Part of my end of month routine is to take a detailed look at what I spent this month and what I can do better next month. I really try to be conscious and smart in my spending. As part of my debt journey, and because I truly do love writing and readying about money and how people (especially millennials who live the same lifestyle as I do) spend their money.
I’ve spent a little more than usual on food and going out as the restrictions have slowly begun to relax and now that restaurants are open, etc.
Here are some highlights I noticed in my spending this August:
- Ann Taylor – as some of you already know, Ann Taylor announced early last month that it would be closing all of its stores in Canada. This is pretty sad as this store has recently made its way to my list of top places to shop. I used to walk into Ann Talyor regularly when I was working downtown to look around. When I heard they were closing and that the entire store was basically discounted, I purchased a few things. Although I haven’t had to wear any of the items yet, I’m almost excited for life to go back to normal so I could wear the things I got.
- Amazon – as usual, I made some random amazon purchases the most notable is my waterpik, sunglasses chain and our water filtration system. The waterpik is working really well, if you are into oral hygiene and are tired of getting the floss lecture when you go to the dentist, I would highly recommend this item, its a quick way to get the effects of flossing without having to do all the work. My sunglasses chain was a a cheap purchase (it was about $12) and I use it all the time especially when I go on my lunch time walks. We ran out of Brita filters a while ago and had a water filtration system already set up in our condo so we took the plunge and purchased a water filtration system on amazon that my dad installed and it has really helped me drink more water especially now that I am working from home.
- Lululemon – I made a last minute purchase for a pair of align legging (one of my favourite from lululemon) as they were on sale and the design was neutral enough that I could justify the purchase. With lululemon you need to buy immediately when you see an item on sale or it disappears (I actually intended on purchasing two different styles that were on sale but by the time the order processed one of the styles were sold out which was super annoying).
- Laser – I get laser hair removal done every 1-2 months. It has been a game changer for me and has improved my ingrown hairs/helped me not worry about having to shave all the time. The benefits are definitely worth the cost. This is not a monthly expense because of the frequency has decreased since I’ve started getting it done.
- Gifts – I’ve also had a couple of events to go to this month as people are getting more comfortable getting together. I had a friends bridal shower and my cousins birthday.
- Niagara Wine Tour Trip – my friends and I have planned a one night bike wine tour trip to Niagara for the long weekend. As I’m writing this the trip has not happened yet but I am super excited (we are going during the labour day long weekend). Since I’m going with three other girls the accommodations will be super inexpensive, love a good girls trip!
Overall, as I look at what I’ve spent this month, I’m pretty satisfied and I spent a lot less than I did last month. Looking forward to September’s audit, I suspect it will generally be the same as this month more or less.