This week, I’m focusing hard on our overall list of household expenses. I’m trying to identify ways for us to save money.

First Step >> creating a household expenses list

When I think about the things we spend money on, especially with kids in the mix, it really makes my head spin.

Listing Out Monthly Costs

I figured the first thing I should do is determine all the different ways we spend our money.

So I decided to take start listing out all the ways I can think of that we spend money in a year’s time.

I was about 10 minutes in and on #70 before I started slowing down and having to think of more ways! It’s kind of embarrassing, really….

Our Annual Household Expenses List

I’m sure it’s not an exhaustive list of household expenses for my family, but here’s what I came up with:

1. Charitable donations
2. Birthday gifts
3. Groceries
4. Toiletries & personal care items – laundry detergent, toilet paper, toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, nail polish, mascara, eyeshadow, tissues, etc.
5. Swimming lessons
6. Swim team fees
7. Gym membership
8. Babysitter
9. School clothes
10. Eating out
11. Supplements
12. Clothes – regular clothes, workout clothes, underwear
13. Hair cuts
14. Car wash
15. Health insurance
16. Dental insurance
17. Life insurance
18. Toys
19. Electronics
20. Sports events
21. Vacation
22. Medicine
23. Hobbies
24. Dance class
25. Mortgage
26. Homeowner’s insurance
27. Life insurance
28. Electricity & gas
29. Household items – replacement utensils, sippy cups, organizer bins, laundry storage, light bulbs
30. Home repairs – gutters, pressure washing, paint, grass seeds, fertilizer, mulch
31. Vehicle fuel
32. No-Deposit Car Insurance – Car insurance is a non-negotiable household cost, but with no-deposit car insurance options, you can eliminate that large upfront payment and manage insurance costs that actually fit your monthly budget.
33. Car repairs/maintenance – oil filters, tires, windshield wipers, fluids
34. Entertainment – movies, plays, books
35. Medical co-pays and out of pocket costs
36. Telephone – home and cell
37. Internet service
38. Appliances that broke – pancake griddle, toaster
39. TV repair
40. Trash service
41. Bank fees
42. Postage stamps
43. Newspaper subscription
44. Professional dues
45. Magazine subscriptions
46. Christmas gifts
47. Christmas decorations
48. Beach toys
49. Special occasion outfits
50. Chiropractic care
51. Fitness-related gear – headphones, shoe inserts, tennis shoes, tennis racket restringing, Pandora subscription, workout armband,
52. Car payments
53. Vehicle license and registration
54. Federal and state taxes
55. Property taxes
56. College funds
57. Retirement plan contributions
58. Office gifts
59. Teacher gifts
60. Museum / play place admissions
61. Office supplies – pens, pencils, highlighters, paper, paper clips,
62. Kid art supplies- crayons, markers, paint, tape, paint brushes, construction paper
63. Yard sale signs
64. Valentine’s Day cards
65. Pandora subscription
66. Photo developing
67. Thank you cards
68. Lunch boxes
69. Water bottles
70. Notebooks
71. Printer ink
72. Gift wrapping supplies –  wrapping paper, ribbon, and bows
73. Diapers
74. Wipes
75. Diaper rash creams
76. Bedding
77. Sports-related costs – goggles, kickboard, dance shoes, dance outfits
78. Family Christmas ornament
79. Scrapbooking supplies
80. Meetup fees
81. Water filters
82. Propane for our grill
83. Entertaining costs – dinner & drinks for guests
84. Picture frames
85. Jewelry
86. Batteries
87. Vacation

Really?!!  Do we need to spend money on all this stuff!

I mean, it’s a good thing I didn’t separately list out all the little things that went into the toiletries category, for instance.

I would have easily surpassed 100 types of household expenses if I had done that!

Cutting Back – Paring Down This List of Household Costs

I realize we need to cut back. The list above doesn’t even include all the random junk I buy at the Target $1 section, for instance, whenever I pass by. That could include the Valentine’s Day hand towels that I thought were so cute or the printed Easter fridge notes.

It also excludes the grocery aisle magazines I purchase on random grocery shopping trips because the headlines just caught my eye and I didn’t have time to read the article I wanted to before it was my turn to check out. LOL

I’m going to do my best to get this list of expenses under control. Once upon a time, I never paid money for toothpaste because I was so on top of the coupons and deals for that type of thing.

I don’t know if I have time to go back to that sort of serious couponing, but I can certainly do better than I have been.

First on the list is to get back to basics. I’ve apparently forgotten the Couponer’s Golden Rule…

I’m going to start by using this post as a checklist of what to eliminate or cut back on throughout the year.

Have you ever created a household expenses list???

How would you cut back when you find you’re spending too much money?