To break things down and further explain, the listing goes from lowest to highest percent. The large blue wedge called "discretionary" is the money left over after I've paid my bills (including the savings category, as that is taken out before I even see my paycheque). This wedge is what I would use for groceries, spending money etc. I plan to take a close look at that later, as I don't seem to have much to show for it. But right now, lets look at the other categories and what can be done.
I'm going to point out the large category called Child - this includes only those expenses related to my child's monthly activities and after school care. Her clothes, food and entertainment are in the "discretionary" category.
Utilities and Dues both come in at 4%. Utilities include heat, water and electricity. These numbers vary with season and I believe this to be low as it was summer when I originally made the calculation. I would work on reducing utilities.
Dues includes fees toward my 2 professional organizations (non negotiable) and my gym and private club (ooh, its fancy but I love it). The gym and private club are both non-essentials. These total up to roughly $140 per month.
The next two categories I will mention today are cleaning and parking. Again, both are non-essentials. Having my house cleaned twice a month is a luxury, while parking is a bit more important. This category is my parking spot near work. I pay $150 a month for a guaranteed spot, as the general parking for my work is usually full by the time I get there. My arrival time is usually dictated by school drop-off time. However, if I could get there earlier, I could forego the parking.
So, just looking at the categories I've discussed here, I could trim $450 from my monthly bills just by cutting out my club, cleaning and parking.
Of course, these are my luxuries! Can I find money elsewhere first???
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