Hi! Here’s everything I spent in August as a childless, middle-aged woman living in Athens, Georgia:
- I paid $779 for my basement apartment which I lovingly call the Lair. This covers rent, utilities and internet. I also picked up some refinishing supplies at Lowe’s.
- Healthcare came to $285. This is anything connected to my doctor, dentist (including dental hygiene needs at home), therapist, or medications (including over-the-counter medications and basic skincare)
- I spent $39 on transportation. Hell yes, just had to pay for gas this month and didn’t go far.
- $75 on my cat, Agent Cooper
- My groceries came to $120. It’s too far back for me to remember exactly what I bought but I can tell you it was a lean month of cleaning out the pantry and fridge!
- Kroger $39: kale, cherry tomatoes, gala apples, blueberries, shredded cheese, oat milk, Olipop, frozen pizza, granola bars
- Kroger $46
- Aldi $13
- J’s Bottle Shop $22
- Eating/drinking out came to $117. This was drinks and meals out with friends. The Bubble Cafe crew got to meet for breakfast!
- $43 for cloud storage and Adobe software. I went on Adobe to cancel because $60 a month is pretty hard on me, and was surprised to find an option for $40! Lesson learned: it never hurts to research and ask.
- $23 on shopping. Thrifted some records and knick-knacks, and bought some Halloween stuff at IKEA.
- $50 on entertainment. I went to the movies five times!
- $51 on travel. Hiked the Unicoi to Helen trail at the start of the month and flew to Upstate NY at the end of the month to visit my mom (I bought my flight ticket back in June).
- Nothing for my phone this month because I pay that bill once a year.
- I currently do not have any paid subscriptions and I no longer have student loans.
That brings my total expenses to $1,582.
I made $3,747. That’s $3,731 from a three-paycheck month at work and $13 from cash back.
August was my month to finally pay off my main credit card!!! I’m so proud of myself and the sense of relief is real. Here’s my relationship with credit cards: I’ve always used them and accepted that I’ll have consumer debt here and there. I’ll book a trip, then chip away at the debt for the next few months — this system does not cause me stress. However, last year (2024) was more of a financial squeeze as I cobbled together part-time work. I ended up putting pretty much everything on my card, June through December, while not making enough to pay it. Carrying this growing debt taught me two things: It bolstered my opinion that you cannot simply budget your way out of being poor, and gave me a painful experience of compound interest working AGAINST you. Anyway, I’m thankful to have full-time employment and to have regained some level ground on my personal finance journey again.