December is quite the opposite of November in terms of our spending. If November is low, December is high and the highest since we retired. This is expected because of the holidays.
In December 2019, we spent $8,748.80
Gifts
It is the holidays and the highest line items we have is our holiday gifts specifically for my family. It is a tradition in our family for the kids to give parents cash during Christmas, once the kids are independent, have a job and out of the family house. My older sister and I have been doing this since we graduated from college and start earning real money. I’ve increased the amount significantly since we had MBP. My parents have done so much to help us without expecting in return. Since we have some surplus, it just make sense to me to give some to them.
Health Insurance and Medical Expenses
Next line item is health insurance and medical expenses. This is the last month that we are paying COBRA and I expect this line item to go down considerably this year. We paid some drugs and doctor’s fee as part of our deductible. The good news is the I hit my out of pocket expense and was able to get a Willow pump fully covered by my insurance. I don’t think they fully covered this kind of pump since it is considered out of network, bus since I hit my out of pocket, they fully covered. I have to pay for the accessories, but the pump alone cost $464.2
iPhone 11 and a King Mattress
After contemplating for many months (even years) to upgrade my phone, I finally gave in and bought a new iPhone 11. I’ve had my iPhone 6 for 4 years. The memory doesn’t have enough capacity to hold the OS upgrades, my videos and my pictures. I use my phone as a camera to take pictures and video of MBP and I’m happy with this upgrade, considering that I use it everyday.
Another purchase this month is a king size mattress. We actually purchased one in Costco back in August but ended up returning it because it caused some back pain. I need a softer mattress to provide support as I am a side sleeper. I gambled and bought a Serta mattress online. It was on sale as part of the cyber monday. It’s been good so far and I’m planning to keep it.
A new Christmas Tree, Christmas Cards and Other Items
I also bought a new, unlit Christmas Tree. We donated my old 6.5 ft, pre-lit Christmas Tree that I got in 2009 for $25 at Walmart when we moved to this house. I’ve been telling myself that I want a new one since the old one really doesn’t have any leaves and just look sad. Considering that I bought it for so cheap, I can’t really expect anything more. The tree cost $168.94 on Amazon. My mom gave me all her red ornaments. She has a different theme every year and has been collecting ornaments since I can remember. I even got some ornaments that was from Manila. I still need to buy some lights for next year.
I also sent out 19 Christmas Cards on December 26th. I was late, I know, but I can’t get a good photo of the family. We finally got one from the actual Christmas Day. I went to Canva and design a card and printed 20 in FedEx. It actually cost more to print it than to order the cards online, but I want it to go out that day and not wait for shipping, so I suck it up. My husband got the envelopes and the stamps and the card went out that day. I’ll try not to procrastinate next year.
Our other items includes annual car registration for my 2011 Volkswagen Jetta, LED lights and about a dozen plain T-shirts for my husband.
And here’s our expenses for December 2019
| Description | Amount | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Christmas Gifts | 2,211.26 | |
| Health Insurance | 1,387.24 | Last month under Cobra |
| Electronics & Software | 934.47 | iPhone |
| Furnishings | 849.96 | Matress |
| Groceries | 668.05 | |
| 529 College Fund | 400.00 | |
| Pharmacy | 356.66 | Co pay for my progesterone shots |
| Doctor | 262.48 | Co pay for my husband's Dr's appointment |
| Utilities | 259.46 | This includes water, sewer, electric and gas |
| Shopping | 251.37 | A new 7.5 ft unlit Christmas tree and miscelaneous items from Amazon. |
| Restaurants | 163.16 | |
| Auto & Transport | 126.25 | Car registration for my 2010 Volkswagen Jetta |
| Household Supplies | 117.33 | We bought some 2 prong LED lights, wok and other items |
| Gym | 115.00 | Our last month of Y membership. We don't go enough to warrant paying for the monthly fee |
| Gift | 100.00 | Family birthday gifts |
| Gas & Fuel | 72.49 | |
| Clothing | 69.95 | About a dozen colored t-shirts for my husband from Hanes |
| Pet Food & Supplies | 68.81 | |
| HOA Dues | 68.25 | |
| Garbage | 61.75 | This should probably be included in the utilities above |
| Internet | 49.95 | |
| Baby Supplies | 46.44 | Bottles for my new pump |
| Christmas Cards | 30.17 | I printed about 20 christmas cards at Fedex |
| Lotion | 21.99 | |
| Fast Food | 18.97 | |
| Mobile Phone | 16.71 | |
| Christmas Shopping | 15.63 | |
| Library Fees | 5.00 | I put some money to print out items in the library. |
| Grand Total | 8,748.80 |
