I'm within my budget this pay check, but I decided to take a look at where it all went 'Cause it's certainly gone now.

Recently, I've been interested in a book called All Your Worth. I think it has an interesting perspective on breaking down the bigger picture. I like the idea of breaking down your finances to 'must haves' (50%), 'savings' (20%), and wants (30%). 30% seems kind of high, but 'wants' is anything you don't need to get by - a cell phone, maybe a second car, cable tv, etc. I still think I'll take a look at it, and maybe shoot for a 50 'must haves', 30 'savings', 20 'wants' break down. Here is my break down of the past two weeks:


Must Haves:
Rent(1/2)/Electricity: 296.03
Regular Loan payment: 100.00
Groceries: 35.48

431.50 or 53% (goal: 409.92 or 50%)

Save:
extra to student loan: 160.00
short term savings: 30.34

190.34 or 23% (goal: 163.97 or 20%)

Wants:
lunch at work/coffee: 29.38
dinner out: 44.00
other entertainment: 68.87
misc: 53.67

195.92 or 24% (goal: 245.95 or 30%)

I think overall I did pretty well . . . Overall I'm pretty happy . . .