My Frugal Miser - October Expenses: $1,485

I was frugal in October.  Because of all the work we did, we were able to keep our food costs low since many clients feed us while we are working.  There were some annual charges in the mix, including my tag renewals (I renewed the Sonata and the moped for two years) and AAA membership.  I also received a cruise offer I couldn't refuse.  We are leaving Saturday for an 8 day Caribbean cruise.  For the two of us with taxes the cost was $400.

I had a nice bit of income in the expense category.  Since we were working I sold my Bruno Mars tickets.  I sold them directly on the Ticketmaster website for a $400 profit.

October Expenses:  $1,485

$265 Auto ($4 for gas, $136 for AAA membership, $125 for registration)

$59 Bank Fees
$70 Clothing

$10 Computer

($465) Entertainment (movies, gambling, alcohol)  income this month

$210 Food

$85 Gifts Given

$133 Household/Housing/Home Repair
$0 Homeowner's Insurance (annual payment)

$28 Health and Dental Insurance (prepaid 2017 health insurance premiums in December 2016)

$0 Investment Expense
$457 Interest Expense*

$0 Medical/Dental (income)

$0 Miscellaneous

$5 Personal Care

$0 Subscriptions

$0 Taxes
$62 Sharing Economy Expenses (tolls, car washes, etc.)

$130 Utilities

$440 Vacation

*Interest expense includes student loans and the loan on my car.  As both rates are below 2%, I am completely comfortable paying the interest each month and investing the money that I would otherwise use to pay off these loans.  In October, I paid $428 to E*Trade for "hard to borrow" interest on a short sale of Sears Holdings stock.