Our spending for August 23-29, 2020, totaled $1,494.46 less IRA Roth retirement contributions. The end of the month is always a bit more expensive due to a number of bills coming due.
Sunday, August 23rd, 2020
Apple Storage —> $2.99
I’ve been wanting to get rid of this one but not sure it’s worth it. I mean, we’re only spending $35.88 annually.
Monday, August 24th, 2020
Home Depot —> $29
A couple of months back, I bought about $400 worth of items at Home Depot. I was trying to install duct fans to help with upstairs airflow. I live in a two-story house. After some discussion with my wife, we decided on passing and have yet to return everything. This is one of those reminders in life to get my act together and return the remainder.
Menards —> $22.36
We started a small project to put in a new flower bed. The previous homeowner was gracious enough to leave behind a good number of retaining wall blocks. Unfortunately, I was short 20 and had to buy some.
Tuesday, August 25th, 2020
Kroger —> $187.55
Our goal is to spend no more than $250 on groceries for the week. So far so good.
Fresh Thyme —> $89
Another grocery run. We like buying our vegetables and fruits here. They seem to be much better quality than some of the big box stores. If you’re keeping tally, we’re at $276.55. We’re over our budget. So sad.
Meijer —> $49.10
For some reason, we’ve blown way over our budget. After review of the receipts, nothing seems to jump out. Did go with lots of organic stuff.
GasBuddy —> $28.19
We started using GasBuddy years ago to help save a few pennies at the pump. On average we save $0.50 to $1.00 per fill up. Hey, better than nothing!
Amazon —> $3.21
Amazon is going to be the death of me financially! It’s just so easy to buy from them and free shipping! Ugh! We bought replacement nipples for the kids’ bottles. Somehow we lost them or they wore out. Kids are expensive!
Menards —> -$22.36
Yup, I returned them. The retaining wall blocks I ordered were the wrong frickin’ ones. Dang it. Epic waste of time. On a mission to find the correct ones now. Looks like the previous owners bought from a landscape company or something.
Wednesday, August 26th, 2020
Wells Fargo Bank —> $104.86
We took the plunge and decided to have new windows installed. We’ve been paying on this for a good year now and still have a considerable amount to go. Last time I checked, the balance was $6,700. Our first floor has 11 windows. This is on my list to pay off ASAP!
Rumi’s Passion —> $40.55
I was diagnosed with Celiac disease in 2018. Ever since, I’ve been on a strict gluten free diet. This is literally the only place in town where I can get bread. All in all, about the cheapest too. Buying gluten free bread from a big box store is super expensive and has little to no taste. Go Rumi!
Amazon —> $30.57
This one is a sore spot for me. We bought $30 worth of kids toothpaste. I guess this stuff is supposed to be super healthy for the kids or something. I can’t seem to convince the wife this probably isn’t the best utilization of our money but I digress. I’d rather not die on this hill.
Michigan Medicine —> $20
I can’t exactly complain about this one. Our health insurance is top notch. Have to keep the kids healthy. Did I say kids are expensive?
Thursday, August 27th, 2020
Carvana —> $430.60
Because of our ever expanding family, we had to buy a new larger vehicle. I’m extremely happy to report we pay for it in CASH. This is a first for us as we’ve always bought with credit. I’m really trying to get away from that as it is somewhat risky and not to mention I hate debt.
This was an additional cost for a small upgrade in car we made by returning another. Needed more trunk space for 2 strollers.
Merlinos —> $48.60
Since returning the retaining wall blocks to Menards, I’ve been calling around to see if they had my specific make of block in stock. Come to find out, I have a Rockwood. Luckily, I was able to find them and only a 30 minute drive. I purchased 20 of them. I originally thought I was going to build a wall 4 high which required 50 total but decided to hold off. I’m sure glad I did. Building it 3 high did the trick and it looks great!
Amazon —> $44.52
This order includes 2 cups for my daughter and a pack of child safety straps. The bottles were $23.95. I’m actually not happy these were so expensive but they are designer Minnie Mouse. A number of the safety straps we have are going bad. They don’t stick. Did I mention kids are expensive?
Friday, August 28th, 2020
Fidelity —> $250
A standard retirement contribution to my Roth IRA. As of late, I’ve been paying more attention to this as I’m slightly behind where the experts say I should be. By 35, I should be 2x my salary. Let’s hope I make it!
Optim Eyes —> $199.80
Yeah, I had to shell out money for a new pair of glasses. My prescription changed slightly. My glasses were also broken. Thanks son! Plus, seeing is necessary for my delivery job. In any event, so hate spending money on stuff like this.
Hanover —> $138.91
Our auto insurance has 2 vehicles on the policy. As far as I know, this is about as cheap as I can get it for the coverage I want.
Saturday, August 29th, 2020
Sams Club —> $24.75
Our SUV was getting low on fuel so I decided to stop by our local Sams Club to get gas. Great thing about belonging to a club like this, we get gas at least $0.10/gallon below retail. Anything to save a few bucks!
Haapala Family Finance 