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Money Diaries

August 17, 2022 This week was a little bit slow so I was wondering what I could possibly blog about. Then I remembered that I used to read regular articles about how people spent their money around the country. It was a little money journal of their week and I found it so fascinating what people were willing to spend their money on. So here goes. If you’ve ever wondered what a millennial who lives in Madison, WI spends their money on, this is it.Sunday
  • Gas: $37.85
Pretty self-explanatory. I usually have to get gas about once or twice a week depending on how much hiking I do.Monday
  • Jimmy Johns: $6.32
  • Olly agility: $135
  • Swim time: $30
I’m not going to lie, I don’t even remember getting this Jimmy John’s which goes to show how quickly small expenses can add up. Olly had a new agility session start at the beginning of the month but I have to pay by check so it was a delayed deposit. Then I knew I would be visiting friends later in the week about an hour and a half away that happens to be close to Olly’s dock diving training facility so to kill two birds with one stone, I booked him a swim session.Tuesday
  • Groceries: $69
  • Amazon: $49.47
I haven’t been planning my trips to the grocery store lately so this was a wild trip with no planning. I also bought the boys a treat-and-train toy off of Amazon that I’ve had my eye on for a while and was finally on sale but since it’s arrived, I don’t really like it so I’m planning on returning it.Wednesday
  • Amazon: $16.52
  • NYTimes: $4
Amazon was having a book sale and they got me. I usually try to keep costs low by using local libraries or the Libby app on my phone with the exception of books I read yearly (like Harry Potter) or books by my favorite authors. These were two Colleen Hoover books that have months wait at the library so I figured it would be smart to buy so I can read whenever I want to. I also have a monthly subscription to the New York Times so that was due as well.Thursday
  • Pet Supplies: $10.87
  • Culvers: $11.70
  • Groceries: $30.94
I try to meet up with some of my best friends from high school once a month. Given that they live in northern WI and I’m in the south, we pick somewhere in the middle to meet. On my way, I realized I had forgotten Olly’s dock diving toy. Since I had to make his specific appointment time, I just stopped to buy him a new one. I did have a coupon though, so I saved $10 on some treats I picked up as well. Then I met up with my friends to grab Culvers and grabbed some staple groceries on the way home that I was running low on.Friday
  • Savings: $200
  • Venmo: $30
  • Spotify: $10.54
Friday is payday for me! I have three automatic payments set up for my regular savings, a pet fund, and a fun fund. Then I owed the boys who mow my lawn, and my Spotify payment went through.SaturdayNothing! I work somewhere between 8-10 hours every Saturday so by the time I get home I only have enough energy to take care of my dogs and cook myself dinner so I can usually get by without spending any money.Weekly Total: $642.21This could have been better and could have been worse. It’s funny to look back at the end of the week and be like wow, so THAT’S where my money went. Have you ever kept a money diary? How do you track your expenses? You might also be interested in What a ride it’s been! 2022 has been full of adventure and trying new things and I’m so excited by all the progress Project Money has given me financially... As the end of Project Money draws near, I can’t believe how far I’ve come since we started. Day to day, I always felt like I could be doing something more... How many times did my dad tell me this as a kid when I really wanted McDonald’s? How many times do I tell myself this in a week when I don’t want to cook... It’s that time of the year again when you reminisce and look back over the year and start thinking ahead to next year. Every year, I try to make a personal... Happy (belated) Thanksgiving! This year didn’t really feel like anything special since my goal was to keep it low key. I was able to make a nice dinner... One of the things, or problems, I knew about myself coming into Project Money was that I had a loose budget but I never let that stop me from doing the... I can’t believe we’re halfway through November! I feel like this entire year has just been me saying I can’t believe how time is flying. How is Thanksgiving... One of the biggest things I’ve always been interested in is investing but since I struggle with crunching numbers and finances generally overwhelm me... This week was a busy, chaotic week but a good one and we hit some big goals in this house! First, I finally paid off my last private student loan. It wasn’t...
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