Off Grid Budget with Kay

Hi there friends!  I've been at a loss about what my next savings challenge is going to be. While scrolling a cashback reward app , I saw quite a few money back offers for pet supplies and food. Since my senior pup is on a fairly strict diet, I typically ignore those deals.  However, since May is National Pet Month in the US (April in the UK), I felt compelled to do something and decided to start a savings challenge to donate to a local shelter. I am starting this challenge now with the hope (goal!) of having it completed by the end of May. Once complete, I'll jump on the app to make my shopping list and head to the store to grab those treats for the lucky animals. This savings challenge is also my FREEBIE FRIDAY and is available at  ko-fi.com/offgridbudgetwithkay I know I could easily donate the cash saved, but I wanted to make it a bit more fun by personally shopping for the animals. Dependent on how well this challenge goes, I'm eager to do it again, with my cashback r...

Exciting news friends!  In honor of spring just around the corner, I'll be posting three Freebie Friday saving challenges featuring amazing insects of California, all available at my Ko-fi shop:  @offgridbudgetwithkay This Friday, we're featuring the beautiful Monarch Butterfly. Last year, my parents raised a handful of Monarch Butterflies at their homestead in California. My dad snapped this gorgeous picture of one of the new additions. This customizable mini savings challenge is size A7 envelope and is available as a FREE PDF DOWNLOAD at my Ko-fi shop:  https://ko-fi.com/offgridbudgetwithkay I'm featuring each challenge separately to make it easier to download.  Hope you enjoy this Freebie Friday savings challenge! This post and savings challenge are for entertainment and information purposes only. I am not a financial professional, and I am not giving financial or legal advice. 

Spring is almost here friends!  We are hitting a big milestone this month and finally paying off our trailer. It took us about a year, throwing as much extra cash we had at it. Following are our fixed expenses for March: Cell Phone: $130 Car Payments: $1140 Trailer: $160 **PAID OFF Insurance (i.e., car, medical, etc.): $350 Waste Management: $47 Internet: $120 Subscriptions (i.e., streaming services, etc.): $52  Total: $1999 Paying off the trailer is huge, and means we'll have $1000 to put somewhere else next month. This month, after paying the $160 owed (that interest will get you every time!), I had $840 left over. $40 got diverted to my garden savings account, and $800 will go to the home improvement variable expense to help with permits. I'm not sure where I'll put the $1000 next month... leave a comment below where you would use an extra $1000 each month!  Accounting for the additional monies from the trailer payoff, below is my new list of variable expenses: Laundro...

Hi there friends! Being the short month of February, I was beyond hopeful we wouldn't break our budget again. Well.... as the title suggests, we overspent this month, thanks to the emergency purchase of a new bed for our trailer and the inevitable building permit fees for our new home build. Unforeseen expenses seem to be our weakness, but we have a decent emergency fund so the expenses aren't causing too much of a burden. More of an inconvenience I guess. If you've been following the Off Grid Budget, you may recall my list of  fixed expenses,  which stay the same for us, no matter the weather or usage: Cell Phone: $130 Car Payments: $1140 Trailer: $1000 *Paid off next month!! Insurance (i.e., car, medical, etc.): $350 Waste Management: $47 Internet: $120 Subscriptions (i.e., streaming services, etc.): $52  Total: $2839 Our  variable expenses  are more volatile, based on weather and use.  Following is my list of expected variable expenses for February: Laun...