After my post last week about the beginning of Money Monday, my friend Yara told me she and her boyfriend use a Google Docs template. I didn't even know they made templates! I tried out a couple and found the best fit for me was Personal Monthly Budget by Vertex42. You just enter your information and it does all the work for you. I hate math, so me and this template became fast friends.
The blacked-out parts are my income. I just didn't feel comfortable broadcasting how much I make. It's odd enough for me tell people my expenses. I did get my first part-time paycheck the other day and my lifestyle is really taking a hit, especially because I'm determined not to touch the little I have in savings.
Details:
I don't have that many expenses, which is nice. My rent is pretty cheap at $480 (including Internet/Cable), but my car payment is high at 360.06. My insurance is $149 because I'm young and I got a ticket for "running a red light" (it was yellow!) a year ago on my way to catch a flight to New York from JAX. I used to pay about $65 a month on a cell phone, but my parents put me on their plan for Christmas last year. The $9 is for my Netflix account. I will change it to an exact number after my first billing cycle with their new rates.
I'm trying not to spend more than $60 a month on gas, which means limiting my out-of-town travel. My grocery budget is $150. I'm not sure how much I usually should be spending on groceries because I don't buy them often (I usually eat out), so I'm going to be a couponing fiend and try to only grocery shop at Wal-Mart (I know they're evil, but the budget demands low prices or starvation). That presents a gas problem since it's about a 20-minute drive from my house.
Next week, I'm thinking coupons. Any good coupon websites I should check out?
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