Here is my Financial Summery for June - July period.

I have updated my Excel so here are the figures for last month.

This for period of 28 days each as I work on 28 day cycles, my dates may be out to calendar months so here are the figures that will bring it up to date as its very near the end of next 28 day cycle.

Reviewing my monthly daily living allowance

This is my first review for last month's budget.
These are the categories for this challenge.

Items === Approx. Budget===Spent

Eating out===$35=====$34.05
Groceries===$125=== =$105.74
Non-Food===$15 ====$4.60
Clothes ====$35=====$2.00
Grooming===$20
Gas======$20
HH items===$40=======$3.00
Fares== ====$15 ====$10
Entrainments== $15
Garden =====$15
Gifts & Donations ==$35 ====$2.00
Medical & Diabetes Expenses ===$70====$146.60
Misc ======$10
Personal Allowance =$90 ===$63.95

Note only one amount is a No Spend

Budgeted for this period $550 spent $371.74 under by $178.26

No Spending Days 13 of 28 days

Personal allowance covers health drinks , lotto, books, stamps, craft and hobby supplies.

Eating out including meals out with family and friends, we all go Dutch.

My credit cards are still paid in full each month, it was $480.00
Grocery allotment $125 for each period under by $19.26 this period

Strategy - Do remember what you have stored before you go and buy more of the same.

I just pull out a large roll of brown paper that we bought home from my late uncle's 22 years ago, I haven't pull it out of it bag for about 15 years. It was well sealed as it in great condition, I am planning to give to the local school for art classes at the end of the year.

It will make some great brown paper gift wrap. I will never use it now so I may as well give to the school to do something with it. I have a friend who does the art classes so I know it will get used, last month I gave them some old printing paper for printer of 20 years ago the kind that had holes in them. I had 3/4 of box of it. They used it for blowing paint with a straw on large sleets spread across a number of desks so that 10 pupils could use it at the same time, she had over 220 eight year olds pupils that today. There is still some left over for next time.

Our local Aldi store had rhubarb and asparagus bulbs for sale a few weeks ago so bought some to plant out for next year. As my soil is mostly clay and not very good for planting, I put them in large pots and will nurse along until I can get a good spot to plant them out in. I have never had these plants in my garden before but I will give them ago. They are coming along nicely in the pots. I did plant some seed of silverbeet in a pot too! These are now showing their heads above the soil. I will need get my only garden bed ready for them to transplant them in it soon!

I just cut down three trunks of a HAPPY PLANT that was growing in my garden here. They were getting too tall so every so often I will cut down part of this plant. They branch out and make new growth off each cutting so you dont lose the plant. Its been there for more than 20 years it about the third time I have cut some of it down. The local school may take some for their gardening class next week if I am lucky if not I will cut it up for the bin the following week.

With each bill rising, some by $36.67 per month, I think I will need to add an extra amount on to annual bill money and find saving elsewhere. That can only be from my daily living allowance area. By how much I will have to wait and see but it s over $700 for the year so far!

My last water bill was $148.25 but my water usage per was $4.80 for the quarter or 17 KL of water, not a lot by any standard, on this bill you have sewage charges too! Power has gone up by 22% on the last year. I have some solar panels so my cost are less than the norm but it will go up somewhat too! The list goes on so I will budget for around $1000 extra and put aside any extra for next year s hikes.

Today I had a senior coffee for free and penny pitcher Carmel Sundae for $1.20 at full price these would have cost about $6.40 for both, I ended up paying only $1.20 for the Sundae.