Ask the Readers: What Was Your Biggest Expense This Month?
Editor's Note: Congratulations to Robynn, Daniella, and Christina for winning this week's contest!
Our biggest expenses each month will differ from family to family, and maybe from month to month. It might be a regular payment like mortgage or student loans, or it could be a one-off purchase like new appliances or airfare for vacation.
What was your biggest expense this month? Was it a regular monthly expense or a one-off payment? Were you able to plan for it or did it catch you by surprise?
Tell us about your biggest expense this month and we'll enter you in a drawing to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card!
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My biggest expense this month is my daughter's birthday.
The biggest expense was the mortgage payment
My biggest expense this month was car insurance. I always pay in full because it saves me a lot of money instead of paying monthly installments.
Rent is always my biggest expense.
Extra student loan payment. Trying to knock off 50k in debt in 18 months.
The first payment on our new house! No more rent!
DH pays the bills, but I'd have to say either the mortgage or DS's tuition payment (last one, yeah!).
I had to buy a new stove!
I just bought a trip to the Philippines to visit my family there this Christmas. $1800 just for the airfare, not including any of those incidentals you don't think about. Sheesh, a $20 gift card would be a relief right now, haha.
We are moving, so our biggest expense has been a home inspection! However, that $400 bill ended up saving us tens of thousands of dollars when we found major issues with the house we were planning on buying due to poor construction!
Our biggest expense this month has been campground fees (we're full-time RVers. We've had to pay more than we like in order to get good cell phone coverage and WiFi (a must with our work).
RENT!!
Then my Son's birthday gift (a bike)
Vehicle repairs and maintenance was the biggest expense this month.
My biggest expense this and every month is child support combined with daycare for my two children =$1, 376. It is a regular payment that is a couple hundred dollars more than my rent (about 1/2 under market rate because I'm fixing the house up). It is planned for by direct depositing specific amounts from my pay into a different account than the account into which pay for regular living expenses is deposited. This method assists my second spouse with understanding the payment being set aside for that the dedicated purpose of child support.
The support payment, combined with two private school tuition payments (10 months a year) totals just under $27, 000 yearly. This amount may seem like a huge amount to some and a pittance to others.- I don't compare or judge my status to other's situations.
My biggest expense is rent. It's always a shock to see how much of my budget goes straight to my landlord!
Property tax, it's crazy 1800 to live in my paid off house
Other than my rent, my electric bill is the biggest expense this month. July and August have been very hot and humid. I try to be conservative with the air conditioner, but the bill is still sky-high.
My biggest monthly expense is my combined cell phone/internet bill since I don't have a mortgage.
Rent was my biggest expense for the month then groceries is equal for my biggest expense.
My biggest expense this month were grad school fees: but, you can't really put a price on living your dreams!
My biggest expense this month was paying the balance for a new sofa that arrived last week - $800.
My biggest expense was a night out with the girls.
so far this month our biggest expense was the mortgage. Unless you consider saving for retirement as more was saved than the mortgage payment.
Our mortgage
Rent and then school related items such as clothes, shoes and supplies
My biggest expense this month was getting my car serviced. It's not under warranty, but I want to make sure it runs forever!
My biggest expense is always rent
My biggest financial expense was the mortgage.
My biggest expense this month so far has been getting my 3 kids ready for school: this includes uniform expenses, new shoes, and books!
Paying my sons student loan payment which has 8.75% interest rate! It is almost a house payment on a monthly basis.
Our biggest expense this month was the Car. Two new tires and the timing belt. Although we did save money by buying the timing belt kit on Amazon (after verifying with our mechanic that we were ordering the right kit)
I actually purchased a couple new appliances for the kitchen including a new fridge.
Mine was childcare - although I love summer, it's expensive to not have my older son in school full-time with just part-time afterschool care. Between camps for him and preschool/daycare for the younger one, we spent a lot more on that than on our mortgage this past month! Looking forward to school starting on September 8!
mortgage payment
My biggest expense this month was rent. It usually is rent, so I always am planned for it.
My biggest expense is always my rent!
My new companion, a Cheagle puppy, named Pearl. Nope, she was a foster rescue so she was free. However she ate something (I have no idea what) toxicology showed nothing. However, the bill was $645.00 to save her life. Was it worth it? YOU BET. Could I afford it? NO. Now a couple of bills have to wait.
the veterinarian.
The tent, chairs, and tables we rented for our 20th anniversary vow renewal and party! It was the best money we spent last month. It was fabulous.
My biggest expense was purchasing a couch from a consignment shop. I had not bought a new couch in several years!
Medical expenses. My husband broke his pinky and needed pins. OUCH.
My biggest expense was plane tickets back home.
Student Loans
I live on $900 a month and until my house sells I am responsible for over $650 a month in a mortgage payment. As you can see I live on barely anything but I make due. After all, some people are worse off than me.
My biggest expense this month was my kids back to school clothes and shoes!! Their clothes and shoes cost just as much as mine and my husband's!!
Medical expenses
It's a tie between materials for my husband's business or the repairs on machinery and tools for the business. It seem like he had the most orders and all the tools broke, died or failed.
My biggest expense was my very last car payment! I've been following Dave Ramsey's Total Money makeover and have been so tired of my car loan payment every month so I bit the bullet and paid off the final $2800 on my loan by dipping into my savings (I still have more than $1,000 for emergencies as recommended by the TMM plan). It feels so nice to have that loan out of my life and now I can more aggressively save for a healthy emergency fund.
Rent was my biggest expense this month as usual, but close to it was a car repair. Not a surprise at all, as the car is a 1997 and I'm hoping to have it in good shape to take it on a long road trip next month.
My student loans! I'm trying to pay them off aggressively, so I always pay as much as possible over the minimum payment required.
It's usually mortgage but this month I splurged on a new bike! Totally worth it as it brings me joy, is a great workout, and cheap transportation!
The biggest expense for the month is our building payment. It is the shop my husband works out of.
My biggest regular expense was my mortgage. Outside of that, I was recently diagnosed celiac and so groceries have been more expensive.
Airfare as I am going to Europe and south antics in two consecutive months
Our mortgage is our biggest expense this month.
Our biggest monthly expense is usually the mortgage payment but this month it's a deposit/airline tickets for a December vacation. We planned for this trip so it's nice that this isn't a surprise expense.
Car tags for our vehicle. A lot of pain but it is done for at least 2 more years.
My biggest expense this month is my sons college tuition.
My Husbands tuition for his final semester. YEA !!
I was hoping to purchase a car but that didn't happen so I guess my biggest expense this month was groceries.
It's usually my mortgage which was consistent this month, followed by daycare!
My biggest expense this month is the rent. Thank Goodness!
My biggest expense this month was medical bills :(
My biggest expense this month was a semi-unexpected car repair bill that came to $810. The breaks I expected, but not the starter.
Our biggest expense is usually gas for the cars. My husband drives an hour and 15 minutes twice a day for work, and it just eats up the fuel.
school clothing
My biggest expense this month was a one-off payment that completely took me by surprise, but in the best possible way. It happened to coincide with my first paycheck from a new job, so I could fairly easily cover it. I had to pay for airfare and hotel accommodations for a conference that I didn't plan on going to, but then won a scholarship to attend. Can't pass that up! I'm looking forward to it, and I purchased everything through Ebates - which means cash back - and I found really great deals. I wouldn't want to do that every month, but I am eager to go to the conference.
A year of homeschool materials was our biggest expense besides our rent.
My biggest monthly expense is childcare.
$100 for a fellowship night for my brothers and sisters in Christ. Covered food and drinks for 20 people and we had an amazing time worshipping and loving one another with 8 player smash bros!
Food and drinks! I just moved to a new city, so lots of meals out and happy hours to meet new people and reconnect with old friends. Worth every penny.
My biggest expense this month was transportation. I am a commuter.
Our biggest expense this month has by far been for education. One "child" is in college ( freshman ) and one is in the 7th grade at a private school.
daycare was the biggest expense this month
Student loans. We had some extra income, and we were able to throw a little over 3K toward that debt.
Our mortgage, but hopefully next month it will be a fence!
Rent is always my biggest expense!
My credit card bill was my biggest expense this month!
my biggest expense this month is rent.