We incurred many one time expenses for this month and our spending is A LOT higher than usual.
In April we spent $8,666.55.
529 College Plan – $3200
Our contribution to the kids 529 college plan was high for this month. I opened AHP’s 529 account with a one time contribution of $3000. Vanguard has a minimum requirement of $3000 to open an account. We did the same with MBP and now we have one with AHP.
Property Taxes – $3,043.38
This was the first half of our property taxes. The first half was due in April which was extended to July because of COVID-19. We decided to pay it now since we have the money anyway.
Lawn and Garden – $771.56
Aaahhh we live a very luxurious life and hired someone to take care of our lawn. We reseeded the front lawn last year, but it didn’t seem to work. We don’t have the time to take care of the lawn with the newborn and the toddler, so we decided to hire some one else to do it. We will see by this year if it is worth it.
Groceries – $689.8
Groceries are averaging to be about $600 – $700 per month even pre COVID 19. So, the pandemic didn’t seem to change our spending habits. Mr. MMD is currently in charge of our groceries, planning our meals and our main chef. At one point, we used to switch every 7 days but, pregnancy, giving birth, and having a newborn happen. At some point, I’m sure I’ll get back out there.
Others
Auto insurance also kicked in this month. The insurance is for 6 months liability coverage of our Prius. We did not insure my Volkswagen because we never used it.
It’s really weird to be writing this monthly expense in the midst of pandemic. Our spending wasn’t affected at all. We passed the first quarter and our total spending for the year was at 15k. The trend was also downward, perhaps because of the lockdown. Although I’m not sure if we will spend more in normal circumstances. Just to recap, our spending for the year is below:
- January – $2,471.5
- February – $2,192.44
- March – $1,685.85
- April – 8,666.55
| Description | Amount | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 529 College Fund | 3,200.0 | As described above |
| Property Tax | 3,043.4 | Half of our 2020 property taxes |
| Lawn & Garden | 771.6 | Bill for our lawn and garden maintenance |
| Groceries | 689.8 | Food, mostly Costco and Winco |
| Utilities | 379.5 | This includes garbage and water for this month |
| Auto Insurance | 192.5 | Car insurance for our Prius for 6 months |
| Kids | 129.2 | Some items for the kids |
| HOA Dues | 68.3 | |
| Household Supplies | 67.4 | TP, Paper towels, sponges |
| Internet | 48.0 | |
| Pet Food & Supplies | 31.4 | |
| Mobile Phone | 16.0 | Another month of Xfinity mobile for 2 lines using less than 1GB of data |
| Electronics & Software | 15.3 | |
| Alcohol & Bars | 7.7 | A beer for Mr. MMD |
| Subscription | 6.6 | Prime monthly subscription |
| Grand Total | 8,666.55 |