2023 Income & Cost increases balance out for me.

[MickinMD ★]

My Variable and Fixed Expenses for basically the same things, not counting big one-time things, came in 7.65% higher for 2023 than 2022.

My Soc.Sec. plus Pension clear income came in at 6.91% higher for 2023 than 2022.

That means I've effectively got $11/month less left over after ordinary expenses in 2023, not enough to gripe about.

Of course, all this is an estimate, but they should be in the right ballpark based on past results.

While working on my budget and other financial stuff for 2023 most of the day yesterday, I watched ALL 8 Harry Potter movies on the Bravo network, one after the other.

The last one ended after 4 am this Jan 1st morning and by 5 am my budget was finished and I had an eyestrain headache that a few hours of sleep cured.

With all of the movies, released in 2001-10, fresh in my mind, for the first time I noticed how the three main characters grew up.  Hermione (Emma Watson) filled out very nicely and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) grew tall with a very broad pair of shoulders - no wonder Hermione ended up marrying him while Harry married Ron's sister Ginny!

 

[JerrySTL ★]

I don't have a budget, but I do keep an eye on my finances. So far, I haven't had to touch any of my investments since retiring. Of course, I haven't had a major unexpected expense such as a house catching fire like you did.

[bikeman564™]

31 minutes ago, JerrySTL said:

I don't have a budget, but I do keep an eye on my finances.

Me neither, I've never set a budget. I have detailed records on Excel for over a decade of what I spent, but don't use it for forecasting.

[KA CHAVA Kzoo]

I have no words…

[ChrisL]

WOChrisL is the budget queen.  Always has been.  I still remember back before we combined bank accounts.  How much can you contribute towards bills.  Oh $125 to $150.  Which one? Uhh $130?  Wait, $125, $150 or $130!?!?!! Shit I don’t know… Drove her nuts! 😂

[shootingstar]

1 hour ago, JerrySTL said:

I don't have a budget, but I do keep an eye on my finances. So far, I haven't had to touch any of my investments since retiring. Of course, I haven't had a major unexpected expense such as a house catching fire like you did.

I'm hoping I can just keep the eye too. I do have a general idea annually what my total costs are...which now the other forum thinks I'm wierd. I think some people are living too tight or living off-grid or they have inadvertedly misrepresented themselves.

[Dirtyhip]

54 minutes ago, MickinMD said:

My Variable and Fixed Expenses for basically the same things, not counting big one-time things, came in 7.65% higher for 2023 than 2022.

My Soc.Sec. plus Pension clear income came in at 6.91% higher for 2023 than 2022.

That means I've effectively got $11/month less left over after ordinary expenses in 2023, not enough to gripe about.

Of course, all this is an estimate, but they should be in the right ballpark based on past results.

While working on my budget and other financial stuff for 2023 most of the day yesterday, I watched ALL 8 Harry Potter movies on the Bravo network, one after the other.

The last one ended after 4 am this Jan 1st morning and by 5 am my budget was finished and I had an eyestrain headache that a few hours of sleep cured.

With all of the movies, released in 2001-10, fresh in my mind, for the first time I noticed how the three main characters grew up.  Hermione (Emma Watson) filled out very nicely and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) grew tall with a very broad pair of shoulders - no wonder Hermione ended up marrying him while Harry married Ron's sister Ginny!

 

Where did you land for food annually?  

Ours was $7902 for the year.  $3.60 per meal average per person.  Not bad.   All my cooking really pays off.  Eating out, although nice at times, is an expensive luxury.  

[shootingstar]

17 minutes ago, Dirtyhip said:

Where did you land for food annually?  

Ours was $7902 for the year.  $3.60 per meal average per person.  Not bad.   All my cooking really pays off.  Eating out, although nice at times, is an expensive luxury.  

Does that include outside of home?

But you also have a garden. So you probably buy higher quality produce.

I don't buy only organic produce. 

For just me it is $4200CAN annually or could be $4000 just for the groceries and TP. I do buy during cycling seasons to stock up non-perishables for food.  ie. I have enough different dried pasta for next 6 months.  The only premade food I buy occasionally are: frozen ravioli, frozen perogies.  I  don't even buy frozen dim sum/pot stickers.  I prefer to eat them several times/yr., freshly made at the eating counter or in a restaurant. 

[Ralphie ★]

Our food bill is astronomical. 

[shootingstar]

24 minutes ago, Ralphie said:

Our food bill is astronomical. 

My health is important. No one else can look after me, except myself. So if I need to spend abit more, then it's a worthwhile priority ...over ie. fashion or more books.

So I only buy certain pastas. More of those that tend to be lighter. I can't have rice vermicelli often. But at least there's alot of different choices where I live amongst Italian style, Asian style.

I was a little horrified to discover that sunflower oil is now $12.00/bottle vs. $6.99 1.5 yrs. ago.  Canola oil is very popular here and lower priced...because Alberta is one of Canada's biggest producers of canola and other grains...hat we ship overseas also. Because of the farming techniques and possible use of pesticides, I tend to shy away from it unless I have no choice.  

During local/farmers' market seasons, I do load up alot on fruit and veggies. I freeze about 50% of it. 

[Dirtyhip]

37 minutes ago, shootingstar said:

Does that include outside of home?

But you also have a garden. So you probably buy higher quality produce.

I don't buy only organic produce. 

For just me it is $4200CAN annually or could be $4000 just for the groceries and TP. I do buy during cycling seasons to stock up non-perishables for food.  ie. I have enough different dried pasta for next 6 months.  The only premade food I buy occasionally are: frozen ravioli, frozen perogies.  I  don't even buy frozen dim sum/pot stickers.  I prefer to eat them several times/yr., freshly made at the eating counter or in a restaurant. 

This is for two people.  It includes food outside the home.  

We did grow and preserve a lot.  We buy organic and conventional produce.  It depends on how things look, and the price.

[Dirtyhip]

30 minutes ago, Ralphie said:

Our food bill is astronomical. 

In what area?  Too much eating out?  HoDH is an amazing coupon and sales ad shopper and it shows.  I watched $40 come off our bill in one of his recent trips.

This year there were still a lot of one off expenses.  Still finishing the house and a few luxuries that won't need to be purchased again.

[ChrisL]

29 minutes ago, Dirtyhip said:

In what area?  Too much eating out?  HoDH is an amazing coupon and sales ad shopper and it shows.  I watched $40 come off our bill in one of his recent trips.

This year there were still a lot of one off expenses.  Still finishing the house and a few luxuries that won't need to be purchased again.

We have seen the same.  Nearly every food item we buy in the grocery store  has gone up.  Milk, eggs (sweet jeebus eggs are close to $5 a carton now), meat, fruit & veggies… everything.  We used to spend $150-$170 a week on groceries pre pandemic.  We now spend $200-$230 a week and we buy the same stuff at the same store…

[Ralphie ★]

2 hours ago, ChrisL said:

We have seen the same.  Nearly every food item we buy in the grocery store  has gone up.  Milk, eggs (sweet jeebus eggs are close to $5 a carton now), meat, fruit & veggies… everything.  We used to spend $150-$170 a week on groceries pre pandemic.  We now spend $200-$230 a week and we buy the same stuff at the same store…

Yeah, same deal for us. Just higher prices. 

[shootingstar]

3 hours ago, Dirtyhip said:

In what area?  Too much eating out?  HoDH is an amazing coupon and sales ad shopper and it shows.  I watched $40 come off our bill in one of his recent trips.

This year there were still a lot of one off expenses.  Still finishing the house and a few luxuries that won't need to be purchased again.

If I told myself to cut back 50% of eating small things at cafes, eating a real meal in restaurant maybe 1-2 times per month, I'm not convinced it's great for myself from a mental health perspective. But I could do it again. I know when I was unemployed for several months, I pared down my spending, to only a coffee daily and maybe 3 times/wk. add on snack, very tough.  I like wandering out.

My daily life in terms, (if I'm not flying across CAnada to visit loved ones) is quite spartan. since as you know I don't have a car.  

I would not do well, living in isolated rural areas. And now in the prairies with huge expanses of land, white-outs on edge of city, on some winter days, not good.  And no I would not be at a local pub. Thank goodness my body doesn't handle much alcohol very well, anyway.

When my father was alive, we wished my parents in Toronto, did socialize and saw friends elsewhere. But they rarely did. There were times, we just thought it wasn't good for their mental health...seeing certain interactions amongst our parents. It was like their world was turning far too inward and over-focusing on unimportant things.

[Bikeguy]

6 hours ago, MickinMD said:

That means I've effectively got $11/month less left over after ordinary expenses in 2023, not enough to gripe about.

Except you blew $150 (or more) in gas driving to let the dogs out and feed them.  

If I'm dog watching they will be here with my dogs. and they can fight over the food.