Yesterday afternoon I took care of September transfers and bills. The way I manage our monthly finances might seem odd to some people, but it works for me. The interesting thing is that I didn’t write a single check and the entire process online took about 30 minutes. September’s budget total is $12,152 and includes:

Payments Scheduled:
• CC1 payment ($4882.27) due 9/10
• CC2 payment ($1266.15) due 9/12

CC1 and CC2 are paid in full each month.
CC1 was higher than usual due to a homeowner’s insurance payment for the ID house and my new laptop.
CC2 included gas and expenses for our Sedona road trip in late July and all groceries.


Transfers Scheduled:
• $500 to CA Household Reserve account
• $500 to ID Household Reserve account
• $100 to Rental Reserve account
• $1,500 to regular savings (cache fund)
• $1,000 to Schwab Account (investment)

The reserve accounts collect funds to be used for periodic expenses as they come up (e.g., taxes, insurance, etc.). Not included here is DH's contribution to his 403b since it is $$ deducted by his employer and I do not have to manage the payments. (I am no longer able to contribute to my 403b/457 since I have retired.)


Other:
Mortgage payment for CA home, water bill, Direct TV, and HOA fees are on auto payment, so I don’t have to schedule payments but these expenses are part of the monthly budget of $12,152 spent. Utilities for the ID house are on auto payment and are taken from the ID Household Reserve account.


Also scheduled but not payable until October:
• utility bill payment for CA house ($99.57) on CC1;
• phone bill payment (Internet, cell, and land-line = $244.08) on CC1 and it includes DH’s iPhone charges.


Extra Deposits to Checking Account to offset expenses:
From household reserve account:
• $543 for HO insurance
• $114 for timeshare dues

From my savings account:
• $2491 for my new laptop

Whew! That's a lot of money to move around… but I love the ease of managing everything online and using the CCs to earn miles. Best of all, the mortgage for the CA house is our only debt.