Our many expenses in the first half of this year (shoulder surgery, trip to Europe, tax bill, dental procedures) meant that we pushed off a lot of nice-to-have or will-need-eventually things. Now we're gradually taking care of things as AS's freelance checks come in and no longer need to be applied to a budget deficit.
First on the list, I set aside $300 for painting the interior of our house, though NT might not buy the paint until the weather cools. Then he and I got new underwear to replace worn-out stuff, and I replaced a broken umbrella. (About $30 for all that.)
Then it was new sneakers for the kids. They wear them out so fast! About $50.
Back-to-school outfit and backpack for AA: about $60.
Work trousers for NT: $30
New laptop for AS: $480
Among all of this I've also managed to send $750 to savings. What we're saving for is up in the air; I just wanted to start trying to accumulate a bigger amount for some of our bigger needs and wants.
Now we're waiting on more freelance checks so we can cross some more wants off our list. I've got a list going on our shared spending tracker roughly organized by urgency of want:
Athletic shoes for me and AS
School supplies for AA (the school sent us a list)
Refreshments for an alumni event I'm hosting
Door handles
Replacement bowl for food processor
Roomba part
Handheld steamer (recommended by snafu & Thriftorama!)
Fridge water/ice filter
Fall swim classes for kids
Work shirt for NT
Add to AA & SLs's mutual funds
We can always move things around, add or take things off, but this helps so when money comes in, everyone understands where it's going. I also hope to put half of net freelance income into savings, but sometimes it'll be less than that. But I'll always put at least a little bit of each check away.
Working through the wants list
August 15th, 2016 at 09:29 pm
August 16th, 2016 at 04:20 am 1471317601
August 16th, 2016 at 04:40 am 1471318840
Back then, we paid about $100 for a color consultation from a local paint store, and still have the color card. We intend to use several of the suggested colors. Our living and dining rooms are a pale gray; the kitchen will be a sort of wheat yellow (not very yellow on the card but the expert said it will be a bit more so on the walls), and I believe the bedrooms and bathrooms will be a couple shades of light blue or turquoise. (It's been a while since I looked at the card.) And we might use more of the nice gray from the living room in hallways or other rooms; not sure how it will all end up yet.
August 16th, 2016 at 08:54 am 1471334086