Our monthly budget update does not change much.
It is primarily fixed expenses, like rent, phone bills and car insurance, which remain the same month after month. Even the amount budgeted to our miscellaneous line (more on that here) stays the same most months.
So instead of giving a line-by-line breakdown for our monthly budget update, I do something a little different. Each month, I share five highlights from our budget, along with three goals for the month to come.
Here is the update for April 2019.
Monthly Budget Updates: April 2019
In April, we…
- Paid $1,477.00 toward the student loan
This total includes the minimum payment of $450 plus an extra $1,027.
The balance at the end of April 2019 was $40,226.18.
- Got a small raise!
Performance review time is coming soon, too, so there’s an opportunity for another small raise, there, too!
- Spent some money on fun things (and did not regret it at all!)
I’m talking clothing and books and even a movie date. I wouldn’t say I went wild, but I did treat myself. It was awesome.
- Researched robo-advisors
One thing I absolutely need to do is learn more about and become more involved in saving for the future. I am fairly certain the reason I am so passive about this right now is because my focus is on paying off debt but this needs to happen.
One thing I wanted to learn more about is robo-advisors so I spent some time researching this month. Goal for May is to actually sign up for one!
- Started saving for a new computer
I purchased my MacBook refurbished in 2010. Over the last year or so, it has started showing its age. MacBooks are expensive, but the fact that I got almost 10 years of constant use from it is why I will shell out the money for a new one.
I opened a special account to stash the money and my goal is to have enough for a new, refurbished machine by the end of the year!
May 2019 Goals
Looking ahead, in May we will…
- Sign up with a robo-advisor
The time has come. I think I know what I want to go with so I’m excited to test it out!
- Plan a vacation
Jeff and I have discussed a couple options for vacation this year, but we haven’t booked anything yet. Yes, we still travel, even though we are in debt. I wrote a bit about that here. I’d like to do that in May!
- Create a list of charities I would like to support
Recently, we made a decision to change how much we budget for our allowance line (I’ll share more on that soon). One thing I want to do with the money allocated to me is give a portion of it to different charities and causes I believe in. Giving on the debt-free journey is important to me — I wrote more about that here — so I am excited to have more opportunities to share the wealth, so to speak.
Your turn! How did April turn out for you? What are your goals for May?
Photo by Shopify Partners from Burst
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