Happy new year! I’m excited to share the year-end results! In addition to the usual detailed breakdown, I have included an annual summary by category. I’m paying my 2020 property taxes in January 2021, and I’ll pay my 2021 property taxes in November 2021 so I’ll be able to claim two years of property taxes in one year in an attempt to get over the standard deduction on my 2021 tax return. If I paid my 2020 property taxes, my total expenses would have been $20,976.06. That’s exciting to me! I look forward to spending less in 2021.
My bulk spending for this month included three boxes of dessert cereal, two dozen eggs, two containers of hummus, two containers of ice cream, two containers of mixed nuts, five packages of pasta/rice sides, two bags of popcorn kernels, seven packages of frozen vegetables, and twenty bottles of wine (two sparkling). I finally bought a gallon of milk instead of my usual half-gallon, and I was able to fit most of it in my little freezer containers. If you tracked your expenses, how does your percent column compare to mine? I reduced some expenses compared to 2019 (especially cable, cell, and fuel), and I can hopefully reduce even more in 2021.
December 2020 Total % of Total
- Alcohol 68.28 271.33 1.71%
- Automobile: fuel – 147.07 0.93%
- Automobile: insurance – 673.00 4.25%
- Automobile: maint & repairs 46.50 46.50 0.29%
- Automobile: regist & inspec – 93.25 0.59%
- Bacon – 1.98 0.01%
- Beans (canned) – 12.01 0.08%
- Beef jerky – 7.28 0.05%
- Bird food – 21.65 0.14%
- Bread 0.79 15.21 0.10%
- Butter – 1.44 0.01%
- Carrots – 4.13 0.03%
- Cereal – 29.95 0.19%
- Cereal (dessert) 4.35 4.35 0.03%
- Charity – 100.00 0.63%
- Cheese – 0.98 0.01%
- Chicken (canned) – 41.86 0.26%
- Chili (canned) – 11.57 0.07%
- Chips (corn) – 10.11 0.06%
- Cleaning supplies – 9.44 0.06%
- Conditioner – 2.10 0.01%
- Cookies 0.98 3.89 0.02%
- Crackers (saltine) 0.75 9.00 0.06%
- Crackers (snack) 3.08 3.08 0.02%
- Dentist – 180.00 1.14%
- Eggs 0.98 9.58 0.06%
- Fast food – 1.36 0.01%
- Feminine products – 1.07 0.01%
- Fruit (grapes, bananas, etc.) 5.54 97.97 0.62%
- Gambling – lottery 19.00 29.00 0.18%
- Gifts – 78.38 0.49%
- Greeting cards – 4.61 0.03%
- Grits – 1.98 0.01%
- Home: HOA dues – 413.91 2.61%
- Home: insurance (flood) – 446.00 2.81%
- Home: insurance (standard) – 475.40 3.00%
- Home: insurance (windstorm) – 617.00 3.89%
- Home: lawn supplies – 87.42 0.55%
- Home: maintenance & repairs – 44.89 0.28%
- Home: mortgage 745.83 8,949.96 56.45%
- Hot dog wieners – 2.50 0.02%
- Hummus 3.90 3.90 0.02%
- Ice cream (incl. fruit bars) 3.54 13.42 0.08%
- Lettuce & tomato 5.33 37.97 0.24%
- Medical supplies & OTC meds – 5.07 0.03%
- Milk 2.39 33.60 0.21%
- Milk (chocolate) – 1.98 0.01%
- Mustard 0.55 0.55 0.00%
- Nuts 10.18 10.18 0.06%
- Olive oil (for salad dressing) – 16.24 0.10%
- Olives 2.99 15.95 0.10%
- Orange juice – 3.56 0.02%
- Pasta/Rice sides 4.00 21.08 0.13%
- Peanut butter – 13.14 0.08%
- Pizza (frozen) – 9.95 0.06%
- Popcorn (kernels) 3.32 20.52 0.13%
- Potato flakes – 9.37 0.06%
- Potatoes (5 lb) – 1.28 0.01%
- Rice (3 lb) – 1.79 0.01%
- Salad dressing mix – 30.59 0.19%
- Sausage – 11.34 0.07%
- Shaving cream – 1.06 0.01%
- Soap (dishwasher) – 6.84 0.04%
- Soap (face) – 4.86 0.03%
- Software – 24.36 0.15%
- Sour cream – 1.19 0.01%
- Spices – 0.98 0.01%
- Toilet paper – 81.42 0.51%
- Toothpaste – 30.10 0.19%
- TV dinners – 12.00 0.08%
- Utilities: cell phone 13.78 175.04 1.10%
- Utilities: electricity 32.65 602.74 3.80%
- Utilities: internet/cable 55.29 875.59 5.52%
- Utilities: natural gas 19.23 239.56 1.51%
- Utilities: water/trash 43.94 517.51 3.26%
- Vegetables (canned) – 10.33 0.07%
- Vegetables (frozen) 6.57 16.10 0.10%
- Vinegar (for salad dressing) – 5.97 0.04%
- Vitamins – 18.58 0.12%
- Yogurt – 5.71 0.04%
Total $1,103.74 $15,853.63 100.00%
2020 Total % of Total
- Alcohol 271.33 1.71%
- Automotive 959.82 6.05%
- Bird food 21.65 0.14%
- Charity 100.00 0.63%
- Cleaning 16.28 0.10%
- Electronics 24.36 0.15%
- Fast food 1.36 0.01%
- Gambling 29.00 0.18%
- Gifts 82.99 0.52%
- Groceries 522.12 3.29%
- Housing* 11,034.58 69.60%
- Hygiene 120.61 0.76%
- Medical 203.65 1.28%
- Snacks 55.44 0.35%
- Utilities 2,410.44 15.20%
Total $15,853.63 100.00%
*If I paid one year of property taxes, housing would have been $16,157.01 out of $20,976.06 which is 77.03%. When my mortgage is paid off in six years, my annual housing expense will decrease by $8,950!
**I spent nothing on clothes and restaurants in 2020 (other than gifts).
Linda 🙂
Monthly breakdown: January 2020 / February 2020 / March 2020 / April 2020 / May 2020 / June 2020 / July 2020 / August 2020 / September 2020 / October 2020 / November 2020
Here are other helpful posts in addition to the links above: Previous Articles
The Heart of Frugal Living 