January 2008 Budget Final
Hard to believe the first month of the year is already over. Times files when you have too much on your hands. The budget results look bad but holds some promise. Here is the overall picture.
The bad news is that our expenses were $2217 over our income. I kind of knew going in that it would be a bad month. We had the trip to Cleveland to endure, emotionally and financially. Plane tickets alone were over $800 for three of us. The other bad mark was gas prices both household and auto. I have to adujst the budget for auto. Also, the minivan had an oil change and tire rotation due this month. Another negativefor the month was my wifes income. Due the Cleveland trip and the holiday vacation, she missed out on quite a bit of hours.
The good news? If you subtract the Cleveland trip which cost $1150, then the red number goes down to $1067, which right near our budget. Other pluses are, actually limited our dine out expenses as well as clothing and gifts. I was also happy to our groceries under $300, it was $285.
Looking ahead to this month, we have a weekend trip to NY as a family. Actually we are staying in Jersey City, NJ, so the hotel cost will be decent. Also, my wifes income is already looking better. Here next check will be on Feb 8th and will include her work from the last 15 days of Jan. She put in quite a bit of hours, so I am looking forward to the check.
Filed under: Budget
