Budgeting and tracking my expenses are a huge part of my financial journey. Every Sunday, I do a budget reset to see exactly where my money is going. In this post, I’m sharing what I spent in a week as a 40-year-old living in Atlanta.
How I Track My Spending
I use my budget workbook and budget spreadsheet to manage my finances. This expense tracker helps me write down every single purchase, and at the end of the week, I categorize them into seven budgeting categories:
- Savings
- Home
- Transportation
- Food
- Subscriptions
- Debt
- Miscellaneous
Now, let’s break down exactly what I spent in each category this week.
Savings
I automatically transfer money into my savings when I get paid. This includes my retirement account, investments, and emergency fund. This week, I contributed $508.19 to my savings. Since these transfers are automatic, I don’t even notice the money is gone, which makes saving easier!
Home
My home category covers mortgage payments, utilities, and household expenses. This week, I only spent $95 on aftercare fees for my son. Since my mortgage and most of my bills are due at the beginning of the month, my spending in this category is lower mid-month.
Transportation
I filled up my gas tank at Kroger (which initially confused me because the transaction didn’t specify “gas” like Walmart’s Murphy Express does). I spent $34.76 on gas this week.
Food
This is the category where I tend to go over budget! I always think I spend around $100, but tracking my expenses tells a different story. This week, I spent $65.26 on food. Yes, you read that right! A lot of this came from eating out—especially McDonald’s. Tracking my spending is a wake-up call, and I now see that I may need to meal plan better to avoid overspending.
Subscriptions
I have a few recurring subscriptions that I budget for each month. This week, I spent $1.99 on google storage.
Debt
One of my financial goals is to pay off my credit card debt by the end of the year. This week, I made a payment of $91.83 toward my discover credit card but it hasn’t cleared through my checking account yet. Every little bit helps!
Miscellaneous
This category covers anything that doesn’t fit into the others—unexpected expenses, impulse purchases, or things I forgot to budget for. This week, I spent $166.80 in this category. My son broke his phone so I ended up spending $75 to get it repaired. I also purchased him some shoes for $91.80.
Total Weekly Spending
Here’s the breakdown of my spending this week:
- Savings: $508.19
- Home: $95
- Transportation: $34.76
- Food: $65.26
- Subscriptions: $1.99
- Debt: $0
- Miscellaneous: $166.80
Grand Total: $872
Tracking my spending every week helps me stay accountable and adjust my budget where needed. The biggest takeaway from this week? I need to cut back on eating out! Moving forward, I’ll focus on meal prepping and setting a realistic food budget.
If you’re looking for a way to track your own expenses, check out my budget bundle—it’s a game-changer. Let me know in the comments: what category do you tend to overspend on?