Starting the May Spending Plan . . . Weekend Spending Recap

I'm closing in on April 30 which means 30 days of tracking expenses! Only one week to go. Also, April 30 is pay day. I get paid once a month which has its positives and negatives. The nice part is that I get one lump sum to divide up into categories to budget for every month (new concept to me but I'm looking forward to it). The down side is that once the money is gone . . . it's gone! (unfortunately, an all too familiar concept to me.)

I just checked my balance and I have $60 left for groceries, gas, and whatever else I may need. It's pretty close but let me tell you I have been soooo much closer in the past! As in: zero! Or worse - NEGATIVE! Plus, I just filled up my tank today so I doubt I'll need another full tank before the week is up. Also, R still owes me for her portion of the hotel room from a few weekends ago. Not really sure what the hold up is but that $65 is destined for savings anyway.

I'm working on my budget for May and I've got the following categories listed:

Monthly Expenses:

Rent
Honda Payment
Honda Insurance
LA Fitness Membership
Student Loan
Bank of Dad (I owe my dad money for tuition)
Sprint (Cell Phone)
Credit Card 1
Credit Card 2
Store Credit Card 1
Store Credit Card 2
Gas
Food and Household Supplies
Personal Care (Like hair, make up, etc.)
Personal Spending (for going to the movies, shopping, dining out)
Savings (!!)

And I've also listed some other items that I'm not sure exactly what to do with but might be considered "surprises" or "unplanned budget items"

Car repairs
medical expenses
Gifts
veterinary expenses
Travel/Vacation
Taxes
Parking Pass (I have to purchase a pass to park at work . . . I have a quarterly pass right now - which means that at the end of next month I either need to buy another quarterly pass or an annual pass - which is discounted but obviously expensive.)

Am I missing anything? I don't pay utilities which is why that's not on the list . . . I'm wondering if I need to separate my Personal Spending category. Instead of just having X amount to spend on XYZ I should have X amount to spend on X, Y amount to spend on Y, Z amount to spend on Z. I wonder if that would be too confusing . . .

Looking back on the last few days of spending I've had a few blunders:

Friday morning I treated myself to coffee and a croissant at Starbucks (all that talk I did about how little I had been spending on Starbucks made me feel like it was okay!) - $5.20.

I think that would have been fine if I hadn't then gone and spent $4.95 on Lunch.

For dinner on Friday SB took me out for a margarita and we split a big plate of nachos. He paid. I ate every meal out on Friday! Eeek. Not smart, Mal.

My total spending on Friday was $10.15 and was all non-essential (ouch).

Saturday SB and I went to an engagement party for a former co-worker of his. It was a nice party with delicious food and drinks. We only stayed a little while though. It wasn't the type of party that you bring a gift to so we just brought a bottle of wine (SB paid for that since it was his friend and I didn't know her).

Then we headed over to see Jason and Tanice's new home. They are newlyweds and just bought their first house. I was curious to see it as they had bought it for about $250K . . . in San Diego that is a steal!! Of course, the neighborhood was older and not that great. The house is a fixer upper for sure but has potential although it is small (2 bedrooms, 1 bath). The best part is the huge backyard . . . although at this point it's just dirt and weeds. They have a lot cut out for them!

SB and I stopped at the store to pick up some snacks to bring over (the guys were going to install some flooring). I was in the mood for a mojito so I ended up spending $16.52 on mojito mix, raspberries (to go in the drink to make them pretty!), fresh mint, and a box of cookies. SB bought the rum and some chips. The mojitos were a hit!! However, I've been informed that you actually don't need the pre made mix . . . you can make mojitos with club soda, rum, sugar, lime and mint . . . that would have been the cheaper alternative.

Later in the evening, J suggested that we get a bottle of wine. I was sober (I only had one mojito) so I volunteered to drive and Tanice came with me. We put a bottle of wine in the cart . . . and then T said she wanted string cheese . . . and then she wanted some candy . . . when we pulled up to the cash register I went ahead and paid for it all even though two of the items weren't mine technically and the third was to be shared by the group. Later, J offered me $5 but I told him not to worry about it. I think it's silly to be nit picky about stuff like that and I'm happy to pay. That cost me $15.69.

Total spending on Saturday was $32.21 - double what I had intended on spending but it was sort of a weird situation.

On Sunday, SB and I went grocery shopping for the week ahead. I spent $29.35. I bought some fresh strawberries and raspberries which cost about $8.00 (off the top of my head, I don't have the receipt in front of me).

Monday, I spent $2.33 total on a bottle of diet Pepsi and some Red Vines. I needed an afternoon pick me up. Totally non-essential. Should have snacked on my trail mix but I was craving something sweet.

Which brings me to today! I've already spent $34.83 on a full tank of gas (@3.80 gal).