The New and Improved Budget

This should be an improvement, simply because I’ve added in the Boy’s stuff which I failed to do the last time (doh).
The Boy Food                                                  $100
The Boy Bus Pass                                            $50
FPL                                                                     $300
AT&T                                                                 $30
TMobile                                                            $225
Sprinklers                                                          $50
Water                                                                $130
Bug man                                                           $24
Netflix                                                               $22
Comcast                                                           $115
Gym                                                                   $62
Credit cards                                                     $400
Medical                                                             $25
Food                                                                  $350
Gas                                                                    $100
Savings                                                              $400
 
Total Expenses:                                               $2383.00
 
Income should be as follows:
 
Weekly pay:                                                     $572
Bi-weekly pay:                                                 $2162
Monthly Contract:                                          $400
Bonus (average)                                              $300
 
Total Income:                                                  $3434
 
Difference:                                                       $1051
 
This difference really should be divided up into a fun savings account and then the car insurance, house insurance, wind storm insurance, flood insurance, property taxes and other predicted household expenses. And then we still have the college stuff, which I am STILL waiting to see if we qualify for ANY ASSISTANCE. Yeah, it used to be that Hubby paid ALL that stuff but now we sort of split it, not 50/50 but I pick up my share … he obviously saw the $1000 plus that should be floating around at the end of the month. Heh. Then again, more should be applied towards the credit cards too.
 
There are other things that should be factored in, such as date night out (Hubby generally picks up that tab, this is MY budget), miscellaneous things, like clothes, etc., but I am trying to live a Year of Zero (I need to keep reminding myself of that and giving myself a BIG pat on the back when I remember!)  
 
Oddly enough, I just got done doing our taxes and filed them (thankfully!) and we were both shocked at how MUCH money we made, yet again. I think, for starters, we always think: “Not so bad for 2 kids that didn’t finish college and started off dirt poor” which we did, seriously, and then “Really?? Where the heck did all the money go??” This is our second year getting a tax refund only because we both pay in extra on each paycheck (I contribute $150 more a month and he contributes $300 more a month) because we got TIRED of paying at the end of the year, every stinking year, no matter what we did or didn’t do. (BTW, I am all for a flat tax base, trust me, would make life so much simpler instead of having to deal with tax brackets, etc.) …
 
So there you have it, the new and IMPROVED Budget….let’s see how it rolls out in April!

Do you have a pretty strict budget? And if so, do you find yourself tweaking it as necessary? Just curious!