October Spending Recap
Plus access to the Backwards Budgeting spreadsheet!
I’m writing today’s post from the Rose Reading Room at the New York Public Library flagship branch, and this experience sums up this month: filled with incredible, fun experiences, but somehow not that expensive (the Rose Room is one of New York’s free hidden gems).
Today’s post, like my other monthly resets, will dive into how I spent every cent this month—but one big announcement first: I’m launching paid Substack subscriptions!
When thinking about what my paid offering would be for subscribers, I first considered the obvious—paywalling posts that dive deeper into my personal finances, particularly earnings (a trend I’ve seen—and enjoyed reading—in other Substacks). And while I think those posts are so interesting, I already post that outside a paywall (plus my monthly resets like this one).
Maybe I’ll share more nitty gritty financial details (like negotiating for my next full time job’s salary, or how much I really make on a slow or busy night working my side gig as a bartender in NYC) behind the paywall over time as I expand my paid offerings, but for now, that type of content is free—I’m all about salary transparency!
When considering what I want to offer paid subscribers, I thought instead about the tools that my close friends and I use to help feel more confident around our spending. And I landed on the template I personally use to budget each month. If you join as a paid subscriber, in addition to supporting my weekly posts, you’ll get access to my Backwards Budgeting template.
I use this Google spreadsheet to track my spending each month, but more importantly, I use it to reflect on my spending from the previous month and evaluate if it’s aligned with my intentional spending goals. And now, you can use it, too! You can manually plug in your spending throughout the month like I do (it keeps it more intentional), or import it from your credit card statements.
Some highlights of what you’ll get through the paid subscription tier and Backwards Budgeting template:
Customizable categories based on your budget
Monthly charts showing proportion of spend across each category
Annual chart showing change in spend per category month over month
Reflections tab to track goals and reflections each month
Check-in chat on the 1st of each month through the Substack chat
And at the founding membership tier, I’ll help you set up your spreadsheet 1:1 through a 30 minute video call.
I hope you’ll consider supporting my work—and trying out backwards budgeting—by becoming a paid subscriber.
Most importantly, thank you all for being here in the Ten Dollar Latte community! Your comments on each post really make me feel like we’re all in this together—we all regret spending money on some things, we’re all trying to spend more intentionally, and we can all celebrate our money wins together!
Without further ado, let’s dive into my spending this month:
Fixed Monthly Costs:
Not much has changed here since last month.
Variable Monthly Costs:
Dining out: $93.58
I went out to dinner a few times with friends, none of which were crazy expensive. I also got lunch with a friend who was running late so I ordered her sandwich for her. She told me to venmo charge her for it, but I feel weird sending a venmo charge to a close friend for $13, so I didn’t.
Groceries/Household: $535.85
I spend about $100/week on groceries. Plus, I renewed my license for $72, and kept that in this category because it didn’t really fit anywhere else. Putting it in the transportation category wouldn’t be fair because I use it more to board planes and get into bars than I do to drive (I live in New York, I drive less than ten times a year).
Transportation: $82.50
No cabs or ubers this month! Just the usual slew of subway and bus swipes, plus one round trip train ticket home to the suburbs.
Coffee out: $13.58
I only went out for coffee twice this month: both times by myself, but both times to sit in the cafe and get stuff done (like writing Substack posts!). I’m still mainly caffeine free, so my coffee shop visits have really dropped off since earlier this year.
Drinks out: $378.25
Okay, it was a fun month, and the Yankees made it to the World Series (translation: I spent a lot of time in bars).
Health: $77.02
I stocked up on some essentials like shampoo, lotion, and vitamins.
Hobby/Experience: $289.84
Okay, I think this is the most fun (depending on how you define fun) category this month! I signed up for 4 New York Road Runner races, with the goal to complete 9 next year for guaranteed entry into the New York City Marathon in 2026! I also went to a Yankee playoff game.
Travel: $0.00
No travel this month, just enjoying the city :)
Not sure why the best picture I took of the fall folliage in Central Park is of a trash can, but it is. Gifts/donations: $8.03
I picked up a couple Gatorades for friends in the neighborhood who were hungover from a night out. This gift was very appreciated.
Clothing/Makeup: $142.95
I bought my Halloween costume (I was Olivia Rodrigo from her GUTS tour). I also left my running sneakers at my sister’s house by accident, and I couldn’t possibly go weeks without them, so I bought new ones on sale at DSW.
Pet: $219.00
New category, so I recategorized a few things from previous months! I have one cat, and he doesn’t usually cost me too much money, so I’d had his expenses linked with groceries/household, but I took him to the vet this month for his annual checkup. This total also included the gabapentin (anxiety medication) I gave him that morning (going to the vet two blocks away is a lot for a cat that lives in a one bedroom apartment and gets scared when pigeons fly by the windows).
Totals:
$1,851.60 in variable expenses
$2,599.83 in fixed expenses
$4,451.43 in total expenses
I had a few necessary expenses this month (license renewal, vet visit) that I’m glad I got out of the way. Next month, I’d like to be a little more intentional with spending on groceries (I feel like that spending was a little high from buying more convenience foods, which are also less healthy). I also want to shift some spending towards the clothing budget next month—I feel like a lot of pieces in my closet are ready for a refresh!
The public library looks stunning! It's very exciting that you are launching paid subscriptions!