Budget wise, November was calm. After October’s surprise brake repair bill, it felt nice to have a month with no big, unexpected expenses. We also had some extra income come in through Mike’s work, which helped us rebuild our checking account buffer and cover some areas where we went over budget this month.

Unless you’re planning to sell everything you own, moving across the country isn’t cheap. And even if you did sell it all, you’d still spend money on transportation and new belongings when you arrived at your destination. Any way you slice it, you’re inevitably going to have some move related expenses.

October kicked off with a fun surprise: a ~$1,900 car bill for brake repairs. Starting off the month with a big unexpected expense seemed to open the floodgates for everything else, we found ourselves thinking, “Well, we’re already over budget… what’s a little more?”

In September 2025 we spent a long weekend in Carolina Beach, North Carolina (about a 4-hour drive from home) celebrating good friends who are getting married next spring. They rented a giant beach house and invited several families to join (and even covered meals). Incredibly generous!

September was a full month. It kicked off with an impromptu visit from one of my high school friends and her family. They stayed two nights, we ate great food, went on a beautiful hike, checked out a new brewery, and cut cardboard with a saw (don’t ask!).

This week was pretty run-of-the-mill for us. The kids had a full week of school, five full days for E and three half days for H. Mike worked his usual schedule, and I fit in my work during H’s preschool hours, early evenings, and a bit on the weekend.

On average, our family spends about $1,330 a month on groceries (22% of our overall budget), which falls right in between the moderate-cost and liberal food plan amounts that the USDA publishes.

I used to be a diehard spreadsheet person. For years I couldn’t fathom paying money for a budgeting tool. And honestly, I still love a good spreadsheet…