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Thursday, January 6

2010 Spending in Review: Part 1

I love the clarity that using personal finance software provides. I track and categorize every receipt using Quicken. Today I'll review categories that make the miser in me proud. I'll post the areas I need to work on tomorrow.
  • Gas: $1,432 - might be a lot for some people but I spent $2,046 in 2009 and $3,318 in 2008. Even though I drove more than 48,000 miles in 2010, I managed to cut my fuel costs thanks to all the mystery shopping I've done this year.
  • Personal Care: $120 - This line includes any personal hygeine products or services such as toothpaste, shaving cream, hair cuts, etc.
  • Electricity: $500
  • Natural Gas: $484 - hot water, fireplace
  • Water/Sewer: $522 - not a typo...I paid more for water/sewer than any other utility... thanks to ridiculous sewer rates.
  • Gambling: $1,190 - I cut way back on gambling trips in 2010, but in 2009 I won more than $5,000. I probably won't do any gambling in 2011.
  • Vacations: $2,716 - thanks to mystery shopping hotels, I was able to travel extensively. We took a 5 day cruise (not a shop), 4 night trip to Miami, working vacation to Las Vegas, short visit to New Orleans, and multiple trips to Atlanta.

2 comments:

  1. Congrats on the $120 for personal items, maybe a few couponing tips have pais off?

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  2. Coupons, freebies and sales definitely help, Marilyn. Even better, I already had a good stash built up from last year. Plus, I took home all the toiletries from the hotels I shopped and haven't had to buy shampoo or soap in years.

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