July 2009 Budget Set

Okay so.. I don’t really have a budget set for this month except that it’s still at $1000.

Rent went up a bit (forgot about that), to $375, but parking is now free (I’m parking outside instead of in a heated garage to save money) ($750 total)

Our groceries are at $225 this month as our goal.. ($450 total)

Household stuff will probably come up to around $12/month ($24 total)

Laundry is $8/ month ($16 total)

And utilities are $12/month ($24 total per month) but I think we can drop that down to $10/month with some conscious effort.

Water is free in Quebec, so … that about does it for basic living.

TOTAL FOR ONE PERSON: $632

If I can keep it to around $700 (including eating out, extra snacks like chocolate, etc).. that sounds about reasonable for an emergency fund.

I do plan on buying a set of really, really good headphones this month. My budget is to spend no more than $200 before taxes, and I think I’ve found a pair already for around $185.

I made a resolution to purchase a set of headphones after coming back from Toronto on the plane.. it was ridiculous how much my head hurt when I got off the plane. The constant droning, the headaches.. it isn’t something I’m used to.

Meet the Audio Technica ATH-ANC7!!

I’ve been looking at Bose, Sennheiser and all of those other big name brands, but paying $300 – $400 for a pair of headphones is ridiculous.

What I really wanted was a reasonably price ($150 – $200) pair of headphones with soft over the ear cups, and the ability to reduce noise.

The only thing I’m concerned about, is whether or not the ear cups will be comfortable. But since I have pretty small ears, I think I’ll be all right.. I just feel weird pre-ordering these headphones and if I don’t like them, I gotta keep ’em .. right?

BF is a weirdo about buying second hand stuff, and I am too, normally.. but if I could find these used, I’d buy them. It’s too bad this brand, Audio-Technica, which has been hailed as “the closest you can get to Bose for the price” on Amazon reviews (over 1000+ reviews at 4.5 stars)… doesn’t really sell in Canada or the United States, unless you plan on ordering them online.

So, ordering online, or buying them in the store here in Montreal when they order it for me.. is the same damn thing in the end 😐

Oh well.

So back to the budget.

This month, I plan on spending $700 on basic essentials, $200 on a set of headphones, and around $100 on eating out/miscellaneous stuff.

All in all, a budget of $1000/month.