August Monthly Report -- Finished in the Red

    Ok, finished the month $84 in the hole.
   
    First, I have been spending a lot more money on health care -- money I had not budgeted for. As I mentioned in my post about my aching back, I've been seeing a physical therapist three times a week for the last 2 or 2 weeks. The co-pay is only $15, but that's at least $90 more than I normally spend on health.

    Second, don't ask me how or why, but I spent a whopping $300 OVER  BUDGET on eating out! Huh? Now $135 of that was a surprise for me -- my guy and I treated his best friend and wife out to a birthday dinner at this expensive-@$$ steakhouse where the tab was nearly $300... and I was like "I have to foot half of this?"
    This is a good example of the kinds of things couples need to discuss ahead of time. I didn't say anything... my own fault... so I just ate it (figuratively and literally) this time.
    But the other money? Um... there's a lot of little meals ($7, $8, $3 here and there), but there are about 3 really big ones like the doozy I mentioned above, then an $88 meal I think was at Rosa Mexicano and then a $64 meal last weekend.

    So, I must have saved a bunch on groceries, right? Nope! Overspent by $37 in this category. I just can't figure this one out. Last week, my guy bought the week's groceries. He got two packs of lamb, nearly a pound of cold cuts, two boxes of cereal, milk and a bunch of other little things and the total was $51. This week, I bought the groceries and bought LESS than what we got the week before and spent $53! And I spent $91 at the start of the month, mostly from restocking staples we'd run through.

    I also went $113 over on my cell phone bill. I was conducting interviews for a freelance piece I wrote and, well, did them during the day on my cell phone and killed my daytime minutes. Oops.

    I went over in a few other places too. So why wasn't the damage worse?

    I didn't spend a penny on a stitch of clothing this month! That's right! And it had nothing to do with willpower. I just didn't see anything I liked so much. Well, I did see a few things, but I am stalking them, waiting for a sale. Now, the trick will be to not make up for this month next month!
    I also saved money on gas, mostly because I hardly drive (as I mentioned before).
    I didn't go very far this month, so I didn't spend in my personal travel category.

    That's about it. I'm doing okay, but I've got to be more careful about this dining out. For one thing, it's expensive and for another, I'ma get too big to fit in my clothes! And I can't have that! I'm good so far, but the wrong cheeseburger might mess things up for me.

    DH

Comments

[Fabulously Broke]

Doesn't normally a "treat" imply that you pay? I mean if I told my friend: I'm taking you out for your birthday to a restaurant, they should assume I'm paying.

[Debt Hater]

Yes, but I didn't think we'd be paying THAT much. And no, we hadn't exactly discussed that we'd be treating. I just assumed we would after his friends treated us to a birthday dinner two weeks prior. So I expected to pay half, just not half of $300.

[Sistah Ant]

I know how that happens with eating out. It hurt me this month, too. I hope that you at least enjoyed that meal!

[Sense]

Hey! I routinely go over in my grocery and cell phone categories, too.

Try skype for the times when you need to make a call...it is free PC-to-PC, but for about $5 a month you can get an 'unlimited country' subscription and talk to anyone on a landline or a cell phone in the US for as long as you need to--and you can cancel your subscription whenever you want. $113 is almost 2 years of the skype service!
(and there are ways around the whole headset and mic thing, if that bothers you.)

[TexNYQueen]

You could also ask your cell company to "up" your minutes and back date them, so you dont have to pay that high overage. Verizon also offers a 1 time 500 minute "gift" if you notice that you are going over your minutes.

For groceries, I clip coupons whenever I see them and check the boards when I walk in the store. Generally the stores will post their coupons at the entrance. My mother is a big proponent of buy "extra" on your off check (the one where I dont have to pay my mortgage). For me, it doesn't work so well since I buy a lot of fresh fruit and veggies - but for can goods or frozen or paper goods - its an idea so you never run low.

The next time its a high end restaurant, suggest ordering a couple of appetizers and splitting or order 2 entrees for 4 people and split - it makes upscale dinning cost effective and you get to try a few extra things on the menu or look for pre fixed menus!

[LAL]

This might be unpopular, but when I say I'm treating you to a dinner for your birthday I'm paying. And I'm not going to tell you to order appetizers and split an entree. You get to pick.

But it is a "gift" and to me I don't put limitations on the meal out. I can nix an expensive meal by saying I don't think I can afford to go there. BUT I would say it early, not upon arrival. Or I would suggest I'd like to take you out to XXX.

By the way they just treated you to a meal out for your birthday too boot.