I can’t honestly believe we have a little over two months before the end of the year! Where has 2019 gone???
Soooooooooo, I’ve not been keeping a tight hold on my cash this month. I’ve been spending like money grows on trees and after months of saying I’m going to get my spending in check, I finally made provisions to do so….go me! I’m in the process of looking for a new place to live and the hunt has been in a word; frustrating! Housing prices are insane and I’m not sure at this point if I could afford a box. I plan on documenting my housing search on my stories, so stay tuned.
Here’s a look at my money month in review.
Monthly Income:$2,492
Projected: $825 ||Actual: $825
Rent: $825 || This is the last rent payment in my current place. I’ve been looking for a new place BUT the prices are insane! I’ve found a few leads but nothing concrete and I’m becoming a bit discouraged. I want to keep rent equal to what I’m paying now or no more than $960 monthly. That is proving to be difficult but not impossible and I will keep you updated on my progress!
Projected: $611 || Actual $540
AES: $540 || My federal student loan came off of its three month forbearance and I’ll be giving them a call to hop back on it. I’m looking into a federal program that will forgive the balance of my loans after 10 years of on-time payments and I’ll have more updates about it in the next few weeks!
Projected: $100 || Actual: varies
Dominion Energy: $100 || I’ve built up a account credit in the amount of $102 and with the cold weather coming in and my heat going on blast, this will help.
Projected: $175 || Actual: $175
Sprint: $175 || I’m looking into switching providers to get my bill to come down a bit. With my move looming and the realization that my rent will increase, I need to cut cost.
shop similar looks:
Projected: $160 || Actual: $160
Groceries:$160 || I’ve got a few questions on how I manage $40 per week on food with a teen and I’ll do a seperate post on that in a few weeks!
Projected: $160 || Actual: $160
Gas:$160 || No change here
Projected: $60 || Actual: $60
WiFi: $60 || Same ol. Same ol.
Projected: $15 || Actual: $15
Netflix & Hulu: $15 || On last months everything i spent” post someone commented that since I have Sprint, I should be getting Hulu for free and I was told that a while ago but you can only get it on your phone for free with the app. If you left that comment or you have any more insight, please let me know!
Laptop Payment: $60 || I will be getting a 3rd check this month so I’m going to pay this off with that check so I can put enough money to the side for my move.
CVS: $5 || I’m really liking this program. I’m a big CVS shopper and the cost for me is worth it to save 20 percent on my purchases.
Monthly Expenses:$2,100
Difference:$392
Monthly Highlights: Its tradition to give my dad money for him to spend at his homecoming and this years contribution was $40 bucks. I spent another $150-$200 on just nonsense and have now set up an auto transfer to my savings account to keep me from spending up all my cash on stuff that I don’t need.
This is the last month in my little house, so next month’s update will be filled tons of money movement. I’ve put $230 to the side already for cleaning and other moving expenses. My plan is to set aside $500 in addition to what I have in savings for a security deposit and other fees and replenish my savings account with the security deposit I have coming from current place.
Well that’s it for this money update. I’m making a few changes with this series going forward, so stay tuned for that!
XOXO,
Shanna