April Spending Report 2014

With April come and gone It is time to report my monthly spending.  These spending reports are one of my favorite segments because they help keep me honest.  Any time I start to think about making an unnecessary purchase I remember that at the start of each new month I have to air it out for everyone to see and I risk missing my monthly goal of spending less than $2,200.

For the month of April I spent a total of $1868.76.  This beats my goal  and is my second lowest month of spending so far this year.  Right now February came in at $5 cheaper (Darn Subway sandwich).  I am absolutely ecstatic with this amount and hope to be able to continue the run going forward.  My spending breakdown (courtesy of Mint) is as follows:

Major notable differences include:

• The utilities category where I managed to only spend $256.81, this includes heat/power/cell phone/internet service.  This has been decreased by switching from my $55 verizon plan to a $12 per month Republic Wireless plan which was also a significant boost in quality of service.  The coming of spring has also helped to knock down my heating bill significantly.

• I also switched car insurance companies to a company called Metro Mile which provides deeply discounted car insurance based on how much (or in my case how little) you drive.  As you can see I didn't get out and drive much this month (working 90 hour weeks will do that to you).  With this change I am saving ~$20 per month.  I am about a 5 minute walk from my office/groceries so that really cuts down on my monthly commute expenses.  At this point the only reason I maintain a car is for the occasional camping/hiking/paddle boarding adventure.  

• I spent slightly more money this month on entertainment and bought my pet parrot a treat.  

• Misc expenses include the cost of filing my state taxes.

This morning I finished signing paperwork for the purchase of a new house.  This should knock about $170 off my monthly Home cost and will significantly decrease my heating costs in the near future.  The downside will be a few months of increased misc spending as I purchase necessary home items (insulation, curtains, furnace filters, lawn mower, etc.)

I hope you all had a fantastic April!