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Archive for March, 2007

Budget spreadsheet is screwed up

March 21st, 2007 at 04:55 pm

Well I managed to go over budget last week in several cateogries and as a result I can't balance my spreadsheet.

I was accumulating balances for monthly/periodic expenses. Since I went over budget in some categories, I dipped into this 'savings' and now I can't tie the totals back to my checking account. I've spent far to much time on this so I think I may just have to start over. Frustrating as I had worked so hard on saving towards these expenses and now since I dipped into this money I don't have a true pitcure of what I have saved for each line item. My spreadsheet tells me I have $X but my checking tells my I have $Y.

Let this be a lesson to me to either stop being so anal and trying to budget every $1 or I need to find yet another budgeting spreadhseet.

Shoes!

March 12th, 2007 at 07:48 pm

So the shoes I wrote about wanting in an earlier entry are now mine Smile

They were on sale and I had a 20% off coupon. I had enough money in my personal spending account to buy them and so I did. It feels good knowing that I was patient enough to wait for the right time.

I am also helping our spending plan along by mostly eating out of the freezer this week. I spent ~$60 on groceries but that was mostly to replenish snacks, milk, OJ, and some low calorie snacks for me as well as a bulk package of ground beef.

Gas is expensive again so I'm having to readjust my budgeted amounts. We are saving every pay period for all kinds of expenses so that when we actually need to pay for them the money is there.

Budget update

March 8th, 2007 at 06:42 pm

I fell off the budget wagon a bit. Not too bad but we went to dinner a few times too many last week. We charge everything to a mileage credit card. Since I've started using it I have been making weekly payments. Paying for these dinners will come from DH's paycheck when he gets paid tomorrow. I wish I had the money for something else but too late now.

Otherwise, things are going well. We actually have cash in the bank, albeit, it is earmarked for other things but our balance has not hovered near zero since I started using our new budgeting spreadsheet and really making an effort to not spend any money.

I'm liking this and really enjoying the fact that finances are not stressful anymore. I am planning ahead for expenses and thinking before buying. It really makes me appreciate the things I buy, especially when they are for me personally.