Hello everyone! Time for another life, goals, and food budget update. The month isn't over yet, but I'm typing this on the 28th and I think it's close enough.
May was another great month for us. It was my birthday month and I did a good amount of traveling. I went to Utah, Nevada, California, St. Louis, and Gulf Shores in May and had a great time on these trips.
Colorado is still treating us very well. We are enjoying all of the outdoor activities that Colorado offers and everything else around here.
The only negative I can think of from this past month is that our house is still for sale. Let's hope June is the month for us!
Our food budget.
We did not do too well with our food budget in May. We spent way over $500 but that was mainly due to not being home for the majority of the month. The food spending was all planned and budgeted for though.
I wish I could say that June will be better, but that most likely will not happen. We will be traveling many times over the next two months to visit family, friends, attend a wedding, and more, so food spending will be through the roof until then.
We will still be trying out best until then to lower our food spending though.
We're down to one car!
In May, we finally made the decision to have just one car.
We are now saving around $600 a month, over $7,000 a year, just by making this one change!
As you might remember from my post Should We Get Rid Of A Car And Just Have One?, we have been thinking a lot lately about slimming down to just one car. Since both of our cars need to be registered here in Colorado, we had to think somewhat quick about what we wanted to do (we wanted to avoid the $1,000 in registration fees that we would have had to pay in Colorado, especially since we still have to pay for it in Missouri for this year as well).
In the end, we decided to slim down. While we were both VERY sad to get rid of our Jeep Wrangler, we knew that this was the right decision for us for many reasons. The reasons included:
- We never needed both cars. Since we both work from home, there has never really been a situation where we both needed a car at the same time.
- The Wrangler got horrible gas mileage. Less than 15 miles per gallon most of the time. We will definitely be getting a Wrangler in the future, but not until we need two cars again.
- We want to be more minimalist. With one car, there is less maintenance required, less cars to register, less cars to take care of, and more.
- The money savings. Considering the fact that we don't need two cars, the fact that we could so easily save $600 a month felt stupid to keep passing up.
Even though it's only been a few days since we made this change, we've already been super happy with it!
May Goals Update
- Work out! PASS! This will be on my goals list for awhile as it's a great motivator to see it here each month. We have both been doing very well with working out and we have been feeling better than ever.
- Work ahead on Making Sense of Cents posts. FAIL. I fell behind on this due to all of the traveling that happened in May. It was nice because I was able to enjoy my trips, but it's sad to be back to where I used to be. I'm hoping to change this in the next few months though.
- Try to work less when on vacation. PASS! I still worked a little bit on vacation, but I didn't work as much as I usually would. A lot of this has to do with working ahead of time on most of my projects. It really helped!
June Goals
- Work out! This will be one of my goals for awhile as it's a great motivator to see it here each month. Working out is so much more fun when you're hiking, rock climbing, and more. Loving it here in Colorado!
- Get two weeks ahead on Making Sense of Cents posts. This is still a goal of mine. I would like to be one month ahead, especially since I have a ton of traveling for the rest of the year. Living so far away from everyone makes traveling almost a necessity since I don't want to miss out on any important events in the lives of those that I love!
- Start my attempt to learn another language. It's been a dream/goal of mine for awhile to learn another language. I'm not sure where to start or even what language I want to learn, but I know I want to start somewhere. What are some great programs to learn a new language?
What great things are going on in your life? How did you do in May? What is your main goal for June?
Below are pictures (all from my phone, sorry) from our new home and recent trips.
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Giulia says
May 29, 2015 at 4:46 amLovely pics, I am agree having only one car means save money, plus I agree on your choiche to work less when you are on holiday a break means relax and work better later:!
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
May 29, 2015 at 9:21 amThanks!
Kalie says
May 29, 2015 at 6:54 amThat’s great that you can save so much by having only 1 car! I wish we didn’t need 2 cars, but only having 1 would completely overthrow our current lifestyle in a way that doesn’t seem wise to us right now. Luckily we’ve never had a car payment and never plan to, and keep costs relatively by carrying liability insurance on our older vehicle, and doing most of our own repairs and maintenance.
My main June goal is to prepare for my India trip in August. I will be speaking at a couple women’s conferences and just got my topics so I my goal is to write my outlines before we go on a vacation at the end of June.
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
May 29, 2015 at 9:30 amWow that’s awesome! Sounds like you will have a fun August 🙂
Emma says
May 29, 2015 at 7:24 amYay for making the move to one car. $600 is a huge saving – well done.
Also check out DuoLingo for the language learning. It’s a free app with loads of different languages. I use it for Spanish and love it.
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
May 29, 2015 at 9:31 amThanks! I’ve done one lesson through DuoLingo and I love it so far!
Roadmap2Retire says
May 29, 2015 at 8:31 amNicely done, Michelle.
We have 2 cars but my wife’s car is 15 yrs old and starting to get to the point where we wonder if its worth keeping anymore. Once it kicks the can, we have decided to go down to one car – atleast for a few years. That should help us a lot with our finances. Kudos to you for going down to one car.
cheers
R2R
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
May 29, 2015 at 9:31 amThanks!
Robin @The Thrifty Peach says
May 29, 2015 at 8:50 amCongrats on finally going down to one car! Most of us don’t realize just how much we are spending (and working) to be two car families. It used to not be the norm. I have been debating doing the same!
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
May 29, 2015 at 9:31 amYou should do it!
Saving Sanely says
May 29, 2015 at 8:57 amThose pictures are gorgeous! It makes me want to travel even more! How great that you can make one car work for your family. We are not there yet. The hubs has always wanted a jeep, but after seeing the gas mileage, he’s going to be making the Corolla work for awhile, haha!
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
May 29, 2015 at 9:32 amHaha I do miss the Wrangler. We will be getting one as soon as we need 2 cars again. They are just too much fun.
William says
May 29, 2015 at 9:34 amAh, downsizing the vehicle fleet and posting pics of travels! Fantastic post! Have any big future trips planned?
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
May 29, 2015 at 9:36 amHaha thanks William! We have a summer jam packed full of travel. We will be going on a few trips each month until January of 2016!
Syed says
May 29, 2015 at 9:56 amNice job going down to one car. Most people underestimate how much a car really costs, thinking it’s only the car payment and gas. But there is maintenance, registration fees, emission compliance fees etc. Those little costs can sneak up on you. And also the fact that nearly all cars lose value over time.
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
May 29, 2015 at 11:09 amYes, there are a lot of costs that go into it!
Tiffany Melvin says
May 29, 2015 at 10:22 amGreat post. My husband and I went down to one car about 1 1/2 years ago and we have saved a ton. We are glad we made the decision to switch. I would also love to learn a new language, probably Spanish because I took it in high school and still know some. I would try Rosetta Stone. My husband used it in the pass to learn some Spanish and he liked it a lot. But there are probably a lot of stuff on YouTube too.
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
May 29, 2015 at 11:09 amGreat job!
Kim @ YourFinanceProfessor says
May 29, 2015 at 10:39 amWe were a one car family for a couple of years, and it was not too bad at all. It’s not feasible with our lives now since we are all busy and going in so many directions, but I’m glad we did it and saved all of that money while we could.
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
May 29, 2015 at 11:09 amAwesome Kim!
Niomi@Financially Confident says
May 29, 2015 at 1:07 pmDaaang, girl–excellent job on the credit card churning! I’d like to get more into this, but it makes me nervous. Probably not a good idea to get MORE credit cards while I’m still trying to pay three of them off…
Glad you’re enjoying Colorado–I live on the Front Range and we have gotten so.much.rain. Hope it’s drier on your side of the mountains! 🙂
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
May 29, 2015 at 3:55 pmHaha yeah I don’t really recommend credit card churning unless you are perfect with credit cards. It can lead to a disaster if you’re not careful!
Ramona says
May 29, 2015 at 1:07 pmWe have one car as well and husband’s been thinking about getting his one, too, even if we don’t need it. Just like you, we both work from home, so it’s not something we really need to buy. Paying another insurance fee and all the other costs coming with a second car makes me think we’re doing just great as we are now 🙂
Congratulations on the choice, it’s a huge save, that’s for sure.
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
May 29, 2015 at 3:56 pmThank you!
Pamela says
May 29, 2015 at 1:21 pmWithout a doubt I think Rosetta Stone is the best language learning software out there. They use several different methods (listening, reading, speaking, etc.) to reinforce the words. It’s a bit more expensive, but is totally worth. I’ve tried a lot of different ones and Rosetta Stone gets the top spot. Best of luck!!!
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
May 29, 2015 at 4:06 pmThanks! I’ll look into that.
Adam @ AdamChudy.com says
May 29, 2015 at 2:15 pmGreat pics. Those look like fun trips.
We recently hit Jazzfest in New Orleans, and have a lot of late summer / fall travel booked.
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
May 29, 2015 at 4:07 pmThanks!
Amy @ DebtGal says
May 29, 2015 at 2:40 pmCongrats on saving a chunk of change by going down to one car! It sounds like it makes a lot of sense for you! We can’t get by on one, but I wish we could. Just yesterday I spent $202 on a repair and inspection for one car…
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
May 29, 2015 at 4:07 pmUgh that stinks!
Stockbeard says
May 29, 2015 at 2:43 pmproud 0 car family here. It’s great that you moved from 2 to 1. 1 to 0 is the next big decision 🙂
Renting, carpool, car2go/zipcar are all great options. For everything else, walk/bike. Especially if you work from home!
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
May 29, 2015 at 4:08 pmHa I don’t think I could ever go to 0. I eventually want a house with property so that just wouldn’t work 🙂
Jason Butler says
May 29, 2015 at 3:27 pmSounds like you had a fun month. I can’t wait until I’m able to travel more. The pictures of the beach look amazing.
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
May 29, 2015 at 4:22 pmThanks! It was a fun month.
Kayla @ Femme Frugality says
May 29, 2015 at 6:46 pmSo what is the car that you kept?
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
May 30, 2015 at 12:25 amWe have a Subaru Crosstrek!
Grayson says
May 29, 2015 at 6:54 pmI’m sad for you. I love my Wrangler, but I don’t have any payments besides insurance. I get why you did it though, $600 bones is a lot!
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
May 30, 2015 at 12:27 amTrust me, I was very sad! The $600 a month included property taxes and maintenance (such as expensive tires), and those two things really added up. I think we paid like $700 (maybe it was $1,000? I can’t remember) in annual property taxes alone on the Jeep a few months ago.
Grayson says
June 1, 2015 at 8:13 amI’ll make sure to drive around with the Jeep’s top down a few times for you!
Dominic (Gen Y Finance Guy) says
May 29, 2015 at 7:09 pmWhich credit card was it hat you got $675 on?
I just recently signed up for the Chase Sapphire card and should get about $500 in free money. Just starting to really get into this whole credit card churning thing. I have also received about $1,000 in free rooms of the last 12 months with my Marriott rewards card.
Always nice to get Free Money.
Cheers!
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
May 30, 2015 at 12:29 amI think it was the Chase Ink Business Plus. I don’t have it in my wallet anymore and I’m currently at a hotel (I don’t trust the wifi), or I would look it up. I’m like 99% positive that it was the Ink Business Plus though.
The card we are churning now is the Chase Sapphire. I’ve had one for awhile but Wes just received his.
Love the free money!
Kate @ Cashville Skyline says
May 29, 2015 at 7:54 pmI’ve been following your journey on Instagram, Michelle, and it looks like you’ve been having an amazing time! I’m actually letting the bf take a stab at travel rewards, so we’ve been funneling a lot of our expenses through one of his new cards. Hopefully, a cheap European trip is in the cards for early next year 🙂
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
May 30, 2015 at 12:30 amA cheap European vacation sounds amazing!
Jayson @ Monster Piggy Bank says
May 30, 2015 at 5:52 pmI think we’re sticking to one car only to save much money like you do, Michelle. Thanks for making me realize this because I and wife were planning to get one.
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
May 30, 2015 at 6:53 pmStick to one car!
Laurie @thefrugalfarmer says
May 30, 2015 at 8:12 pmWhat gorgeous pics!! Hiking and rock climbing are two of our fave activities. We don’t have “Colorado beautiful” places to hike and rock climb, but I certainly can’t complain as there are many beautiful places here. Smart move on cutting down to one car – and gotta love that savings!
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
May 30, 2015 at 9:40 pmThank you Laurie!
Harry @ SmartMoneyJunction says
May 31, 2015 at 12:07 pmI think you have taken a wise decision there – why pay the extra money when you can get by with a single car. However it’s always a trade-off and only time will tell how the decision panned out to be. By the way, good luck on learning a new language. I started learning Spanish a couple of years back and feel it’s the best one to learn relatively easily.
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
May 31, 2015 at 12:27 pmThanks Harry!
Shannon @ GrowingSlower says
May 31, 2015 at 3:40 pmCongrats!! I think becoming a one car family is such an awesome way to save a lot of money with one lifestyle change instead of trying to be frugal in a lot of different little areas. When I wrote that you could save $10,000 a year by getting rid of a car, some people thought I was crazy, but all the costs associated with car ownership really add up, don’t they? We are a family of four and chose to be a one-car family to help us get out of debt faster. I won’t deny that it was a challenge at times, but well worth it now that we are debt free!
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
May 31, 2015 at 8:37 pmThanks Shannon!
Brittney @ Life On A Discount says
May 31, 2015 at 8:30 pmGreat post and definitely something to consider about being a one car family. We have thought about it, but we live in a city that is not great a public transportation. My husband and I actually work at the same company, but we work different schedules (which varies anywhere from 1-3 hour differences). So we strategically carpool 2-3 days a week when possible, but I don’t think we could swing one car. Fortunately, his car has been paid off for 3 years and his insurance is really cheap. So, while it would definitely save us money (and I love saving money), I don’t think it would logistically work out for us to go down to one car.
Also, congrats on the goals accomplished and best of luck toward the goals that you are working on this month!
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
May 31, 2015 at 8:41 pmThanks Brittney!
Justin @ Root of Good says
June 1, 2015 at 8:25 pmI’m retired, my wife is on a 3 month sabbatical and about to retire too. We’re thinking about dropping from 2 cars to 1, but have 3 children. So far, with 2 kids attending the same school and the other at home with us, 1 car has been plenty and we have never used 2 cars at the same time. The kids complicate it a bit for us, but I think we can save a couple hundred per month by ditching the second car and it will be so much easier to only maintain one car.
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
June 3, 2015 at 9:18 pmYou should definitely think about it! 🙂
Kimsea Sok says
June 2, 2015 at 4:14 amThanks for sharing..! That was really nice that you can save much money on spend for car usage.
Honestly, the Cambodia car expense is really serious. The fuel was more expensive than other country, especially the service cost much money.
Thus, the learn about save money on one care is really amazing..! 🙂
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
June 3, 2015 at 9:19 pmThanks!
Lisa says
June 3, 2015 at 7:56 pmThose pics look amazing! Even if they’re from your phone 🙂
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
June 3, 2015 at 9:20 pmThanks!
April @ A Simple Life says
June 4, 2015 at 2:39 pmFunny, our family is saving to do the opposite, get a second car. However, here are the differences:
1) My husband works out of the home, like 60 hours a week
2) I have 3 children (number 4 on the way) that I homeschool – we really need to get out of the house more!
3) Mom needs to be able to go out with a female friend once in awhile and not be at the mercy of dad’s schedule.
However, we will do this frugally. We will either purchase a vehicle from someone we know for cash or we will purchase a simple, pre-owned warrantied vehicle with cash and maybe a no-interest loan if it can be found for a used car.
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
June 8, 2015 at 7:06 amDefinitely sounds like you might need a second car 🙂
Gigi says
June 8, 2015 at 6:50 amGreat photos! Personally I prefer phone photos…re learning another language, try the duolingo app, it’s a great startIng point. And free!
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
June 8, 2015 at 7:06 amThanks! I’ve been using Duolingo and love it!
Barbara says
November 12, 2015 at 11:30 amHi, We are producing a segment for our local cable access channel on increasing walking/biking and decreasing congestion. The show airs locally, and the station is non-profit–strictly educational. We are looking for an illustration regarding a one-car family and noticed the one on this page entitled: Were-Now-Saving-Over-7000-A-Year-By-Becoming-A-One-Car-Family-1. Might we be able to show it on the screen for a couple seconds? We would include your credit (however you would like it worded) in the credits, of course! Please let me know if this is a possibility. Thanks much, Barbara
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
November 12, 2015 at 12:24 pmHello!
Can you send me an email at senseofcents@gmail.com? 🙂