So, I started formally tracking my expenses Jan 2018. I did it for a year, and it was enlightening to notice the trends. For the most part I update my spreadsheet every three months and have been posting the results. My blog also includes my projected budget for the year which serves as a guidepost primarily. You don’t want your money just blowing in the wind with no purpose, do ya?
What I have noticed with some other personal finance bloggers who do publish their budgets, income/expenses, savings, etc (collectively “Their Numbers”) is that some publish their alcohol spending. Conceivably that has been identified by many as a line item that needs to be monitored and reduced. Some also do fast food, coffee runs, subscriptions etc… general non-essential things that exist in their lives as essential.
I don’t drink alcohol or even coffee for that matter, and I already separate my Eating Out from Groceries. I have always been aware that I have a sickening sweet tooth. I can’t pass up a cookie or fresh baked good. The smell, the smell… it works on me every time. Given that diabetes is prevalent in these Southern States, I know I probably need to start watching my intake of sugary delights.
So, I thought wouldn’t it be fun to track how much I actually spend on sweets in a month. I know the actual dollar amount probably won’t be that high as my monthly grocery budget stays under or around $200/mon. But proportionally, I’m curious how much of that is a) not nutritious b) covered in sugar.
Let the record reflect the following:
| Purchase Date | Item | Cost |
| 4/3/2019 | Lucky Charms | $2.00 |
| 4/3/2019 | Fruit Punch (12pk) | $2.19 |
| 4/3/2019 | Corn Pops | $2.50 |
| 4/6/2019 | Kettle Corn | $0.50 |
| 4/14/2019 | Cookie | $1.69 |
| 4/21/2019 | Fruit Punch | $1.50 |
| 4/21/2019 | Froot Loops | $1.00 |
| 4/23/2019 | Cookie Dough | $2.04 |
| 4/27/2019 | Reese PB Cookie Dough | $2.89 |
| 4/27/2019 | Pillsbury Brownie Cookie | $2.89 |
| 4/27/2019 | French Toast Sticks | $1.25 |
| 4/27/2019 | Cinnamon French Toast Sticks | $1.25 |
| Total | $21.70 | |
| Total Groceries | $111.50 |
So twenty bucks in sweets doesn’t seem like a lot on the surface, but given that I spent only around $100 in groceries this month, it’s kind of a lot! If you can’t guess, I really enjoy cookies. They’re so simple and so good. And now I’ve gone from making them from scratch, to using the cookie mix, to now just ready-to-bake!
In summary, 19% of my food spending is pure sugar!
Yikes. Definitely some room for improvement there.
Read More: 7 FIRE-UNFriendly Things I Still Do on My Early Retirement Journey: A Listicle
What about you, what tiny thing do you keep buying, that you could do well not to?
Fees – Five dollars was for a cancelled Uber when I got lost in the shuffle of a surprise overnight stay in Charlotte. Ugh, I am not the savvy traveler I used to be. I mostly just panicked and had trouble navigating a cell phone and an iPad. I’m so out of practice with all this new-fangled technology! I think the other three dollars were for parking and a bank fee to use my debit card in Canada. That dumb bank!
In South Africa, I mostly lounged, ate, and slept. My host had a great covered patio with a pool and it was the perfect lounge spot. I ate all my meals outside. I read outside. I napped outside. The weather was quite ideal for my chosen activities. I didn’t go because my host said it was dangerous and didn’t want me traveling alone, but Botswana is a 6 hour bus ride away. And Cape Town is only $110/rdtrp from Johannesburg. Note to self for next time.
My host had a domestic African woman who cleaned and cooked. It was very odd for me coming from America. When we ate, the woman ate in a little separate area off the kitchen. And from what I could tell she slept on the floor in one of the spare bedrooms. Yes, spare bedroom with a bed. It was very strange and I didn’t share my concerns with my family or my host. But otherwise, we all travelled and hung out together.
Door to door:
