Wednesday, January 2, 2013

December budget in review

I used to do a better job of reviewing our monthly budget numbers, & I'd love to start doing that again.

Here's how the December budget played out:

Monthly budget - $12,620
Actual December spend - $10,953.

Yes, you read that correctly . . . we are actually UNDER BUDGET!!! In DECEMBER! Who would have thought? :-)

I'll call out a few things that helped us get there:
  • We stuck to our grocery budget (and, this is a lowered grocery budget of $540) for the first time that I can ever remember. We came in at $538.97. :-)
  • I received a refund on a race that was cancelled.
  • I received a refund on my cell phone, which I dropped & shattered.
  • I used an account credit to book the boys January karate lessons.
  • We stayed under our dining out budget (again, for the first time that I can ever remember). Our budget was $200, & we spent $164.
  • We came under our Christmas budget. Again, first time ever.

And, a few things that didn't go smoothly:
  • We are in the process of refinancing both of our mortgages, & paid $1281 in fees. Yeah. Fees. Womp, womp.
  • I swear that one day, my oldest son woke up & his underwear & socks no longer fit. There wasn't really time to plan for & budget - it was a must. So, I spent $40 on basics for him.
  • We replaced our air compressor, which broke, to the tune of $100.
The general theme for the month? We FINALLY stuck to our budget, & (drumroll please!) it worked! It gives me a ton of confidence that through hard work & a bunch of effort and temptation-resisting in 2013, we an DO THIS!

Through this kind of effort regularly, we should be able to keep our beach house.

 
 
How did your December budget go? Any big wins or lessons learned?
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10 comments:

  1. JolieJanuary 2, 2013 at 8:11 AM

    coming under budget in December is a great accomplishment!

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    1. Hawaii PlannerJanuary 2, 2013 at 2:15 PM

      Thank you! I'm very pleased that we managed. :-)

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  2. slugmamaJanuary 2, 2013 at 9:09 AM

    Way to go being under budget! Woohoo!!!

    And get use to the kids shooting up overnight deal....especially the teenage years! lol

    Get the guardianship thing worked out, even if the person(s) you select aren't optimum, it's better to have someone than no one put down on paper. You do NOT want the state making that choice for you in your absence. ;-)

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    1. Hawaii PlannerJanuary 2, 2013 at 2:29 PM

      Your comment was the kick in the butt that I needed, & I finally emailed M about the guardianship issue. (That, of course, is the real sticking point.) I have a feeling that we'll come to an agreement today, which means we can set up an appointment with an attorney & get this hammered out.

      Thanks for the accountability - I need & truly appreciate it!!!

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  3. CheapchickJanuary 2, 2013 at 10:58 AM

    90% of the world doesn't even set a grocery budget nor keeps track of expenses. Just the fact you make a budget means you are ahead of the game. Well done on December! I blew the grocery budget this month - thank goodness it is a new year!

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    1. Hawaii PlannerJanuary 2, 2013 at 2:30 PM

      Thank you! I've readjusted our budget quite drastically to get rid of our safety net (bonuses & stock grants that I'll get in December), because we were pre-spending money each month that we didn't have.

      It's been a cold hard reality shock to readjust the budget, but excellent for us in the fiscal sense. :-)

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  4. LenaJanuary 2, 2013 at 11:32 AM

    You did great! Our budget definitely suffered in December but we are back on track.

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    1. Hawaii PlannerJanuary 2, 2013 at 2:31 PM

      Thanks! I'm surprised, but pleased, & I'll take it! January is a long month, & we have birthdays (3 in our family of 4) coming up over the next couple of months, so it's important to stay on track!

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  5. AnonymousJanuary 2, 2013 at 1:38 PM

    Well done coming in under budget last month - it's difficult to avoid overspending in December!

    Keeping the beach house would be awesome for you.

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    1. Hawaii PlannerJanuary 2, 2013 at 2:31 PM

      Thanks!

      We'd love to keep it, & the current refinance is probably going to get us to a reasonable monthly mortgage payment. Last year I decided to get really aggressive & moved us to a 15 year mortage, which is awesome, but cut into our cash flow quite drastically. Short term pain, long term gain! :-)

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