I am working on paying off any debt that I have (a lot). In doing so I've decided that I need to get myself in check and use a budget. These are every single one of my purchases since I have gone cash only for the most part. Bills are not included as they are in their own account and are all autopay.

Coins are not really counted as they are kept in my coin holders and used as needed regardless of allocation. I do note purchases below and consider the amount with totals though.

July 11 to July 17, 2026 ——————————————————————

Weekly Budget: $165

Actual Used:

• Groceries - $85 ($35.74 left)
  • $49.26 @ Walmart
• Eating Out / Fun - $25 ($89 left)
  • $0.85 @ Circle K
  • $0.85 @ Circle K
  • $0.85 @ Circle K
  • $6.67 @ Steak 'n Shake
  • $4.37 @ DQ
  • $7.64 @ Wendy's
• Personal - $20 (-$60.74)
  • $2.11 - App Store
  • $2.99 - iCloud+ Storage
  • $8.47 - App Store
  • $67.17 - Food Intolerance Test - I 100% bought into the hype. Let's see how it goes!
• Gas - $35 ($35 left)

Thoughts: I had initially bumped my budget up but after talking with J and his mum (who live in the UK where COL is significantly lower) they influenced me to make my budget lower. It has been...okay. It is one day left and I do only have $13.77 for this week. I have not bought gas. I think I will wait until Saturday to do that so that I have a little wiggle room and will be back on a regular budget next week.

July 4 to July 10, 2026 ——————————————————————

Weekly Budget: $306

Actual Used:

• Groceries - $160 ($0 left)
  • $71.92 @ Walmart
  • $61.91 @ Walmart - Includes Personal Care Items (Shampoo, etc.)
  • $77.04 @ Meijer
• Eating Out / Fun - $86 ($0 left)
  • $15.89 @ Wendy's
  • $42.83 @ Pizza Hut
  • $5.00 @ DQ - Those cupcakes are pricy!
  • $11.55 @ Panda Express
  • $4.37 @ DQ - $4 Chicken & Gravy Breakfast Burrito Meal
• Personal - $20 ($0 left - over on Groceries)
  • $13.18 @ Dollar Tree
  • $15.00 @ Window Washer
• Gas - $40 ($0 left - over on Groceries)

Thoughts: I considered increasing my groceries budget to $200 this week but it felt excessive. I did go over the previous week but this was due to a change that couldn't be helped. I'll try $160 again this week and then adjust. I brought in items from home for my office groceries this week. They were things that I normally eat so I'm not worried about it. I had bought them for home snacks but ended up binging on pizza all weekend.

June 27 to July 3, 2026 ——————————————————————

Weekly Budget: $325

Actual Used: $348.21 ($23.21 OVER)

• Groceries - $160 ($0 left)
  • $101.84 @ Meijer
  • $44.90 @ Walmart (Office Food)
  • $7.51 @ Dollar Tree
  • $40.31 @ Meijer
• Eating Out / Fun - $65 ($0 left)
  • $44.97 @ Texas Roadhouse - Dad's Birthday Dinner
  • $4.37 @ DQ
  • $0.28 @ Circle K - change used
  • $11.15 @ Meijer Gas Station
  • $4.23 @ Sonny's - Dad's Dinner
• Personal - $20 + $20 Rollover ($0.28 left)
  • $39.72 @ UPS - Shipped Books
• Gas - $40 ($0 left)
  • $45.00 @ Buc-ee's ($3.199/gal)
• Flex - $20 ($0 left)
  • $34.56 @ Meijer (Grocery Overflow)
  • $5.00 @ Buc-ee's (Gas Overflow)
  • $3.93 @ Sonny's - Dad's Dinner (Eating Out Overflow)

Thoughts: At the end of the week, I ended up going over. I had the money to cover it so that wasn't the issue. However, I wasn't as frugal as I would have liked to have been and didn't follow my budget. This is not the way to save to pay off debt!

June 20 to June 26, 2026 ——————————————————————

Weekly Budget: $254

Actual Spent: $223.16 ($263.14 before paid back)

• Groceries - $100 ($0 left)
  • $35.55 @ ALDI
  • $13.38 @ Save-a-Lot
  • $52.87 @ Walmart (Office Food - Flex Used)
• Eating Out / Fun - $40 ($0 left)
  • $16.73 @ Fazoli's
  • $4.58 @ DQ
  • $0.85 @ Circle K for Fountain Drink - change used
  • $0.85 @ Circle K for Fountain Drink - change used
  • $15.67 @ Captain D's
  • $7.20 @ Wendy's - Dad's Burger
  • $1.32 @ Chick-fil-A - Flex Used
• Personal - $20 ($20 left)
• Gas - $40 ($0 left)
  • $40.00 @ Buc-ee's ($3.299/gal)
• Flex - $54 ($10.84 left)
  • $1.80 @ Walmart (Grocery Overflow)
  • $16.70 @ Save-a-Lot (Grocery Overflow)
  • $39.98 @ Walgreens - Dad's Meds - Paid Back
  • $6.83 @ Chick-fil-A (Eating Out Overflow)
  • $17.83 @ Steak 'n Shake - Da'ds Dinner (Eating Out Overflow)

Thoughts: It looks like I will need to up my grocery budget. I am proud of my not spending as freely as I was previously. It feels good. I feel like I can really accomplish something doing this.