the B word

With my recent post of some irregular bills we got in the mail, I've been sitting down looking through the online banking, balancing the checkbook, paying bills and starting to think about the dreaded B word............. BUDGET!

In just the past 2 weeks I came across some things that have come out of our bank accounts, that I probably would NOT have budgeted for.  Here's my list:

Parts for the Jeep $175 (this needs to get fixed & sold - one of hubbys projects)
Prom tux for DS $85
Prom dinner & pics  for DS $60
Trees from Arbor Day $42.34 (trees for new property)
Bible Study books $87.53 (1/3 of this will be paid back to me)
Parts for lawn mower $91.24 (hubbys needs working mower for his business)
Pressure washer attachment $110 (also for hubbys business)
Electric bill at rental $113 (we usually don't have to pay this)
Carpet cleaning at rental $246 (again, usually we don't have to pay this)

While going through the banking and bills with a fine tooth comb I did find one GOOD THING.....our tax bill of $923 is actually only $478.16 because I paid part of it in April, it just didn't show up on the current bill.  We had already paid $1,320.06 in taxes this year for the hubbys business (sales tax and payroll taxes).  So an updated version of what we have to pay is this:

Add those that already came out of our account to the extras we have to pay this month and that = STRESS

$1010.11 + $3,127.58 =

$4,137.69 (on top of our regular bills)



And that $1010.11 all came out of our accounts in the past TWO WEEKS!  CRAZY!!!!  So, I need to do some figuring, juggling, planning, predicting and come up with a solution!  Of course we can try and sell more.  It seems like we just got the ball rolling our our debt and then we've been thrown a curve ball.  Its the things that make you go hmmmmmmm and I guess we need to expect the unexpected!  Stay tuned for our plan......that is if we come up with one!  I need to work on a budget and we need to do our best to stick to it.  We've always had a problem with that!