Sorry this took me so long to get out, lots going on.  I would say this month could in no way be considered normal but wanted to share what we saw anyways.  COVID is changing the way we all live and since it is part of the story I decided to go ahead and report it.  Just don’t use this as any indicator of what normal (if there is such a thing in this lifestyle) looks like.

Alcohol – As a perfect example of an unusual charge when this all started going down we stocked up on alcohol.  We aren’t big drinkers but the thought of liquor stores closing (which never happened) had us running to the liquor store.  Turns out Texas had the biggest liquor sales of any state.  We were obviously part of that 🙂

Campground Fees – We are staying with friends but helping with the electric so those costs will be in this section.

E-Cigarettes – Again over concerns about not getting supply I bought tons of these.

Dining Out – Even though restaurants all closed we were still able to blow our budget in these categories.  Most of these purchases happened earlier in the month and we have gotten carry out a few times.  Our personal rule is only carryout on items that we can microwave before eating and we are doing very little of that at this point.

Entertainment – Early on we purchased several board games in anticipation of needing something to do.  We also ordered a few books online after the Half Price Book store was closed down and consequently needed to pay full price.

Gifts – Some of this was purchases for our hosts and other gifts were for our grandson.  I am missing him terribly and little gifts really help make me feel better.  The largest chunk was when Lee bought wire shelves for Kyrston.  He was going to help her build shelves when we went to visit her, but since that trip got cancelled he purchased her something that she could put together herself.

Groceries – I was wondering how much this category would be and $1,140 does not surprise me.  We had no idea how much food would be available and had access to freezers and a larger refrigerator so we stocked up on everything we could.  I would not do this any differently if I had to do it again, but I am now wondering if I should donate some of this stuff since the food banks are struggling so much.

Healthcare (Out of pocket) –  I had a difficult time setting up my HSA account because they would not recognize my mailing address as a real address.  There was a significant delay but eventually I got it sorted out and am now putting away $300 a paycheck.   These were the last of the bills that had to be paid out of pocket.

Home Equipment and Repair – At the very beginning of the month we went to the container store and bought some items to go with our newly remodeled rooms.  Plus there were some trailing costs on the carpet replacement.

Pets – We were planning to stay at a military campground and Jack had to get a completely updated shot record.  Along with that we purchase two packages of flea chewables which are not cheap.

Truck Fuel – Check out how low our fuel costs are.  Combination of not going anywhere and the lowest fuel prices in years.

April should actually be more interesting  because we will be in full on lockdown for most of it.  Stay safe everyone.

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