Layout:
Home > Archive: July, 2021

Archive for July, 2021

July 2021 Savings/Spending

July 31st, 2021 at 08:29 pm

Income Total$6545.34

     * $1500 Recurring monthly retirement account distribution  

     * $250 Swagbucks and My Points earnings (cash out to PayPal

     * $5919.34 Federal Tax refund

     * $336.00 Remainder of 3rd Stimulus check

     * $30.00 Medical Refund Check

     * $10 CVS gift card redeemed from Fetch

      

Total Spending: $3230.26

Total Savings$3315.08 (difference between monthly income and monthly spending) 
 
Fixed Expenses: 
Verizon bundle (internet, cable, home phone): $174.51

Cell phone: $60.03
HVAC and water heater contract: $29.95 
Condo Fee (includes water) $190.00 

Health Care: (includes health, dental, vision, prescription plans) $476.37 
 
Variables: 
Utilities: $122.74
Gasoline: $35.45
Groceries: $169.90
Health: $25 (co-pays, scripts refillsvitamins and personal health care items) 
Take Out and Dining Out: $0

Shopping and Other Spending $1891.31 (includes new laptop, printer, virus protection, 2 year warranty, fridge repair, AARP renewal, Amazon purchase)

Haircut and tip: $55.00

 

* Condo is paid in full 
* Car is paid in full (2017 Camry) 
* No other debt  

 

I lumped all the random spending under "shopping and other" instead of a bunch of seperate line items. The medical refund check was unexpected, it was for 2, $15 co-pays. I'm happy with my grocery spending, I have been really making an effort to lower it in spite of rising prices.

 

Money In Money Out

July 17th, 2021 at 12:39 pm

I finally received my federal tax refund! It was e-filed back in early March. I received $5919.34, and of that the IRS paid me a whopping $37.34 in interest ðŸ˜Š. I also received the remainder of the last stimulus payment for $336.00. Because they initially based that payment on my 2019 tax return, I didn’t receive the full amount because I was still working in 2019 and my income was too high. They recalculated it based on my 2020 return once they finally processed it and sent me the rest. So, a grand total of $6255.34.  

 

Now for the spending. My refrigerator started leaking water every few days a few weeks ago from the bottom freezer drawer. Not a large amount but I needed to get it checked out. Turns out it was a defective drain that needed to be replaced. Cost for that was $270.13.  

 

I purchased a new laptop and laser printer. This was a planned purchase as I really needed an upgrade. My old laptop was limping along and my printer broke a while ago. I decided to invest this time in really good quality devices. I spent a total of $1855.92. This includes the laptop, printer, anti-virus software, and a two-year warrantySet-up was actually easier than I anticipatedI’m fairly good with technology but certainly not an expert so I was relieved to only have a minor headache after everything was completely set up and working. I just love it so far! Well worth the investment. I paid for everything with my tax refund money. 

 

My sister and BIL left last week after their three-week visit. I miss them already, but I am glad to get back to my normal routine.  

 

The weather continues to be extremely hot for this time of year. We have been under excessive heat advisories with the heat index over 100 degrees for the past week. Certainly not as bad as what the west coast is dealing with but hot enough. I have been taking care of running any errands in the morning when possible and just staying inside the rest of the day. I am really looking forward to fall, my favorite season. Have a great weekend everyone! 

Mid Year 2021 Financial Goals Update

July 7th, 2021 at 06:39 pm

2021 Financial Goals  

 

These are the spending/income goals I set for myself for 2021: 

  1.  
  2. 1. Groceries: Spend $2400 or less for the year. 

  1. 2. Shopping: Spend no more than $1000 for the year. 

  1. 3. Utilities: Stay under last year's spending total of $1011.45 

  1. 4. Income from Swagbucks and My Points: Earn more than last year’s total of $1825 

 

Here is where things are at mid-year: 

  1.  
  2. 1. Groceries: So far, I have spent $1378.37, leaving me with $1021.63 left for the year. This averages to $170.27 a month left to spend to make my goal. I can do this, but I really need to watch it.  Rising food prices aren't helping!

  1.  
  2. 2. Shopping: So far, I have spent $803.17, leaving me with just $196.83 for the rest of the year. The bulk of the spending was the treadmill that cost right around $540. Shopping is a big catch all category that includes clothes, gifts, household stuff, etc. I think I need to better define this category for next year. There really isn’t anything I can think of that I need to buy, so we will see how this goes, but I doubt I will accomplish this goal. 

  1.  
  2. 3. Utilities: So far, I have spent $566.72, leaving $444.73 for the rest of the year. This averages out to $74.12 per month for the rest of the year. I definitely won’t make this goal. I was home a lot more due to Covid and retiring, and it has been so hot so far this summer and it is only early July.  

  1.  
  2. 4. Income from Swagbucks and My Points: This one I am doing great! So far, I have earned $1375, leaving just another $450 to earn for the year to make this goal. I will make this easily. 

 

It's interesting to check in and see where I am at mid-year. It's easy to forget about yearlong goals, and how easy it is to get off track. This will help me re-focus and try to make at least some of those goals! 

June 2021 Spending/Saving

July 3rd, 2021 at 02:23 pm

Income Total$21,775

     * $1500 Recurring monthly retirement account distribution  

     * $275 Swagbucks and My Points earnings (cash out to PayPal

     * $20K gift from my sister and BIL (totally unexpected, this goes straight to savings)

      

Total Spending: $1445.31

Total Savings$20,329.69 (difference between monthly income and monthly spending) 
 
Fixed Expenses: 
Verizon bundle (internet, cable, home phone): $174.84

Cell phone: $60.05
HVAC and water heater contract: $29.95 
Condo Fee (includes water) $190.00 

Health Care: (includes health, dental, vision, prescription plans) $476.37 
 
Variables: 
Utilities: $75.43
Gasoline: $0
Groceries: $207.10
Health: $113.84 (co-pays, scripts refillsvitamins and personal health care items) 
Take Out and Dining Out: $85.93

Shopping (on-line): $31.80

 

* Condo is paid in full 
* Car is paid in full (2017 Camry) 
* No other debt  

 

I am a bit surprised that my spending wasn't much higher this month due to my sister and BIL visiting. Dining out is higher, but groceries were not. I had a really good earnings month from Swagbucks and My Points.