January in Review

2010 is off to a very bizarre, and not altogether welcome start for us. I had some pretty ambitious savings goals in order to rebuild our slush fund, and get a good start on our 2010 Savings Goals. In conjunction with that, my spending needed to be lower than pretty much ever before in some very touchy categories: Groceries, Pets, and Dining. Here's how we did...

First, the successes.

Pets.
Budgeted $400, Spent $374.
Woot! Woot! I consider this a huge success. I think this is the first time in the history of having a pet budget, that I have ever come in under! So, happy with this.
Its really all about sticking to the basics in time like this. Food, treats, litter. Forgo the toys, collars, and beds that my kids already have plenty of anyway.

Dining.
Budgeted $60, Spent $23.
Also a huge success. The $23 included a hamburger night out with our recently departed dog, just prior to his last day, and a desperation hot cocoa from Starbucks, on a day I very inadequately planned my lunch. Considering this month's budget is essentially $0, this should set us up nicely.

And, the set backs.

Groceries.
Budgeted $400, Spent $441.
Boo and Hiss. This last week definitely put me over the edge. I went a little crazy with some stocking up after a lean week. All told its better than we usually do, but I need to step up my game if we are going to survive this month.

Other areas worth mentioning.

Savings.
Budgeted $365, Socked away $608.
This is almost entirely due to the very generous work bonus I received. It very much helped us recovery from the impact of my over indulgence at Christmas time. Just not enough to set us up for our current state of affairs. I am behind now, and kicking myself for it. Right now, its all about maintaining, not loosing last month's advances.

Gas.
Budgeted $270. Spent $256.
So, its a small underage, but I will certainly take it. We were very conservative with our gas usage this month. Every little bit helps.

Medical.
Budgeted $0, Spent $170.
We were seriously nickel and dimed by some unexpected medical bills from physical therapy I had in September. I absolutely hate how long it takes to get the bills for anything medical. It's completely unpredictable in time and amount. Once again, this is something that was not previously a concern when I was (more) gainfully employed and we had double coverage.

Personal Care.
Budgeted $100, Spent $351.
These were mostly expenses made at the beginning of the month when I felt things were still in the milk and honey category (at least to some degree). I bought much needed new running shoes (on sale) and bike shorts (not on sale). I also overspent a Lulu Lemon gift card I received for Christmas by about $35. No excuses, I totally blew this one.

Miscellaneous/Crap.
Budgeted $0, Spent $200.
This is sentimental. We said goodbye to our beloved oldest dog this month. It was pretty rough, especially on the Husband. I commissioned to have a personalized painting done of him. I have done this previously for dogs that have passed. It ain't cheap, and was a little more of a burden to bear this time around. I managed to scrape together the money for it, and I am happy we will have something to nice to remember the old man by. I am sure it wouldn't be everyone's priority, but it is ours.

All in all, we managed. That's about all I can say really. Budget recovery, dog death and a lay-off. It was not an easy month. Writing it all done for the world to see (if they were watching) is a good exercise for holding my accountable. I have the budget all drawn up for next month, with some very specific goals (ya know, like survival). More on that later.