Review of April, Goals for May

I can't believe it is already the 10th of May! Woohoo, that means the 6th of June (last day of school) is just around the corner.

April had many uncommon events and activities which led to many more expenses. Happily, we paid cash for everything. No credit cards in this house!

My husband and Christin went to New York for a Week on a school trip. Christin, being frugal like her mama went with $50 in spending money that she earned from a car wash. She came home with $18 left!

We had Spring Break which led to a trip to the county fair. We attended two out of town Regional Dance Competitions which resulted in a couple of trips to a fast food place (although we took our own cooler and snacks) and more gas purchases. We (as in my husband) did some major landscape work in the front yard which added up to about $277 in unplanned expenses. And we had to buy 2 new tires for my vehicles to the tune of $215.

Here are the numbers:
Groceries, food, fast food: $549
Gasoline: $304
Home Improvement: $277
Electric Bill: $132 (This will probably increase as the temperatures climb)
Entertainment/Travel: $357

In the way of savings:
We began a TD Ameritrade account and deposited $100 into it. We are putting in $50 per month.
We maintained our emergency fund of $1000 (Baby Step 1)
We are not saving anymore until we pay off the IRS!

Goals for May:
Pay off the IRS

Survive 2 more field trips and 4 more weeks of school without losing the bank. I have yearbooks to buy, a trip to Universal Studios, a trip to Sea World, and teacher gifts to purchase.

Plan for summer. We will get paid 5 paychecks on June 10th and then not again until August 31st! I hate it but that's the way they pay us for summer.

Grocery budget: $300 (Already spent $24)
Gas budget: $300
Entertainment/travel: $200 for field trips (already spent $60 from the zoo trip)

Everthing else should be normal. Except our car insurance went up $14 per month!!! Yuck!