Budget Blown

Last week we went $136.53 over our budget. Yikes! We had to buy some office supplies ($43.72) and then we splurged on a chicken dinner at Brook's Barbecue ($27.30). Another big expense came when we had to mail our Christmas guests' packages to Florida--they'd bought each other more than they could carry home on the plane, so they boxed everything up and left it for us to ship: $32.92. Also, I spent $25 on a savings bond for my nieces' birthday.

This month, including this week, we've spent $601.97. We've still got the rest of this week and the weekend to go, and we've going to visit my family, which means we'll have to buy gas, etc.

It looks like we'll end up spending the whole $700 we have left after paying all of our bills.

The one bright note, our snow tires came in $125 under what I'd budgeted. We can at least put that toward savings.

We're not beaten! There's always next month. But it is amazing how easy it is to spend so much money every month.

I'd like to know how much my readers spend. Please do share your budgets. You will either feel better about your own budgeting wizardry or we can snivel guiltily together!