What a high spending month.
Gifts: $1,967 - This includes $1200 contributed to grandchildren’s college funds.
Housing: $1,355 - Ended up paying mortgage and assessment fees twice this month.
Furnishing/Equipment/Décor: $588 - Mostly the cost of a new dishwasher plus installation.
Medical/Health: $246 – Physical therapy, labs, office visits, scrips, gym.
Home Repair/Maintenance: $189 – Plumber
Utilities: $176 – Ended up paying gas bill twice in the same month.
Groceries: $152
Fees/Services: $140 – Amazon Prime, AARP membership, bank fees
Eating Out: $124
Vacation/Travel: $122 – Gas for weekend trip and prepayment for pet sitter.
Gas: $88
Vet/Pet Supplies: $60
Phone: $52
Household Supplies: $27
Entertainment: $23
Personal: $22
Laundry: $18
Fares/Parking: $3
Grand Total: $5379
Variables spending (which doesn’t include Christmas gifts, the dishwasher, or the housing) was 151%! Mostly thrown off by the medical bill, the plumber bill, the fees and the higher food costs.
Ish. December. A budget-killer, and I had some bad luck besides.
But it was a good year. My net worth rose from $205,789 to $213,004. That I am pleased with, considering that I am retired. My retirement nest egg itself actually rose by a couple thousand, even though I am drawing on it (interest only). My liquid savings rose by $2,500, even though I feel like I hit it hard throughout the year.
Notable events this year:
I kept my old car going to the tune of $7K. Time will tell if it was a wise decision or not. I just want it to last 2½ more years.
I took three trips to Florida and quite a few short trips to Michigan and Indiana.
I not only joined a gym, but became a regular attendee.
I never weighed myself, but I lost enough weight to wear a size smaller – sometimes two sizes. And I had a lot of smaller clothes set aside, so there was very little cost to getting smaller. What I did buy, I got at Goodwill.
On the darker side, I learned that I had chronic kidney disease, and I am continuing to learn about it. It is not yet affecting me in any adverse way.
On the good side, I switched my statin and got rid of a lot of muscle pain and insomnia.
I went to a podiatrist, and finally have pretty much solved my foot pain with orthotics.
I continued my contract work at the museum, earning about $5700 this year before taxes. And as far as I know, I’m continuing in 2017!
I bought a new dishwasher. I don’t think there was anything else I had to replace.
Actually, it was a pretty uneventful year!
Year-End Recap
December 31st, 2016 at 12:34 am
December 31st, 2016 at 12:58 am 1483145882
December 31st, 2016 at 02:07 am 1483150029
December 31st, 2016 at 03:16 am 1483154168
Yay for the increase in retirement balance despite the withdrawals.
And yes, a high-spending month--but your highest "expense" was investing in the grandkid's college funds--something that obviously has a lot of personal meaning and value as opposed to an ordinary household expense or something fun and frivolous for yourself.
Best wishes for as good or better a year next year!
December 31st, 2016 at 09:35 pm 1483220159
December 31st, 2016 at 10:47 pm 1483224455
January 1st, 2017 at 03:43 am 1483242184