Groceries (these are groceries I've purchased specifically for the kids- not myself, or family meals in general. These only account for additional purchases made solely for the children) :
Breakfast Cereal: $10
Oatmeal: $10
Cheese, Meat, and Crackers For Lunches: $20
Sandwich Supplies For Lunches: $20
Fruit and Veggies For Lunches: $20
Ice Pops: $20
Sunflower Seeds: $10
Smoothie-Supplies: $25
Chips and Candy: $10
TOTAL: $145
HYGIENE PRODUCTS
Shampoo/Conditioner: $10
TOTAL: $10
GAS/TRANSPORTATION
Court Meetings/ Family Visitations: $30
TOTAL: $30
SCHOOL SUPPLIES
-
TOTAL: $0
CLOTHING
-Socks: $15
-Water-proof Waiters: $25
TOTAL: $40
EXTRAS
Movies/ DVDs (including rentals): $20
Books: $15
Girl Scout Field Trip Fee: $150
Girl Scout Field Trip Spending Money: $25
Airfare For Family Trip: $3,500
Hotel For Family Trip: $650
TOTAL: $4,355
GRAND TOTAL: $4,580
NOTE: An important thing to keep in mind is that this 'budget' does not account for any extra groceries I buy for daily meals like dinner- which I would be cooking for myself anyways, I just make more now (which is probably another $200 to $250 total each month). It also doesn't cover any of the costs of bringing a new child into my home.
Another important thing to realize is that our 'travel costs' are within Alaska. Airfare is very expensive from here to anywhere. We went from our rural village to our state capital (Juneau) and the airfare was around $1,200 a person. Most people would not have this kind of expense, but I feel it's worth it to let me kids see new places- and just have some quality fun time. It was by far the biggest expense of the year so far, and will probably be our biggest expense this year.
Breakfast Cereal: $10
Oatmeal: $10
Cheese, Meat, and Crackers For Lunches: $20
Sandwich Supplies For Lunches: $20
Fruit and Veggies For Lunches: $20
Ice Pops: $20
Sunflower Seeds: $10
Smoothie-Supplies: $25
Chips and Candy: $10
TOTAL: $145
HYGIENE PRODUCTS
Shampoo/Conditioner: $10
TOTAL: $10
GAS/TRANSPORTATION
Court Meetings/ Family Visitations: $30
TOTAL: $30
SCHOOL SUPPLIES
-
TOTAL: $0
CLOTHING
-Socks: $15
-Water-proof Waiters: $25
TOTAL: $40
EXTRAS
Movies/ DVDs (including rentals): $20
Books: $15
Girl Scout Field Trip Fee: $150
Girl Scout Field Trip Spending Money: $25
Airfare For Family Trip: $3,500
Hotel For Family Trip: $650
TOTAL: $4,355
GRAND TOTAL: $4,580
NOTE: An important thing to keep in mind is that this 'budget' does not account for any extra groceries I buy for daily meals like dinner- which I would be cooking for myself anyways, I just make more now (which is probably another $200 to $250 total each month). It also doesn't cover any of the costs of bringing a new child into my home.
Another important thing to realize is that our 'travel costs' are within Alaska. Airfare is very expensive from here to anywhere. We went from our rural village to our state capital (Juneau) and the airfare was around $1,200 a person. Most people would not have this kind of expense, but I feel it's worth it to let me kids see new places- and just have some quality fun time. It was by far the biggest expense of the year so far, and will probably be our biggest expense this year.
