Here was our annual plan.
College
|
$21,000
| |
Show Choir Trips
|
$1,970
| |
Graduation Party
|
$900
| |
Move in Weekend Trip
|
$175
| |
Parents Weekend Trip
|
$175
| |
Choir Concerts Trips
|
$350
| |
Home Improvement
|
$5,430
| |
Total
|
$30,000
|
DH had a mediocre July since there was a gap in his commission receipt. It is an annoying problem and happens regularly, but not to the extent of these sales. Pending contract negotiations being finalized, I should see a nominal raise, but nothing in my paycheck yet though there will be back adjustments to July 1 once it is finalized. There were still lingering home improvement costs on the July credit card as well and we prepaid for the hotel for family weekend in September, which was on this statement. Those late home purchases really did nickel and dime our cash flow. The extra weekend trip was not on this statement though. I'm only claiming a net result of $73 dollars. This should mean August is a boom for savings, right?.
($0) Borrowed from Savings
$ 800 Cash Deposit
$2910 Show Choir Trip #1,#2, #3 + Nashville (we are over in this category by $940)
$ 100 College Deposit
$ 73 Parents weekend prepayment on hotel
$8,600 Home Improvement (Over in this category by $3,170)
$12,483 Net Result
Ignoring our intentional tapping into savings for the extra home improvements, with 7 months gone in the year, we are averaging a priority savings of $1,783 per month-way off pace to the $2000 a month need, not counting the 3rd paycheck months and end of year increases in my pay since I'll have met the max in my 401K. There is time and will though. Roughly we need to average, all total, $3,503 a month. We have months where we put well over that amount in the account-August for example should-emphasis on should-be a $5,000 savings month. Reality though, it's a stretch even with the August surplus, 3rd paycheck, and end of year increases. I have to remember that though we said we were tapping into prior savings, we actually paid that back per my reconciliation above. There's still more we want to get done before the end of the year, but likely we will push to next year once we get a handle on the amount of cash flow college tuition will eat up. C'est la vie..
I still want to see kitchen pictures!
ReplyDeleteWe are finally settled(ing) in. We want a throw rug for the office, and need a mattress/base for the guest room (we have the headboard/footboard) but I have been dragging my feet on those things. The bulk of my time post-move has been devoted to our flower beds. Rather than pay the $40,000 quoted for retaining walls, I gathered the many, many stones leftover from the grading, made a trench, and built stone edging around my beds. It was hard work, but so rewarding. I've been planting perennials and high nectar plants in them for our bees. I want fruit trees, but we'll wait until fall to plant them. For one thing, they tend to go on sale then, and for another, our fruit trees have fared better when planted in fall.
This move was harder than any of the cross country moves we have made, probably because the bulk of the work was put on me. DH arranged the movers to show up the day of H.S. graduation and our Middle Schooler's promotion night, and DD had to work. The movers and I made more trips up the lane than I care to count. At one point, I noticed one of our hives of bees swarming, I think it split due to size, (actually, the mover noticed--he was afraid to walk past them to the front door) so I had to stop, watch where they landed, and then let DS know so he could capture them. Instead of helping me, he had to spend 3 hours in his bee suit in a pine tree retrieving them. (Neighbor's bees did the same thing that day, and she came over to help him.) Second day, same scenario, only these girls landed within arm's reach. So, along with the move, we gained two beehives! Third day, another swarm, way too far to retrieve. SO NEAT TO SEE, but really poor timing!
DH took forever to clear out his closet and the garage. I finally had to be the heavy and make decisions for him, and, essentially, lay down the law. He wasn't happy in the process, but finally admitted that it's nice to have a closet with nothing in it that doesn't belong there. A lot of discussions such as "I need to find out what that power cord goes to" and me saying "It's been up here for 15 years without you knowing it, you don't NEED it for anything." (Only not that nicely.) Glad it's over!
Oh my that sounds like a move in that would have done me in. It sure is motivation to pare down to only essentials years before contemplating a move, which I guess is us right now if we are looking at five years or so until we perhaps down size to a smaller abode. Not that the current house is that big, but with no kids, even weekend and summers kids, by then we won't need the space we have. I now have a very lived in kitchen. I need it to be pristine again , probably a week or two after school starts and then I'll get pictures. I still haven't changed window coverings or the valances at least and may not even bother.
DeleteAt least you are well aware of what is happening.
ReplyDeleteAcutely. I will really watch my discretionary line items of my budget though-that's what the awareness brings.
Delete