July Finances

As I speculated in my post about our June finances, July was a lower cost month on the groceries and household front. Grocery (food) expenditures: $140.95. Household (things like dish soap, laundry detergent): $12.36. Grand total? A cool $153.31.

Our year-to-date monthly average? $173.78. With only five (5!—count 'em!—5!) months left in 2108, we should hit the $175.00 per month average for groceries and household that I am aiming for.

July did hold a major expense: my quarterly trip to Mayo Clinic. That came in at $620.79, which covers hotel, car rental, gas, and meals.

Downtown breakfast at its finest

Our eating out expenses were all over the board. We had some increased eating out expenses because of that  trip to Mayo/ During the trip we took long-time friends out to dinner in Rochester. Warren and I ate that night for $37.50, which included some truly excellent steamed mussels. Just before our leaving for Mayo, our good friends Dick and Milly flew in from California and we tried to get a ballgame in at Great American Ballpark. The evening was a soggy mess and we left before the game got underway after 10:00 p.m. But some of our eating out final numbers includes the hot dog, brat, and ice cream that night ($23.25). The next morning I took our friends downtown to eat at the local diner. A good time was had by all, and yes, my breakfast went into the total. Overall our eating out cost in July came in at $131.50, $66.00 of which we incurred traveling to and from Mayo, including those mussels that one night.

August's expenses while we are at home should be modest too. It is what happens after we head west on vacation that will add up. The tickets are already purchased and paid for in full, as is the rental car. But there will be meals out and groceries in as we share love and food with our family. Warren has never set foot in Winco, my favorite grocery out there. Ramona has a birthday while we are out there.

Birthday cake, anyone?