Project 10: The Budget (Part 2)

Well, it's officially November, which means it's time to post my follow-up to the first half my first financial tracking experiment. And I have to say, I did a lot better in this half!

Total spending between October 16 and October 31 was $377. I have to say, though, that this should be a lot higher - Matt basically paid for all expenses surrounding Phantom of the Opera and the weekend of debauchery that it was a part of. But, since that number is almost $125 less than last time, I'm going to go with it. :)

So what's my total for the month? A whopping $796. I know, right? So where did that $796 go, exactly? Well according to my calculations, the breakdown's like this:

• $284 for Groceries (and other household purchases)


• $12 for Personal Items


• $90 for Alcohol & Tobacco (or just alcohol in my case)


• $17 for Clothing


• $85 for Food at Work - I bought something at work 13 times this month! Ugh.


• $192 for Meals Eaten Out - 10 times this month - good lord.


• $40 for Recreation (a.k.a. gym membership)


• $154 for Gifts and Cards - Matt's birthday and my brother's birthday


• -$78 (my credit that I'm giving myself for returned school books)

I feel like this is a good starting point for my budgeting efforts. Obviously there are some areas that I can cut back on - I mean, there's no reason to spend $192 for eating out when I've also spent $284 primarily on groceries. Sheesh. Well, I guess you can't fix something until you've identified the problem - it can only get better, and I've already got my spreadsheet printed out and ready to go for this month. :)