New Cash Flow-New Budget

     No one's budget is the same as someone else's. How I prioritize my spending others might find ridiculous, and probably some things are. I find massive inflation in every category ridiculous. Property taxes and insurance both took big increases, particularly home owners insurance. It's nearing $5,000 a year with my umbrella and that's with two vehicles bundled. I need to look around and compare rates. I hate to do that task, but even a 5-10% savings across all insured could swing my spendy my by $400-$900 a year. 

     That money is really needed as basic necessities increase like groceries and the water bill, increasing July 1. Our community needs to build new and improved water treatment plant. Direct from tap is not safe to drink. We buy or use a purifier, but not sure that's enough and I worry about dishes and bathing. Oh those water purifier filters that need replacing at least every 6 months went up 50% from last year.

     I am not sure where, if possible, to shift budget lines to stay in my overall planning for retirement spending. The whole point of retiring early was to be able to enjoy the fruits of both our labor and financial sacrifices made the years we maxed out retirement accounts, did without, or stretched a purchase as long as we could. I don't want to cut travel or entertainment, but the reality is there's not many line items left that are discretionary. I also don't want to eat cheap low nutrition food or sacrifice basic creature comforts and do without adequate heat or Air conditioning. I can tweak what that comfort level is a bit and do my best to not waste utilities to get to the lowest bills but most are fixed or take a while for any savings (if the price per unit doesn't go up anyway) are applied.

Here are those not fixed, and ideas for me to reduce. I know there are more austere ways that others do that don't even see them as austere. 

Sinking Funds

• Christmas- only gift my kids, MIL. I no longer have work related holiday sending and my side has cut out drawing names. I need to make my intentions early to my husband's side. 
• Travel- Continue to maximize credit card use for best return either in travel miles on the Delta AmEx or the cash back rewards on my Visa. Research and book best deals, leveraging features that add appropriate value. Example, breakfast included at same cost of comparable room. Avoid tourist traps and overpriced souvenirs, focusing on memories such as photos and local consumables and experiences. 

Regular/ monthly

• Groceries- The same stuff we all do...loss leader stock up, clearance bargains, store brands, avoid waste. Between this and HH, I'd like to knock $50-$75 a month off what I'm averaging. 
• Household/ personal care- Stretch items out, avoid waste, lowest cost options that work
• Entertainment ( including eating out and streaming services). Eating out was out of hand in both April and May. Summer is a good time to cut back as there's so many other ways to meet up with people, plus free concerts and movies in the park. I've got my streaming services down to just two that we pay for, Netflix and Max because Peacock is free through February 2027. I guess we pay for Amazon Prime too, but that includes the free shipping. Still, these collectively come to $60, so I could pause Netflix and Max, or drop Netflix to the version with a lot of commercials. 
• Clothes- Go through and ensure current clothes fit (or purge which seems never ending), are in good condition ( mend, spot treat), and appropriate. Like we did as kids, change out of nice stuff and into work/ play clothes. 
• Gifts* (non Christmas), impersonal, but give cash unless it's a specific item at good price recipient wants or needs. I control my budget that way and know my gift won't be someone else's discard a month later. I've tried to step back from stockpiling potential " just in case" gifts as I realized much of what I've purged unused, likely was a gift someone else bought in advance "just in case."  Those I've bought are for specific people, generic enough they'd get use ( layering piece sweater, cozy socks), and bought with expiring Kohls cash or extremely low clearance such as cocktail napkins I'll give to a sister or SIL with local wine or from a local shop. Most people I gift have no needs and have means to buy their wants, but who doesn't like a treat now and then? Consumable treats that support small businesses make more sense. 
• Church and other charitable giving* I guess for this, I'll just continue to honor my regular commitments but be very judicious about anything extra such as the $20 raffle tickets, sponsoring "voluntourism" by family. I'll keep putting aside money in sinking funds for emergency/ crisis support, but again, won't be able to give as freely or generously as when we were a two income family or I was working full time.

*Both sinking and regular

      It saddens me to think charitable giving is negotiable whether to keep. It's ironic that safety nets are being cut when the community safety net supporters have less to give. I refuse to agree with the callous Senator Ron Johnson who stated, "I've never really felt it was society's responsibility to take care of other people's children." What a POS human thing to say.