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It’s July 6th and I am over budget

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  • It’s July 6th and I am over budget

    This is the first time I allocate money for specific purposes.
    But now I am over budget, so I might need to un-allocate some stuff

    I had $42 on the bank and after grocery shopping; I am 2.03 on the red as per my tracking

    The only option that I see to avoid going red on the real bank ledger is to use money I had allocated for other purposes:

    $100 for car maintenance – I will have to skip this month (this is meant to allocate money for upcoming oil changes and scheduled maintenance)
    $92 for home insurance – I will have to come up with the money some other way when taxes time comes (I don’t have escrow account).

    This puts $192 back on my “available balance” so I cam make it until pay day July 15th.

    Makes sense? Hopefully I can put some of that money back before July 30th.

    One thing that through me off was my son’s school; It is $196 per week, paid on Tuesdays , and this month had 5 Tuesdays. So instead of 794 I had to pay 980 on tuition this month. Also, I usually pay only two weeks at a time, but month I went budget crazy and I paid the whole month.

    At least I have not used the Credit cards yet.

    P.D. I have an appointment with the HUD approved agency tomorrow to go over my housing options, wish me luck.
    I brought lunch today zuchini risoto, bread and kiwi.

  • #2
    As you've discovered, it is very important to budget accurately regarding weekly and monthly expenses. Something that you pay weekly is NOT 4 times/month. It is actually 4.33 times/month because every month has 2-3 days more than 4 weeks. Otherwise, a year would only have 48 weeks. So now that you know that, you can adjust your budget accordingly. In the months that you don't have that "extra" payment, you can set the money aside in savings so that it is there when you need it in the months that have that "extra" week.

    Don't get discouraged. Budgets are always a work in progress and need fine tuning and tweaking here and there to get them right, and they are constantly changing as your bills and circumstances change.
    Last edited by disneysteve; 07-06-2009, 09:31 AM.
    Steve

    * Despite the high cost of living, it remains very popular.
    * Why should I pay for my daughter's education when she already knows everything?
    * There are no shortcuts to anywhere worth going.

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