Another month down, another expense report to tally up and publish.
We actually achieved our highest savings rate ever in the month of October! And that’s despite having a large bill we shouldn’t ever have again and spending a fair bit in the travel category.
We felt like it was a pretty average month for us. Groceries were a little bit higher which we have no explanation for- just one of those months I suppose. It was only $16 higher than our aim of $400 a month though, so we are pretty happy.
Car costs were actually pretty low by our standards but I’d still like to get it lower. We made a number of trips to the Gold Coast this month, which is a two hour return trip, to visit my parents, so this inflated it a bit.
When we visit my parents, sometimes we stop at the beach for a frugal day out.
When we purchased our new house, we were disappointed to discover that the phone line had deteriorated to a point where it couldn’t be used. To replace it, it was going to cost about $297. While we certainly like to be frugal, Internet is not something we are willing to go without so you’ll see a very inflated Internet category this month.
Eating out was also higher than usual. Just when I think we’ve tamed the beast, it rears its ugly head again. We went out for a family dinner for someone’s birthday and Poopsie’s parent’s generously bought everyone dinner. However, we did buy two drinks. We also got Indian takeout one night, for no other reason than laziness! That was $37 we definitely did not need to spend.
On two seperate occasions we were individually stranded in an Airport with a delayed flight and spent a few dollars on food to tide us over. I definitely want to see this category reduce/go to zero until we celebrate our Anniversary in December.
Who needs to eat out when Poopsie prepares delicious meals like this one!
Finally, travel was a bit higher than a regular month (I mean a month when we’re not gallivanting in the USA). I purchased a return flight to Townsville to visit my sister and my nephew in mid-November. We paid $150 for the Airbnb accommodation we are sharing with friends when we head to Launceston for a wedding in December and we also topped up our travel cards.
And finally… our mortgage interest is officially under $1000 a month and we could not be happier! We are both very excited about seeing that reduce even more!
Here’s our expense report for October:
| Category | Amount | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Internet | 377.14 | New phone line for the Internet. |
| Utilities | 22.36 | Gas charge. We have a gas stovetop and gas hot water. |
| Groceries | 416.75 | A little bit higher this month but nothing too bad. |
| Car Costs | 194.6 | Petrol and a top up for our toll tag. |
| Kids (child support, school fees, etc.) | 1261.66 | Standard. |
| Mobile | 61.98 | Poopsie was delivered his final bill for his previous mobile provider. |
| Household | 37.05 | Some stamps, posting of a package and an ink refill for my fancy pen. |
| Miscellaneous | 40 | I should probably do a post about why Miscellaneous is always at least $40. |
| Mortgage Interest | 959.96 | Yay! It's under $1000! |
| Eating Out | 69.8 | Wow, high for us! Let's get it lower! |
| Clothing | 15 | I purchased some summer pyjamas. |
| Travel | 408 | Some travel costs, as detailed above. |
| Gifts/Donations | 55.5 | I bought my mother a big bunch of flowers for her birthday. |
How did you go with your spending in October? See anything we can reduce or cut out?
Sounds like a decent month for you guys.
I have to say, that cup and saucer.. and that plate – stunning! beautiful photo of some delicious looking food on a pretty plate.
Jasmin
Thanks Jasmin! Part of the Royal Doulton dinner set Poopsie bought me last year. He found it on Ebay- almost perfect condition! I love it so much!
That’s the level of spending I’d like to see us get down to eventually – when we finally get a bit tougher with ourselves. I love how you use your lovely things – for too many years I hid them away as “good” – now I’m older, I make sure I use nice objects, and use up nice consumables.
As for eating out, we went out for a friend’s birthday on the weekend, and with the group “let’s get the Chef’s banquet” and some drinks, we ended up spending more than our monthly allowance for restaurants on that one meal. Once upon a time we wouldn’t have blinked, but now we were both a little taken aback!
Yes, I always use our good stuff. If you have time, check out Jennifer L. Scott’s books and blog. Check it out at: https://dailyconnoisseur.blogspot.com.au/?m=1
She advocates using the best things you have and I am a total convert!