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 refills, vitamins 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.

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 😊. 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 warranty. Set-up was actually easier than I anticipated. I’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! 

2021 Financial Goals  

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

Here is where things are at mid-year: 

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! 

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 refills, vitamins 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.