Tag Archives: tracking spending

May1

Spending Report for April 2016

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If anyone doesn’t know or has forgotten, one of my goals for 2016 is to keep a record of every penny I spend this year. (To find out how this project came about, go here: http://www.rubbertrampartist.com/2015/12/31/spending/.) At the beginning of each month I give a report on what I bought and how much I spent in the previous month.

I’m pretty sad about my spending report for April 2016. I was doing really well until I was told I needed four new tires. (Read about my tire saga here: http://www.rubbertrampartist.com/2016/04/29/tires/ and here: http://www.rubbertrampartist.com/2016/04/30/tires-a-cautionary-tale-continued/.)

My insurance came due in April too. I prefer to pay for six months of insurance at a time so I can save money. Because I moved my insurance to a new state when I renewed my policy, my premium for six months increased $120

As follows is my spending report for April 2016.

4-1-16  Today I spent 50 cents for hot water when I took a shower at a campground. Total spent: 50 cents

4-2-16  Today I went to town. I always seem to spend money when I go to town. Total spent: $26.54

79 cents for a brand new collapsible funnel

$20 for gas

$5.75 to the supermarket for cookies to contribute to a party and ice

4-3-16  Nothing spent

4-4-16  Nothing spent

4-5-16  I went back to town today. Total spent: $10.55

$3.50 to the post office for postcard stamps

$2 at thrift stores, for, among other things, two Rubbermaid containers for with lids for holding ice in my cooler and a Klean Kanteen water bottle in fantastic condition

$5.05 for food at the discount grocery store

I did NOT eat at the pizza buffet today. I wanted to. I really, really wanted to, but I told myself no.

4-6-16  Today I headed to the big city for a house and pet sitting job. Total spent: $51.65

$40 on gas in the van

$11.65 to Wal-Mart for double sided tape (which is crap–I should have paid for higher quality), interdental brushes, a tub to go under my bed to hold up the board under the memory foam so I don’t spend the entire night trying not to roll towards the front of the van, and two pairs of boot socks which were on sale for $1 a pair.

4-7-16  Back in the city, I hit a couple of thrift stores and bought some groceries to get me through my time house sitting. Total Spent: $23.82

$19.32 for groceries

$4.50 for art supplies for chicken project and yarn.

4-8-16  Nothing spent

4-9-16 Today I bought my four new tires (cringe) and handed a dollar to a man flying a sign. Total spent: $416.83

$415.83 to Discount Tire for tires

$1 to panhandler

4-10-16  I need boots for my summer job. I went online today and found a pair on Ebay that were still in great condition and substantially less than they cost new. I also went to Panera (where I was given a free bagel every day of the month of April) to write for a few hours. Total spent: $54.85

$46.40 for work/hiking boots

$8.45 to Panera for a drink and later a salad

4-11-16  Today I moved to the Airbnb room I rented to stay in while I worked scoring standardized tests. (If you wonder why I haven’t mentioned paying for that rental, it’s because I haven’t yet. I borrowed money to pay for the room, and haven’t repaid the money yet. That payment should show up in the May spending report.) I mailed two packages and bought some groceries before I moved in. Total spent: $50.72

$9.82 to post office

$2.98 for brown rice (There was a GREAT sale going on; two pounds of rice for $1. I should have bought ten pounds)

$37.92 to discount food store on groceries

4-12-16  Nothing spent

4-13-16  Nothing spent

4-14-16  I ran some errands after work. Total spent: $27.49

$6 to Goodwill for jars to use in making ghee, and for two shirts and a pair of jeans (The clothes were only $1 per piece!)

$1.49 to the supermarket for half a gallon of milk

$20 for gas

4-15-16  My big Friday treat was dinner at Taco Bell. Total spent: $2.37

4-16-17  Today was half-price day at Goodwill. After work, I hit a couple of stores. Total spent: $7.95

$2.49 for a birthday present book

$5.46 for two books for me, yarn for infinity scarf projects, and an sleep mask made from corduroy for a young man I know who is soon going off to collage

4-17-16  Today I made ghee, and had to buy butter and cheesecloth at the supermarket. I haven’t decided if the project was a success or a failure. Total spent: $11.69

4-18-16  Nothing spent

4-19-18  Driving to and from works uses gas. Today I had to put more in the van’s tank. Total spent: $20

4-20-18  I stopped at Dollar Tree after work to get an envelope in which to mail the chicken art. There was nothing big enough for my chicken art needs. However, I found nice adult coloring books and bought three as gifts. I also bought a stylus to use with my new phone. Total spent: $4.32

4-21-16  I could barely stay awake at work today and had to buy a cup of coffee from the machine in the break room. After work I found the box I needed to mail the chicken art. Total spent: $1.72

55 cents to coffee machine

$1.17 to Wal-Mart for box to ship chicken art

4-22-17  Today was payday. In celebration, I ate fried chicken and steak fries I picked up at the supermarket when I was buying tea to get me through the sleepies at work and a couple of other food items. Total spent: $11.73

4-23-16  Nothing spent

4-24-16  Today I went to the grand open of an international supermarket. I bought sriracha sauce, a pack of toothbrushes, and a tube of sunscreen. Total Spent: $5.48

4-25-16  Today I mailed the chicken art and paid for six months of insurance (cringe). Total spent: $380.95

$8.45 to post office to mail package

$380.95 for six months of insurance

4-26-16  Nothing spent

4-27-16  My temp job ended yesterday and I moved out of the Airbnb room today. I stocked up a the discount food store and took care of some things with my van registration and residency. Total spent: $79.46

$47.46 to discount grocery store for food

$32 MVD

4-28-16  Today I went to a junior high school play and took care of some more van registration details. Total spent: $33.95

$5 admission to play

$28.95 to MVD

4-29-16  My monthly phone payment was charged to my debit card account. (I get a discount for using autopay.) Total spent: $34.99

4-30-16 Last day of the month, and I bought supplies I’ll need for the summer.  Total spent: $36.58

Total spent in March: $1.294.14

Excuse me while I go off somewhere and feel depressed.

To read my other spending reports, go here: http://www.rubbertrampartist.com/2016/02/01/spending-report-for-january-2016/, here: http://www.rubbertrampartist.com/2016/03/01/spending-report-for-february-2016/, and here: http://www.rubbertrampartist.com/2016/04/02/spending-report-for-march-2016/.

 

 

 

 

 

Apr2

Spending Report for March 2016

Posted on by
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For anyone who may have forgotten and for folks who just recently began reading my blog, one of my goals for 2016 is to keep a record of every penny I spend this year. (To find out how this project came about, go here: http://www.rubbertrampartist.com/2015/12/31/spending/.)  On the first of each month I  give a report on what I bought and how much I spent in the previous month.  (To read January’s spending report, go here: http://www.rubbertrampartist.com/2016/02/01/spending-report-for-january-2016/. To read February’s spending report, go here: http://www.rubbertrampartist.com/2016/03/01/spending-report-for-february-2016/.) As follows is my spending report for March 2016.

3-1-16  My only expenditure today was my phone bill. Total spent : $27.78

3-2-16  I had the van’s fuel pump replaced today and ran some errands. Total spent: $276.89

$267.13 to my mechanic to have a new fuel pump installed

$5.42 for a shirt to wear to a job interview

$4.34 for supplies from Dollar Tree

3-3-16  I ran errands and paid my mailbox rental today. Total spent: $53.28

$19.47 for mailbox rental

$1 to Goodwill for a shirt I LOVE

$1.10 for parking

$2.16 for lunch at Taco Bell

$29.55 for groceries at discount (scratch and dent) supermarket

3-4-16  All I bought today was gasoline. Total spent: $37.93

3-5-16  Today I stayed where I was house sitting and wrote. Nothing spent

3-6-16  More writing and not leaving the house. Nothing spent

3-7-16  I had to bring the van back to the mechanic due to a fuel spill on Friday, He fixed the problem, but to be sure, he had me fill the gas tank as full as I could get it. Total spent: $33.60

3-8-16  Stayed busy writing. Nothing spent

3-9-16  More writing. Nothing spent

3-10-16  Writing. Nothing spent

3-11-16  Nothing spent

3-12-16  Today I worked at a carnival selling lemonade, but I didn’t buy anything but a cup of coffee from a local coffee shop to get me going in the morning. Total spent: $3.44

3-13-16  Since I only drank half the cup of coffee yesterday (it was STRONG), I made iced coffee with the other half this morning, and I didn’t have to buy any more. Nothing spent

3-14-16 This evening I stopped at the supermarket for toilet paper and picked up two packages of reduced- for-quick-sale organic cheese. Each pack of the cheese was marked $1. When I scanned them at the

This is the bargain cheese I scored for 12 and 1/2 cents per package.

This is the bargain cheese I scored for 12 and 1/2 cents per package.

self-checkout machine, it spit out a coupon for $1.75 off two packs of that brand of cheese.  My total cheese cost was only a quarter! Total spent: $1.75

3-15-16 Today I participated in a mock Jury. I was way early, so I decided to wander around in the air-conditioned luxury of the supermarket in the same shopping center as the law office where the mock jury was being held. In the supermarket, I saw phones compatible with my cell phone service (Net10) on sale. Smart phones that were usually $49.99 were on sale for $9.99. I’ve been using the same phone for almost four years (that’s 392 in phone years),  the letters were worn off some of the buttons, and I was concerned the thing was going to give out on me in some random town and I’d have to pay a lot to replace it. Also, yes, I was seduced by the   smart phone bells and whistles. Total spent: $14.12

$10.86 new phone

$3.26 to Dollar Tree for screen saver film for phone and other supplies.

3-16-16  Today I went to the post office. Total spent: $6.08

3-17-16  Today I took a shuttle to Las Vegas, and bought cheese puffs during our refueling break. My friends treated me to dinner. Total spent: $2

3-18-16  My friends and I went out to dinner at Red Robin, where one of my friends got a free burger for his birthday. Total spent: $13

3-19-16  Today I went to Costco with my friends and bought a sun hat better than the one I had. Total spent: $14.05

3-20 through 3-27-16  During the rest of my time in Vegas, I didn’t spend any money. My friends treated me to custard one afternoon and dinner one more time, but mostly we were busy volunteering and cooking food for the participants, which we also ate. Nothing spent

3-28-16  Today I mailed two collages and a necklace and used the last of a restaurant gift card. Total  spent: $7.94

$4.50 postage

$3.44 for tip and candy at restaurant

3-29-16  Today I browsed at a thrift store, bought some stamps, and bought some food. Total spent: $12.50

$3 to thrift store for fifty postcards, a plastic accordion folder to hold clippings for future collages, and other odds and ends

$7 to post office for twenty postcard stamps

$2.50 to discount (scratch and dent) grocery store

3-30-16 Today I activated my new phone and paid for thirty days of service. I also treated my friend to lunch. Total spent: $57.89

$38.89 for thirty days of phone service

$19 for lunch for two, including tip

3-31-16 Today I mailed a book and some photos, washed my curtains and rugs, bought groceries, and went back to the thrift stores. Total spent: $33.28

$5 to laundromat for washing and drying

$11.33 for groceries at regular grocery store

$4.85 at discount (scratch and dent) grocery store

$4 at thrift store for plastic container for ice, zippered purse for new cell phone, carpet, and postcards

$2 at Catholic thrift store for three one-gallon glass jugs (25 cents each!), a bag for holding plastic bags, and small plastic container for holding ice.

Total spent in March: $595.53

I am knocking wood and hoping I’ll have no more van repairs to pay for in April. It would be nice to save a little pile of money.