For the next three weeks I'm going to aim to produce three pieces of content for my own blog every week to get back into the habit. The funny thing is that I have so many ideas written down, but I haven't committed to the follow through until now. Wish me luck!
And onto some money related fun!
May Spending- $6376.47
The worst money we spent all month was dental cleanings for Kenny and I. We both were in dire need of dental care since neither of us had our teeth cleaned since he was born (that's 2.5 years). Thankfully, I'm cavity free, but the dentist tried to talk me into pulling my wisdom teeth, and Kenny screamed bloody murder throughout the entire appointment so we paid for X-Rays and didn't get them. Next time, he will go to a children's dentist, and I am looking for a dentist who won't recommend expensive surgeries for no reason.
The other worst money we spent was $1.60 spent to rent Revenant. How did that possibly win multiple awards? It was one of the worst movies that I've ever seen. Boring, racist, confusing, and the kind of cinematography that makes me dizzy.
The best money that we spent was probably the $3000 in home renovation supplies. Our downstairs bathroom had not been updated since the house was built in the late 60s, and we're going to completely renovate it (including installing bathroom fans, new lights, new tile, and all new fixtures) for around $3000 (we purchased some of the materials previously, but some of the materials we bought will go towards our other bathroom, so it's a wash). We're super excited for our fancy new bathrooms (after the bathrooms are done, we only have minor projects around the house).
Our family spending goal is to spend below $3000 per month excluding home renovation purchases (due to the fact that this is presaved money). Our actual expenses were $3442 excluding renovation purchases which is slightly overbudget, but June will shape up to be a low spending month to offset May's splurges.
May Net Worth- $520K
For the remainder of 2016, we will focus on living within our means and giving to causes that we believe in. If anything is leftover after we meet those goals, we will save it in a SEP-IRA. I should note that giving is one of the most important parts of our budget, but we do not report giving numbers because I believe that giving should be done on the basis of conviction and not comparison.
The breakdown of the net worth is two houses, various retirement accounts, and a healthy 7% of our net worth in cash. Yes, we keep a lot of cash, and no, it's not to take advantage of a down market. Our cash is there for emergencies or immediate needs (or the home renovation). It may be overkill, but that's a post for another day.