Wednesday, May 09, 2007

The budget report

Groceries-from-the-store this week: $44.72. (As usual [for the second time, ahem], the table of gory details will be at the bottom and as usual, skip it if you feel a sudden urge to scream wildly and run from the computer.) (Or heck, skip the whole post. I know, budget-stuff can cause narcolepsy [my favorite word of the week].)

I’m still getting a box from Planet Organics, but switched to a larger box every-other-week. Instead of $32 weekly, I’m getting a $38 box every other week – this is the ‘on’ week, so our total for groceries will come to $82.72. If the farmer’s market proves to be awesome! I will gladly give up the box in favor of buying from the farmer’s market on Saturdays…but as I ranted before, I don’t hold out a whole lot of hope on that front. I’ve been hopeful every single year, and every single year… “HI! WOULD YOU LIKE A FREE MAKEOVER?!”

No. What I’d like is zucchini. But thanks for offering.

Leftover cash: $57.28, plus $18 from last week [I held onto that last twenty pretty tight, but finally broke down and got a soda on the way home from dropping Danger Mouse off at The Brother’s house.]

I’ve got just under half a tank of gas left, but will definitely have to fill up before Saturday because we’re taking a little trip this weekend – while we might make it there and back again on ‘not quite half a tank’, well. It would severely suck to find myself in the High Gas Prices neighborhood when Homer the Odyssey is running on fumes. I’d much rather top him off at the cheap gas here in town than pay $4.11 a gallon (OUCH!) over the hill. Probably about $40 to top him off Friday.

You may note there is not a whole lot of ‘…and then I went to WalMart and bought $418.27 in, uh, stuff, followed by a quick trip to Taco Bell and then I got the most adorable set of whatnots at the Dollar Tree while waiting for Boo Bug to finish her ballet lesson…’ in here. It isn’t that I never, ever under any circumstances do those things – it’s just that I’ve got a goal and I’m darned serious about it.

Once I’ve paid off the first loan on my ‘kill list’, I’ll lighten up a bit. That loan has a payment of $350 a month, which I’m going to split 50/50 – half for me to spend on ‘stuff’, the other half to go into the snowball to pay off the rest. That brings my monthly ‘spend on stuff’ budget up to $775, which allows for ballet lessons and Taco Bell and even the occasional safari into WalMart.

If I keep the faith, I should have that sucker paid off in either July or August – it all depends on whether or not a largish check I’m anticipating actually shows up (oh-please-oh-please-oh-please), and my own ability to resist things like…new furniture for ‘my’ bedroom (may Disciplina forgive me, but I am lusting after California Closet ‘solutions’, and also big comfy chairs) and yarn.

Especially yarn.

Item Price
Dishwasher detergent $5.75
Allspice $5.39
100 tea bags (generic) $4.19
4 gallons milk $9.98
Apples $2.31
One crummy bell pepper $0.69
Watermelon! $3.99
Bag o’ Spuds $2.69
Big old bag potting mix $3.99
Block o’ Parmesan $4.99
Rendering unto Caesar (sales tax) $0.75
Total $44.72

2 comments:

Science PhD Mom said...

Sorry, you must be my twin. I, too, am lamenting the cash lack for groceries this week. (swoons) Oh, the injustice of it all!

Yep, budgeting sucks. Paying off loans or credit cards sucks. But you know and I know that it's worthwhile. Still, I miss my chocolate already. *sniff* I blame DD--never was a chocoholic until I was pregnant with her. She's done me in! Oh well.

Kris said...

I am so impressed with your ability to stick to a budget. Could you please pass this skill along to my husband? While he is a great bargin hunter, he will gladly go over budget just to get a "deal"