April Income/Expense Report

Here it is, my monthly cashflow report. This month was something of a success - I knew going in that my income was going to be significantly lower. I also knew going in that I wanted to throw a barbeque, do my lemon tree project, and pay for a night out to dinner for Boyfriend & I - I managed to do all of those things and sock more into savings than any other month this year. Not buying groceries (save for some stuff for the bbq, some of which is in the freezer for next time) helped, and so did very careful tracking of my expenses. Here's a side-by-side income/expense category comparison between March & April.

The bills category includes my rent, and almost all of our utilities were lower this month, except electricity which went up a few bucks. I spent far more on leisure than usual - throwing the bbq, Boyfriend's band played a few shows (I donated to one venue and drank a beer at two others), and going to a wide release movie (even with a student-priced ticket I was reminded of why I almost never see just-released movies.) Gas prices having been shooting up insanely, so my auto expenses were higher. My ebay seller fees for March came due in April, so I wound up spending a bit more there as well. But for the most part, spending was down in every category and $192.50 of that went into savings. Looking back on April, I definitely could have put at least $50 more away, but I'm still pretty pleased with how I did.

My goal for May is to keep excess spending to a minimum. Aside from Boyfriend's birthday (we're taking a short jaunt to San Diego), I want to spend a little as possible on leisure activities. My grocery shopping shouldn't hurt too badly (I'm 2/3 done and I've only spent about $31.) I want to put at least $200 into savings in May as well. Most of my income will come from my wages, I expect much less from other sources this month. Well, aside from the government, and most of that rebate check is going to be socked away like I never got it.