February 2008 Budget Update

I started using Mint.com a couple of weeks ago. (Confession: I discovered it by clicking on one of the Google ads on my own site which is apparently a huge no-no).

What an incredibly easy way to track my daily spending. The categorizing features on this free site are outstanding! It did take a little tweaking to get some of my expenses in the right categories but it learned quickly! The major drawback is that it doesn't let you create your own categories. Hopefully the folks at Mint will get that sorted out soon. In the meantime I am pretty comfortable with the choices they do offer. My favorite part? The clickable pie-chart under the "spending trends" tab. :swoon: Who knew spending could look so beautiful?

I highly recommend you give this site at least a trial run. It's totally free to use.

Now, on to the real reason why I have this blog: accountability. Here's how I did with my budget this month:

Earned Income after taxes and withholdings
Job 1: $1530
Job 2: $512
Total income: $2042

Expenses
Housing/utilities/internet: $365
Transportation (gas): $72 for gas
Groceries and Supplies: $175

• Grocery stores: $68 (wha....?!)
  
• Restaurants: $86 (I only drink water and I eat cheaply... this figure shows I ate out a lot last month!)
  
• Entertainment: $21 (rental movie marathon)
  

Transfer to "Save to Spend" account: $100 (also took money out from this account to pay for filter and oil change, and quarterly water bill)
Student loans: $87
Other debt: $725
Gym: $45

Repay myself for car purchase: $400

Total expenses: $1969


Good News: Well within budget in every category.

Bad News: Apparently I haven't learned any lessons from my January Spending. I am still eating bad-for-you food products that come out of a box and not out of the earth. @#$&!