We enjoyed the sunny month of August. There were very warm days and we had to turn on our portable air conditioner. We don’t have central AC. In fact majority of the houses in the Pacific Northwest do not have AC. We rarely experience 90 degree weather and it always cool down at night. An open windows and a fan makes it comfortable at night. It cost over 5K to install central air and it doesn’t satisfy the cost considering it will only be use 10 times a year, at most.

In August our early retirement spending are $2,408.77

Food and Dining – $711.34

We continue on our Plant Based / Whole food diet. One of the barrier on promoting a plant based diet is cost. Our snacks are fruits and veggies. It is ridiculous that fresh fruits and vegetables are more expensive than junk foods. For example, a Costco size Ruffles cost $5.99 while a pack of mangoes cost $7.99. Both are also not taxable. The only fruits that are not expensive are bananas. Eating healthy is still cheaper than taking medications later on. I am also enjoying the sweet peaches, mangoes, cantaloupe, and apples. Our household love fruits! We also ordered a Burger King take out. It wasn’t as good as I thought it would be. I think my taste pallet is changing.

Auto and Transportation – $475.84

We paid $356.64 for annual tab for our Prius. It is high because of a new tax subsidy for light rail. We also spent $98.36 to get a change oil, $18.84 bucks for gas and $2 bucks for parking.

Utilities – $447.46

This looks high because I forgot to pay for electric and gas last month. We also paid for water and garbage bill this month. Our sewer, internet and and very cheap cell phone plan are consistent month over month.

Kids – $378.57

We bought this expensive high chair for MBP. I’ve been looking for a second hand for a while but this is hard to come by. I think people keep this chair until their kids go to college. AHP is starting to seat by himself and we started on some solids. I want to move MBP out of his high chair where he would feel comfortable and seat on the table. He loves his “big boy” chair! He can seat and get off his chair by himself. He also wants to seat there to color. I’ve been thinking of getting him a table, but I probably won’t do it since he can just use the dining table now with his chair. We also bought a coloring book and pull ups diaper for MBP.

Pets – $115.55

This is our furbaby’s kibble, treats and some toys ordered online from Petco and Amazon.

Health and Fitness – $96.98

I bought contact lenses from Costco. This should last me a year until my prescription expires.

Others – $183.03

Some household stuff, a printer cartridge and our HOA fees.

Below is the details of our spending. This line item is very detail. I added more categories on mint. I like to see trends for each item so I can see if there are opportunity to optimize some expenses.

July 1st marked our first year anniversary of early retirement. It was fastest year, yet many slow days with a toddler and an infant. Our spending is not normal. This is the year of paying Cobra, giving birth and the pandemic. The first two contributed to an increase in expenses while the pandemic probably decrease our expenses. It is hard to say if our spending will stay consistent. I don’t know what a “normal” year will look like.

In July, we spent, $2,341.59

Groceries – $739.16

Groceries continue to be on top of our spending. This month, we decided to eat more plant based recipe. We watched Forks Over Knives and changed our diet to eliminate most meat. We are eating more plat based / whole foods and limit our meat to once or twice a week. This change is probably the reason of the increase because we don’t have a go-to recipes. We have been have been experimenting with ingredients. Maybe we will be better on this once we accumulate some bulk ingredients.

Electronics – $491.32

Mr. MMD got a new iPhone. I got a new one last December and he’s been using my sister’s old iPhone 6. It is no longer charging. He finally got a new iPhone SE. He returned his old iPhone back for a rebate, but we won’t know the rebate amount until Apple gets the phone.

Home Improvement – $404.16

I am making some roman shades for the kids bedroom and their playroom. There are 4 windows in total. I bought a black out insulated windows and drapery fabrics and some materials needed for the shades. We finally installed one for MBP’s bedroom. It’s not professional looking, but it does the job. I also didn’t add the pull mechanism yet because I don’t want the kids to be playing with the strings. This is good for now and it is a lot better than the former curtains.

Two of our carbon monoxide and fire alarm detector also expired, so we bought a new one. That beeping was really annoying, especially when it happened at nap times. Oh well, we know now that these alarms expires every 7 years.

Others – $706.95

The rest are pretty normal expenses. There are monthly expenses like 529 college plan and HOA dues. I also split our utility bills as a category for each bill. I separated electric and gas as 1 bill, sewer, internet and mobile phone as another. We also have some discretionary expenses and bought some toys and kids supplies and we had some fast food take out because I’m craving for it.

Celebrating July

This is the second year that we celebrated 4th of July in an unincorporated county. It is legal to have some fireworks here at certain times, unlike in the city. HOA frowned upon it, but the neighborhood doesn’t seem to care. Last year, we were invited to a party in our block. I basically just walked around and our neighbor invited us. This year, there were no parties but all our neighbors were out in their front porch. We set up some chairs and watched our neighbors fired up some fireworks. MBP enjoyed it. It was hard to tell a 3 year old to keep 6ft apart from the other kids though, but we tried to make sure that we keep the social distance. AHP slept through all the fireworks while our furbaby thought that it was the end of the world.

Overall July was great considering that we are still in a lockdown. Maybe we were just getting used to this new normal and our expectations were low. It was a bit more expensive, but not alarming.

Here’s a recap to our spending in 2020:

• January – $2,471.5
• February – $2,192.44
• March – $1,685.85
• April – $8,666.55
• May – $2,059.62
• June – $1812.03
• July – $2,341.59

And here is the breakdown of our expenses in July

How’s your July?

It is still hard to believe that the first half of 2020 is over. It was the quickest and yet the slowest year at the same time. AHP is officially out of the newborn phase and we celebrated MBP’s 3rd birthday in the middle of the pandemic.

Spending wise, in June we spent 1,812.03

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Groceries – $623.89

Groceries still top our spending. There are really no other way to spend money in quarantine aside from food. In June, we (I mean my husband, mostly) cooked everything we ate. We haven’t had a chance to discover any new restaurants in the area to get some take outs. For those times that we did, pre COVID-19, we were disappointed, so it is fairly easy to just cook everything at home. We did spend quite a bit on groceries, majority of it spent at Costco and WINCO.

Household Supplies – $200.49

This category seems to be catch all for everything we needed to maintain the house. We bought a new lawnmower because the battery of our old lawnmower was no longer charging. We found some hacks to revive it but my husband doesn’t think it will last. My husband bought one that plug in to the electric outlet. He seems to like it better even with the cord. We thought about buying a gas powered mower, but getting gas is just a hassle and the thought of keeping it in our garage scares me.

Utilities – $316.05

Utilities includes water, sewer, electric and gas. My husband says that our water bill is $40 higher this month since we turned on the sprinkler on our front yard. We are trying to revive the lawn and I guess $20/month is not so bad. I didn’t recognize the trend since our water bill is lump to utilities. Electric and gas is $40 cheaper though since we are no longer using the heater.

Gifts – $125

The fundraising event for MBP’s coop was canceled for the year because of COVID-19. Majority of the funds for his coop comes from this event. We decided to donate the cost of 2 tickets to the coop.

Birthday, Anniversary and Father’s Day

We celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary this month and MBP’s 3rd birthday. He was born a day after our anniversary. Mr. MMD got some flowers and we had a pretty low key celebration.

We invited my immediate family for MBP’s birthday. This includes my parents, my grandmother and my 3 siblings. I made a rainbow cupcake, some rolls and bake chicken while my parents brought some Filipino food. It was a lovely day and our bellies were full. We had so much fun seeing MBP get so excited for his birthday. A week before his birthday, he was asking what day it was and keep on telling us that “today he is 2, but on Saturday he will be 3”. It was hilarious and he was so happy blowing his birthday cake. I was a bit bummed since I thought that this is the first time that we can celebrate his birthday with his classmates, but he still had a lot of fun! He was really excited with all his gifts. Just shortly after, we visited the kids pediatrician for AHP’s 4 month check up and MBP’s 3 year check up. It’s the only adventure out for the kids. We stayed home for the rest of the month, but enjoyed the sunny weather and the trails in our neighborhood.

We also celebrated Father’s day and just like other celebrations, it was very low key. MBP “made” a card and my husband cooked some pancake ~ the usual breakfast every Sunday.

Here’s a recap to our spending in 2020:

• January – $2,471.5
• February – $2,192.44
• March – $1,685.85
• April – $8,666.55
• May – $2,059.62
• June – $1812.03

We’re tracking under 40k if we assume that our expenses will just double through out the year. Holidays are always expensive though, and we still don’t know if MBP’s school will open for the year.

And here’s the breakdown of our May expenses

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

We hit our lowest retirement spending this month. Our spending was very bare bones given the stay home stay safe order in Washington state. The whole chaos was hard. I was very much looking forward to being normal after being on a modified bed rest. The COVID-19 virus also brought some anxiety in our family. Our son, MBP has a weak lungs, as a result of prematurity. Just last January, we were on urgent care for a cold that needed a breathing treatment. The traumatic experience from the NICU and post partum hormones are not good combination. I am better now but I still have some overwhelming days. My body adjusted with lack of straight sleep. I still get 6+ hours of sleep at any given day, just not straight.

In March we spent $1,685.85

Food – $646.93

It makes sense that this was our highest spending for three months straight now. We didn’t eat out, but we stock up on groceries. We also ordered some food from Amazon. We were able to stay in for three weeks before my husband have to do a grocery run. We probably could have go on for 4 weeks, but we ran out of fresh veggies and fruits and some key ingredients for a meal.

Utilities – $200.91

This was for sewer, electric and gas. Gas was pretty high this month since I set our heating to 65 C at night. I thought that it will help our baby sleep through the night. It didn’t. I moved it back down to 55 C.

Kids – $114.51

I ordered 2 copies of AHP’s birth certificates, some baby wipes, MBP’s rain boots and some bubble juice. I bought MBP some rain boots since his class will start having some outdoor time rain or shine. He haven’t used it because (1) He complains that it is too heavy for him and (2) His class was cancelled for the year.

Internet – $99.9

This was for 2 months. The February bill was posted in March.

Pet Supplies – $92.93

We bought our furbaby her kibble and her monthly treats.

Gas – $17.5

We didn’t go anywhere in February.

Shopping – $16.38

Socks for the Mr. because a lot of his socks have holes.

Mobile Phone – $15.97

Another month with a very inexpensive mobile phone bill for 2 lines through Xfinity Mobile.

Subscription – $12

Monthly payment for Amazon prime and a subscription for PBS channel for a month. MBP really loves Daniel Tiger and we are getting tired of seeing both Season 1 and Season 2 over and over and over again. We tried getting MBP to watch other shows, but his answer is always no – he wants to watch Daniel Tiger.

Electronics and Software – $.57

This is my AWS bill for hosting this blog. I am almost done with the promo year and I will need to find a way to move this site somewhere else. I think there is a way to keep it in AWS.

Our second son, Adam Henry or AHP completed our little family on February 15, 2020. I made it to term at 39 weeks and 3 days. AHP was born at 7 lbs 12 ounces and 20.5 inches long

As of this writing, we already survived one month with 2 kids, and a month of sleep deprivation. The chaos surrounding us with COVID-19 virus didn’t help, and it doesn’t seem to have an end.

In February, we spent $2,192.44

Food – $599.34

Food is our highest expense for 2 months in a row. We ordered some takeouts while I was in the hospital. It includes a take out from Burger King, right after I gave birth and a take out from an Asian Restaurant for dinner during the night that I spent in the hospital. Aside from those, our meals were cooked at home. We spent $566.86 in groceries. $301.33 were spent in Costco and $223.93 were spent in WINCO. The rest were scattered between Fred Myer and Walmart.

Utilities – $366.04

We paid for garbage and water this month. Both were paid bimonthly.

Doctor – $193.05

We chose to circumcise AHP. The procedure was elective and not covered by insurance. I was surprised of the cost. My quote from my OB office was about $400. I found out that AHP’s pediatrician does it and we chose her to perform the procedure instead of my OB office. Our pediatrician is local and we will be able to save the drive. I didn’t even asked for a quote. I was prepared to pay upwards of $400, but was happily surprised when the receptionist told us the price. My husband and I looked at each other because it cost half of the quote I received from my OB’s office. It was also half of the cost the the insurance paid for MBP’s circumcision.

Baby Supplies – $184.9

We bought some newborn diapers, size 1 diapers, diaper cream and a formula for AHP. I supplemented with formula because my milk didn’t came in until day 4. We bought diapers since the size of our cloth diaper will not fit AHP until he is about 10 lbs. Our plan is to get through the size 1 diapers and the switch him to cloth diapers. The baby supplies also included some bottle nipples and saline solution for MBP. Shortly later, we were able to convince MBP to give up his bottle and drink his milk straight from the cup. Win win win here. He is also doing well on potty training and is only on diaper at naps and bed time.

Furnishings – $99.4

We bought this at Amazon for the guest room / my husband’s office. We thought about a murphy bed for the guest room / office, but it didn’t make sense. Murphy beds will cost more than our current bed and will be used 10+ days in a year when my in-laws are here. We got this bed so we can fold it and keep it in the closet along with the mattress whenever we don’t have visitors.

Shopping – $71.19

Mr. MMD bought some crocs, socks and dry erase markers.

The rest were some routine monthly expenses like HOA, Gas, Cellphone and Prime Subscription. Gas expenses was down this month since we didn’t go anywhere. We also received a discounted membership for Prime since we are eligible for Apple Healthcare. Cellphone bill is cheap at $16.12 for two lines from Xfinity Mobile.

Overall, expenses remain low. I will never forget the month of February with the birth of AHP, the artificial highs in the stock market just to see it plummet in a couple of weeks.

And here’s our expenses for February 2020. I hope you are all doing well. Take care, wash your hands and practice social distancing.