I'm Back! September Budget Results

We are back from our trip to Oregon and my American relatives have just left today so I am trying to get organized and back to normal life.  I would have loved to share with you loads of beautiful pictures of Oregon, but the truth is, with the exception of one travel day the weather was miserable the entire time we were there.  Apparently, the remnants of a Pacific Typhoon decided to blast Oregon, Washington and the coast of British Columbia with torrential downpours and windstorms causing damage and flooding.


My cousin got married in a beautiful Vineyard in Oregon but the wedding was basically slammed by the weather in every aspect.  The unfortunate part about planning an expensive Wedding based on a venue that looks beautiful in great weather - is that things can get ugly in poor weather.  In the end, a very happy couple is now married and everyone survived the wedding.  We managed to dodge the flooding and even managed to catch the ferries when just hours before all the ferries were cancelled due to high winds.  Back home I found out the very same storm slammed Vancouver Island and many were without power but our little Island pad remained unscathed. Needless to say, we are glad to be home.  I will be sharing the few photos I did take in my next blog post.  The poor weather did not, however, impede shopping for items that cost much less in the U.S.A. than in Canada.  Now for the September financials!

September Grocery Budget 
$425 - Actual Spent was $599.01.  Over on budget but this amount includes all the money spent on items in the U.S.A. that will hopefully save me in the future. This category includes all over the counter medications, personal grooming items, soaps, cleaners and household items for two adults who eat at home 99% of the time.

Previous 2013 year to date overage $233.35 plus this month's overage of $174.01 = $407.36 year to date overage.  Coupons used  - $6.00.   Our primary goal was to save as much money on big ticket budget busting over the counter medications.  Based on local prices, I estimate we paid about 1/3 of what we would have back in Canada.  That sucks but is the truth.  I would love to shop local and get the same kind of prices but it just is not possible so whenever we go to the States we will be stocking up.  The big savings was on store brand generics, even including contact solution that is a Walmart Equate generic brand in the USA but not available in Canada.    I did buy a few food items but based on limited space we kept those to a minimum, only buying items that we cannot buy in Canada like Jalapeno Ketchup and Jiffy Corn Muffin mix.

Although our company office products don't factor in to my monthly budget we also purchased 10 toner cartridges for our printer and saved approximately $33 per cartridge.  Now we have enough toner for the next year.   When we can save money for the business, ultimately that money stays in our personal pockets.


Hair Budget
Annual budget $250 -  Left in Budget $155.73
$18.75 spent on a haircut including tip.  $136.98 left for the year in the budget.  This month I need a haircut and to buy a home coloring kit.

Clothing Budget
Annual Budget $200 - $127.56

Spent this month? $151.50!!  Yes, I have now gone over the annual budget by $23.94.  Definitely not the end of the world and I am now fully stocked up with undergarments which was the bulk of that.  I did buy a snazzy red leather purse at an outlet store as all accessories are included in this category.  Was it worth blowing the budget for?  Probably not but I had to have it, after all, I am a girl :)  And from here on out for the rest of the year I will only buy clothing if absolutely necessary, or such a great deal that it cannot be passed up (wish me luck on that).

Christmas 2013
We started buying Christmas presents this month.  I bought an inexpensive bottle of Rum in Oregon($9.99 USD there, in Canada the same bottle would be $28 CAD) that is being tucked away along with two presents, one of which was lost in the shuffle of unpacking and having relatives visit.  It was less than $10 but I hope we can find it before Christmas.  Such is life!

Losing Weight Challenge
Starting weight June 1, 2013 = 150 lbs.  Weight July 1 was  145.6 lbs.  August 1 was 144.4 lbs.  Sept 1 143.0 lbs.  Weight today?  144 lbs.  I actually weighed as low as 140.5 lbs right before our trip but due to eating out and hosting large meals with relatives I have gained a couple of pounds.  Time to be good again as my goal weight is 135 lbs and I really want to keep going.

Now I am off to visit all of my blog friends and catch up on what's been going on.  Cheers!