fabulous spa experience was $378.

    Dining out and snacks -- Whoa. I went $135 over budget here. Blame it on Fogo De Chao, and then a lot of piddling $4 and $5 expenses on junk and whatnots.

   Entertainment -- I went over $88. I bought two albums on iTunes at the very end of the month. I also bought a concert ticket for a June show.

    So, that was the month. To the point about being financially disciplined that I brought up in a previous post, it it hadn't been for the unanticipated income, I would be in the red this month.
    I have to figure out a way to basically hide money from myself. If I see that my balance is running high, I think I tend to relax and figure it's Ok to buy this one thing or spend on that. I only pull the reins when it's clear I'm about to go into the red. I don't want to live on the edge like that.

    DH

Comments

[Beachgirl]

Yes, the DC metro depends on how far you travel, and the time that you travel. On weekdays (between opening and 9am, 3-7pm, and 2am-close), the minimum price is $1.65 and the max is $4.50. Any other times, you pay between $1.35 and $2.35.

To find out your fare, check on this website: http://www.wmata.com/metrorail/stations.cfm

You click on the station that you start out at. Then pick the station you're traveling to and click "Get Fare Data". It'll tell you how much you pay during both regular and reduced times.

I hope this helps.

[Debt Hater]

Beachgirl! That's cool! Thanks for the tip. I will try that out and see if it helps me figure out my Metro budget better. I still say they need to do a flat fee like NYC and then offer weekly and monthly fare cards so you know exactly how much you pay month-to-month regardless of where you go, when or how many trips you take.

[Beachgirl]

That would make it too easy. :-) When I was in Spain, they offered a similar plan to NYC.