How Much Do You Have Left to Spend This Month?

Photo credit: Micah Sittig, CC BY 2.0.

Yesterday we were discussing financial flinch points and the idea that many of us focus on the cost of the individual transaction—e.g. “that feels too expensive” or “that feels like a good deal”—instead of focusing on whether those costs fit into our budgets.

So I opened up my Mint budget and took a look at how much I had left to spend this month.

I actually check my Mint budget fairly often. I checked it before I bought that cart full of Old Navy clothes that would have been cheaper if I had bought them two days later (NOT BITTER AT ALL), and I asked myself: If I buy these, will I still have enough money to meet all of my other expenses this month?

And the answer, I think, is still yes. But here are the numbers, because they’re interesting.

At this point, I’ve paid all of my bills except for rent, health insurance, and renters’ insurance.

I’ve made all of the business-related purchases I need to make this month, which were budgeted in advance.

In terms of non-overhead, non-business purchases, I still have:

$43 left to spend on groceries and household goods. I assume that I’ll spend roughly $13 this weekend and (I hope) roughly $20 later in the month.

$114.30 for my Huel subscription. Drinking Huel for breakfast and lunch is the reason why I’m fairly certain I’ll stay under my $43-for-the-rest-of-the-month grocery and toiletries budget.

$17.25 left to spend on laundry. I figured out how to cut my laundry bill earlier this year, but it still costs $5.75 every week.

$31 left to spend on discretionary items. Even though it’s labeled “discretionary,” I already know where this money needs to go: I’m going to support the Oh My Dollar! Kickstarter and a fundraiser that my tutoring center is throwing.

And that’s it.

I’m okay with this because I don’t anticipate needing to buy any more stuff in October; I’ve done my clothes and shoes shopping, and there aren’t any social events that’ll cost money coming up. (If there’s an emergency, there’s always the emergency fund.)

But I am also aware that I’ll have spent through all of my October budget by the middle of the month.

So. How about you? Anyone want to share how much they have left to spend in October? It can be like a bonus Friday Estimate!

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