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!!
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!
ReplyDeleteI like Junes budget face..... that is what mine is saying. Hope you are feeling better.
ReplyDeleteOk. 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!
ReplyDeleteHeres to June, easy going and easy on the wallet!
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!
ReplyDeleteCrazy month everywhere it seems. We don't need no stinkin' budgets
ReplyDeleteI 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. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI hope you are feeling more yourself by now....