Budget under COVID

Home & Utilities $18

- LADWP / gas / internet / phone / Netflix

I don't see us being able to cut out anything here. We use and enjoy all of the stuff in this group.

Transportation $17

- gas / car pmt

Same here. Even though I don't love having to drive, I do love our minivan and we are on track to having it paid off in like 9-10 months.

Groceries $25

- Von's / Aldi / Target

Not sure we can cut anything here except to continue cloth diapering and keep making our own baby food. The convenience and portability of prepackaged baby food and disposable diapers is addictive. But if we focus on a sustainable summer, I think we can continue to save in this category.

Personal & Family Care $1

- petco

Undeniable. Edna needs her spa time.

Health $2

- Costco / RiteAid 

This is vitamins. Prenatals, poly-vi-sol and baby Tylenol. Not able to be cut.

Insurance $5.50 

- car insurance

Again, not optional. But I guess we could lower it to liability when the car is paid off.

Restaurants & Dining $12

- bakery & fast food

This we are working to cut down. Every meal we make at home whittles away at this spending.

Shopping & Entertainment $24

- Google / Amazon / Flickr / Blog pro / NYT / LAT / Walmart / Grammarly / Costco / Consignment / Etsy

This one was a big shock to me. It seems like the most bloated category. I am just starting to get into the "Buy Nothing" project and I wonder if I could cut some of our spending in this area by just not buying stuff.

Travel $0

COVID has blessed us in this area. We don't travel and haven't for a year.

Cash, checks, misc $70

- rent

We have to pay for where we live. No question.

Giving $2

- paypal

Business Expenses $0

Education $0

Finance $41

- Capex / Citibank / taxes

This is I guess where we pay down our debts. We have 2 more years on our fertility loan, so this category isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Uncategorized $0

I was shocked to consider how much we spend EACH DAY on these various categories. I know we make a good salary and we are building up our savings and investments. But since I became a mom, I feel like I'm spending so much on toys and clothes and crap for myself and the Baby. I wonder if my spending is on stuff I need or stuff I want or just to have something to look forward to when a package arrives.

The analysis I would really like to do is a cost comparison between cloth and disposable diapers. I want to add up what we spent in terms of money and time to build our stash. Then add in the extra cost of water and electricity in the past year compared to the previous year. Just to know.