Thursday, May 28, 2015

Good Riddance May Budget


Well THAT was a spendy month!! I was never so happy to get to the end of a budget month!

Let me scrounge for the GOOD:

  • Union Gas dropped to $43 in May - I had budgeted $65; however I now pay Union Gas at the trailer with an activation fee of $40
  • London Hydro came in at $63 - I had budgeted $70 - woo hoo! I'm hoping for a further drop (yeah, right - Hydro just goes up and up and up!!) since we aren't using the electric heater in the basement now
That's it for the good.

Now for the BAD:
  • I had to pay HST on the trailer - SURPRISE!! That was an unexpected $1,314.00.  Colour me BLUE!!!
  • License stickers had to be renewed this month - what a lovely birthday gift! $98.00 Plus this was my year to get an E-Test and I needed an oil change. KA-CHING!!
  • Lots of invites to go out for lunch/brunch etc; that's nice but really makes an impact on the ol' budget. Eating out twice in one week is equal to the amount I spend on groceries in a week!
  • $45.00 for 40 days of yoga
  • I spent $356 on stuff for the trailer: this was "needed" stuff as the previous owners left nothing except a big fat mess. I purchased a small BBQ, side tables, 4 tubs of grasses to plant, cutlery, utensils, bedding, pillows and much more.
  • I spent $300 on stuff I needed for hiking and my upcoming trip at MEC (Mountain Equipment Company): a good backpack (the one I have is from Roots and used to be Kazi's high school backpack - it is NOT suitable for hiking long distances and really hurts my shoulders; a day pack for short hikes - it goes around your waist, holds 2 water bottles and has a zippered compartment for snacks and another for keys, ID etc; socks, sock liners, headband for HOT yoga, and a buffy for hiking - it can be used in many ways; and 3 tops (all on sale)
That spree was my birthday gift to myself. 

Needless to say I had to dip into my savings several times during the month which gives me anxiety. Oh yes, I also loaned Kazi $700 as her car needed repairs and was unsafe to drive. She was upset about having to borrow from me but has already repaid $200.  And now I need a new fridge. Arghhh!

Oh well, I will adjust the budget like we all have to do from time to time. Touch wood I won't have any more big unexpected expenses in the near future. I have $2500 set aside for my trip and hope that will be enough. I have an automatic tsf of $300 monthly into savings which helps to rebuild and in a year (when I turn 60) that will go up to $800 or $900 monthly. 

I knew when I retired early at 58 I'd have two lean years but I wasn't expecting so many visits from Murphy!! But that's the way it goes right? The best laid plans...  But I know I will come through it ok and look forward to the future when I can redo the bathroom etc. We can plan for the future but we have to live one day at a time.

June's budget looks good so far!! 


6 comments:

  1. livingrichonthecheapMay 28, 2015 at 11:57 AM

    A fridge - that sucks. I hated paying tax on real estate purchases - BC has a special tax for that. It was an expensive month for you. For us it was $850 in dog expenses - emergency vet, food, new harness as he chewed through one, and then the expected vet bill for getting fixed and microchipped. Hopefully he will be a cheaper dog for the rest of the year. On to a better June!

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  2. I like Junes budget face..... that is what mine is saying. Hope you are feeling better.

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  3. Ok. HST and the fridge, sucky! The rest, you will get back the car money from your daughter, trailer stuff should last for years, same as MEC stuff, heck I hope the fridge does too!
    Heres to June, easy going and easy on the wallet!

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  4. My May budget was busted out of the water... mostly self-inflicted damage. Too much 'hobby shopping', and I got sick of "dealing with it". So... i'm hoping to get back on track for June as my budget is now officially busted. *sigh* Onwards & upwards!

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  5. anne in the kitchenMay 28, 2015 at 11:38 PM

    Crazy month everywhere it seems. We don't need no stinkin' budgets

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  6. I don't even want to talk about what we spent in May! It's bad.......really, it IS bad but most of it was worth it. ;-)
    I hope you are feeling more yourself by now....

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