I haven't forgotten about the thread I started! I finally sat down to tally it up and the numbers are embarrassing, but knowing is the first step to getting better
Normal Expenditures $2,081.95
Mortgage & Rent $85.03
Dog $61.57 Unexpected vet trip
Utilities $108.19 Includes phones & Music
Insurance $244.38
Gas & Fuel $254.36
Groceries $752.98 !?! Need to investigate, usually much lower
Alcohol & Bars & Parties $112.49 Bechelorette party
Eating Out $78.08
Misc $14.95 flexjobs subscription
Charity $250.00 Remainder of 10% earmarked in tithe account
Shopping $119.92 Wife got some much needed clothes
Repairs/Maintenance $940.91
Auto Parts $207.96 Oil changes and Battery for Jeep I need to sell
Home Improvement $732.95 Replace Furnace
Infrequent Expenditures $1,733.76
Tuition $1,321.72 paid 4x per year
Vacation $412.04
Debt Paydown $2,143.25
Car Payment $353.78
Motorhome Regular Payment $367.59
Motorhome Principal Payment $1,421.88
Income -$9,479.17
Taxed -$6,698.22 Income after witholding
Tax-free -$2,780.95 401K & HSA
So if I count my motorhome principal as saving, my total spend was
About $5500, $1400 of that being tuition
I calculate a savings rate of only 42% :(
Optimism though, worst case if I lived like this every month, I could still retire in my 30s
I already spent $1000 on a new toilet for this month, and plan to spend $1000 on a woodstove, then things should slow down considerably. November and December should have savings rates in the 60s-70s