My August Monthly Report: I Blew It! And On Just Two Things...

I was $120 in the hole for August.

While that is bad, I gotta tell ya it's not as bad as I thought it was going to be!
I told y'all I tossed my budget to the wind. I spent $400 more on non-necessities than my budget allows (currently, that's $650 a month not earmarked for savings and the essentials). That's way crazy. The only reason I'm not further in the red is because I came way under budget in every single spending category besides my rent and such. I even came under budget on groceries and dining out! Merciful heavens, I don't think that's ever happened before!

So what the heck happened? Two spending categories are responsible for my entire deficit: Cosmetics and Clothes.

I include hair care and such in my cosmetics budget (it still tickles me that I even have a cosmetics budget) I never get my hair done, but this month I wanted to and I found a neat little salon on my clandestine visit to NYC this month (Clandestine because all I did was stay home with my mom and gram and visit with my brother. I didn't tell my peeps I'd be in town.). My stylist was off the chain and she created a cool style that would play well at work, keep for two weeks and look HOT when I unbraided and untwisted the whole shebang. Well worth the money I spent -- $80, a small sum for what I had done, but $10 would have been too much because I hadn't budgeted a penny for this.
But before I even got my hair did I was over budget on cosmetics by $4. As I mentioned in my post on my sudden cosmetics hunger, I talked about all the stuff I was suddenly so interested in. Spent more this month on make-up than I think I have total in the past three months. But my eye shadow is fierce!

Clothes, fall approaches and I just wanted some new digs. I wish I could say I am done shopping, but not even close. I bought most of what I got full price (I know, please don't throw anything at me) and at my favorite boutiques, which tend to be overpriced as it is anyway. I didn't do any of the  searching pricing, considering that smart shoppers know to do. I saw what I wanted, tried it on and bought it. Shopped like a man... a fashionable spendthrift man, but a man nonetheless. I burned $433 in this category this month. At least I love everything I bought...

And that's it ladies and gentlemen. So now I have to commit to holding in the reigns to make up for the hole I dug. I am sure I can do it and, like I said in my previous post, I really don't have a choice. I HATE consumer debt and I am not in it now, but keep on running into the red each month and that's just where I'll wind up. Not this tall brown girl. Been there, done that and NEVER going back. Here's to a more responsible September!

DH

Comments

[Ann]

Thanks for writing about your issues with covetitis - I'm glad to know I'm not the only one with dealing with the backlash of going over budget last month with purchases on clothing and make-up.

I am VERY new to personal finance and blogging although I've been reading a lot of PF blogs including yours for awhile (my inspiration!). I think for me, the hardest part is changing my spending habits - but sounds like you've just had a back slide and will be back on track this month. :-)

[Tahnia]

I went over last month too, and I have come to the saturation point, thankfully. This realization will definitely put more money in the savings account. thanks for the post