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Budget Tweaking & Goal Completed!

January 26th, 2009 at 05:38 am

I finished my grocery shopping for the week today. I did forgot to get charcoal so I will have to get that tomorrow, but overall, I hope to not spend any more money on groceries this month. I don't believe I will need anything else expect possibly milk. I am at $374 in my $400/mo grocery budget as of today. Hmm, would you consider charcoal a grocery item??? Probably is. Shoot, that puts me closer to $400.

I FINALLY signed my husband up for his 403b plan at work. OMG, it was soooo easy, who knew?!?! I originally filled out the paper work but then went online to check a fund code and saw that you could enroll there. After about 5 minutes, it was complete. He still needs to complete a beneficiary form but the process is complete and beginning with the next paycheck (hopefully) he will now be contributing 10% of his salary. His employer will match 50% up to 6% so I'm looking forward to seeing the balance grow. For the time being, the money will be put in a money market account until the market stabilizes. I'm going to look into opening a Roth IRA for him next.

I think I figured out a way to monitor my budget surplus. I am going to estimate our paychecks and enter them into Quicken, (post dated of course) so they will appear in my budget report. That way I have the numbers for the month and can then deduct expenses and spending and see what is left (budget surplus) throughout the month. I already enter my bills post dated so I thought why not enter our pay that way too and adjust as needed when we are actually paid. In theory it sounds good but we shall see how it works in reality.

3 Responses to “Budget Tweaking & Goal Completed!”

  1. creditcardfree Says:
    1232977963

    Great job getting the 403b started! You won't regret that one.

  2. Petunia Says:
    1232979587

    If you've gone shopping for the week, have $26 left but only 6 more days of month on your grocery budget you're doing pretty well, even with charcoal!

    Sounds like you have a good idea for Quicken.

  3. mooshocker Says:
    1232983922

    Check this out. Instead of charcoal, find a local saw mill or anyone who sells fire wood (saw mill is the best).

    If it is a saw mill, ask for scrap wood. Our local mill sells their scraps for $10.00 per truck load.

    If it is someone who sells fire wood, get the most cured (not green), clean wood (no bugs, rot or mold).

    Chip away at either type with a good, sharp hatchett. Depending on the wood type (cherry, apple, birch, oak, maple), you can get a hotter, longer lasting, flavorable fire for SOOOO much cheaper than charcoal. Plus, it is more environmentally friendly.

    God bless and happy grilling. PS - great job on the 403B.

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