Author Topic: Hold Yourself Openly Accountable for Your Spending in 2021 (Read 7117 times)

kittykat · « **Reply #50 on:** September 08, 2021, 08:45:50 AM »

| Fun Out | Restaurants | Groceries | Shopping | Total |
|-----------|-------------|------------|--------------|-------------|
DEC 2019 | $ 26 | $ 682 | $ 634 | $ 3,473 | $ 4,815 |
AVG 2020 | $ 42 | $ 227 | $ 948 | $ 953 | $ 2,302 |
|-----------|-------------|------------|--------------|-------------|
JAN 2021 | $ 0 | $ 445 | $ 1,091 | $ 2,707 | $ 4,243 |
FEB 2021 | $ 31 | $ 319 | $ 757 | $ 1,126 | $ 2,233 |
MAR 2021 | $ 0 | $ 896 | $ 976 | $ 1,352 | $ 3,224 |
APR 2021 | $ 0 | $ 754 | $ 912 | $ 1,476 | $ 3,142 |
MAY 2021 | $ 0 | $ 1,330 | $ 1,012 | $ 1,251 | $ 3,593 |
JUN 2021 | $ 75 | $ 1,291 | $ 867 | $ 1,098 | $ 3,331 |
JUL 2021 | $ 447 | $ 853 | $ 1,291 | $ 2,379 | $ 4,970 |
AUG 2021 | $ 571 | $ 1,366 | $ 1,437 | $ 1,202 | $ 4,576 |
|-----------|-------------|------------|--------------|-------------|

I threw a party so my food/drink expenses were up. I managed to not go crazy shopping, and I'm planning to keep that up this month, so really hoping to see my numbers drop for Sept.

philli14 · « **Reply #51 on:** October 01, 2021, 12:57:06 PM »

| Gas/Fuel | Restaurants | "Shopping" | Groceries | Total |
2018 AVG | $ 160 | $ 541 | $ 422 | $ 195 | $ 2902 |
2019 AVG | $ 45 | $ 151 | $ 93 | $ 182 | $ 1464 |
2020 AVG | $ 25 | $ 95 | $ 46 | $ 258 | $ 1192 |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|------------|
2021 GOAL | $ 25 | $ 100 | $ 50 | $ 200 | $ 1100 |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|------------|
JAN | $ 0 | $ 0 | $ 42 | $ 257 | $ 971 |
FEB | $ 26 | $ 34 | $ 0 | $ 155 | $ 1670 |
MAR | $ 30 | $ 52 | $ 164 | $ 226 | $ 1881 |
APR | $ 27 | $ 165 | $ 0 | $ 228 | $ 998 |
MAY | $ 29 | $ 827 | $ 583 | $ 221 | $ 2279 |
JUN | $ 0 | $ 170 | $ 180 | $ 226 | $ 1174 |
JUL | $ 41 | $ 166 | $ 481 | $ 289 | $ 1760 |
AUG | $ 25 | $ 293 | $ 267 | $ 249 | $ 1726 |
SEP | $ 35 | $ 83 | $ 53 | $ 108 | $ 946 |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|------------|
2021 AVG | $ 24 | $ 199 | $ 195 | $ 218 | $ 1489 |

First green month in a while! Parents came to town and spoiled a little. Expenses are about to trend north as we lose a roommate, first month living with just my wife and I. Also planning some pre-purchasing of groceries, including a CSA and a portion of a grass-fed cow, which means big expenses coming up to finish the year.

oneday · « **Reply #52 on:** October 02, 2021, 09:01:19 PM »

Quote from: rebel_quietude on August 14, 2021, 11:47:09 AM

LOL, that was a polite mustachian-call-out if I've ever read one, @oneday , and thanks for the welcome!

I'm expecting about 6k in medical expenses that are going to make my budget really frustrating to look at this month. Better to start with a month that isn't going to make me cry, right? However, please give me grief if I'm not here in September.

Cats are always spoiled - I think it's a base personality trait. They determine how much we value those purr-cuddles and use that knowledge to their decisive advantage.

This isn't grief, just a friendly reminder to say I hope your playing along at home, @rebel_quietude

oneday · « **Reply #53 on:** October 02, 2021, 09:48:32 PM »

September wrap up

| Entertain | Restaurants | Groceries | Total |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|
DEC 2019 | $ 358 | $ 309 | $ 281 | $ 3553 |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|
AVG 2020 | $ 102 | $ 106 | $ 226 | $ 3419 |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|
JAN 2021 | $ 290 | $ 94 | $ 91 | $ 4595^A|
FEB 2021 | $ 168 | $ 142 | $ 116 | $ 7692^B|
MAR 2021 | $ 38 | $ 120 | $ 96 | $ 2483 |
APR 2021 | $ 18 | $ 188 | $ 311 | $ 732^C|
MAY 2021 | $ 59 | $ 239 | $ 120 | $ 3044 |
JUN 2021 | $ 0 | $ 233 | $ 142 | $ 6352^D|
JUL 2021 | $ 150 | $ 335 | $ 398 | $ 1618^E|
AUG 2021 | $ 66 | $ 109 | $ 254 | $ 3146 |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|
YTD AVG | $ 99 | $ 183 | $ 191 | $ 3708 |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|
SEP 2021 | $ 82 | $ 205 | $ 261 | $ 2562 |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|
^A2645 w/o housing deposit
^B2741 w/o IRA contrib or reimbursements
^C3556 w/o extraordinary things
^D1967 w/o braces or double paying rent
^E2718 w/o return of prior apartment deposit

Compared to 2020 average:

Kind of a boring budget month! For fiscal health sake, I wish for more of these, but for analysis sake...boring! lol

Trailing 12 month average spend fell to the bottom of the range, due to low spend month. Still waiting for enough data to accumulate to feel more secure in projections. Starting to think I want to include taxes and other payroll deductions in my budget. Will start in Jan.

A second legitimately low-spend month without caveats in a row. Post-tax savings are counted as an expense for now, that was $800 this month, not counting 401(k) contributions because that's a payroll deductions. My largest expense. Even bigger than rent, once you consider the 401(k)!

Groceries is the next largest spend (outside of rent) as it was last month. I intended to work more on eating from the pantry and less chasing deals, but am still pulled into it. It's like a hobby almost. Will need to come up with an alternate activity this month. Although this might stay high because I'll be buying more shelf-stable & snack type food than usual for a camping trip this month. I have a gift card from prior month manufactured spend, so maybe that will offset it. It's a mystery!

Restaurants is high again, partly because of travel. Although not too bad, because without the travel I would probably be pretty close to the YTD average.

The only other expense that peaked over $100 was clothing. Nothing crazy, just filling in some wardrobe gaps that have developed. Bought shoes & leggings at Costco, various sizes. Will try on at home & return the non-fitting items, so that will be more like $50 rather than $130, once the dust settles.

I am again amazed at how much other little stuff I can buy (this month: potting soil, a hose clamp and a napkin holder) to keep my life working smoothly and not really make a blip in the budget. I mean, it seems like a lot of stuff at the time, but in retrospect it's not much of anything.

kittykat · « **Reply #54 on:** October 03, 2021, 01:05:56 PM »

| Fun Out | Restaurants | Groceries | Shopping | Total |
|-----------|-------------|------------|--------------|-------------|
DEC 2019 | $ 26 | $ 682 | $ 634 | $ 3,473 | $ 4,815 |
AVG 2020 | $ 42 | $ 227 | $ 948 | $ 953 | $ 2,302 |
|-----------|-------------|------------|--------------|-------------|
JAN 2021 | $ 0 | $ 445 | $ 1,091 | $ 2,707 | $ 4,243 |
FEB 2021 | $ 31 | $ 319 | $ 757 | $ 1,126 | $ 2,233 |
MAR 2021 | $ 0 | $ 896 | $ 976 | $ 1,352 | $ 3,224 |
APR 2021 | $ 0 | $ 754 | $ 912 | $ 1,476 | $ 3,142 |
MAY 2021 | $ 0 | $ 1,330 | $ 1,012 | $ 1,251 | $ 3,593 |
JUN 2021 | $ 75 | $ 1,291 | $ 867 | $ 1,098 | $ 3,331 |
JUL 2021 | $ 447 | $ 853 | $ 1,291 | $ 2,379 | $ 4,970 |
AUG 2021 | $ 571 | $ 1,366 | $ 1,437 | $ 1,202 | $ 4,576 |
SEP 2021 | $ 807 | $ 916 | $ 1,121 | $ 1,462 | $ 4,306 |
|-----------|-------------|------------|--------------|-------------|

I don't even know anymore, I guess this is just who I am now lol sigh

oneday · « **Reply #55 on:** October 03, 2021, 06:51:27 PM »

Quote from: kittykat on October 03, 2021, 01:05:56 PM

I don't even know anymore, I guess this is just who I am now lol sigh

OK, if that's who you want to be. (But if not, keep trying! I know you can reach the goals you set for yourself.)

Motivation ebbs and flows.

kittykat · « **Reply #56 on:** October 04, 2021, 02:21:20 PM »

Quote from: oneday on October 03, 2021, 06:51:27 PM

Quote from: kittykat on October 03, 2021, 01:05:56 PM
I don't even know anymore, I guess this is just who I am now lol sigh

OK, if that's who you want to be. (But if not, keep trying! I know you can reach the goals you set for yourself.)

Motivation ebbs and flows.

Thanks. I think I just lost focus, too much going on and I’ve been in a spending mode since I bought this house and haven’t been able to get myself out of that mindset and back to serious saving mode again…yet.

rebel_quietude · « **Reply #57 on:** October 04, 2021, 06:56:59 PM »

Quote from: oneday on October 02, 2021, 09:01:19 PM

Quote from: rebel_quietude on August 14, 2021, 11:47:09 AM
LOL, that was a polite mustachian-call-out if I've ever read one, @oneday , and thanks for the welcome!

This isn't grief, just a friendly reminder to say I hope your playing along at home, @rebel_quietude

Called out! I love it. The occasional peer reminder is what makes this forum great, after all. Thanks, @oneday

I'm still working on my categories, so this may change in stride, but please see below my initial attempt modeled after you fine people. I've included the categories I truly despise, because I'm awful at predicting them and they seem to be up to chance so often. They directly detract from additional savings - so I've also added a column for how much extra I was able to save from my checking account that month. (I live in an environment of artificial scarcity, but it still feels nice to be in the green).

Month | Entertainment | Los Dos | Restaurants | Misc Savings
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SEP | $300 | $651 | $91.66 | $78 | $387

In sum: rented a boat to take my dad out when he visited, paid for a month of doggy daycare (hopefully the last) and one overnight, and there's a $54 pair of insoles in the "misc" category. I think "restaurants" and "misc" aren't bad this month, compared to the norm, but time shall tell.

I'm moving in November, so I should have a normal October, an artificially low November as I go almost a month without rent, and then a bunch of expenses in December as I (hopefully) get settled into a place again. Looking forward to trying to reduce grocery expenses by eating like a local in a new country, but I don't think I'm going to add a grocery category because (true money confessions) trying to budget in a grocery store gives me flashbacks to my broke early days, and makes me feel poor. I may merit a mustachian face punch, for that one . . . welcome any comments!

SotI · « **Reply #58 on:** October 09, 2021, 02:01:23 PM »

Mixed update from July, some good, some not so good.

2020 Spend 2021 Spend
Jan 5,379 4,383
Feb 3,876 2,645
March 4,030 3,275
April 3,774 1,990
May 3,437 4,953
June 3,635 2,618
July 2,938 3,179
Aug 2,659 4,914
Sept 3,012 2,481

My spend seems to be quite erratic. Maybe that's just life or
my lack of foresight. Either way, I am 4.1 % behind plan, so I guess I miss my target again this year (which was 10% reduction of last year's spend). And Oct was spendy either, getting stuff that DH was't comfortable in getting second-hand. Will start reviewing potential cuts for the last two months.

oneday · « **Reply #59 on:** October 15, 2021, 11:45:40 PM »

Quote from: rebel_quietude on October 04, 2021, 06:56:59 PM

Quote from: oneday on October 02, 2021, 09:01:19 PM
Quote from: rebel_quietude on August 14, 2021, 11:47:09 AM
LOL, that was a polite mustachian-call-out if I've ever read one, @oneday , and thanks for the welcome!

This isn't grief, just a friendly reminder to say I hope your playing along at home, @rebel_quietude

Called out! I love it. The occasional peer reminder is what makes this forum great, after all. Thanks, @oneday

I'm still working on my categories, so this may change in stride, but please see below my initial attempt modeled after you fine people. I've included the categories I truly despise, because I'm awful at predicting them and they seem to be up to chance so often. They directly detract from additional savings - so I've also added a column for how much extra I was able to save from my checking account that month. (I live in an environment of artificial scarcity, but it still feels nice to be in the green).

Month | Entertainment | Los Dos | Restaurants | Misc Savings
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SEP | $300 | $651 | $91.66 | $78 | $387

In sum: rented a boat to take my dad out when he visited, paid for a month of doggy daycare (hopefully the last) and one overnight, and there's a $54 pair of insoles in the "misc" category. I think "restaurants" and "misc" aren't bad this month, compared to the norm, but time shall tell.

I'm moving in November, so I should have a normal October, an artificially low November as I go almost a month without rent, and then a bunch of expenses in December as I (hopefully) get settled into a place again. Looking forward to trying to reduce grocery expenses by eating like a local in a new country, but I don't think I'm going to add a grocery category because (true money confessions) trying to budget in a grocery store gives me flashbacks to my broke early days, and makes me feel poor. I may merit a mustachian face punch, for that one . . . welcome any comments!

Great start! It is always interesting to see how things develop over time.

Re: groceries - certainly don't spend in a way that makes you feel bad! That would be incompetent humaning.

rebel_quietude · « **Reply #60 on:** October 16, 2021, 09:46:00 AM »

Quote from: oneday on October 15, 2021, 11:45:40 PM

Re: groceries - certainly don't spend in a way that makes you feel bad! That would be incompetent humaning.

Whelp, I now have a new favorite behavior descriptor. Hope you don't mind if I begin high-volume use of the phrase "incompetent humaning."

oneday · « **Reply #61 on:** October 16, 2021, 11:04:45 AM »

Quote from: rebel_quietude on October 16, 2021, 09:46:00 AM

Quote from: oneday on October 15, 2021, 11:45:40 PM
Re: groceries - certainly don't spend in a way that makes you feel bad! That would be incompetent humaning.

Whelp, I now haw a new favorite behavior descriptor. Hope you don't mind if I begin high-volume use of the phrase "incompetent humaning."

Lol, sure! As long as you don't *do* high-volume "incompetent humaning."

philli14 · « **Reply #62 on:** November 02, 2021, 08:03:34 AM »

| Gas/Fuel | Restaurants | "Shopping" | Groceries | Total |
2018 AVG | $ 160 | $ 541 | $ 422 | $ 195 | $ 2902 |
2019 AVG | $ 45 | $ 151 | $ 93 | $ 182 | $ 1464 |
2020 AVG | $ 25 | $ 95 | $ 46 | $ 258 | $ 1192 |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|------------|
2021 GOAL | $ 25 | $ 100 | $ 50 | $ 200 | $ 1100 |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|------------|
JAN | $ 0 | $ 0 | $ 42 | $ 257 | $ 971 |
FEB | $ 26 | $ 34 | $ 0 | $ 155 | $ 1670 |
MAR | $ 30 | $ 52 | $ 164 | $ 226 | $ 1881 |
APR | $ 27 | $ 165 | $ 0 | $ 228 | $ 998 |
MAY | $ 29 | $ 827 | $ 583 | $ 221 | $ 2279 |
JUN | $ 0 | $ 170 | $ 180 | $ 226 | $ 1174 |
JUL | $ 41 | $ 166 | $ 481 | $ 289 | $ 1760 |
AUG | $ 25 | $ 293 | $ 267 | $ 249 | $ 1726 |
SEP | $ 35 | $ 83 | $ 53 | $ 108 | $ 946 |
OCT | $ 58 | $ 334 | $ 285 | $ 524 | $ 2445 |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|------------|
2021 AVG | $ 27 | $ 212 | $ 204 | $ 248 | $ 1585 |

First month of higher expenses due to a roommate moving out, compounded by some pre-paying of groceries (CSA box), and my car insurance. Result is a spendy month but should pay off in the next coming months.

rebel_quietude · « **Reply #63 on:** November 02, 2021, 02:52:55 PM »

Month | Entertainment | Los Dos | Restaurants | Misc Savings
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SEP | $300 | $651 | $91.66 | $78 | $387
OCT $60 $399 $257 $265 $200

Not shown: $439 in medical expenses left over from the shenanigans in August, a $95 oil change, and a vet bill that will likely hit next month. I put more money in savings, but will likely regret it when the credit card bill finals out. Oh, well... hope everyone's month went well!

oneday · « **Reply #64 on:** November 02, 2021, 11:00:45 PM »

Eep! I haven't done my analysis yet? It's too late tonight, will do soon.

@philli14 considering how many months you have with red, you're not too far off track overall.

@rebel_quietude you made a good reduction overall this month!

kittykat · « **Reply #65 on:** November 04, 2021, 05:41:56 PM »

| Fun Out | Restaurants | Groceries | Shopping | Total |
|-----------|-------------|------------|--------------|-------------|
DEC 2019 | $ 26 | $ 682 | $ 634 | $ 3,473 | $ 4,815 |
AVG 2020 | $ 42 | $ 227 | $ 948 | $ 953 | $ 2,302 |
|-----------|-------------|------------|--------------|-------------|
JAN 2021 | $ 0 | $ 445 | $ 1,091 | $ 2,707 | $ 4,243 |
FEB 2021 | $ 31 | $ 319 | $ 757 | $ 1,126 | $ 2,233 |
MAR 2021 | $ 0 | $ 896 | $ 976 | $ 1,352 | $ 3,224 |
APR 2021 | $ 0 | $ 754 | $ 912 | $ 1,476 | $ 3,142 |
MAY 2021 | $ 0 | $ 1,330 | $ 1,012 | $ 1,251 | $ 3,593 |
JUN 2021 | $ 75 | $ 1,291 | $ 867 | $ 1,098 | $ 3,331 |
JUL 2021 | $ 447 | $ 853 | $ 1,291 | $ 2,379 | $ 4,970 |
AUG 2021 | $ 571 | $ 1,366 | $ 1,437 | $ 1,202 | $ 4,576 |
SEP 2021 | $ 807 | $ 916 | $ 1,121 | $ 1,462 | $ 4,306 |
OCT 2021 | $ 112 | $ 1,122 | $ 841 | $ 1,434 | $ 3,509 |
|-----------|-------------|------------|--------------|-------------|

At least it's better than the last 3 months. Eating out has never been more expensive.

SotI · « **Reply #66 on:** November 07, 2021, 01:52:31 AM »

Update October, better than last year but still above planned budget.

2020 Spend 2021 Spend
Jan 5,379 4,383
Feb 3,876 2,645
March 4,030 3,275
April 3,774 1,990
May 3,437 4,953
June 3,635 2,618
July 2,938 3,179
Aug 2,659 4,914
Sept 3,012 2,481
Oct 3,858 3,489

oneday · « **Reply #67 on:** November 09, 2021, 01:28:29 PM »

@kittykat If you can keep everything else more or less the same in Nov as it was in Oct, but trim back eating out (which you've historically been able to do), you'll see another month of falling expenses. You can (and have) done it!

@SotI your Oct may be higher than Sep, but Oct 2021 is lower than Oct 2020...and 2021 is lower that 2020 overall (if I've done my math right). You are doing well.

October wrap up

| Entertain |Restaurants| Groceries | Total |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|
DEC 2019 | $ 358 | $ 309 | $ 281 | $ 3553 |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|
AVG 2020 | $ 102 | $ 106 | $ 226 | $ 3419 |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|
JAN 2021 | $ 290 | $ 94 | $ 91 | $ 4595^A|
FEB 2021 | $ 168 | $ 142 | $ 116 | $ 7692^B|
MAR 2021 | $ 38 | $ 120 | $ 96 | $ 2483 |
APR 2021 | $ 18 | $ 188 | $ 311 | $ 732^C|
MAY 2021 | $ 59 | $ 239 | $ 120 | $ 3044 |
JUN 2021 | $ 0 | $ 233 | $ 142 | $ 6352^D|
JUL 2021 | $ 150 | $ 335 | $ 398 | $ 1618^E|
AUG 2021 | $ 66 | $ 109 | $ 254 | $ 3146 |
SEP 2021 | $ 82 | $ 205 | $ 261 | $ 2562 |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|
YTD AVG | $ 97 | $ 185 | $ 199 | $ 3580 |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|
OCT 2021 | $ 73 | $ 132 | $ 95 | $ 2933 |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|
^A2645 w/o housing deposit
^B2741 w/o IRA contrib or reimbursements
^C3556 w/o extraordinary things
^D1967 w/o braces or double paying rent
^E2718 w/o return of prior apartment deposit

Compared to 2020 average:

Lower spending in the target categories, but higher spending overall from last month. Main difference is $305 vet bill and $125 on traveling. $255 gas for traveling was offset by lower spending on other categories.

Trailing 12 month average spend remains at the bottom of the range (in fact, lowest since tracking started). Last month I wrote, "Still waiting for enough data to accumulate to feel more secure in projections." Now that I've looked at the data a bit more, I feel less secure, in that several large expenses from early 2020 are no longer in this metric, but they will show up again (car repairs for 10 Y.O. car & taxes paid-I seem to owe more than refund since divorcing). This might not be the metric I want to use, but will finish out the year with it and re-vamp in Jan when I'm going to include payroll deductions in my budget.

Third legitimately low-spend month without caveats in a row. Did good keeping grocery spend low & eating from the pantry. Will have some expenses for T-day baking, but there's still a lot in my pantry. Glad the average never went over $200; hope to keep it that way.

philli14 · « **Reply #68 on:** November 30, 2021, 09:56:14 AM »

| Gas/Fuel | Restaurants | "Shopping" | Groceries | Total |
2018 AVG | $ 160 | $ 541 | $ 422 | $ 195 | $ 2902 |
2019 AVG | $ 45 | $ 151 | $ 93 | $ 182 | $ 1464 |
2020 AVG | $ 25 | $ 95 | $ 46 | $ 258 | $ 1192 |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|------------|
2021 GOAL | $ 25 | $ 100 | $ 50 | $ 200 | $ 1100 |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|------------|
JAN | $ 0 | $ 0 | $ 42 | $ 257 | $ 971 |
FEB | $ 26 | $ 34 | $ 0 | $ 155 | $ 1670 |
MAR | $ 30 | $ 52 | $ 164 | $ 226 | $ 1881 |
APR | $ 27 | $ 165 | $ 0 | $ 228 | $ 998 |
MAY | $ 29 | $ 827 | $ 583 | $ 221 | $ 2279 |
JUN | $ 0 | $ 170 | $ 180 | $ 226 | $ 1174 |
JUL | $ 41 | $ 166 | $ 481 | $ 289 | $ 1760 |
AUG | $ 25 | $ 293 | $ 267 | $ 249 | $ 1726 |
SEP | $ 35 | $ 83 | $ 53 | $ 108 | $ 946 |
OCT | $ 58 | $ 334 | $ 285 | $ 524 | $ 2445 |
NOV | $ 36 | $ 20 | $ 251 | $ 184 | $ 1415 |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|------------|
2021 AVG | $ 28 | $ 195 | $ 208 | $ 242 | $ 1570 |

Better overall. Still expecting overall to be high with the raise in rent, but going to make a goal of greeeeeen for december!

oneday · « **Reply #69 on:** December 03, 2021, 10:10:42 PM »

@philli14 I'm looking forward to the greeeeeeen!

November wrap up

| Entertain |Restaurants | Groceries | Total |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|
DEC 2019 | $ 358 | $ 309 | $ 281 | $ 3553 |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|
AVG 2020 | $ 102 | $ 106 | $ 226 | $ 3419 |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|
JAN 2021 | $ 290 | $ 94 | $ 91 | $ 4595A|
FEB 2021 | $ 168 | $ 142 | $ 116 | $ 7692B|
MAR 2021 | $ 38 | $ 120 | $ 96 | $ 2483 |
APR 2021 | $ 18 | $ 188 | $ 311 | $ 732C|
MAY 2021 | $ 59 | $ 239 | $ 120 | $ 3044 |
JUN 2021 | $ 0 | $ 233 | $ 142 | $ 6352D|
JUL 2021 | $ 150 | $ 335 | $ 398 | $ 1618E|
AUG 2021 | $ 66 | $ 109 | $ 254 | $ 3146 |
SEP 2021 | $ 82 | $ 205 | $ 261 | $ 2562 |
OCT 2021 | $ 73 | $ 132 | $ 95 | $ 2933 |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|
YTD AVG | $ 94 | $ 180 | $ 188 | $ 3516 |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|
NOV 2021 | $ 89 | $ 270 | $ 115 | $ 8709^F|
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|
^A2645 w/o housing deposit
^B2741 w/o IRA contrib or reimbursements
^C3556 w/o extraordinary things
^D1967 w/o braces or double paying rent
^E2718 w/o return of prior apartment deposit
^F2709 w/o extra investment

Compared to 2020 average:

I am a sucker when it comes to treating my mom! Almost 40% of restaurant spending was on her. No regrets, tho. And still better than July when I really went overboard. The average is trending downwards, too. That's nice to see.

Happy that entertainment and groceries are still decently low. Seem to have broken the habit of grocery deal shopping as a hobby.

Follow up vet bill of $166 after last month. Will have another bill this month as we monitor his blood tests hoping to see a good trend. So far so good.

Going to revamp how I do the budget and analysis starting in Jan, so not going to even look at trailing 12 months anymore. It excludes investments, which is good, but doesn't include taxes or insurance premiums. So, not a really good foundation to build FIRE scenarios on.

SotI · « **Reply #70 on:** December 27, 2021, 02:57:17 AM »

Closing the books for 2021:

2020 Spend 2021 Spend
Jan 5,379 4,383
Feb 3,876 2,645
March 4,030 3,275
April 3,774 1,990
May 3,437 4,953
June 3,635 2,618
July 2,938 3,179
Aug 2,659 4,914
Sept 3,012 2,481
Oct 3,858 3,489
Nov 2,393 3,957
Dec 4,145 2,468

So, it's been again a mixed year, not meeting my -10% of total spend reduction. However, - 6.5% compared to 2020 is better than nothing.
Next year, budget will be under more stress due to more things going back to normal plus additional inflation. So, my ambition for 2022 will be to not spend more in total than this year.

philli14 · « **Reply #71 on:** December 31, 2021, 10:14:54 AM »

| Gas/Fuel | Restaurants | "Shopping" | Groceries | Total |
2018 AVG | $ 160 | $ 541 | $ 422 | $ 195 | $ 2902 |
2019 AVG | $ 45 | $ 151 | $ 93 | $ 182 | $ 1464 |
2020 AVG | $ 25 | $ 95 | $ 46 | $ 258 | $ 1192 |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|------------|
2021 GOAL | $ 25 | $ 100 | $ 50 | $ 200 | $ 1100 |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|------------|
JAN | $ 0 | $ 0 | $ 42 | $ 257 | $ 971 |
FEB | $ 26 | $ 34 | $ 0 | $ 155 | $ 1670 |
MAR | $ 30 | $ 52 | $ 164 | $ 226 | $ 1881 |
APR | $ 27 | $ 165 | $ 0 | $ 228 | $ 998 |
MAY | $ 29 | $ 827 | $ 583 | $ 221 | $ 2279 |
JUN | $ 0 | $ 170 | $ 180 | $ 226 | $ 1174 |
JUL | $ 41 | $ 166 | $ 481 | $ 289 | $ 1760 |
AUG | $ 25 | $ 293 | $ 267 | $ 249 | $ 1726 |
SEP | $ 35 | $ 83 | $ 53 | $ 108 | $ 946 |
OCT | $ 58 | $ 334 | $ 285 | $ 524 | $ 2445 |
NOV | $ 36 | $ 20 | $ 251 | $ 184 | $ 1415 |
DEC | $ 26 | $ 54 | $ 173 | $ 152 | $ 1398 |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|------------|
2021 AVG | $ 28 | $ 183 | $ 205 | $ 235 | $ 1555 |

| Gas/Fuel | Restaurants | "Shopping" | Groceries | Total |
2018 AVG | $ 160 | $ 541 | $ 422 | $ 195 | $ 2902 |
2019 AVG | $ 45 | $ 151 | $ 93 | $ 182 | $ 1464 |
2020 AVG | $ 25 | $ 95 | $ 46 | $ 258 | $ 1192 |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|------------|
2021 GOAL | $ 25 | $ 100 | $ 50 | $ 200 | $ 1100 |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|------------|
2021 AVG | $ 28 | $ 183 | $ 205 | $ 235 | $ 1555 |

Lots to improve upon for 2022, but overall a successful outcome. I can't say too much of the spending increase was irresponsible, most were mandatory or directly in line with some changing values. I will be repeating this drill in 2022, and welcome anyone else who found this to be helpful. My wife and I are combining our expenses for next year so my budget will look drastically different, but the exercise will remain the same :)

@SotI Any reduction in spending is something to be celebrated. Congrats!
@oneday Thanks for joining in. I really enjoyed your commentary each month. Hope all is well with the pet.
@kittykat Hope the end of the year was a success for you!!

Happy new year everyone, stay safe and well.

Scramblin Rover · « **Reply #72 on:** January 05, 2022, 07:53:10 PM »

I just finished the exercise of tallying my spending for 2021, so thought this would be a good excuse to come out of lurkerdom and post to the forum. As background, I am a young guy (graduated college in 2020) living in a shared house in a HCOL area (Seattle). This was my first full year of spending while living independently, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Mostly, though, this just drove home what a money pit housing is, and motivates me to be careful in choosing my housing arrangements in the future. My categories are a bit different from yours, but this was how I grouped my various expenses.

Here's my spending in 2021:

Category	Annual spend	Avg monthly spend	Notes
Housing	20024	1669
Rent	18194	1516	I spent a significant portion of this year with less roommates than I'd hoped for. Now that I have a full house, my monthly rent is 1000.
Utilities	1661	138	See above; I'm hoping my house's per-person utility costs go down now that we have more housemates.
Renters insurance	169	14	Required by my landlord
Transportation	10663	889
Used car purchase	9967	831	I bought a used car in late September. This category lumps together all costs directly linked to buying the car (purchase price, sales tax, registration, and car pre-purchase inspections/ Carfax reports. This greatly skews my total annual transportation spending upward. I am hoping not to have to repeat these costs for at least several years.
Bicycle expenses	311	26	Encompasses bike repair and maintenance, as well as costs to buy biking-related equipment
Gas	251	21	Will be higher next year when I pay for a full 12 months
Car insurance	114	10	Will be higher next year when I pay for a full 12 months
Public transit passes	20	2
Food/household goods	4725	394	Lumped these together since I often buy groceries and household items at the same store, making it hard to separate the expenses (I don't have the motivation to parse through all my receipts)
Groceries/household goods	3900	325	See above. I suspect that groceries make about 3000 dollars of this category.
Restaurants	825	79	I have a social event each week that involves going out for pizza. The cost per person is $10-11, meaning that this makes up over half of my restaurant costs. I value this social event and do not intend to give it up to save costs. The remaining part of the restaurant bill could still go down however.
Recreation	2533	211
Outdoor skills and wilderness first aid courses	1325	110	Outdoor-related courses through a local outdoor organization that I purchased in 2021 (the courses themselves are in 2022). A bit of a splurge, but I think/hope I will find them worthwhile (facepunches acceptable).
Skiing expenses	715	60	Ski ticket prices and gear maintenance for both downhill and Nordic skiing (I did not buy any new ski gear this year)
Rock climbing expenses	340	28	New rock shoes and climbing gear + entrance fees at local rock gym
Other recreation costs	153	13	Expenses for other recreational activities or for gear not specific to a single activity like water bottles and breathable clothing
Travel	554	46	This category is exclusively airfare since the only trips I did this year involved visiting relatives so transportation/lodging on the other end were not a problem.
Cell phone/TV	418	35
Misc/Other	499	42	Encompasses a variety of random things from Christmas presents and gas money to news subscriptions and cards to family/ friends
Total	39416	3285
Total excl. car-buying costs	29449	2454

And, here are my targets for 2022:

Category	Annual spend	Avg monthly spend	Notes
Housing	13380	1115
Rent	12000	100	There is some uncertainty about what my housing situation will be after the end of my current lease in April. I’m using my current rent as a placeholder here, I will definitely try to avoid housing situations that cost me significantly more than this in rent.
Utilities	1200	100	This is lower than my 2021 spending; I’m hoping to continue living with several housemates as I have done in the later part of the year; presumably this would lower per-person utility expenses.
Renters insurance	180	15	Required by my current landlord
Food/household goods	4200	350
Groceries/household goods	3600	300	I cut a few hundred dollars off my 2021 spending since I feel there is more optimization that I could do in this area.
Restaurants	600	50	This would involve paring down my restaurant costs outside my weekly social activity to a minimum.
Transportation	2205	184
Gas	700	58	Based on driving 5000 miles next year
Car insurance	530	44	Based on driving 5000 miles next year (I have a per-mile car insurance plan)
Car maintenance	500	42	No idea how much this will cost, so estimating here
Bicycle expenses	300	25
Car tabs	175	15
Public transit passes	0	0	My company in theory has a transit benefit, but this has been on hold because people are working remotely due to the pandemic. Hopefully it comes back next year.
Charitable giving	1915	160	I did not do any charitable giving last year, but am hoping to get into the practice of donating to organizations that fit my values. This will involve some thinking about what exactly those values are and how to assess orgs. The amount is pretty arbitrary, chosen mainly to bring the total to a round 25,000.
Recreation	1500	125	Will not be paying for outdoor skills courses this year (that accounted for a lot of my 2021 spending) but I suspect my expenses in other sub-categories may go up. I value my recreational activities and will not try aggressively to limit this but will monitor.
Travel	1000	83	Hoping to travel a bit more this year than last – things were still somewhat restricted in 2021 due to the pandemic.
Cell phone/TV	300	25	I got in on the Mint Mobile holiday deal, so my cell phone expenses should be lower this year.
Misc/Other	500	42
Total	25000	2083

I'll check back at the end of the year on this thread (or the 2022 version if someone makes it), and we'll see how everything shakes out.

PS: If anyone could tell me how to fix the weird vertical offsets in my tables I would greatly appreciate it

oneday · « **Reply #73 on:** January 05, 2022, 08:22:24 PM »

@philli14 no greeeeeen, but you did have a top-5 lowest spend months this year (if that makes sense).
@SotI 6.5% reduction in a time of inflation is great! Good luck on next year's goal!
@Scramblin Rover welcome! It's great that you are tackling your financial health so early. You'll go far! As for car maintenance, that seems right...maybe a bit low if there's a major expense, but high if not. I only had $355 maintenance in 2021 and $1227 in 2020, for example, for a 2011 with just over 100K miles.

Final 2021 wrap-up

| Entertain |Restaurants | Groceries | Total |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|
DEC 2019 | $ 358 | $ 309 | $ 281 | $ 3553 |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|
AVG 2020 | $ 102 | $ 106 | $ 226 | $ 3419 |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|
JAN 2021 | $ 290 | $ 94 | $ 91 | $ 4595A|
FEB 2021 | $ 168 | $ 142 | $ 116 | $ 7692B|
MAR 2021 | $ 38 | $ 120 | $ 96 | $ 2483 |
APR 2021 | $ 18 | $ 188 | $ 311 | $ 732C|
MAY 2021 | $ 59 | $ 239 | $ 120 | $ 3044 |
JUN 2021 | $ 0 | $ 233 | $ 142 | $ 6352D|
JUL 2021 | $ 150 | $ 335 | $ 398 | $ 1618E|
AUG 2021 | $ 66 | $ 109 | $ 254 | $ 3146 |
SEP 2021 | $ 82 | $ 205 | $ 261 | $ 2562 |
OCT 2021 | $ 73 | $ 132 | $ 95 | $ 2933 |
NOV 2021 | $ 89 | $ 270 | $ 115 | $ 8709^F|
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|
YTD AVG | $ 94 | $ 188 | $ 182 | $ 3988 |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|
DEC 2021 | $ 71 | $ 245 | $ 157 | $ 3350 |
|------------|-------------|------------|------------|
^A2645 w/o housing deposit
^B2741 w/o IRA contrib or reimbursements
^C3556 w/o extraordinary things
^D1967 w/o braces or double paying rent
^E2718 w/o return of prior apartment deposit
^F2709 w/o extra investment

Compared to 2020 average:

Compared to last year's average, I'm very close! Just different distribution between categories. Overall expenses were actually $800 lower, because that is how much I saved. But since I don't want to re-do everything for 2021, we'll ignore that and improve it for next year. Biggest expense was rent (no surprise) followed by charitable contributions (cramming for year end :P). Gas was high due to holiday travel to family. Gifts were of course also high for holiday giving. Groceries are OK: lower than last year's or this year's averages, but even then they are a bit higher due to holiday baking. I don't arrive empty handed when I travel! Overall, I'm glad grocery expenses have come down for me this year. I was combining purchases with my prior room mate in 2020 and it was not good for my budget. Lesson learned. I combine much more judiciously with current room mate.

Vet was also over $100 again for the third follow up test for Mr. Kitty. His numbers are close to normal, but not quite. We are going to wait a while and see if he shows any symptoms. So that cost will be low for a while...until next fall when he's due for an exam/shots if I'm lucky (aka he remains healthy).

Dining out...whew. So there was a situation where I had to be out of the house a lot this past month or so, and many time I'd go to a restaurant or coffee shop to pass the time. So this is mostly solo dining. Not a great trend, but the situation should resolve itself soon. Regardless, this is a wake up call. (Plus caffeine at 8 pm is a different kind of wake up call - one that I can't afford to repeat too often on weekdays!!! I have no tolerance for caffeine.)

I hope we do this again next year...it's been instructive!

oneday · « **Reply #74 on:** January 05, 2022, 08:23:40 PM »

Quote from: Scramblin Rover on January 05, 2022, 07:53:10 PM

PS: If anyone could tell me how to fix the weird vertical offsets in my tables I would greatly appreciate it

Try a fixed width font like courier?

Scramblin Rover · « **Reply #75 on:** January 06, 2022, 06:50:52 PM »

Quote from: oneday on January 05, 2022, 08:22:24 PM

@Scramblin Rover welcome! It's great that you are tackling your financial health so early. You'll go far! As for car maintenance, that seems right...maybe a bit low if there's a major expense, but high if not. I only had $355 maintenance in 2021 and $1227 in 2020, for example, for a 2011 with just over 100K miles.

Thanks for the encouragement oneday and for your consistent contributions to this thread! Your car is pretty similar in age and miles to mine, so the info about your car maintenance costs is also very relevant (and makes me think that target might be a bit too low).

Quote from: oneday on January 05, 2022, 08:22:24 PM

So there was a situation where I had to be out of the house a lot this past month or so, and many time I'd go to a restaurant or coffee shop to pass the time. So this is mostly solo dining. Not a great trend, but the situation should resolve itself soon. Regardless, this is a wake up call. (Plus caffeine at 8 pm is a different kind of wake up call - one that I can't afford to repeat too often on weekdays!!! I have no tolerance for caffeine.)

LOL. Hope your next year is free of wake-up calls, caffeine-induced or otherwise.

Scramblin Rover · « **Reply #76 on:** January 06, 2022, 06:54:23 PM »

Quote from: oneday on January 05, 2022, 08:23:40 PM

Quote from: Scramblin Rover on January 05, 2022, 07:53:10 PM
PS: If anyone could tell me how to fix the weird vertical offsets in my tables I would greatly appreciate it

Try a fixed width font like courier?

This turned out to just move the vertical offsets to different rows. Thanks for the suggestion though.

oneday · « **Reply #77 on:** January 07, 2022, 06:14:54 PM »

Quote from: Scramblin Rover on January 06, 2022, 06:50:52 PM

LOL. Hope your next year is free of wake-up calls, caffeine-induced or otherwise.

Thank you!

Setting aside *something* for the car is better than nothing. And as time goes on, you'll get a feel for it. Not every year will have a major service, but of course you want something for the unexpected especially as it ages.

Quote from: Scramblin Rover on January 06, 2022, 06:54:23 PM

Quote from: oneday on January 05, 2022, 08:23:40 PM
Quote from: Scramblin Rover on January 05, 2022, 07:53:10 PM
PS: If anyone could tell me how to fix the weird vertical offsets in my tables I would greatly appreciate it

Try a fixed width font like courier?

This turned out to just move the vertical offsets to different rows. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Try quoting a post in which one of the tables that are lined up properly. Compare to what you've done.

ardrum · « **Reply #78 on:** January 14, 2022, 12:57:57 PM »

I ended up spending $14,010 in 2021. Due to inflationary adjustments increasing some costs, my goal is to spend under $15,000 in 2022.

That gives me a nice, easy to remember monthly average budget of $1250. Some months may be higher, but I want to keep the average below this figure as the year marches on.

oneday · « **Reply #79 on:** March 09, 2022, 08:39:57 PM »

Anybody interested in this for 2022? I can start a thread, even though it's a little late...

Specifically bat-signaling last year's participants:
@philli14
@kittykat
@Weisass
@SotI
@rebel_quietude
@Scramblin Rover
@ardrum

Weisass · « **Reply #80 on:** March 10, 2022, 02:05:16 PM »

I think I am working on other things this year. Thanks though.

oneday · « **Reply #81 on:** March 10, 2022, 10:19:40 PM »

No worries, thanks for the reply!

rebel_quietude · « **Reply #82 on:** March 12, 2022, 06:09:49 AM »

I'd be down for a 2022, though my consistency is obviously a work in progress!

oneday · « **Reply #83 on:** March 12, 2022, 03:49:14 PM »

Quote from: rebel_quietude on March 12, 2022, 06:09:49 AM

I'd be down for a 2022, though my consistency is obviously a work in progress!

Swell :)

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/throw-down-the-gauntlet/hold-yourself-openly-accountable-for-your-spending-in-2022/new/#new

kittykat · « **Reply #84 on:** March 18, 2022, 08:37:54 PM »

| Fun Out | Restaurants | Groceries | Shopping | Total |
|-----------|-------------|------------|--------------|-------------|
DEC 2019 | $ 26 | $ 682 | $ 634 | $ 3,473 | $ 4,815 |
AVG 2020 | $ 42 | $ 227 | $ 948 | $ 953 | $ 2,302 |
AVG 2021 | $ 230 | $ 1,024 | $ 1,048 | $ 1,784 | $ 4,086 |

|-----------|-------------|------------|--------------|-------------|
JAN 2021 | $ 0 | $ 445 | $ 1,091 | $ 2,707 | $ 4,243 |
FEB 2021 | $ 31 | $ 319 | $ 757 | $ 1,126 | $ 2,233 |
MAR 2021 | $ 0 | $ 896 | $ 976 | $ 1,352 | $ 3,224 |
APR 2021 | $ 0 | $ 754 | $ 912 | $ 1,476 | $ 3,142 |
MAY 2021 | $ 0 | $ 1,330 | $ 1,012 | $ 1,251 | $ 3,593 |
JUN 2021 | $ 75 | $ 1,291 | $ 867 | $ 1,098 | $ 3,331 |
JUL 2021 | $ 447 | $ 853 | $ 1,291 | $ 2,379 | $ 4,970 |
AUG 2021 | $ 571 | $ 1,366 | $ 1,437 | $ 1,202 | $ 4,576 |
SEP 2021 | $ 807 | $ 916 | $ 1,121 | $ 1,462 | $ 4,306 |
OCT 2021 | $ 112 | $ 1,122 | $ 841 | $ 1,434 | $ 3,509 |
NOV 2021 | $ 45 | $ 1,102 | $ 1,439 | $ 1,901 | $ 4,487 |
DEC 2021 | $ 679 | $ 1,892 | $ 900 | $ 4,015 | $ 7,486 |
|-----------|-------------|------------|--------------|-------------|

Just getting around to cleaning up 2021 tally. Well...at least I didn't do worse than 2019. Hard to beat 2020 when I didn't get out much. I will need to reorient myself for 2022. See you in the new thread.

oneday · « **Reply #85 on:** March 18, 2022, 11:46:02 PM »

Almost $9K better than 2019, that's great @kittykat ! 2020 was a weird year; best not to base future spending projections on it anyway.

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Author Topic: Hold Yourself Openly Accountable for Your Spending in 2021 (Read 7117 times)