I mentioned last week that tracking your spending is a crucial part of figuring out how to properly budget your money. And with that, I decided to another week of Money Diaries. Figuring it would be somewhat helpful, inspiring for you to do the same, and even fun to read.
DARA’S MONEY DIARY | WEEK OF DECEMBER 19 — 25
MONDAY
7:00AM Breakfast was a greek yogurt and coffee at home.
12:30PM Lunch was a salad, one that I pre-packed the night prior.
3:25PM I was in desperate need of a pedicure, my toes were looking grimmey AF, the last time I got them done was with my new sissy the day after Thanksgiving. Oh, and a paraffin wax for my hands, because Winter. $45.00
4:02PM I didn’t have any cash with me for a tip. And with no ATM’s in sight, I ran over to the Walgreens on the corner. I bought a bottle of water so I could get cash back, and run back to the salon to deliver the tip. $1.98 for the water + the cash back
6:45PM I realized when I got home that Chanukah begins on Saturday. SIX days away, and I totally forgot to get some shopping done. Nordstrom always has free shipping, and my absolute favorite place ever. 3 gifts and $143.74 later…
7:15PM Alex and I had dinner at home. I cooked chicken burgers with feta cheese, homemade fries, and garlic kale.
TUESDAY
Breakfast and lunch mirrored Monday.
12:00PM Most of our bills are on auto-pay, today Comcast was due, our cable and internet. $76.46
6:30PM I had dinner on my own tonight, another salad with chicken (god how I love them!).
WEDNESDAY
10:45AM I stopped by Starbucks for a Venti Dark on my way to work, and since I left my CamelBak on the airplane last week (ugh), I needed to grab a bottle of water as well. $5.19
5:20PM After work, I walked over to CVS to pick up a wide-tooth comb (another item lost during our mini-moon) and pick up a few Christmas / Chanukah cards that will no doubt be super late. $17.83
THURSDAY
8:30AM A breakfast sandwich and coffee at home
11:14AM After I dropped Alex off at work, I headed over to Target. CVS was a terrible place to buy holiday cards (what was I thinking?), so I bought the remaining ones here, in addition to Chanukah candles, wrapping paper, gift bags, a 3-tier organization rack for one of our basement closets, and two toys for my friends 2-year-old son and 3 month old daughter. $128.32
11:17AM Post Target, I decided I needed coffee on the way to visit my friend and her kids. $2.16
12:00PM Our gas bill is also on auto-pay. $59.41
2:45PM After I left my friends house, I headed over to the nearest Chipotle for a super late lunch, I was starving. $10.84
3:02PM Parking the car at Chipotle. $3.00
6:30PM I made dinner at home for Alex and myself. Chicken breasts with brussels sprouts, and pasta.
7:15PM I baked two dozen chocolate on chocolate cupcakes for two of our neighbors, who were kind enough to collect our packages and feed our betta fish last week while we were away. And also, for a holiday party we’re going to tomorrow. I wanted to add a touch of peppermint, so I went to CVS to buy two boxes of candy canes to crush and sprinkle on the cupcakes. $3.98
FRIDAY
7:55AM I took a morning walk, since it was so nice outside (a crisp 47 degrees!) and stopped by a Starbucks. Forgot to bring cash, so I was forced to pay via the app, which needed a reload. $10.00
8:00AM For breakfast, I had a breakfast sandwich and the Starbucks I just bought.
11:02AM Remember when I said I left my CamelBak on the airplane? I decided I should just buy a new one. I did so via Amazon. $12.97
1:00PM Lunch was my left of Chipotle from the day before, so yummy!
6:30PM We went to our holiday party, where there was plenty of catered food and drinks. I brought my chocolate on chocolate with peppermint cupcakes.
10:55PM When we got home, we were both starving, but too lazy to walk to Z-Burger. Instead, we made PB&J’s and watched two episodes of Breaking Bad. (We just started season 2 — Alex has never seen the show before, but I’m more than happy to rewatch it!).
SATURDAY
10:00AM I slept in, which felt so great. I made myself coffee and had a greek yogurt for breakfast,
1:00PM Since Christmas day is tomorrow, I knew I needed to get our weekly groceries today. I walked over to Safeway. $100.63
1:30PM While I was gone, Alex ran over to Subway to pick us up lunch. He paid.
7:15PM In between episodes of Breaking Bad, I cooked us dinner. I decided to make one of Alex’s favorites. Chicken burgers with feta cheese, homemade fries, and garlic kale.We have this meal at least twice a week. See Monday.
SUNDAY
10:15AM I make myself avocado toast and coffee for breakfast. Alex has his usual Nutella.
5:10PMWe snack, nap, and watch more Breaking Bad for pretty much the rest of the day. At some point we go for a walk around the neighborhood, and then back to our blissful Netflix binge.
6:45PM We order take out from the Indian restaurant a few blocks from us. We each get our usual order. Alex pays.
Weekly Total = $621.51
Bills, $135.87
Groceries, $104.61
Dining Out, $30.17
Personal, $75.80
Gifts, $272.06
Transportation, $3.00
In closing, I know I never spend even close to $300 on gifts on a regular basis, but it’s the week before the holidays. What could I expect? I did a pretty good job of eating at home for breakfast and lunch most days, and even dinners. Which I think helped balance out the week, all things considering.
I’m loving this new Peonies and Bees series — stay tuned for another volume of Money Diaries in January!
PS. Part One