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Christmas & Year-End Accounting

December 26th, 2018 at 12:40 pm

I rose early yesterday morning and good thing! Because my grandson texted me to come over right away, and gift opening proceeded. The boys got lots and lots of stuff; it was crazy. My DIL comes from a background of lavish spending which is only enhanced at Christmas. And my DS is influenced by his father, who spends to impress. It makes for a Christmas which is uncomfortable for me, but it is their lives. I continue to hope they understand my need to be more modest in my giving. I felt particularly bad this year because I could not afford to give the college money, which I usually do.

They gave me an Instant Pot. It is not something I have longed for, but I will learn how to use it and make it work for my lifestyle. DIL also gave me an Instant Pot cookbook, to get me started.

I got great gifts from my Florida DS as well -- an assortment of little things rather than a big thing. It was altogether a very nice day for me.

The surprise was a pretty generous cash gift from my XH. I'm not sure what this is about, given our history, but the divorce, which was all his idea, pretty much devastated me financially for years, and I will take anything he gives me now from a sense of guilt, or whatever.

Today is pay day, and I paid my bills this morning. I also did my monthly recap and year-end recap -- since my payday signifies the end of the month for, even though it isn't the real end of the month.

Housing - $321
Gifts/Charity - $174
Utilities - $170
Fees/Services - $159
Groceries - $145
Car Repair/Maintenance - $132
Medical/Health - $86
Vet/Pet Supplies - $84
Gas - $38
Eating Out - $37
Household Supplies - $24
Vacation/Travel - $19
Furnishings/Equipment/Decor - $17
Entertainment - $15
Laundry - $11
Misc. - $8
Fares/Parking - $4

Grand Total - $1444

As for the yearly totals --

Furnishings/Equipment/Decor - $9660
Housing - $8556
Fees/Services - $2756
Vacation/Travel - $2402
Utilities - $2059
Insurance - $1232
Medical/Health - $1087
Taxes - $1079
Groceries - $1054
Vet/Pet Supplies - $699
Eating Out - $692
Gifts/Charity - $679
Gas - $643
Phone - $624
Entertainment - $460
Household Supplies - $276
Personal - $251
Laundry - $169
Car Repair/Maintenance - $160
Clothing - $152
Fares/Parking - $39
Misc - $25

Grand Total - $34,754

That big expenditure in the equipment category was my new-to-me car, and the fees were pushed up by my purchase of a warranty.

My net worth this year dropped to $201K from $215K last year. That is accounted for by the car purchase, too, as well as the current dip in the stock market.

2019 will be a rebuilding year, and I feel good about being able to do it.

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments »

4 Responses to “Christmas & Year-End Accounting”

  1. creditcardfree Says:
    December 26th, 2018 at 02:52 pm 1545835963
    1545835963

    You did very well this year on your spending! Good luck in 2019.

  2. starfishy Says:
    December 26th, 2018 at 05:19 pm 1545844742
    1545844742

    I so admire your tracking ability - great job! Wonderful that you received a $$ gift from your ex...that will come in handy! I can imagine that your son and DIL understand your modest gift-giving choices. You are able to give the grandsons the most important gift - your time - and I'm sure they greatly appreciate that. I look forward to continued reading about your adventures in 2019!

  3. Dido Says:
    December 27th, 2018 at 12:14 am 1545869688
    1545869688

    Nice gift from the ex, whatever motivated it, and lucky you, and Instant Pot! I love mine. I use mine for any "wet" cooking (and I use an air fryer for my "dry" cooking. I will use it to hardboil a dozen eggs, make a big batch of steel cut oats, soups, steaming up pounds of potatoes, squash, kale, or green beans, making stews and rice-based dishes, and occasionally cooking something like a turkey breast or a whole chicken. Does your model have the yogurt function? That can be fun to play with, too. There are loads of instructional videos on you tube--"Hip Pressure Cooking" has a good introductory channel and web site. Have fun!

  4. frugaltexan75 Says:
    January 1st, 2019 at 04:44 pm 1546361058
    1546361058

    Awesome gift - IP! I use mine constantly, and have two extra inner pots and lids for keeping in the fridge. Smile

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