I need help guys!!!! I need help staying accountable. I know you’d think that being stuck at home should make things easy.  But that’s only partly true. HAHA. I cashed out and treated myself to a new pair of shoes last month and they were $100. All with a click of a freaking mouse. I wanted to keep you guys in the loop on how I’m doing with my budgeting and looking at these numbers, I’d have to say I’m not doing well. I’ve listed out my expenses below in no particular order.

• Rent: $1087 (I live in the outskirts of Houston, and rent is still pretty high)
• Charitable Donations: $125
• Car Insurance: $66
• Small business Support: $16.00
• Fast Food: $110.14- Breakdown 31.52, $22.70, $15.60, $6.06, $18.08, 16.18
• Entertainment: $6.42 (HULU)
• Phone Bill: $35
• Utilities: $59.85
• Renters Insurance: $58
• Credit Card Payments: $55
• Groceries: $17.13, $91.05 = $108.18
• Pet Smart: 43.05
• Shopping $119.06 (Shoes)
• WordPress: $114??- two charges for a little over $50… I’ve got to look into that, lol
• Southwest.com: $280 Two Flights home for Fall 2020

OMG I spent a total of $2,282.70 in one month!

Ok listen listen… I’ve typed out some explanations to my purchases, but it doesn’t make it okay! I wouldn’t say I did too much frivolous spending, but what’s the point of making a budget if you aren’t going to adhere to it?

I feel like I am failing miserably!!!  I will say the flights were an advanced purchase… I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I know I have to go to Saint Louis in August for a friends wedding and in September for my grandmothers 80th birthday. I couldn’t pass up round-trip tickets for $134, they are normally about $300 each trip.

Jesus shoes: I had not purchased any in EONS and I ran 50 miles last month. I was running in shoes I’d had since 2015. My feet are my feet and I only get one pair of those. Even those were actually on sale ( I know because I shopped for the same pair last fall and they were about 40-50 bucks more expensive – Adidas Boost). I took these bad boys out on a spin and it felt like I was running on water. Hence the term, JESUS shoes.

WordPress: This purchase should probably be under “Therapy” to be honest, $100 to have a blog for a year, versus $100 for 1 Therapy Session? Let’s be frank. Besides! Who knows, one day people may actually read my blog in droves and this $100 will end up being seed money for something bigger!

All in all, I was $832.70 over budget… Just. wow.

I will say, I had a little more income than I expected to come in last month. I got paid two times of course, then our CEO fronted her employees a small percentage of our Christmas Bonus and I received my stimulus check from the government.

Guys… I got a secret too… I’ve been using my credit card.

See how small I made that last sentence up there? So small you may have missed it. haha. I have a very guilty conscious, and I want you guys to know.. You’re not perfect!! You will likely make mistakes in this journey! This whole staying at home thing helps… but does it really??? I thought I was saving so much money by staying at home but I’ve spent so much more money than I was supposed to.

So yea, there you guys have it. April Budgeting didn’t go as planned. I made purchases that I didn’t plan for but I knew they were coming. Actually, if I’m being frank, I did plan for the flight purchases, but I didn’t review my budget to determine how I was going to accommodate for it. My grocery budget went a little above because I was panicking about the pandemic, but I’m doing everything I can to avoid going to the grocery store until it’s been a full 30 days. It’s just a hot mess.

I’ve got food at home.