Sensationally Six

Sensationally Six...well, actually today is 36, yep, unbelievable right? MiRV and I are celebrating 36 years of marriage today. Seems impossible but yet here we are. Doing life together, weathering the ups and downs and all arounds and the best part we still enjoy doing life together. And, yes, we do do life together, we are together more than apart. And honestly, I do observe others. I see many who just never seem to be with their spouse no matter where I see them. I mean how does that actually work? We do things together daily, we o things together apart, too, but more often then not you will find us together. Now don't get me wrong, some days the road we travel is bumpy and maybe I'd prefer to be a part, LOL, but for the most part it's been a mostly smooth ride and being together is good, very good. And it's not always easy! I've said it before and I'll say it again marriage is NOT for the faint of heart. It's darn hardwork, H.A.R.D.W.O.R.K. but oh so worth it if you can figure it out. We've had such a blessed life for sure!

The day. it officially started!

This would be the result of our 36 years... so very blessed.

In the last 36 years we've made our home in 15 houses and two RVs...we aren't finished yet. In fact, if MiRV has his way we might be sailing into the sunset someday, literally. 

At Big Ben in 2019

Being silly for the Bee's sake, she's a unicorn lover 2017, maybe.

It was really hard to find pics of just the two of us for this post. I think I must need to snap a few more as that's just not right. Plenty of us and a certain little girl though and some group shots but I had a really hard time finding pics of just the two of us. And there were no real big plans for today. We are going to the City tomorrow so may have some cake...today's splurge may of may not have included a cinnamon roll and yesterday we kicked off this palooza at the Grill. Lord help us by Friday!

Hopefully, soon, for MiRVs sake we will take off in ROADA and call it an anniversary trip. However, with the price of gas I'm having a hard time with that notion.  No matter you'll find us overhere hanging out together! Happy Anniversary to us!

Wild & Three Thursday!

It's pretty much been sunrise, sunset, wash and repeat this past week as we continue to try and catch up with all that was left while we were gone. Several chores have been accomplished but there are several more on the list. We are still trying to finish what little Christmas shopping needs to be done as well as just procure some items while there are great sales going on. Honestly, it's pretty much Christmas time any given day of the week. We are a society of abundance and immediate possession. Unfortunately, we have fallen prey to this mindset on many occasions, too many really. Be mindful of the company you keep, I think it has plays a role. No longer do we wait for an event such as a birthday or Christmas for gift receiving or giving. We just get it now. Again, sadly, we are as guilty as anyone else. No excuses we just buy it. We have so much more then ever before and are still accumulating. I feel our clutter level has increased too much, I'm a bit out of sorts about that but yet I have contributed to the issue as well as anyone. Being in a real house again has made it harder. What to do, what to do? I plan to make a better, more concentrated effort to get back into the simpler, need based thought process lifestyle and not get even more sucked into the one of gotta have it now, overabundance and for show thinking. Something to ponder seriously and put more work into for sure. I enjoy the hunt for gently used and bargains and just need to make sure I'm not over buying.

Happy Holidays!

Thursday Thoughts - Unknown

It's not what you save...but what you don't spend.

Unknown

Read this on a guy's posting on none other then Facebook and I think it certainly rings true. I think it's great advice. The year is half over and if you set financial goals it's time to be taking a peak of where you are. There is always room for tweaking and there is no better time to start if you aren't on a savings plan or to re-start if you have fallen off track.

Wednesday Words - Unknown

When you have more than you need, build a longer table not a higher fence.

Christmas is right upon on...very insightful thought. Our table need not be a physical one, there are needs, genuine needs, all around us. It's a great time to really bless someone else, especially, if you know you are in the situation where you might be tempted to build higher fences rather than build a longer table...

I have always been a fan of living below your means, it's just a way of making sure you have extra income freed up should a situation present itself and you want to help or get involved. If you are making a decent wage and you are so stretched that you find it hard to pay your bills or you lay awake at night worrying about financial obligations than perhaps it's time to re-evaluate your budget. Make changes to remedy this situation, I would almost bet you will not ever regret it. 

And don't forget that if your are on a tight budget giving of your time and talents can also be a table extender. We have found that in our season of early retirement this is a way for us to bless others, too.

#FinancialPeace

Breakfast Burritos

We have spent the last few days preparing to go back on the road. Last minute chores, errands, tidying up, storing away. We are ready, I think.

Some time ago MiRV decided he wanted to make up breakfast burritos and freeze them; we had just never got around to doing it. Today that changed! We now have 20 burritos nicely tucked away in the freezer. He is the egg man among other things in our family, so naturally he made the eggs, I browned the sausage and sauteed the onions. Then he assembled them with a little shredded colby jack cheese and popped them into re-closable bags.

Assembling the burritos

As we travel in Roada it's always a challenge when it comes to cooking. I miss my crockpot for sure. Having only two burners is its own issue but I make it happen! We eat pretty darn good; as evidenced by our tighter jeans :(. So, I do enjoy getting to work in a larger space for preparing meals. I am not a fancy, gourmet cook. I can and do put a solid meal on the table. We do not eat out all that often as we like to use our limited funds on other ventures. So one of the ways we stretch our finances is eating in. Of course, that changes when we meet up with friends and family along the way, then eating out is a special treat. Otherwise, you will find me coming up with yumminess right here within Roada or out on the the grill! It's a good life.

Tonight was dinner with the Littles...their momma is such a good cook! We are going to miss our neighbors. They are so good to us; they let us park Roada right next door for however long we want. It's hard to leave them and the rest of our family but we know, Lord willing, we will be back. Tomorrow we hit the road...heading south.

#LovetheLittles
#familyisforever

Wednesday Words - Fodor

“You don’t have to be rich to travel well.” – Eugene Fodor

All in a days work...

When we have a work day we make it count!

Today we were mowing, weed whacking, chain sawing and hedge trimming at two different locations! Oh yeah, that's us do it all in one day so w can feel those sore muscles the next day!

It started with mowing the neighbors yard, then on the hedge trimming which quickly turned into chain saw work that led to weed whacking. After a chili dog lunch we were fortified to continue and returned tot the neighbors to finish mowing, blowing and weed whacking there as well as cleaning the garbage can and sweeping out the garage.

Chain saw helped a lot with the thinning of this area! 

Brush pile #2 was created... 

 

Last week MiRV sprayed this same area and we are starting to see the progress on that.

On our way back to the folks for showers we happened upon a gentleman down on his luck so we fueled him up and got him on his way north toward Bismarck, ND. He was one of those sign holding folks in the Wal-Mart parking lot requesting gas. We obliged, seemed like a genuinely nice fellow who truly was in need. Sometimes you just get that feeling this is a real need and you can meet it.

#helpthoseinneed

Wednesday Words - Unknown

BLACK FRIDAY: because only in American people trample each other for sales exactly one day after being thankful for what they already have.

Exactly, why I haven't shopped black Friday in years!

Wednesday Words - Ramsey

You don't want to have so much money going to your mortgage every month that you can't enjoy life or take care of your other financial responsibilities.

Dave Ramsey

 

A mortgage is not an issue for us right now and if it ever is again I definitely want it to be a small one. In fact that is the only way we will make that commitment again!

Wednesday Words - Saunders

Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans. 

Allen Saunders

Often times when people find out we are full time RVing and traveling around the USA they share they plan to do the same someday. Or they say that would be my dream come true to do that. It is the same thought we shared with others before we decided to do it ourselves. It is NOT as easy and glamorous as it sounds. I am not saying that I don't enjoy it, I do. However, it was not an easy decision for us to make. We are still relatively young. We decided to go ahead and make it happen now while we could. While we are still in good health, while we can. We knew that we didn't want to wait. 

It was a sacrifice and it still is in many respects. Even though most think it's not and that we are "loaded". LOL that is certainly not the case. We saved our money, we still save as we can, we live quite simply, we always have. I don't look for that to ever change. It IS our choice for this life. Certainly, MiRV did and still does explore the job market. Should the right opportunity present itself he would re-enter the workforce. So far nothing has appeared to make him want to do that.

I will say I personally think you can let yourself be so "busy" in life that you are not "living" life. Balance is key don't you think? I mean, really, when you have no balance then you find yourself stressed, tired, frazzled. Take time to live right now in the life you are in, no matter the circumstances. Don't dwell on the what ifs and whens, live now, live abundantly, don't get bogged down in when this happens, we will (fill in the blank), or when this is over I will (fill in the blank). It's easy to do, I know I fell into this mindset while MiRV was active duty because there was so much that was out of our control. But then I came to realize you still have to live life. Hard, you bet, nothing comes easy.

State Sign Wrap Up

These are the states we traversed through for the month of June..in no particular order!

We did a lot of travel this month! To the tune of $170.10 in tolls and $1195.97 in gas for the RV. It was a whirlwind trip. some things we would love to do again and other things ONCE is enough! LOL Miles and miles were traveled I did not tally it up, I just know it was miles and miles! We also fed the CRV $338.50 in gas. Whew, it's nice to be staying put for a few days!

DC Wrapped Up

Since we lived here a few years back we did not need to do DC like a tourist. Basically, I wanted to see the memorials that were new since we left. The WWII memorial was tops on my list followed closely by the Air Force memorial. Neither disappointed. I was awed by them both in very different ways.

The WWII is much larger then I realized and had so much symbolism, taking it in was taxing in a good way and sobering too. It was striking to walk through it and see all the states on the pillars; to be reminded what a great nation we have. I really enjoyed the 3D bronze reliefs on the walls leading into the memorial fountain as well. The gold stars representing the many lives sacrificed for our great nation are very much a mental picture that makes you take pause. Over 400,000 lives lost..sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, nieces, nephews...all sacrificed for our freedom.

The Air Force memorial is so very modern in my opinion. It's extremely large as well, but I got that sense when I saw pictures. It's a must see in my opinion if you are in the area. I would have enjoyed seeing it at night as I am sure it would have been awesome. The quotes are thought provoking and it's just a neat tribute to the service I feel the most closely associated with.

Since we were in the area we also walked down to the Pentagon memorial. I was a bit irked that there is no parking available in close proximity to this memorial especially on a weekend when there were empty parking lots adjacent to it. I know they would be full on a workday but on a weekend I think parking should be allowed. Maybe that set the tone for my visit and gave me a bad taste in my mouth but I also did not care for this memorial. I am not certain there is one absolute reason maybe there are several. For one the memorial seems careless. People, mainly teens and children were standing and sitting on the memorial benches that represent each life lost. I don't know it seemed disrespectful to me that they were doing that. I also thought the gravel throughout the memorial was messy, it was scattered on the stone walkway, it was in the water feature of each and every bench and it just made the memorial look messy to me. I didn't like the fact that kids were walking on the low walls that surround the memorial. There was a guard on the premises but he did not seem to be bothered by the behavior of the guests so I guess it was acceptable to do what they were doing. I, however, was and still am not happy that this was the way it was. I'm sure it's just me but I left feeling that I was at a play park rather than a national memorial.

 

Oh, and we did make the trip over to Georgetown for Sprinkles cupcakes. Yes, I know, not exactly what I need, but I loved them both! Yep, I had two! I enjoyed a carrot cake cupcake upon purchase with coffee and then enjoyed a yummy coconut one later for a snack that afternoon. They did not disappoint! I do think they were sweeter than I ever remember. I am already secretly hoping we make it to the one in NYC too. Lemon will be my choice. I know I am terrible for already thinking about this!!!

And I must mention that we also made a stop at Theodore Roosevelt Island, nice peaceful area that would be perfect for a relaxing afternoon with a blanket, picnic lunch and a good book! This memorial was here when we lived in the area but I had not been to it and a friend recommended that we stop if we were close, we were and we did!

Oh, and having lunch with JJJ and C was a HIGHLIGHT for sure!!! The afternoon spent chatting and catching up was wonderful. Good people for sure!

Since we were not on full throttle due to the sinus saga there were things we would have done that we just didn't. Like Arlington and the zoo. I was glad we got a glimpse of Arlington when we walked to the Pentagon memorial. There is just something about Arlington that makes me proud. The flags were at each grave since it was Memorial Day weekend. I never tire of seeing or going to this cemetery. I also would have liked to have popped into the zoo to see the pandas that were born while we were here but that's okay too that we didn't. We also skipped revisiting some of our favorite Smithsonian buildings. We did what we could under the circumstances.


Next up N.Y.C. I'm beyond excited about this since it's a place I have never been!!! However, getting there has me a bit on edge, there are many factors to consider as we make that trip, mainly the bridges and tunnels we need to avoid and toll roads, heavens there are so many of those here and we are trying to avoid them! 

#Sprinkles
#NYC
#

Hmmmm...

So as of late we have had several "encounters" with what I call charity cases. Others call them panhandlers or opportunist. Pretty much all the same I guess. However, I think we tend to deal with them differently than most as we rarely if ever just hand over money.

Just last week while in Orlando a man approached us as we were exiting the car and after a pretty in depth lengthy story asked for a mere $11. The story seemed legit at first glance and I am sure there are many who just popped up the money and went on. We don't roll that way so MiRV offered to go to the hotel and pay the balance due for him (that was what the $11 was for) and he floundered at that suggestion. After a little bit it was so obvious the story was a scam and he moved on when he realized he was not getting $11 cash.

There are a few very busy intersections near us and it seems like every time we pass by there are always folks holding down on their luck signs. They say all sort of things but most read like this:

• Out of Work/Hungry-Please Help
• No Job, Have 3 kids and hungry
• Homeless Vet
• Hungry and Homeless - Please help and God Bless

I am quite hesitant to fork over cash. Yet I am sure that some truly have a need. MiRV is more likely to stop and offer to bring them a meal from the closest fast food restaurant or offer to fund a small grocery trip. More often than not they question him as to why he won't just give them the money. That's the part that makes me hesitant.  Really, if you are truly in need why are you questioning. Others do accept his offer and he pays for whatever they would like to order/buy within reason.

Lastly, as of late, while in an establishment (most recently a fast food restaurant) a person approached me for a specific amount of money, which I did not have and I referred her to MiRV. He obliged and we were still at the counter when she ordered and over half the money she asked for was not spent. It irked him that she did not return the change. I think this is usually why he just pays for what they want.

I don't know how you handle these situations but I am always unsure if it's legit or not and therefore often very cautious. Right, wrong or indifferent I don't know but it makes it hard to feel good either way.

I knew it!

Groceries have gone up and I knew it, I knew it, I knew it. I mean I have noticed that on the things I buy some of the prices have steadily increased over the past year but I thought maybe it was because I am not buying at the same place all the time and it is location dependent. NOT SO it's everywhere and prices truly are rising.

I saw a tweet about this article that was on ABC news a few days back and thought, yep, I certainly agree, grocery prices are definitely higher!

No wonder I am having a hard time staying on budget with my grocery money! UGH

#FoodTOOexpensive
#ABCnews

Money Matters

It’s here! The first quarter financial look…Honestly, I still kept up with it monthly! 

So how did we do? I think great overall, we are living within our means and we are still able to save a little bit and best of all we don’t feel as though we are just barely scraping by. When we first started this journey my fear was that we would just be scraping by. Now don’t get me wrong, we DO NOT live extravagantly by any stretch, we do not own one of those “BIG” rigs (but we do own what own), we rarely dine out and I don't buy steak on a regular basis at all! However, I don’t think we are suffering and push come to shove we could tighten the belt even more if we had to. We are always mindful of our expenditures but this is nothing new for us. We have always been budget conscious. I really think it’s just how God blessed me to be, I am not a spender.

A glimpse into the first quarter numbers!

First figure is the budgeted amount, second it the actual amount spent.

2014 - 1^st Quarter - Jan-Mar

RV Parking $1650 / $1600

RV Upkeep $900 / 576.02

Groceries $840 / $872.34 (OVER)

Eating Out $300 / 281.92

CRV Fuel $450 / $336.50

Clothing $195 / $165.80

Household $107.86 / 112.66 (OVER)

Gifts not Christmas $165 / $148.69

As you can see, I am still struggling with the grocery budget. I KNOW groceries have gone up and I can’t change that but it annoys me to have to spend that much money on food. We don’t eat a lot of meat as it is I don’t know how people who do afford it. I have also been buying less fresh produce, it’s just gotten too expensive, especially fruit! Being in Florida I would have thought fruit to be cheaper, NOT TRUE! As for the Household line item being over, it’s a catchall category and sometimes it’s things that have no other category to fall in.

Also for 2014 some categories were increased. Those are Groceries by $30, Eating Out by $45, Household by $5.86 (which appears may need to be more!), Gifts not Christmas by $25 and Entertainment by $35. We also added a line for Savings $300/month and Medical Co-Pays $20/month.

I enjoyed the quarterly report even though like I mentioned I am still tracking monthly. Quarterly figures are so much larger it kind of scared me at first!

Couple thoughts to share… there was a $12.72 raise for 2014. In addition, just this month we changed our cell phone plan; we are still with AT&T but now we have the value share plan. We have more data then before and are paying less. That’s definitely a change we like!! Savings when all is said and done should be about $30/monthly.

Oh and now there will be a new facet to our finances called VA benefits that we will just be thankful for but not count on. While we are extremely grateful for the monies they are not permanent so we will not be adding them to the budget.In addition we are looking at another change as far as our health insurance. We have some options when MiRV retired and chose the one we thought best but now after nearly a year with it we are considering changing. It would be better for us since we are mobile but it could mean a bit more out of pocket expenses however there would be no monthly premium. It's something we are thinking through.

Looking forward...it is still our plan to continue this RV lifestyle while we can. We know we will need an exit plan at some point and we continue to explore options on an ongoing basis. We are also looking at upgrading Sunny in 3 years if we do stay this course. Much food for thought and long range planning on my mind! And while I don’t want to over think it, I don’t want to not think it through. So his saying always pops into my brain whenever I think of finance… 

Fail to plan, plan to fail. 

So keep that in mind as you make your own journey, I know I am!

NO Money Matters! (for now)

I know, I know you are really broke up that I won't be posting the numbers! Don't be! Cause I will! It's just going to be quarterly instead of monthly now. 

Seems like a better option to me! So stay tuned it WILL return in April when I will have the first quarter wrap up for you! Meanwhile I am knee deep waist high in taxes, UGH!

Until then, know where your pennies are, it's just good sense! AND save, save, save it NEVER hurts to save a bit as you just don't know when you will have a rainy day and need it!

2013 Year End Financial Wrap Up

I know, I know another financial posting and I already did a December Money Matters but I thought it would be fun and informational to do a year end wrap up as well...again, more for me then you! Cause I like ciphering and numbers and all that sort of thing! But who knows you might also enjoy it as well. So here we go!

I wish it was a true "quarter" break down but it's not, at least no this year So a year end wrap will be for September through December. While we officially went on retiree status (and pay) on 1 July the wedding was in July which totally skewed expenses! Then in August I just didn't get on board quick enough with day to day tracking to make it official. I guess we were still in transition and settling in to truly no commitments and fully realizing we are done and we are really doing this! I think I was just trying to get organized and breath (yep, those are my excuses reasons and I'm sticking with it)!

So it looks like this...

Spent vs Budgeted  (Over or Under)

RV Parking $2025.00 / $2500.00 (U)

Groceries $1233.52 / $1000.00 (O)
Eating Out $474.27 / $220 (O)

CRV Fuel $405.70 / $600.00 (U)
CRV Upkeep $405.70 / $600.00 (U)

Clothing $37.89 / $300.00 (U)
Household $121.10 / $120.00 (O)

Entertainment $33.00 / $100.00 (U)
Charitable $180.00 / $200.00 (U)

The above does not include any of the "set expenses" as those are well, uh, set! And therefore not much room to wiggle (save)!

Some of our monthly set expenses are our Tithe($350) Medical Ins ($45.64) MiRV Life Ins ($20.90) RV Ins ($75)

It doesn't include our savings, since for 2013 we did not budget for savings, GASP, I know! However, that changed for 2014, it's in there baby!! Which makes me happy, happy, happy! There were a few other tweaks that I have already mentioned in other Money Matters postings...the highlights are that I increased Groceries, Eating Out and Entertainment. By necessity we had to raise Med Ins (premiums went up) and add Co-Pays as a line item since we have those now too! Oh and other BIG news is that we got a raise for 2014 in our retirement pay. Yes, I know a raise!!!! We will see $12.72 more per month! That's $152.64 that will see our savings account without even flinching!

In our investment outlook, well, it was good! Our ROTH IRAs increased in value and so did the TSP account. Sad thing is that we can no longer contribute to our IRAs since we no longer have "earned income". Our regular investments made small gains as well. We ended the year with more cash in savings then ever before. In fact I will be looking for higher yield accounts since we are keeping easily accessible cash on hand. I am also considering sticking some of that cash in the IRAs since we didn't max out contributions for 2013, definitely giving that serious thought!So many things to consider and think over, oy vey!

Well, there you have it the 2013 Wrap Up!

December Money Matters

Another month, another wrap up...

Still looking good, IMO, as we manage life on the "retirement" income. I am sooooo pleased that we are able to make this work, it's just awesomeness!

Most areas were on budget, money went into savings.  I have taken the time to go ahead and make some changes to some of the categories for the 2014 budget. I can tell you that things are going to be leaner in a few categories by choice (gifts/Christmas). Such a world of excess we live in, we will be scaling back. It's so NOT about buying gifts and not that we have ever been extravagant but even-so we have decided it will be less from us for next year. We are also looking at a raise, yes, I know, we will have $12.72 more funds in 2014. Doesn't sound like much you say?  Maybe not, but it's $152.64 a year more and we will definitely not be turning it down!

We have also talked about life after living in Sunny...that day will come and we need to at least be thinking of an exit strategy no matter when that day is! In addition we have also talked over upgrading Sunny. Both are realities we must put some thinking into! Much, much more thought then I want to think about today, however, it must be done. Soon, soon, we will think harder on it! But honestly, we shall just have to wait and see on so many things before making any real decisions but we just want to make sure we do have a plan. We definitely do not want to be without a plan so we will continue to think it through and see what transpires! 

We did NOT move this month! Woohoo!!! So we socked away that fuel money for the future!

Over on groceries, AGAIN, but I have raised that category for 2014 so hoping to see that stay within budget soon! 

Food Out was also over, so this category is getting upped for 2014 as well. 

Nothing else was over budget...

It was actually a really slow month expense wise with the exception of Christmas.I did transfer the money out of our Christmas Club account for that. 

Speaking of Christmas I was a little taken aback when I saw the final numbers...we didn't even do that much. We had 14 on our list and that didn't include MiRV and I. Our total was $642.39 for Christmas spending, which did include MiRV and I. Sooooo I have definitely tweaked this category for next year. And honestly I even scaled it back this year; so next year will be even more lean! Just sayin'! It's just the way it needs to be. 

Also the payment of personal property taxes was this month (OUCH) but again this came out of savings since we save all year long. Next year we may not have this expense as we continue to explore the option of changing our residency.

Our breakdown for December:
RV Slot Fee $500.00
RV Upkeep/Maint $3.97

Groceries $307.83 
Food Out $60.58
  
CRV Fuel$137.95

Health Ins $45.64



Gifts $41.16

Household $16.33
Entertainment $9.00

Tithe $350.00

That's it, that's the monthly looksey, a bit of our bucks did make it to savings. We are doing well, thank you Lord! Excitedly looking, watching and praying about what the New Year will hold for us!

November Money Matters

Time for our monthly update...surprise, we moved again...just wanted to make sure you knew that in case you missed that posting!! 

Other major items of financial interest was a battery for the CRV ($110.21), lifetime membership dues for GoodSam ($149.00) and RV insurance was due this month ($901.00). That (RV ins) is one of our yearly expense that we set aside a little each month to cover. MiRV did look at changing companies but after comparison shopping we are staying with what we have.

The big picture breakdown for November looks like this...food budget did pretty good even for having the Thanksgiving meal. We were UNDER budget!!! Did you catch that, UNDER budget!!! I tell you having an Aldi around is most awesome!!! I even stocked up on my coffee since BB&B offered 20% off entire purchase on Veteran's Day. Just the kind of sale I was hoping for! The CRV battery puts us over on that line item for the month but not overall.

Surprise! OVER AGAIN on food out...our wallets are taking a beating here! I will be making an adjustment for this line item for 2014, just gotta bite the bullet and do it since we are so consistently over! Ughhhh!

Christmas is coming; glad we save all year long for this and won't take a huge hit there. However, I was a little dismayed to see how are personal property taxes increased; nearly DOUBLED...we did add the RV, traded SMARTie for Deuce and upgraded to the newer Accord for MrsBud. So I knew we had changes just never expected the changes to cause that much of an increase. So glad that we put a little away each month for this expense and that we have the excess to take care of the increase! That will definitely be a line item that gets adjusted for 2014!!

November's stats -

Charitable Gifts $430.00 (O)


RV Slots $500.00 (U)
RV Fuel $126.55 (U)
CRV Fuel $89.50 (U)
CRV Upkeep $110.21 (O)
RV Exp/Upkeep/Maint $191.15(U)

Groceries $217.77 (U)
Cell Phone $110.00
Eating Out $155.53 (O)

Gifts $29.11 (U)
Entertainment $8.00 (U)
Laundry $3.00 (U)

(U) = UNDER
(O) = OVER 

Again, seeing the numbers in print helps me! So bear with me if you are bored by these updates! And I'm a happy girl since dollars made it into savings again this month...and we are certainly living within our means and meeting our goals financially for this stage and that is such awesomeness for us! 

#SaveMoney 
#ALDI

Money Matters (October Wrap Up)

Since doing the 31 day challenge featuring a post on finances I have decided (for now anyway) to make it a monthly spot. Sort of a monthly wrap up for us so to speak. More for me then you (though I know some out there are a bit curious) so just indulge me or go ahead and click off if you aren't interested in that sort of thing. It's going to make me a little more accountable in keeping tabs on the budget (even making budget)if I know I am going to blog about it!!! So thanks invisible readers I appreciate your motivation! However, if you know me in real life you know I am sort of a nut when it comes to record keeping anyway but I digress, let's move on!

Here we go! We "moved" last month (and the month before that and the month before that...hmmm, I'm seeing a trend here) and we are moving again this month as well. It seems this is the way it's gonna be so I might as well come to grips with that part of this lifestyle... Anywho, the meat of this revelation is that moving cost money. Moving always cost money no matter what your situation is. Like I said I am coming to grips with this factoidl it's just the way it is and I'm gonna be okay with that; it just takes me second!! LOL

The big picture breakdown for October...went waaaaaaay over on food budget AGAIN! Ugh!! I guess there is an adjustment needed in this category! However, helping that hemorrhage this month was ordering coffee, it was on sale so I ordered to stock up (we will see how long it last), course it was only the kind MiRV drinks soooo still will have to track down my kind with a coupon for sure!!! And honestly, our food budget as I have made note of before is dependent on location and stores (ALDI makes a huge difference in stretching our grocery dollar and I will be happy, happy, happy to be near one again in just a few more days!!!) Also being close to the commissary helps.

In other areas we did well in the big picture look at it. RV slot was slightly higher here but still within budget!! We were over on gifts this month and I know next month will be as well but the budgeted amount reflects the yearly average; in my head I know some months will be over while others will be under and some none at all. It should all work out...I hope!!! Report shows eating out was r.i.d.i.c.u.l.o.u.s.l.y over as well. Hmmmm...this one is harder to stay on track with as we meet up with friends. We enjoy meals together...out. Adjustments may have to be made.

I also tweaked a few category names Tithes became Charitable Gifts since we also give to worthy organizations as well as give our tithe. I changed Stationary/Business Expense to Household Expenses. I will continue to adjust for what works for us in the coming months.

On a brighter note RV fuel was d o w n as well as CRV fuel, RV Exp/Upkeep/Maint; so that is awesome in my book!!

I have to say seeing the numbers in print on Groceries and Eating Out definitely makes me cringe a little...but not to fear as we still came in under budget overall so I'm not desperate about it and a bit of cash went into savings again this month so it's all good!

Snapshot for October...

Charitable Gifts $450.00 


RV Slots $510.00 (U)
RV Fuel $114.00 (U)
CRV Fuel $87.25(U)
CRV Upkeep $31.77 (U)
RV Exp/Upkeep/Maint $15.38 (U)

Groceries $439.05 (WAAAAAAY O)
Cell Phone $110.00
Eating Out $160.84 (O)


Gifts $60.00 (O)

Clothing $37.89 (U)
Household  $33.70 (O)
Laundry $12.00 (U)

(U) = UNDER
(O) = OVER

Again, overall, I am still a happy girl since $$$ went into savings and we are living within our means, THAT is the goal and a great feeling for me no matter the income!