My Frugal Miser - May Expenses: $3,393

This is only the second month I have highlighted my expenses, so expect some tweaking for the next few months. My total expenses in May were close to my April expenses.






May Expenses

$653 Auto ($3 for service, $132 for fuel, $370 Depreciation, $148 for speeding ticket
$13 Clothing
$118 Food (both groceries and eating out)
$74 Entertainment (movies, gambling, alcohol)
$2 Home Repair
$94 Household (pest control, fire dues, cleaning supplies, etc.)
$107 Health Insurance
$0 Medical
$579 Vacation (cruise, weekend in Atlanta, $100 deposit toward next cruise)
$145 Interest on Debt (not including Mortgage Interest)
$0 Miscellaneous
$447 Mortgage Interest (primary residence)
$834 Mortgage Interest (rental properties)
$20 Personal Care (hair cut)
$308 Utilities

Total May Expenses : $3,393

Notes

• Thanks to mystery shopping, I only spent $132 for fuel even though I drove more than 4,000 miles.
  
• I separate my mortgage interest by personal residence versus rental properties. I think this is an important distinction: the personal residence interest is an expense I should exercise control over moving forward when looking at ways to be frugal; the other is an expense that generates income.
• I had two outstanding speeding tickets this month. I paid a fine on one and will take driving school on the other. The cost of driving school will be included in my June expenses.