(Click here for more info on my monthly spending roundups. NB: Because the ‘saving’ portion can get so confusing (on this graph it does not include regular savings from my main job) I may simply stop using the saving category for this purpose altogether, and deal with it separately from now. That way this will only truly represent “spending”.)
Clothes and grooming: Included a haircut for me and shoes and an electric shaver for him (he spends a lot on razors, and it’s hugely wasteful in an environmental sense too). It’ll still take many months to break even on this, but it should last years, save some plastic and irritate his face less. Oh, and it also included resizing and valuing of the ring (ah, so unromantic, but practical. Even though it’s not a wildly valuable ring, my insurance policy still needed me to “specify” it as an item. Nonetheless, it’s an estate or heirloom piece so it’s not exactly replaceable. It’s going to cost a couple extra dollars on my premium, which kind of made me wonder if maybe I should’ve not bothered at all? But it was also important to T, so it’s fine by me.)
Dining: As I mentioned the other day…we went over my goal of $160. But we had good eats, and I didn’t end up collapsing from starvation even on my long days.
Entertainment: Included golf in Taupo on the way to Wellington, a Dailydo voucher, bowling with friends, some arcade games and our $10 Fatso subscription (which I’m cancelling this month, as I’ve finally exhausted my list of old movies to watch. Plus, I now have an Entertainment book, which includes a bunch of video store rental vouchers.)
Groceries: Pretty on target for a four-week month.
Holidays: Included Wellington spending, passport fees, passport photos…
Medical: Hayfever meds for me, chafe cream for him – yep, the 3B stuff off the hilarious TV ad
Mystery shopping: Dinner and drinks, fully reimbursed
Saving: I actually saved a total of 42 per cent of my net income, yay!
T fun: Motorbike. ($1200). Plus helmet and gloves ($220). And other miscellany which I care not to know about – that’s how it works.
Utilities: Pretty ave…Orcon whipped up a deal with my employer, so I’m now going to be saving a few bucks a month on our phone/internet deal, plus some free landline to cellphone minutes! Good for phone interviews, too.
Vehicle: Lower than I expected! I may have almost halved my bus expenditure; I used to catch the bus from right outside home in the morning, but since the timetable changed, it’s never on time. So now I just walk up to Mt Eden Rd, where it’s only one stage, both morning and evening. Petrol’s insane ($2.18 a litre) but I hope once T and the bike are all legalled, registered and insured, that will go down significantly too. How thoughtful of him to pick a hobby which will also help out the ongoing budget 😛 (Yes, I’m aware of the initial outlay, but HE’S paying for all that jazz, thankyouverymuch).
I also brought in an extra $1061 in side income, of which I saved $562. The rest went toward passports, ring stuff, and a daily deal massage voucher.
Looks like a pretty successful month! 🙂
I always thought guys hated electric razors because it doesn’t give them that close of a shave? So they will look like they have the perpetual five o’clock shadow.