Welcome to another weekly edition of “Where Did The Dough Go?”. Below you can get a completely open and honest view of what we’re spending money on, how much we’re saving, investing and putting away for retirement. Please feel free to learn from our financial mistakes if at all possible, it’s way better than making them yourself. 
Friday 22nd
– $54.19 (new waffle maker)
– $53.37 (groceries)
-/+ $1.00 (transfer to Xmas fund)
-/+ $1.00 (transfer to savings)
-/+ $2.00 (transfer to ING to save for Car insurance)
Saturday 23rd
No spend day
Sunday 24th
No spend day
Monday 25th
– $15.96 (cigarettes)
– $17.24 (alcohol)
-/+ $1.00 (transfer to savings)
-/+ $1.00 (transfer to Xmas fund)
-/+ $2.00 (transfer to ING to save for Car insurance)
Tuesday 26th
– $17.02 (gas)
-/+ $1.00 (transfer to savings)
-/+ $1.00 (transfer to Xmas fund)
-/+ $2.00 (transfer to ING to save for Car insurance)
Wednesday 27th
No spend day
-/+ $1.00 (transfer to savings)
-/+ $1.00 (transfer to Xmas fund)
-/+ $2.00 (transfer to ING to save for Car insurance)
Thursday 28th
No spend day
-/+ $31.74 (transfer leftovers to Puppy Expenses) <—actually transferred on Sat.
-/+ $1.00 (transfer to savings)
-/+ $1.00 (transfer to Xmas fund)
-/+ $2.00 (transfer to ING to save for Car insurance)
Total Weekly Spending: $209.52
Categorized:
Savings $41.74
Cigarettes $15.96
Household $54.19
Groceries $53.37
Gas $17.02
Alcohol $17.24
Save 4 Car insurance $10.00
$$$ Entire Paycheck Totals $$$
Pre-tax 401K Contributions: $177.94
Income: $1,534.54
Saving: $319.31
Spending: $1,215.23
click to make me bigger
Categorized:
Savings $319.31
Rent & Bills $700.00
Cigarettes $103.29
Household $54.19
Dining Out $90.50
Groceries $126.68
Gas $57.38
Alcohol $38.19
Roth IRA Contributions $25.00
Save 4 Car insurance $20.00
Notes: I’m really happy that we were able to save so much this paycheck. I really should have shopped around for a better deal on the waffle maker, but it was an emergency. 😉 If only each paycheck could look like this, things would be much nicer.
I wasn’t able to transfer our leftovers until Saturday because of internet loss, but it still counts.
How did your budgeting/spending go this week?
I had two expensive weeks in a row with two birthdays, car registration, dental expenses, and family activities. I need to buckle down this month and save an efund again. You did great this week! Why was the waffle maker an emergency? Couldn’t pancakes work instead?
I hate it when tons of expenses happen so close together.
Haha. I know it sounds crazy (about the waffle maker), but it really was an emergency. As part of my healthy eating, I’ve been having a 10-grain belguin waffle every day with strawberries on top.
I don’t really like whole grain stuff, so it just doesn’t taste as good with pancakes because I’m crazy picky. I only put syrup on my pancakes and strawberries on my waffles.
I don’t mean to be SO picky, it just happens that way. 😉
I was wondering if you could do a post on what your weekly menu looks like? I need to rein in the grocery and dining out budget and seeing what other menus look like definitely helps me.
Honestly Mindy, I SUCK with meals. Everybody always wants something different, I’m crazy picky and trying to eat really healthy, my daughter is a veggie nut and I don’t really cook.
We piece things together and do a ton of quick meals, it’s still something I need to work on. In case it helps, I’ll share some of the most reoccurring things we eat:
– eggs and toast
– cereal
– oatmeal
– belguin waffles with strawberries
– sandwiches
– protein bars
– fruit as snacks
– chilli cheese dogs
– baked potatoes with chilli and cheese
– omelets with hasbrowns
– soup
– pasta with feta cheese, spray butter and parm. cheese
– chicken, rice and green beans
– quesadillas
– turkey hot dog
– salad
See, I’m just awful.
We’re okay with not having elaborate meals, but I certainly need to infuse a bit more healthy foods into some of our meals.
I guess my best advice would be to keep things simple.
Hi, I do enjoy seeing where the money goes, makes me look at my spending habits more closely. I’ve only been reading your blog for a short while, but I read that you have a daughter. If you don’t mind me asking, why don’t you list any money spent for your daughter? Do you have a college fund that you contribute too? I see that you have a puppy fund.
Hi Lstodd, that is a very good question that I’ve never really addressed on here. The short answer is aside from groceries and vitamins, we don’t really spend much money on our daughter.
Let me see if I can get a post together to address the way and reasons we don’t. I’ll try to get it up within the next 2 weeks.
It’s a great question, so I don’t want to leave anything out.