September Finances

Well, contrary to my predictions just a few weeks ago, September, while not a blowout, nonetheless sailed past the $175.00 monthly mark I have been aiming at all 2018. How much past? Enough.

We spent $170.52 on food for the month. We paid out another $32.48 for household supplies. Grand total? $203.00.

That brings our monthly average to $180.29. Not bad. And if we keep to $175.00 per month for the remainder of 2018, we'll miss the $175.00 per month mark but come in only about $4.00 over.

Not bad at all.

We have been slowly eating our way through our pantry, although not as diligently as we could if you look at the money we spent. Admittedly, that food figure includes $18.58 we spent this month for a meeting at our house tonight.

Eating out (takeout, coffee out, sit down, whatever) came in at $70.58. There were still some trip costs in September ($20.94 on our long drive home) in that sum, an out-of-town concert ($12.65), and a couple of coffee dates (($6.50).

And then there was last Friday night. Both of us were exhausted to the core. When Warren got home from work, we looked at each other, I said "How about...?," he said "Let's go" before I finished, and we drove to our very favorite pizza place in the world, Sporty's in Prospect, Ohio. The owner greeted us and we laughed and chatted (we are longtime customers), the pizza and the salad were excellent, and there were leftovers the next day for Warren and his son David as they worked on a project. At $18.95 for a much needed date night, it was worth every penny.

The next few months hold some challenges, some food-related, some not. In October, the Symphony begins it's 40th season and we will hold a reception following the debut concert. Mayo looms in early November, followed the next week by the Percussive Arts Society International Conference in Indianapolis. Both of those events require some saving and watching costs, not to mention more eating out than usual. (Fact: I plan on eating at Shapiro's Delicatessen in Indianapolis; how I did not know of its existence until this year still boggles my mind.) I am likely have some large dental expenses coming up this month, courtesy of my lengthy myeloma treatment. And then, of course, the holidays and presents. We do not go overboard, but we do buy presents. So we are watching our dollars. Between our diligence and the dental work, our October food costs may come in lower!

I'm looking forward to finishing this year in solid shape. Onward!