Bill-a-palooza Week

This week was all about paying bills: cellphone, electricity, water, and Internet bills, to be precise. It's hard having these responsibilities that amount to hundreds of dollars spent. But they've become basic necessities in our everyday lives, so they must be rendered. With this challenge, I have been able to stay up to date with all my bills; I need to assess my expenses weekly, so this allows me to make sure I am on top of bills and pay them on time.

This week I, also, began planning my daughter's birthday party that will be next month. That way I can take advantage of offers, since I already know the route I want to pursue. At the supermarket this last Saturday, I was able to purchase a few things that were on sale and draw a check mark on my party list. Plastic cups for 99 cents and guava paste for a dollar, to name a few. This party has to be on a budget, the main reason why I need to be conscious on my spending, beginning now. Planning goes a long way.

Moreover, I was presented with expenses that I was not counting on. My daughter's school celebrates English this upcoming week, which means they will be holding various activities that have and will hit my pocket. Twin day, for example, is an activity where two classmates dress exactly the same. This means, I had to coordinate with another mom to buy the girls matching outfits. We went to a department store and got them matching blouses, jackets and skirts, for only $16.20, each outfit... which is not that bad for what we got, but bad for my tight budget. The school, also, has an activity where they celebrate an Easter egg hunt with the kids before letting them free for the whole Holy Week. My daughter needs to bring canned cheese dip. Plus, she needs to bring six Easter eggs with candy inside them. Probably, another $5 or so. We'll see next week how that spending went.

On Saturday, I was responsible for a little more spending on groceries at the Supermarket, $56.70: snacks, eggs, ham, drinks, water, dish-washing detergent, chicken, among others. Groceries are expensive. On the first month, groceries were a tad easier because on January I had been able to shop with my regular groceries budget: which was none. So, this month I'm really feeling the pain. A friend once told me, when you don't have money for food, that's when you know you're poor... I don't ever want to be there. Thankfully, in my less privileged college days, while raising a family, I had government aid, and food was never an issue. Food-stamps can really assist you in a time of need, which is what they are there for. I believe that if you need the help to become a better version of you, and the help is available, you should accept it. In my country, many people judge those who live on food-stamps. I, once, was there... I know why some of us need to ask for assistance at some point of our lives. Alas! That is the key: at one point of our lives, not forever. Unless, we are really unable to perform a job because of a medical condition or age (our elders, who, probably, contributed to our economy already). With this being said, I never want to be in the position of having to choose between buying food or paying a bill. And, I hope not to be.
On another note, that Saturday, my daughter, also, got to participate at a religious event because of Lent. There was a donation of $3 that needed to be made, but she had a lot of fun.

On Sunday, I visited my grandma. She gave me an errand to pickup some medications at the drugstore for her. There I spent $3 on a fee. For obvious reasons, I did not ask for the money back and just gave her the pills. Grandmas are worth much more than $3.

This week I realized that there are a few upcoming birthdays that my daughter has been invited to. This translates to $$$ being used for gifts. Things, I had not budgeted for. The Other category will be a bit heavier this month. I'll see what new things from previous Christmas seasons/birthdays I have in my Closet and what things I can find the cheapest on Amazon.

Below, a list of my expenses up to this week for the month of March:

Expense on March	Cost (monthly)
Internet Bill	$37.20
Daughter's school	$200.00
Cellphone Bill	$27.88
Electricity Bill	$48.78
Water Bill	$35.85
Rent	$300.00
Gas	$36.00
Food	$133.77
School miscellaneous	$1.00
Entertainment
Church	$6.00
Emergency
Other	$19.20
Actual Total	$845.68

Ciao,

Mushu <3