Budget Babe

Ugh.....  I feel awful.  I have been so sleepy all day!  I have no reason for all this tiredness.  Maybe my cancer has metastasized to my brain!  Or (worse), maybe I am growing old.  Shit.

I have always thought that, once I started to understand my finances better, I should blog about the things that I learned, so here it is:  the inaugural run of Budget Babe (February).

Rent and Child Support:  I can't really screw them up.  I just need to pay them.

Utilities:  I am pretty much on target with everything except natural gas.  I ran over my budget by 25%.  What I really need to solve this problem is spring.

Groceries:  a chronic problem for a girl who likes to eat good food and likes to cook for everyone who will sit down and eat.  I spent $341 on food this month, which is the lowest ever, and I came in under budget.  It still sounds like a lot, though, don't you think?  If I only fed myself and not the kids, it would be a whole different ball game.

GAS!  A triumph!  When I drove the Tacoma, I was spending an average of $348 on gas per month.  Since I got the Fiat?  $109!!!!

I got my Internet lowered to about $25 by calling the company and negotiating my rate after the original price offer ran out.  I thought my rate would surely go up from the rate I had before, but it is now about $8 lower.

I overspent on both of the kids' birthdays, and on the trip to Las Vegas.  I need to just assume that trips and celebrations will just be about twice as expensive as I think they will be.

My three pricey items which were not in the budget this month were:

Dry cleaning.  Let's see.  If you get a second hand suede skirt from the freebies left at school (so it costs you nothing), should you pay $33 to get it cleaned when you get salad dressing on it?  Hmmm...  I'm not sure this was a good expenditure, but I'm also not sure it was bad.  The skirt probably cost more than that when it was originally bought; and I like it and wear it....

Electric kettle.  I left my old one at Swiss Oaks, and I missed it, even though I tried not to.  After having a stove top kettle for the last nine months, I just decided that I didn't enjoy getting by with out it.  I'm OK with this expense.

Mary Kay.  Yeah, I know:  Me?  Really?  Well, half the proceeds were donated back to the school by the representative. Aaaaaand, I didn't buy anything after the party, but went home and thought about it a couple days (and bought the eye shadow colors at the grocery store).  I ended up getting some moisturizer, 'cause I'm not getting any younger.  Maybe this stuff is weakening me, draining me of my superpowers, and that's why I'm so sleepy.

Final verdict (quick, I'm dozing off...)  My income stayed ahead of my expenses by $445!  BINGBINGBING!   Yay, me!

(Of couse, considering the Fiat, March will be a very different sort of budget month for me...)