Each January I like to review all of our spending for the prior year. Since I track everything in Microsoft Money [1] (yes, I’m still holding out until the end of the year to convert to Quicken [2]) it’s pretty easy. I look at the average spending and then project what our spending will be for the upcoming year.
Our spending on the yard and our groceries have gone up. Last summer my husband took an interest in doing some additional landscaping after we got our new patio [3].
And the groceries is a direct result of shopping at Costco [4]. While we spend a little more, we have been buying better quality food, which I’m happy with. OK, not really. I just said that to be nice. Our grocery spending is totally out of whack! I’m planning to discuss it with Scott tonight… although I’m planning to tread lightly. He has actually been doing our grocery shopping and some more cooking lately, which I’m thankful for (since you know how much I hate to cook!)
In addition, I found that over the past year our electricity bills and auto maintenance have been much lower than we budgeted. So it all just about balanced out in the end. I have done this every year, and by now, as you can see, there’s usually only a couple tweaks to the categories, with the exception of the groceries.
Enough about my budget, let’s talk about yours. Do you have a budget [5]? If so, did you go back and determine how well your budget matched your actual spending?
Any categories in your budget that are out of whack?
Debt
- Should I Pay Off Second Mortgage? [6]
- Is There A “Good Reason†To Get Into Debt? [7]
- How We Paid Off Our Mortgage in Under Ten Years [8]
Saving
- The Saving Vs Investing Distinction [9]
- Are You Saving Money Just to Save, Or Saving With Purpose? [10]
- Saving for College? Consider the Coverdell [11]
Taxes
- Capital Gains Tax Q&A [12]
- Think Twice Before Doing a Roth IRA Conversion if You Are Using Account Assets to Pay the Taxes Due [13]
- H&R Block Tax Services: Get Ready For Tax Season! [14]
By the Numbers
- 10 Things Not to Buy in 2010 [15]
- The Two-Income Myth [16]
- Top 10 Financial Blogs To Follow In 2010 By Category [17]