Hosting a Guest on a Budget

Joe and I have been on top of tracking just about every dime we're spending. We started off the month very frugally but as we approach the end we've realized that we were going to need to spend a little more than we intended this month. Father's Day x2 for Laura and 1 for Joe. Mother and step-mother's birthdays for Laura. Joe's birthday and a guest staying with us for a couple days. We didn't go crazy but we did want to be sure at the very least a card was sent for the holiday and birthdays. I had saved up prior to Decision Day and got Joe an Occulus Rift DK2 Kit, which was about $350. I purchased this with a credit card back in May.

I'm kind of disappointed with our spending on food this past week, though I still feel like we're mindful and fairly in control. We have a guest this week so we spent more than we normally would on some extra groceries and a little alcohol, pushing us over the $80/week limit for this month. This is a friend of mine I have gamed with online for years and we've both really been looking forward to her visit. We also wanted to treat her to dinner. It really wasn't that bad, a $60 bill for dinner for 3 and a couple drinks. We plan to go to the gun range and possibly the Columbus Museum of Arts today ($28 and $36 respectively for 3 people) to treat our friend while she's in town. If not the art museum, maybe something cheaper like a skating rink, something indoor and fun since it's a rainy shitty day.

We decided that Father's Day gifts were not possible this year. We simply can't afford a gift for every single Father's Day, fathers' birthdays, and Christmas, and same for our mothers. Phone calls and cards some years are going to have to work.

Unfortunately we had to take the kittens to the vet this week, which wasn an unexpected $132 bill. Their eyes were watering uncontrollably and even had mucus build up so it was clear there was an infection. They're indoor and we don't plan to declaw unless there's a major problem. They still need shots and eventually neutered and spayed, but we'll shop around for the shots and try to pick the lowest cost vet we can for the spay and neuter. Sometimes you can even get a voucher from the county / Humane Society because they want to help control the population, so we'll look into that.

One great thing about this month is we've made about $300 extra just by selling some junk on Craigslist, OfferUp and a few things on Ebay. We've still got a lot to go through, especially games, DVD's, books and a few electronics we think might be worth some cash. Joe also found something at a thrift store he thinks we could flip. He paid about $4 for a Nickelodeon alarm clock radio. It's working perfectly and seems to sell for about $30 on eBay. We're excited to see what happens with that.

A little more good news, we had a GREAT week of free gifts and contest winnings! We won a FREE PIZZA from Mikey's Late Night Slice, our favorite pizza place in Columbus. That was a nice surprise and we decided to save it for the evening of the 25th for Joe's birthday. One of my coworker's girlfriends sent him to work with a gift bag full of fairly pricey lotions and fragrances. Joe's sister Amanda also sent a little gift package with some skin products because I got a pretty bad sunburn at the Arts fair. 

Joe is still out of a job but has some more interviews and a few possibilities that are looking pretty good. As much as I'd like to see him get out of contract work, we would be grateful for any job opportunity so he can have income again. My boss let him work at our store a couple days last week, which was $180 in the bank and would likely let him again if he needed. We're staying hopeful about a new job for him and we're determined to make July an even better month for our budget.