What is your expected budget for April?

Track your actual expenses with us.

Work Expenses

•      $500- Fuel
•      $313.32-Truck note
•      $130-   Insurance

Household Expenses

•     $14- Financial fees
•     $1,500- rent
•     $500- Food and supplies
•     $65- Electric
•     $65- water
•     $100- phone, long distance and DSL
•     $25- Debt, this is the minimum I have to pay
•     $89- Entertainment, TV, subscriptions

Total: $3,310

I will have to wait until we get the mortgage refi figured out. They may want to pay off some bills with it. I am so not sure of anything other than 300 for electric, 140 for phone and 80 for gas.

Anne

• Mortgage                   928.00
• Electric                       85.00
• Gas                            45.00
• Communications          96.00
• Auto Insurance           253.00
• Auto Payment            160.00
• Accident                    159.95
• Debt                          250.00 
• Student Loans             90.00
• Petrol                        125.00
• Groceries                   150.00
• Entertainment               50.00

April Total:  $2391.95

April Income: $2040.00

We are    -$ 351.95  This month due to SIL wonderful surprise of my not having a job.  While I am looking for a job Mark is working overtime, and we are lucky enough to have paid ahead on a few things so if we have to skip a month we will be just fine.  Groceries can also be cut down from that amount easily because of a well stocked pantry.  The entertainment budget will also probally be cut out.  I have two job interviews on Tuesday, so let's hope they work out.  I am having such a hard time committing to finding a job when we need so little money coming from my paycheck.

ETA:  I corrected some out-going numbers and our negative amount went down a bit. 

Amy,

Good luck with the job hunting, may you find something soon.

 Thanks Brandy.  I have applied for 27 positions in the last 10 days so hopefully at least one will pan out.

1. Mortgage/taxes/insurance $940
2. Tuition $1200
3. Electric $116
4. Gas $95
5. Landline $32
6. Cells $65
7. Cable/internet $110
8. Garbage $18
9. Life Insurance $149
10. Credit Cards $500 (or more)
11. Water $25
12. Entertainment $50
13. Groceries/supplies $400
14. Personal (haircuts, shoes, clothing) $50
15. Gasoline $200

Total $3950

This is our new budget since item #1 Mortgage changed with our refinance. It's about $300 less now than we had been paying. So #10 credit cards can be paid down faster. If I don't let Items #12, #13, #14 creep up....

our budget:

Mortgage 1285

Car 640 (paying double until it's paid off in three months)

Variables (gas, food, misc.)  1200

Savings 600

Credit card 500

Total expenses: 4225

Income: ~4660 extra income will be put toward debt

I am going to do a bi-monthly budget, for it is how DH is paid and how we figure our expenses.

Net Income: $1550.00

Savings:      $400.00

Groceries:   $150.00

Electric       $25.00

Gas:           $15.00

Phone:        $30.00

Garbage:     $18.04

Loans:        $319.00

Horsefeed:  $40.00

DSP           $15.00   Daily Savings Plan, used for our Christmas gift giving.

Birthday fund:$10.00 Used for all our family gift giving.

Rx'x           $17.00   All DH's prescription refills

Sams' mem. $2.00  To be used when my membership comes due in November.

DH.            $200.00

Me:             $25.00   The money I use for going out to dinner with the sisters, and for my gas for that trip.

CC pay.       $50..00   Payment to Credit card, is paid for every month, never any finance charges anymore.

Misc.fund    $170.00

Bal. into ch. $64.00 for all unlisted bills, taxes, ins. etc.

We usually get more per pay, but this is the normal pay DH gets for a 10 day pay. As it goes up, we add the excess into the savings or at least most of it. We don't take any money out for a specific entertainment  debit, we use the Misc fund for all necessities, like gas for my autos, etc.

 I thought our April budget would be fine, since I had paid the mortgage ahead with our tax refund, but as of today it is still $457 in the red-

Income- dh' s Fed Ex job and unemployment- $511/week after hit for gross vs real pay- times 4=$2,044  my job $300/mo = $2,344

 Expenses-

church   $100 

Second mortgage  $480

heat  $167

elect  $107

garbage one time a year yard waste- this was a surprise bill $90

water/sewer $93- 2 month bill

2 cells $20

phone $60  long distance higher, dh's aunt died

gas $500  dh is spending $12 a day to get to school  alone

dh misc  $50

groc and diapers $300

car insurance $123

internet $61

med payments $150, we have several outstanding bills everyone gets $25-$50

4 credit cards $500

toatal $2801

A friend gave us a gift card for $100, that'll help with food and diapers.  I'll try to work a little more.  I'm hitting some free food places and hope to keep the $300 down, any port in a storm this month.  We need internet for job search and my volunteer work, homework, keeping in touch with family, that is not an expense we can cut.  Cells are two minutes phones as we are frequently away from the lad line, they are mostly emergency phones, they are not phones for chatting on.   

For the next month or two, I'm planning on our rebate check to make the mortgage, and then really hoping dh is employed more by the end of June.  School is done in May.  I'm also getting together with a few friends to have a garage sale, at HER house.  Hoping to make $200 there, is that realistic?   I have some stuff.  

Another financial goal for this month- find more jars for canning, buy lids and rings and be ready to process any produce that comes our way this summer!  

Would love some feedback- heat is high, MN, we keep the house warmer for our 16 and a half pound girl, that is the budget amount, pay year round.  Electric and water, goceries, all are for 8 people at home.  DD comes home on June 17th, then it's 9 again.  She is probably going to live at home next year and go to school here, rather than pay for dorm fees, although I can see her moving out for spring sememster if she makes some friends up her at school, but it would save some money. 

We might have to end up charging a few tanks of gas, and paying them out of the rebate check.