Housing - $1074
Insurance - $213
Medical/Health - $212
Groceries - $161
Utilities - $159
Home Repair/Maintenance - $109
Gifts/Charity - $95
Clothing - $52
Phone - $51
Furnishings/Equipment/Decor - $34
Eating Out/Takeout - $33
Personal - $23
Household Supplies - $20
Laundry - $18
Entertainment - $16
Gas - $12
Grand Total - $2282
Variables - 91%
Well, it was a better month than last, and I ticked off a few items. First of all, I paid $300 extra on my mortgage for the first time. This is the $300 that used to go to paying off the car.
I paid my annual condo insurance.
I had a dentist appointment, with x-rays.
I paid for service on my dishwasher, which ended up being just flipping a switch.
I had two birthdays in the family.
I bought some t-shirts and shoes
Bought a set of kitchen towels.
Got a haircut.
The charge for the litter pellets is still on my credit card.
I'm doing a load of laundry today and I'll take a walk to Walgreens later to pick up some creamer. That's one thing I don't like to be out of.
Yesterday's run to the library yielded five more books to read! Woo-hoo!
September Recap
October 1st, 2020 at 03:39 pm
October 1st, 2020 at 05:10 pm 1601572205
If you have a high interest rate and a lot of years to go, then early payoff saves a lot in interest - but in this economic time, if you have a high interest rate, refinance! Then the savings becomes a moot point.
Someone who wants their mortgage paid off before retiring to lower living costs when retired? You already are retired, and your income is fixed, right? (Fixed meaning ‘’guaranteed’, not that it was broken🙂). You don’t ‘need’ to eliminate the expense
You aren’t trying to end that expense to use money to educate a child or anything, right?
I ask this because you have a list of things you want to do to make your life more pleasant. The ‘extra’ to your mortgage could fund those.
I am 64, so although this sounds blunt, I mean it to be practical. Your condo will sell for more than you owe. You’ll leave it for one of three reasons:
- move somewhere else. If you do, you might decide to rent. If not, you would not buy a more lavish place, right? So a new mortgage wouldn’t be more than whatever you owed when you sold.
- you’d move to a place where you received care. Depending on the length of time, they could use all your assets before Medicaid kicked in.
- death. You won’t need money then.
Think about using the extra to make your life better now. If we’ve learned nothing else in 2020, it is that life is uncertain!
October 1st, 2020 at 11:07 pm 1601593630
October 2nd, 2020 at 03:25 pm 1601652319
Jackie, I use spreadsheets that I developed years ago. I have never felt any need to use a program, because I am very comfortable with these, and I like the consistency.
October 2nd, 2020 at 05:37 pm 1601660263
It is hard to think they could ever go lower, but I’ve thought that before!
Might be worth doing some math.