Feb. 2021 Monthly Spend
Instead of guessing how much I really spend and what a realistic budget looks like, I decided to track my monthly spending this year in a Google Sheet.
Monthly Spend Sheet Format Changes
I added “Misc” as a category since I had a few expenses like tax software and a ticket for a trivia night that didn’t fit my existing categories. “Misc” will be a catchall category.
February 2021 Spend: $2,092.40 vs $1,805 budget
Rent: 50% vs 58% budget
Groceries: 24% vs 14% budget
Previously, I spent 11% of my January spend on groceries. It doubled in Feb. since we went to Costco this month. We go to Costco about once a quarter, and whenever we go, I do a big haul of household supplies and frozen food. The family size packages means I have enough supplies and food to last me for multiple days at a great price. It’s perfect for the days where I don’t want to go to the grocery store or eat out.
Shopping: 1% vs 0% budget
I originally planned to not shop at all in Feb. However, the cushions on my headphones were pretty worn out. Also the earbuds I typically use for calls started having issues, so I’ve been using my headphones more. My roommate gave me the headphones for free since he upgraded, so it feels pretty great to basically pay $19 for Bose headphones that are practically new now with the new cushions.
Dining Out: 15% vs 19% budget
I’m shocked that my dining out spending in Feb. is practically the same compared to what I spent in Jan., especially since I splurged on a Valentine’s Day lunch. It’s been enlightening to see that I am consistent with how much I dine out and that overall I spend less than I think on this category.
Health: 7% vs 7% budget
Although the percentages for actual vs budget are the same, I thought I would spend a bit less on my dental work. There were some dental work I initially thought I could push out, but I ended up getting it done now.
Transportation: 1% vs 2% budget
Misc: 1% vs 0% budget
As mentioned earlier, this is a new category that got added to this month. I’m excited and proud that I did taxes myself for the first time, spending only $13 on tax software vs $150 for a CPA. Although I changed states and jobs in 2020, my overall tax situation was easy enough for me to do it myself with help from friends. I’ll definitely continue doing my own taxes until it becomes complicated enough that a CPA is required.
March 2021 Budget: $1780
My goal for March is to spend around $1780 or less with the distribution listed below:
Rent: 57%
Groceries: 14%
Shopping: 3%
Dining Out: 19%
Health: 3%
Transportation: 2%
Misc: 3%
Instead of aiming for 0 spend for shopping, health, and misc, I decided to buffer in $50 for each category in case anything comes up. For example, I needed to buy planters today since one of my plants is outgrowing its current pot. Although I don’t anticipate any health or misc purchases, things may change, and I’d rather have some wiggle room than to feel bad about spending when I need it. Stay tuned next month to see how I did in March.
