June gloom is not only confined to coastal climate. Right now, I’m feeling under the weather when it comes to my personal finances.
May and June were pretty bad in terms of spending. In addition to my own spending on fun things, unexpected expenses just seem to crop up (hello $60 parking ticket and $90 medical bill), not to mention double rent for a month will kill your budget.
Normally, I’m really good at letting the sunk costs be sunken. I don’t ruminate over it. I see the charge, groan inwardly, then I pay the fine or the fee and I move on.
I don’t know why this month things have been weighing on me more heavily. I just feel discouraged.
Well, July is a brand-new month. Which means I’m going try to get back on track by:
- Putting in $3,000 into 401K
- Limiting restaurant meals to 3x a week. That’s it!
- Giving up expensive ($25+ per person) meals. (I had a $80 dinner at a Michelin-star-rated restaurant in June. But it was worth it. Oops.).
- Eliminating spending on clothes or shoes.
I, however, will keep have some personal pampering and fun by:
- Taking dance classes for $60.
- Getting a massage for $110.
Has anyone ever felt the “June gloom” of personal finance?
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Yup. I’m feelin the ‘gloom’ right about now. I think it’s because summer weather puts me in a good mood and I tend to spend more money and ‘live it up.’
Summer clothes, farmers markets, etc!
Sigh. I’m glad July is almost here
Oh gosh, yes. In the form of a 5% pay-cut. Which is better than being laid off, definitely, but still qualifies for the “june gloom” I think.
It’s alright though, we can all cheer ourselves up by watching things explode in a few days.
I think I will always have months like that from time to time. I am so good at saving most of the time, but I think the universe keeps me humble with random catastrophes, repairs, fees, and splurges. Just re-assess, learn from it, and move on.
I know exactly what you mean. We are having a heatwave in London with hot, sunny days where you want to sit outside with a glass of wine and friends then of course you end up going out to eat… budget out the window.
In the winter, I go directly home in the evening to get things done but now I seem to be out and spending.
I hope we can get back on track in July.
I actually spent less in June. May didn’t let me save as much as I wanted, because of extra things that cropped up (ticket to see a musical with my mom, buying a wedding shower gift, plus it was my turn for date night at a nice restaurant). Plus my joint expenses went up due to getting an air conditioner for the apartment.
So based on May, I cut back my miscellaneous spending and gave myself $150 to work with for gifts, entertainment, shopping, meals out, snacks at work, etc.
It definitely varies each month though – this month, $150 isn’t enough, since I now need to buy the actual wedding gift, get clothes for the wedding, etc. So, my extra payment against my student loan will drop by $200 to account for the extra things I need to buy. I figure it’s an extra payment anyways, so it’s not a big deal.
June was hard for me too. I think after paying 2 big bills (medical and insurance), I just wanted to do some fun spending. But July is a 3-paycheck month, so it’s a good time to get back on the bandwagon and stuff some cash into savings.
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our garage door broke
goodbye $1200. we want to go to a concert and participate in a 4 mile run. goodbye $100+. we had to go to a wedding. goodbye $50 (and that was cheap for a wedding gift).
June was an expensive month for me and wifey. We bought airplane tickets and hotel reservations for an upcoming vacation, pricey… Now I’m contemplating the money we are going to spend on vacation, ugh. We can easily afford it but it still seems expensive for some reason. Also, like you we indulge in food too much and I’m trying to figure out how to curb that spending without killing our lifestyle too much. I think we need to re-evaluate our goals and pursue them more aggressively. I think that will help me get out of my gloom too.
I am.. I’m overwhelmed at this point by how much I really need to save, and how little room I have in my budget for things like parking tickets and unexpected emergencies. And whenever I think of the $100,000 I’m going to owe in students loans I start to vomit. But other than that, it’s a cheery month.
Good luck!