Monday, May 9, 2016

I survived bike commuting & weekly budget wrap up

Totally non-related topics, although at least I can say that bike commuting serves the dual benefit of getting me physical exercise as well as saving on gas, auto wear & tear. ;-)

I survived my morning commute. It wasn't without challenges as a rookie commuter (went the wrong way, bike is stuck in a gear & I can't shift, went to the wrong side of a lane for turning, etc), but I think this will actually be a really great option for me once I'm more familiar with the route & the prep of getting all of my stuff together.

So with that, here's how we spent our money last week. The week included Mother's Day & a date night, so it wasn't a cheap week. Also, can you tell that I ran all of my errands on Saturday? ;-)


  • Monday - 5/2
    • $781 - childcare (our nanny)
  • Tuesday - 5/3
    • $70 - APEC global entry application fee (am hoping to get reimbursed by work for this)
    • $67.20 - M's flight for our summer beach trip. (This is after the $308 credit on Alaska that I had)
  • Wednesday - 5/4
    • $20 - Starbucks, gifts for teachers for Teacher Appreciation Day
    • $150 - to extend a camp that I registered for to full day, now that I know I will be working this summer
  • Thursday - 5/5 - No spend day
  • Friday - 5/6
    • $10 - Starbucks offer ($10 matching from visa, so got a $20 credit on my Starbucks app for $10)
    • $75.25 - half marathon registration for Labor Day run. 
    • $1000 - boys college accounts
  • Saturday - 5/7
    • $50 - Gap gift card at the grocery store, to take advantage of a $10 gift card. Will use for jeans, which people are ever growing out of. (The boys, although sometimes me as well ;-))
    • $17.11 - Target, SOS cleaning pads & a new soap dispenser, for our refillable soap.
    • $14.99 - a replacement lunch bag, as someone took Nick's a few months ago. We've hobbled by with other options, but need a true lunch bag. The boys take their lunches every day. 
    • $50 - Rite Aid, also for a Gap gift card for a $10 reward
    • $12.99 - Fish at Lucky
    • $7.71 - kale, cucumber & lavash bread at the produce stand
    • $10.74 - six bags of edamame at Trader Joes. One of my favorite accompaniments when we are throwing together a quick dinner. 
    • $46.21 - I've avoided Rite Aid stock ups for a while, but we were out of a few things, & I wanted to combine a few good coupons. Ended up with six facial cloths (I use for traveling, and the gym) - this will last me hopefully through the rest of the year. I don't use these at home & wash with a regular towel at home. Also, stocked up on shaving cream. Took advantage of a few points offers.
    • $160.50 - regular Costco grocery shopping. We were out of coffee, beef, three types of cheese, etc. It was an expensive trip.
    • $60 - sitter, date night. Well worth the opportunity to hang out with M. Finally!
    • $153.34 - dinner out, including wine. We'd love to make dinner at home & have wine, but without kids. So far, that hasn't happened much. But, would be a much cheaper option! :-)
    • $4.95 - a scoop of homemade ice cream after dinner. 
    • $32.40 - two large pizzas. Total impulse to feed the kids & sitter. Not thrilled, but it should be enough for two more dinners for us. 
  • Sunday - 5/8
    • $14 - Mother's Day cupcakes from M

Total spend = $2808.39. Lots of opportunities to improve this week, as that was much spendier than normal for us! What about you? How did you do on your weekly spending? 

No comments:

Post a Comment