I went on disability leave January 19th which made February a tough month because disability takes about 5 weeks to process so I did not get my first check until February 24th. Even for the best of savers, it’s brutal to have no income and start dipping into that savings. Disability checks should continue to arrive every two weeks now and should be sufficient to cover my basic expenses so as long as I’m not splurging and shopping to make myself feel better I shouldn’t have to dip into my savings any more.

I did an excellent job keeping my spending to a minimum in February with just a little bit of shopping while I spent a weekend in San Luis Obispo with my sister (my friend was headed to Santa Barbara for her friend’s bridal shower so we carpooled since my destination was only about 2 miles out of her way, it worked out great).

My income for February came in at about 70% of my normal income.

Expenses break down like so for a total of $1481 this month which corresponds to approximately 70% of what I spend in a typical month with full income:

• Rent: $800
• Health – Eyecare: $102 (6 months of contacts with my new prescription)
• Health – Pharmacy: $87
• Health – Doctor: $75
• Utilities: $158
• Food – Groceries: $129
• Food – Coffee Shops: $7
• Shopping: $75
• Entertainment: $31
• Personal Care: $17

I earned less but I reigned it in a spent less this month and the month came to a close with a positive net income. Hope I can keep it up for the rest of my disability leave.

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