I'm about to get real with you. I've been pretty terrible about tracking my personal finances since my divorce.
I still pay all my bills and my credit score has actually gone up a few points (yay) AND I've socked away quite a bit of money for the future... So, it's not like I'm spending my way into massive amounts of debt or anything like that, but I've definitely been a spontaneous/indulgent spender.
This morning, on a whim, I decided to download my April checking account transactions and categorize them in an Excel spreadsheet to see what I was spending the most money on. Whelp...
$346.70 on eating out.
For one person. This does, however, include all girl's night festivities (which includes drinks and such) and trips to the grocery store (which technically isn't eating out, but since I don't have to pay for food at home right now, I count it). That's outrageous, and has to stop. Water and complimentary bread basket on girls nights from now on! I guess I'll just volunteer to be the DD, unless a cute guy offers to buy me a drink :)
$579.93 on shopping.
Yikes! This does include my Target card bill (yay for saving that whole 5%), and that's where I buy all my shampoo, vitamins, coffee/coffee creamer, razor blades, body wash, and other things that are necessities of life. Those items don't really count as shopping, but since it would be too time consuming to pour over my Target statements and determine what's necessary and what's not, it's all getting grouped the same for right now. And let's face it, I buy more unnecessary stuff at Target than necessary stuff anyways. I also went on a little almost-summer shopping spree...
$296.53 on gas.
This is somewhat unavoidable right now, as I drive 90 miles round trip to school, 3 days a week - that alone uses 3/4 of a tank. I've gotten pretty good about stretching that last 1/4 of a tank for the remainder of the week, but I could do better. Today, I was going to head off to the gym and then later head over for an agility class at my CrossFit place. I decided to wait it out and go to the gym after the agility class, saving myself a trip. I kind of feel trapped in the house right now!
$19.07 on RedBox rentals.
Yes, it's way cheaper than going to the movies (which I had also thought of going to today, guess not) but I also pay $29.00/month for HBO and a DVR. I'll be recording movies during the day to watch at night from now on!
$50.00 at Starbucks.
I love my coffee, we know this. I listed it under necessities above, it's that serious. But, I do have an awesome French press and some (Target purchased) ground Starbucks coffee and yummy creamer here at the house. And I have some super cute to-go cups as well. Sorry Starbucks, but I'm breaking up with you. You will be greatly missed!
$143.19 on "pampering".
This includes the $20+ I spend on my normal gym membership, because I could cancel it or drop down to the basic membership at $10/month, but I like the perks. It also includes a one-time Groupon purchase and a very irregular pedicure (I normally do them myself). So, this number is normally just the $20 for Planet Fitness on a normal month. Doesn't make that number any easier to swallow though.
$622.01 on normal/reoccurring bills.
This includes items such as Cassie's food, my HBO/DVR, my Massage Envy membership (which I'm canceling), CrossFit (NOT canceling that, it's worth it), storage unit fees, and the like. Normally this number is only about $350, but last month I finished paying off my Visa card (which is where they are all charged to), hence the extra couple of hundred. This number doesn't include my cell phone, car insurance, or Cassie's Banfield Wellness program fee, which the ex-husband has been paying for since the divorce. Come May 13 - I'll be paying for those items again. Guh. That's gonna suck.
Well, I'm sure you all enjoyed that foray into my personal finances and spending habits. I told the girls about it, and warned them to not let me buy clothing, Starbucks, crazy expensive meals, and things like that anymore. I'm hoping that by getting it out in the open, I'll be better at sticking to a safer budget!
Also, when it comes to Thrifty Thursdays, I'm thinking of re-vamping how I do it. Normally I just share what I found out and about at the thrift stores, but since I need to curb my spending - that's going out the window, too. I have a few posts ready to be published, so this won't be the last one of that variety, which will give me a chance to think about how to go about doing this.
Any suggestions?
Bow Print Top - $4.00
It's a little bit big for me, but I'm hoping I can tailor it a little bit to make it work.
Yellow Tank Top (BCBG) - $3.50
Perfect for summer!
Purple Tank Top - $3.50
I really don't have a lot of purple, so I figured this was a must-have since it would be great for summer and is SO cute!
Seersucker Shorts (J. Crew) - $4.00
Like most of the Bermuda shorts I've thrifted, these are getting turned into regular shorts. I'm just not a Bermuda type girl!
Thanks for bearing with me on this super wordy post, I hope you keep checking back to see how I'm doing on my new financial goals! :)
