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Adventures in Budgeting

February 15th, 2008 at 08:01 pm

So, I finally worked out a budget for myself, based on my current income and the income I need to be making.
I took the average of my last 4 paychecks, nearly choking in the process! It was a bit of a "come to Jesus" moment for me, seeing where my income stands. There is some work to be done to generate more income.
Then I tallied all of my expenses from January. This was the fun part! Food is my biggest expense, between groceries and eating out. I realized that I need to cut down on the eating out-the coffees, the lunches, the delivery. I also need to pay more attention to what I spend on groceries, start doing some comparison shopping, and getting my boyfriend to help out a little more. (He actually splits many of the grocery expenses, but the little things I contribute really do add up.)
I made out a list of all my fixed expenses, my credit card payments, food, entertainment, misc. items, tallied it all up and figured out that I don't make enough money to cover everything! Uh oh.
Soooo, I created a budget based on the bare minimum I need to make to cover all of my expenses. I also started looking for a second job.

3 Responses to “Adventures in Budgeting”

  1. Carolina Bound Says:

    I think you're actually lucky when food is your biggest expense, because it is so easy to make dramatic changes with a little discipline and awareness.

  2. luxlivingfrugalis Says:

    Sounds like you are making solid steps to getting finances back under control. Good for you!!

    Just remember to keep tweaking it as you go along - you'll likely to have forgotten somethings, overestimated others, etc.

    Yeah, food is one of the easier categories to get under control.

  3. Nancy Says:

    I always take the leftovers when I eat out and throw them (wrapped, of course) in the fridge for another meal or a snack.
    It sounds like you gained a lot of insight into your situation!

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