October went by quick and it was busier than expected. We had our normal October activities like visiting the Pumpkin Patch and Halloween. New this year is MBP fundraising event for his school. It was a school fun run. The school ended up raising $27k+ in this event and MBP’s class raised funds the most. In my opinion, this is a great fundraising event. No need to sell anything, just straight up asking folks for some money. I volunteered at the event and saw the kids had a lot of fun running around. I was initially scared that MBP will need his in-hailer, but he didn’t need to. He did end up crying in the beginning because he keeps tripping while other kids run over him. He was slow. One of the moms saw him and walked him towards me. I told him that he can walk instead, but he insisted on running. The other kids finally slowed down and MBP kept running. He was really focus and was so happy afterwards. I was so proud of him. I’m always worried that his lungs never really develop because of prematurity. He gets winded quickly, but we know that he actually need to slowly develop his lungs through exercise. We walk to school everyday. I’m hoping that this will help.
We also visited the Pumpkin Patch this year. We’ve been going here since MBP started in his coop school. I recommended this to MBP’s campfire group. One of the parents put it together and got us a deal, which is fantastic! The weather was great and it was a lot of fun.
In October we spent $7,982.95. It is less than our September spending. Let’s look at it…
| CATEGORY | Spending |
|---|---|
| Taxes | $3,092.71 |
| Home | $1,429.48 |
| Food & Dining | $1,002.53 |
| Health & Fitness | $833.75 |
| Kids | $407.65 |
| Bills & Utilities | $401.98 |
| Shopping | $392.42 |
| Auto & Transport | $198.11 |
| Uncategorized | $120.00 |
| Pets | $77.32 |
| Gifts & Donations | $27.00 |
| Total | $7,982.95 |
Taxes – $3,092.71
Our second half of property tax was due. I paid the 50 cents convenience fee to pay via ACH. Washington’s property tax was about 1% of the property value. The rate was actually lower than other state, but property values here in the Pacific Northwest was high, so the absolute value was high. We chose to stay in a “smaller” 2500 sq ft home in our neighborhood. Our house is probably the cheapest in the block.
Home – $1,429.48
I finally bought a new mattress and it cost $1,154.13. We’ve been using my old queen mattress from 2006 and I’ve been having some back issues. It’s been so bad that I slept on our Thermarest Mondo King camp mattress. I actually purchased a king beds in 2019, one from Costco, which we returned and one from Macy’s which we used for a little over a year until it sagged. That Macy’s King Bed was a waste of money. I was hesitant on buying a new mattress again. I spent a lot of time researching. I ended up buying a 9 inch latex mattress with 120 day trial period. I’m on my second week now and so far my back pain is lot a less and I’m back sleeping in the bed. I’ll write a more comprehensive review about it after the 120 days trial.
We also spent $195.7 at Lowes and $79.65 for our HOA.
Food and Dining – $1,002.53
Our groceries clocked in at $958.6. There might be some non-grocery items here since we buy some other things at Walmart and Costco. Now that the boys are in our neighborhood schools, it’s easier to buy groceries at Walmart, but Mr. MMD still go to Winco for the bulk section items. I ate out in the beginning of the month and spent $31.93 and we also got the boys a $12 cotton candy during Salmon Days.
Health and Fitness – $833.75
I continue to see an out of network ophthalmologist. Apparently I suffer from dry eyes. The prescription cost $310 for a 6 month restasis treatment. I saw a chiropractor 3 times this month as well. Total cost of doctor visits were $273.77 for both the opthalmogist and chiro. Our health insurance for a gold plan is $99.58. Our dental insurance were $41.4. I also started a vision insurance for $5/month. I also had a dental filing this month and it cost me $104 for co-pay.
Kids – $407.65
Preschool tuition is still a majority of this at $323/month. Supplies are $54.11 and other school materials are $30.54
Bills and Utilities – $401.98
Our electric and gas is $198.78. This is for 2 months as I forgot to pay it last month. Sewer is constant at $66.46. Internet is $61 for 2 months. Water is $46.78. We used about 2gb of data for our cellphone and paid $28.96 for 2 lines.
Shopping – $392.42
Overall shopping is $172.39. Clothing, mostly kids clothes, kids shoes and halloween costumes are $142.33. Household supplies are $70.05 and our prime subscription is $7.65
Auto and Transport – $198.11
Gas were $198.11. and oil change for our 2010 Volkswagen Jetta is $84.3
Misc – $120
Mr. MMD withdrew $120 cash. He likes having cash, which we usually spend at the fair or Sunday market.
Pets – $77.32
Our Corgi’s food.
Gifts and Donation – $27
This is the Groupon deal for our annual family photo that we used for our holiday cards.
We spent quite a bit on furniture this year. I get a lot of utility on these items and everything is use everyday. Our couch is awesome and we use it everyday. Our bed is awesome and we use it everyday. My hope is that our new latex mattress will last like my old queen mattress that I bought in 2006. So far it is comfortable, but it is too soon to tell if it will sag or not. Our shed housed all our garden materials everyday.
Mint is about to sunset and I will be moving our spending to Empower going forward. There are 2 more months left in 2023. Holidays are in full swing. I’m looking forward to it.