I recently posted a video on YouTube about the cost of living in Atlanta and how much I spent in a month. I live in Atlanta, and I was curious to see how much I was spending each month and whether I was staying within my budget.
This post is all about the cost of living in Atlanta
I started by tracking all of my expenses for the month. I then compared my costs to my budget. I was over budget in a few categories, but I was doing well overall.
Here is a breakdown of my expenses for August:
- Savings: $1,373.33
- Home: $2,303.99
- Transportation: $202.21
- Food: $338.22
- Subscriptions: $24.93
- Debt: $252.41
- Fun: $492.02
Savings
My savings include retirement, investing, and personal savings. I budget $1,367.46 but I actually saved $1,373.33.
I received a step increase (pay raise) on my last paycheck which allowed for a little more to be added to retirement and investing.
Home
Here are my expenses in the home category; rent, life insurance, phone, electricity, and aftercare fees for my son. I budget $2,275.50 but I spent $2,303.99.
I went over on my phone bill by $0.49 and $28 on my electric bill. Next month, I plan to round up on both of these expenses.
Transportation
Transportation budget only consists of gas this month. I budget $200 a month for gas, and I spent $202.21. $2.21 over the budget.
Next month, I’m budgeting $300 for gas because I know that I will be moving and want to leave room in my budget to cover the back and forth.
Food
The items I include in my food category is everything edible. I budget $300 for food, and I spent $338.22 in this category. Food is the category I tend to overspend in every month.
Next month, I really want to be mindful of my eating out and try to track expenses in this category daily to make sure I do not overspend in this category.
Subscriptions
My subscriptions includes Apple, Canva, Stan store, Tubebuddy, VidIQ, and Shopify. I budget $126.93 for subscriptions but I spent $24.93. While doing a live on Instagram, someone suggested that I should separate my content creations expenses from my personal expenses, and that’s exactly what I did.
I used my Varo money card to pay for all my expenses that I used for the Juscallmenicki brand.
Debt
When it comes to debt, my minimum payments total to $133.41 at the time when I create this budget. Before buying a house, I had an account that was in collection that I had to either pay in full or get on a payment arrangement in order to be approved by a lender. My monthly payment for this collection account every month is $115. I also, forgot to add that Merrick Bank charges me a $4 monthly fee even though the credit card is paid in full. I’m guessing because the card is still open.
My total spent on debt payments were $252.41.
Everything Else/Fun/ Entertainment
My “everything else” category includes planned and unplanned spending for the month. This month planned expenses included sneakers day, Jordan 1 Reimagined dropping October 18th, hair, and fun/entertainment. I budget $610 in this category and actually spent $492.02.
I am happy with my overall spending for August. I was able to stay within my budget for most categories. I am also pleased that I was able to save some money.
I will continue to track my expenses and compare them to my budget. I am always looking for ways to save money. I will also be sure to share my tips with you in future blog posts.
I hope this blog post has been helpful. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below.
Thank you for reading!
xo, Nicki
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Atlanta Cost of Living: How I Manage My Finances Living in Atlanta