September 2025 Family Money Diary: 7 Days of Real Spending
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. No trips or visitors, but we did host friends for brunch and were prepping for an upcoming long weekend away.
Spending wise, nothing out of the ordinary showed up. This week’s numbers are a mix of our usual monthly bills, some irregular bills that hit, plus a couple of “extras” (like an afterschool art class) and a bit of unexpected income (thank you Costco cash back!).
Medical costs were minimal since we hit our insurance deductible earlier this year. There’s a huge difference compared to the beginning of 2025.
What I’m noticing lately is that it regularly feels like we have some breathing room in our finances. We’re able to say yes to things like kid activities or hosting friends without needing to plan them in advance or reshuffle categories. A few years ago, that would have taken more effort (and stress). These days, thanks to a combination of higher income and living in a lower cost city, it feels much easier to fit those things in.
Day 1
Expenses
$6: Doctor’s visit co-pay
Day 2
Expenses
$15: Student loan interest (loans still in deferment)
$56: Life insurance (for both adults)
$4: Prescription
Income
$662: Transfer from my business account (quarterly federal and state tax payments moved into personal account before being debited later in the week)
Day 3
No spending or income.
Day 4
Expenses
$15: Kroger run for a few of H’s staple foods
$54: Pegboard for garage organization project
Income
$2,674: First paycheck of the month
Day 5
Expenses
$662: Quarterly tax payments (scheduled earlier in the week)
$43: Costco trip (chips + a few other small staples)
$17: More supplies for the garage pegboard project
$140: Teacher birthday gift + after-school art class for H
$147: Quarterly pest service
Income
<$1: Checking account interest
Day 6
Credit Card Payments
$741: Paid off the balance of one of our credit cards (we always do this monthly)
Expenses
$250: Groceries. Mostly Costco, plus Aldi + Kroger. Extra breakfast-y foods for hosting friends and our regular meal supplies (kept a little lighter since we were headed out of town the next week).
Income
$156: Costco cash back (not included in our Monarch budget, but will definitely be used!)
Day 7
No spending or income.
Weekly Spending Totals
Income: $3,493
$2,674: Paycheck
<$1: Interest
$818: Other income (business transfer + Costco cash back)
Expenses: $1,351
Monthly bills: $56 (life insurance)
Irregular bills: $162 ($15 student loans, $147 pest service)
Food & dining out: $250 (groceries)
Flexible spending: $883
Medical/dental: $10
Home improvements: $71
Quarterly taxes: $662
Kid activities: $140
