August Expenses... no real surprises

We had a budget of $3,300 CAD ($2,380 USD) for the month of August, and the total came in at $3,375 CAD ($2,430 USD).

So that's not bad. I always make the budget pretty conservative to give us something to strive towards, so we're almost always over by varying amounts, but this one was particularly close.

We were at our house in Mexico for the first three weeks of the month, so our expenses were pretty fixed. Although, I did have a tune up done on our ATV and that ended up being a bit more expensive than expected. And, we bought a VPN so that I could watch Blue Jays games. I think those were the only two unexpected expenses.

Here's how it all broke down... (the following figures are in CAD dollars)

Fuel: We filled up the tank in the ATV as well as the portable jug we have at the house. And we filled up our daughter's van once. Total cost was $103.

Groceries: This category was slightly lower than expected, at $285. But of course we left the fridge at the house empty, and we ate out a few times. See next category.

Meals out: And a couple of the meals out were in Canada, where eating out isn't very good value. But we enjoyed meeting up with friends as a side benefit! We spent $379 eating out.

Alcohol: As expected, at $94.

Miscellaneous: This category almost always comes in higher than I expect it to. This time, much higher, at $643. The ATV maintenance ($196) new shoes ($73) a workout bench ($65) and a VPN ($115) are included in that total, as well as the normal cellular and internet and transportation expenses.

Entertainment: We didn't spend anything in this category! I guess we are easily entertained.

Overnight: Just the rent of our house in Mexico, at $565.

Motorhome: We are paying for storage and the monthly costs of registration and insurance for Igor, our motorhome that is currently parked in Oaxaca, Mexico. Total of $122.

Travel: And finally, $1,185 on travel. The bus from the house to Mexico City was $25 each, flights from Mexico City to Toronto were $527 each, and the bus from Toronto to Gravenhurst was $40 each.

So, a total of $3,375 CAD ($2,430 USD) for the month. But, that's our cheapest month since April, so really, not too bad. 

And, September will be another expensive month. We have to pay for a full month Airbnb in Ottawa, a full month car rental, and my time away in Newfoundland with the boys. And on top of that, I'm buying a new phone. We have a budget of $6,800 CAD ($4,900 USD) for the month of September.

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