When Good Budgets Go Bad

It is amazing how one day of running errands can turn a good budget month into a bad one. Just 2 days ago, I was pleased to be well within my budget for the month. Today, not so much.

Let me explain. I set for myself a budget of $500 a month for what I classify as household consumables. That includes food (obviously), but also basics such as laundry & cleaning supplies, toilet paper, paper towels, etc. It includes anything needed to run the household, that needs to be replenished/replaced on a regular basis. When I came up with the budget, though, I didn't take into consideration some other items which aren't as obvious (at least to me) that fall into the household consumables category. Things such as light bulbs, lawn fertilizer, beauty products and prescriptions completely slipped my mind.

So in just one weekend, I spent $147.56 of my household budget on 'other items'. It didn't seem like I was spending much when I was running errands, but it really adds up. I bought:

4 boxes of coffee - 33.88 (Mr. has a K-cup coffeemaker)
2 bags of lawn fertilizer - 96.44
1 CFL Flood Light Bulb - 7.94
1 Package of Cotton Balls - 2.11
1 Birthday Card - 3.17
1 Package of Recycling Bags - 4.02

I tried to rationalize to myself why my weekend purchases shouldn't be part of the budget. Really, is fertilizer a household expense? And replacing a light bulb with a long lasting CFL bulb, that should be a durable good, not a consumable, right?

Wrong. When I really look at what I am budgeting and my long term goals, I have to be honest with myself. No more hiding of expenses or rationalizing why overspending is OK. Those are bad habits from the old days, and this is a new time. I have $68.94 left in my budget for the month, and I am going to stick to it.