The February Budget Breakdown

Here it is friends.

The FIRST budget breakdown post.

These are meant to help all you budgeting peeps have some accountability and encouragement.

In these posts we will write up typical expenses that may get overlooked for the particular month. Then we have a photo link up portion where YOU can upload a photo of your budget committee meeting for the month! The link up is meant to be a source of accountability and fun. Budgeting isn’t the most thrilling activity out there…but when you can take a creative selfie along with it? It becomes MUCH more entertaining. 🙂

So besides the obvi expenses for the month of February (food, lights, water, shelter, etc.) what else might you anticipate at your budget meeting?

• Super BowlXLIX
  • Food for your party, etc
• Valentine’s Day
  • Gifts for family members
  • Parties, decorations, etc
• Items you might run out of this month (toilet paper, paper towels, dishwasher or clothing detergent, shampoo, face wash, etc)
• Expenses Related to Taxes
  • Accountant/CPA/Tax Preparer
  • Turbo Tax, etc
  • E-Filing Fees
• Winter clothing needs
• Small pick-me-ups to ward off Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) aka the winter blues
• Vitamins or supplements that are typically on sale during the winter months
• Insurance premiums
  • Auto, Home, Life, etc

Perhaps some of those will apply to you and others won’t. Those are all expenses we are experiencing this month that are out of the ordinary that need space in our budget. For some of those bigger expenses like auto and life insurance premiums, we’ve set up what’s called a sinking fund. Since those expenses are almost always the same and we know they come up annually or bi-annually, we put money away in our budget monthly for them. Then when it’s time to pay the expense, money has been accruing all the other months of the year so it’s not such a deep hit on the month the expense occurs.

Now, it’s time for the fun!

Give us your best budgeting selfie and be as creative and out-of-the-box as you want! 🙂 I admit we look terrible in our photo but let’s be honest – that’s how we look on Saturday mornings before we’ve showered for the day. You’re getting us as real as it gets.

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