September was a much more successful month than August. Wow! We even had a small vacation in there and still came out way ahead.
After paying all the bills, transferring $500 to savings, we ended up with a surplus of $1282.00. Success! This money was spent here:
$330 went to pay the remaining balance on furniture
$950 went toward my car, on top of the scheduled payment of $332, for a total Sept car payment of $1282.
Here are a few of the month’s highlights –
- We had a checking account that had been tied to an old HELOC that was no longer in use. That account had a $98 balance that had been sitting there for awhile, so I closed the account and had them mail me the check.
- I gathered up loose change around the house and took it to the bank. It totaled $70.00.
- We went to a NASCAR race, but only two of us ended up going so we sold our extra tickets for $300. We used that money to pay for our hotel room and all of the other expenses for that weekend so we wouldn’t have to use any of our “own” money.
- We have started to cancel our credit cards since we no longer use them.
- I did use $260 out of savings this month to pay for repairs on my car. I don’t feel bad about that since we’re putting $500 into that account each month. Other than that $260, we have not withdrawn a single penny from savings since August 3. How exciting is THAT?
- Eating out money was WAY down. As a family, we only ate out twice. The other expenses were a pop or sandwich here or there, but those were very rare. This is the area that kills our budget each month, and I think we are finally getting it done.
- Our grocery bill was only $445 this month, which I still think is a steal for a family of four.
Since focusing on our money, we have paid off the following items:
Pool Boy’s truck - $5,000
Furniture - $1000
Computer - $800
We are getting there! If you are not watching every dollar you are spending, get started TODAY with October. It’s not as painful as you might think – it’s actually calming to know where each and every dollar is going every month. You will not regret it, I promise.
