Weekly Update: Spending
This week was on par of spending. I pulled out $40 fro an ABM for a lunch and spent about $15.00 of that on Thursday. The restaurant’s ABM was down and I paid $3.50 in bank fees to get the cash. Not cool.
That brings my total entertainment spending to about $110.00 which is over budget by $10.00. It’s not terrible but it’s not great either. I really need to expand my hobbies because all I seem to do is eat out on a regular basis.
Our tenant moved in so we had our first rent cheque of $800.00. Five hundred of that went to some last minute purchases and repairs for the house before she moved in – we replaced a leaky kitchen faucet and bought a smaller fridge for the unit. The remaining $300 will go towards our store credit card.
Also, my husband has maxed out his employment insurance (Canadian tax taken off our paycheques) so we have an extra couple hundred a month. I don’t know exactly what we’ll do with it yet but most of it will likely go towards debt repayment. I’ll keep everyone posted.
Weekly Update: Life Under Construction
We’re getting used to having a tenant in the house. She has her own space downstairs but she shares our entrance. While it was a little weird the first couple times she came in – we’ve since gotten more used to it and she’s been a nice addition to the household.
My daughter has gotten a job at Walmart – if you read here, you’ll know why it’s the huge coup d’état. She seems to enjoy it and she’s excited to get her first paycheque this Friday. K.B. has many plans for her money including the purchase of cell phones, laptops, and other bric-a-brac. I don’t want to approach her spending as something that she needs to change – I think I want to show her how we’re doing things and see if that starts to filter down. It is her money, after all. More on this later.
Sense & Sensibility: What’s new
The site migration is finally complete and my blog has settled well into it’s new free range Texan server farm. Be free, little blog, be free!
Here’s what I published over the past week:
Santa Claus doesn’t exist: Becoming a financial adult
Planning a Fabulous Wedding on a Frugal Budget
Why I Switched Web Hosts & Weekly Review: July 22 – August 4
Sweet Savage Link Love:
DQYDJ asks us Should You Care About Income When You Choose a Major?
Shannon from the Heavy Purse shares her wisdom in How to Ensure Your Goals Align with What You Truly Want
John from Frugal Rules writes a tongue-in-cheek post about How Much Gold is in Your Underwear? Author’s note: It’s fun so it’s in.
Three Thrifty Guys (a new addition to my blog reading: thank you Frugal Rules) ask Should you discuss your salary with coworkers, friends and family?
Cheezy Romance of the Week: The Maverick Doctor and Miss Prim
I love you Harlequin, you make every day like a Christmas. I have discovered a line of romance books that I had gone previously undiscovered – like buried treasure. The Masters of Literary Love have outdone themselves with their Harlequin Medical Romance collection. Behold:
Unleashing the “real” Callie Turner!
Dr. Matt Sawyer isn’t afraid to break rules. After losing his wife on a field mission, he thinks life is too short for red tape. When there’s a suspected outbreak in his E.R., the last person he wants brought in is someone like Callie “By the Book” Turner!
Callie is truly in the firing line, but Matt is reluctantly intrigued by the latent beauty under her neat designer suits, and sparks are soon flying—in more ways than one—between the buttoned-up investigator and this sexy rebel doctor!
Exciting news about the first rent check – yea!! Thanks for sharing your numbers, Lindsey – you’re doing great. 🙂
That rent cheque is going to make a HUGE difference in our debt repayment plans. Unfortunately, we have spending more because we have a comfortable margin but we’ll get back onto track.
Glad to hear your daughter got a job! I had no idea they had Wal-Marts there. It seems like it would be tough to monitor her spending because on one hand she is making her own money, but of course you want to set her up with good habits early on. Maybe the novelty of the “stuff” will wear off soon. Fingers crossed. Yay on the new tenant! I think that would be weird at first too. Like hello stranger, you just walked in my house. 🙂
Yeah, scared the daylights out of me the first couple times she was springing out from doors in my house. Crazy weird. We’re getting used to her though – she’s a nice girl which totally helps. 🙂
I don’t want to monitor her spending per se, just educated her about her options. I don’t think teens (and people, in general)understand that their are options out there besides spending it on the latest electronic gadget.
We bought her $250 in stocks with a blue chip company. We’re introducing her to the concept of stock investments and dividend reinivestment programs that will make money for her. It’s a good working example of making your money work for you. I’ll be writing a post about it.
I agree that looking for other hobbies should be considered as an alternative to eating out. It would also give you a way to a much healthier lifestyle. Anyways, keep up the good work.
It’s true. Most of my spending money goes towards grabbing lunch on-the-go because I spend a lot of time in the car for my job. I’ve packed my lunch the last couple of days and that’s really brought down what I would usually spend. It’s just a question of discipline. And time management!
I second that. Just have the time and patience to figure out what those hobbies are.
I hadn’t realized that there was a Medical Romance Collection!
True story, my friend. I think there is a collection for every conceivable romance fetish out there. Harlequin.com is a treasure trove of undiscovered cheezy greatness.
Thanks for the mention, Lindsey. I really appreciate it! I’m glad your daughter has a new job and earning her own spending money! And that’s fantastic your new tenant has moved in and is working out well. The extra $800 a month will certainly come in handy.
It certainly will, Shannon. I think that working for her money will help her learn the value of a dollar in ways I could never teach her at home by doing “chores”. I’ll keep everyone posted on how it goes!