Budget Review: September and October
I like to write these posts because they make me accountable and help me brainstorm what I need to work on for the following month!
Spending on Clothes
As I mentioned before, at the end of August I made of goal to not spend money on clothes till the end of the year! Well, that was a pretty lofty goal and while I did fail miserably, I also did succeed for 50 days which is a pretty nice accomplisment for me. I did spend and buy several things since then including:
- set of 4 belts (Amazon)
- tunic (Amazon)
- 2 skirts (Amazon)
- a dress on clearance (Target)
- sweater dress (Target)
- hat (Target)
- 2 pairs of shoes (Target)
More than I should! :Even thought several of these things were on sale and good deals, that is way too much in 20 days: kind of ruining my no shopping 50 days! My goal for November is to only spend the amount set for a blog “project” for Ada (from Elegance and Mommyhood) and I and less than $20 thrifting with my mom.
Groceries
Averaging about $800 on groceries for our family of 6. While it is not terrible (we had several birthdays and get together in there), I need to try to cut that by about $50: going to make homemade yogurts next month to see if that helps! I love my fancy Oui vanilla yogurts and kids have some favorites too and they add up quickly! My mother in law buys a lot of the kids’ snacks so that helps. We have also been buying more meat as my husband has been loving the Traeger grill he got for his birthday.
Savings
While I did spend more on the clothing category, and especially myself more than I should (and yes, I also bought shoes for one of the kids, pants for 2 and long sleeve tops for 2) I also did meet my saving goals for both months :
- savings account
- Christmas and car maintenance account
- vacation account
I also started a new savings account to go towards a down payment for a car in 2022.
It is all about balance! I need to exercise some restraint in some categories so I can increase the savings. A lot of the Christmas gifts have now been bought and I still have some funds in that little savings envelope. Goal one is the clothing goal and two the grocery goal. I will take time this weekend to be more concrete about it and keep track. Improving is possible so is restraint!
A bientĂ´t!
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14 Comments
Jenna
You are so smart to keep track of spending and for saving! Psst…I have that same table runner, I love it!!
mimifce
It is a nice one for fall!
Ellibelle
I’ve spent too much on my cardmaking hobby recently….but sometimes we need to treat ourselves 🙂 Trying hard not to buy anymore clothes for myself this year because there is nothing I need – some deals are hard to resist though…
You are so good at budgeting and saving for all the different occasions!
Ellibelle’s Corner
mimifce
We all have that area where spending can get out of hand!
jodie filogomo
This is so good for you to do this Mireille. I’ve been buying too much lately too, but those sales are incredible.
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
mimifce
Exactly!
Michelle
You did well in some areas, so kudos for that! I find it hard to resist a good clothing sale, but I needed to get a handle on my clothing goals. My clothing storage is maxed out! So for me it’s a space problem.
Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
mimifce
That is the problem with following fashion bloggers for me: they share the sale and then I get very tempted!
Jennifer
You are so good at this! This is something that I really want to work on.
Jennifer
Curated By Jennifer
mimifce
Well I really overspent last month but at least there was money to pay for it lol! I think the first step is to be aware where the money goes so then adjustements can be made.
Joanne
It can be so hard to hold ourselves accountable. Good for you for setting goals and trying to meet them… even if you don’t always succeed.
mimifce
Yes, I will do better in November
Mica
Good luck with your goals! Even though you spent more on fashion than expected you did so well sticking to your savings goals!
I wasn’t expecting to buy anything this month but ended up buying 2 things so I’ve decided that anything I see from now until Christmas I will write down on a wishlist in case someone wants to get me a gift, haha! We will see if helps me keep my shopping and spending in check until the end of the year!
Hope you are having a lovely weekend 🙂
mimifce
Yes, I am not beating myself up about it but I am going to do better in November!