April absolutely seemed to zoom by this year. I turned another year older, turned down a job offer (to be discussed in a later post), I managed to pay taxes to the right state (well, not on the first try, but I'm learning here), and my son got his first car- a cozy coup.
Thankfully his car does not require gas, title or insurance, and came with a price tag of Free from some friends who had failed to sell it in a garage sale (and is another reminder as to why I don't buy my son toys).
In March, I projected that our April Spending should hit record highs (due to the purchase of new flooring for our primary house). Unfortunately, I failed to predict two weeks of illness followed by an unrelenting course load for my husband. As a result, our spending was somewhat below average.
Thankfully his car does not require gas, title or insurance, and came with a price tag of Free from some friends who had failed to sell it in a garage sale (and is another reminder as to why I don't buy my son toys).
In March, I projected that our April Spending should hit record highs (due to the purchase of new flooring for our primary house). Unfortunately, I failed to predict two weeks of illness followed by an unrelenting course load for my husband. As a result, our spending was somewhat below average.
This month our spending clocked in at a below average $3004.15 (This figure excludes giving, taxes and investments).
Both childcare and bicycle expenditures exceeded our 2015 average. The bicycle expenditures included two new sets of tires, six new tubes (bad luck this month), a complete overhaul of all mechanical parts on my bike, and a less extensive (but still extensive) overhaul of the mechanical parts on my husband's bike. Looking at 2015, I was surprised to learn that we actually spent more on bicycles than we have on cars.
My husband almost exclusively bike commutes (about 12 miles per day), and I am a weekend bike commuter (Farmer's market, park, church and nearby friends mostly). I used to drop off and pick up of my son via bike commute, but our babysitter has graciously agreed to do drop off and pick up most days to allow me a bit more time on calls (and because she's running between jobs anyhow).
Even with the high costs, I don't question whether or not bicycling is worthwhile. Not only is my husband becoming a chizzled specimen of a man, but we put similar or more mileage on our bikes in 2014 and 2012 and we paid for minimal maintenance those years. If we hit $1500 or more in bicycle expenditures this year, we will probably need to evaluate if we should develop more DIY skills, but for now I'm thankful for my Local Bike Shop even if a big chunk of our paychecks are going to them.
The home spending this month included a reel lawn mower, a power washer, and low flow shower heads and spout diverters. We manage to spend a lot of money around the house even when we accomplish next to nothing on our to do list (or nothing big- we did mow the lawn, wash the house and windows, and install low flow shower heads and diverters, and my husband finished 95% of the electrical work).
Low spending this month translated mostly into really high investing for the month of April (I also got a nice bonus, so I'm hoping that our net worth will look very strong once I do the calculations). Hopefully next month, high spending will translate into a more beautiful house. Here's to hoping!
Both childcare and bicycle expenditures exceeded our 2015 average. The bicycle expenditures included two new sets of tires, six new tubes (bad luck this month), a complete overhaul of all mechanical parts on my bike, and a less extensive (but still extensive) overhaul of the mechanical parts on my husband's bike. Looking at 2015, I was surprised to learn that we actually spent more on bicycles than we have on cars.
My husband almost exclusively bike commutes (about 12 miles per day), and I am a weekend bike commuter (Farmer's market, park, church and nearby friends mostly). I used to drop off and pick up of my son via bike commute, but our babysitter has graciously agreed to do drop off and pick up most days to allow me a bit more time on calls (and because she's running between jobs anyhow).
Even with the high costs, I don't question whether or not bicycling is worthwhile. Not only is my husband becoming a chizzled specimen of a man, but we put similar or more mileage on our bikes in 2014 and 2012 and we paid for minimal maintenance those years. If we hit $1500 or more in bicycle expenditures this year, we will probably need to evaluate if we should develop more DIY skills, but for now I'm thankful for my Local Bike Shop even if a big chunk of our paychecks are going to them.
The home spending this month included a reel lawn mower, a power washer, and low flow shower heads and spout diverters. We manage to spend a lot of money around the house even when we accomplish next to nothing on our to do list (or nothing big- we did mow the lawn, wash the house and windows, and install low flow shower heads and diverters, and my husband finished 95% of the electrical work).
Low spending this month translated mostly into really high investing for the month of April (I also got a nice bonus, so I'm hoping that our net worth will look very strong once I do the calculations). Hopefully next month, high spending will translate into a more beautiful house. Here's to hoping!