Money Diaries

I know. I know. You shouldn’t talk about religion, politics, or…money! 😂But…

Amy has shared a Money Diaries post a time or two on her blog. It made me think about what a rather typical week may be for our family, so I thought I’d log my spending for a week to see where my money goes. (Spoiler alert: The answer is two parts: 1. Kids 2. Food)

There are definitely times of the year when we spend more money and then months where I try to reel in the spending. For example, November is the kids’ birthday and birthday part(ies)….and of course, December means Christmas…and presents. Then, in January, I always make a point to not make any necessary purchases. (Read: delete Nordstrom and Amazon apps)

In the summer, we are usually at the pool or do other activities like going to the movies or putt putt golf. Some of those activities are on hold this summer, but I’ve made a point to try to plan some kind of activity once a week.

I chose to document my spending last week (Monday, July 6- Sunday, July 12) and we actually stayed home most of the time besides a few outings and then baseball games.

Monday:

Mondays tend to be when I get caught up on my “to do” list, get groceries, and make other purchases that I’ve put off. So…Monday is usually a bigger spending day.

• As I left to pick up groceries, I realized I didn’t have much gas. The Kroger I was going to doesn’t have a gas station, so I got $10 gas before heading to pick up Clicklist order.
• Before picking up the order, I went in to Kroger to pick up other essentials for Trav’s birthday the next day. Hadley was with me and helped me pick out a cake, a card, and candles. I also picked up hamburgers and hot dogs as well as my weekly flowers for the house. Total: $58.53
• Hadley had been wanting to try the S’more Frappuccino from Starbucks. There’s one in the Kroger, so I let her get one. Total: $0 because I had a gift card.
• Clicklist order: Total: $111.70 for groceries for the week. (We tend to spend $150 or so on groceries weekly)
• Hayden got a haircut. Total: $14
• I purchased neck gaitors from Amazon for the kids to try as masks. Total: $11.65
• Then….I got an email from WordPress. My annual subscription was due. Total: $66 for the year. (Which means…I’ve had my blog for a year! I did my first post in August of 2019 even though I purchased the domain in July 2019)

Tuesday:

We stayed home most of the day getting caught up on chores and prepping for Trav’s birthday dinner.

• We are seeing family soon, so I did go get a COVID test. (I was negative) Total: $0
• Travis picked up a few baseball things for Hayden at Dick’s Sporting Goods. Total: $55.46

Wednesday:

On Wednesday, the kids played outside a lot, and again, we hung out at home during the day.

• Total spending on Wednesday: $0!!!! 🙂

Thursday:

Thursday morning was spent with Hayden at the orthodontist. He had his Herbst appliance inserted. We spent the rest of the day at home before his baseball game.

• Ortho – too much money to talk about 😂
• A&W root beer float for Hayden after his appointment (and ice cream for Hadley…moral support) 😉 Total: $5.70
• The kids hit me up for concession stand snacks and Gatorade after Hayden’s hot baseball game. Total: $8

Friday:

We ate lunch at home because we had leftovers from Thursday night’s dinner. Also, I knew we’d go get ice cream for our afternoon activity and most likely get carryout for dinner.

• Gas at Kroger because I was really on empty. I did get $.20 off/gallon and got a full tank of gas for $38.
• We could finally drop off books at the library. I’d had about 12 books since mid-March! We stopped by the library before heading to a part of town called The Summit.
• I thought we’d get popsicles from Steel City Pops but the kids requested milkshakes from The Shake Shack. Total: $10.60 We walked back to Steel City Pops and I got a popsicle for $4. (I have enough points that next time my popsicle is free.) We hung out and ate our treats before heading home.
• Travis and Hayden went to hit baseballs and picked up Dominoes Pizza for dinner on the way home. Total $20.

Saturday:

Saturday was one of those days that we ate out for lunch and dinner. Hayden had a baseball game that wasn’t over until 1:00, and after that, we had to pick up my car because I got 4 new tires.

• New tires. Again, I don’t want to talk about it 😂 #adulting
• Chick-Fil-A lunch for the 4 of us: Total $31
• I treated myself to a pedicure because it had been quite some time…and I’m worried the little place I go to won’t make it with how the economy is right now. It was a very safe experience. Masks, gloves, Plexi glass to separate client from technician. Total $40
• Chipolte for dinner. Total $36 (& everyone had leftover Chipolte for Sunday lunch)

Sunday:

Sunday was spent mostly at home, but with a stop at Kroger for a few necessities and 3 prescriptions.

• Hayden had a (bug? spider?) bite that worsened over a couple days. We were able to have a TeleHealth appointment with the Little Clinic. She prescribed an ointment and antibiotic. I also had a prescription to pick up for myself. Total $40.83 (Technically, I used my health care spending card)
• I also picked up about 20 items while I was in the store. We had most of what we needed for the week, so instead of a ClickList order, I decided to just pick up what we needed since I was in the store. I feel like I can’t catch a break with groceries. Even when I think it’s going to be a “light week,” I still end up spending $100 or so because I needed my expensive nasal spray, a birthday card, cleaning supplies, and other odds and ends that add up. Total: $111.39

Other Thoughts:

Each week seems to be similar and different during our normal months of spending.

I cook Sunday-Thursday, so it’s rare for us to eat out during the week for dinner. Even for lunch, we typically eat at home during the week. Once we started with quarantine life, I started letting the kids choose a lunch place on Friday for take out/ drive thru. It was like a reward for making it through a week of home school and a way to support the food industry! 😉

Even on the weekends, Saturday lunch carryout is hit or miss. Some Saturdays if we are out because of a ball game (like this past Saturday), we may get something to take home and eat. Most Sundays we have lunch at home because I’ve usually picked up groceries, or I’m just forcing the family to eat what leftovers we have.

There’s usually a day or two where I think we won’t spend money and then a birthday present needs to be purchased, Homer needs to go to the vet, or, apparently, a bug bite gets infected needing a prescription.

If I know a week is going to have some extra expenses, I definitely try to plan accordingly. Also, this week was abnormal in the sense that I had two major Kroger runs in one week even though it’s technically for two weeks of food.

It’s always eye-opening to see where the money goes…but it’s also sometimes cringe-worthy too!

We definitely try to instill a sense of hard work and savings with our kids. I know we don’t do a perfect job, but they have saved for major purchases in the past, are walking a couple of dogs this summer, watering neighbors’ plants, completing chores around the house because they live here…not for an allowance, and they often get told “no” when they ask for things they think the “need” when really it’s something they want. haha (Listen, I get “want” vs. “need” mixed up at times too!)

Take care,