July 2025
Where our money went (and the $45 we'd like to un-spend 🫣)
💰 total spent
$0😬 categories
2 over avg
Scroll for the full breakdown... 👇
🏙️ How We Stack Up vs. Los Angeles
We're DINKs, so no childcare costs skewing the numbers. Here's how we stack up against BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey data for the Los Angeles metro area.
The Los Angeles metro area (Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim MSA) includes Orange County, where we live. Uses 2023-24 data because the 2024 release was delayed three times (data quality issues + appropriations lapse) and finally published Dec 19, 2025. MSA-level data uses 2-year averages for larger sample sizes.
| Category | Ours | Los Angeles Avg | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | 57% | 30% | yikes 🔥 |
| Groceries | 6% | 8% | slightly under 👍 |
| Dining Out | 5% | 6% | ~average |
| Transportation | 7% | 16% | nailed it ✅ |
| Utilities | 2% | 7% | slightly under 👍 |
| Entertainment | 5% | 4% | ~average |
| Shopping | 3% | 3% | ~average |
| Health | 2% | 7% | slightly under 👍 |
| Subscriptions | 1% | 3% | slightly under 👍 |
| Other | 12% | 16% | slightly under 👍 |
And now, the moment you've been waiting for...
🤦 Dumbest Purchases
Every month, we each confess our most regrettable spend. Public shame is free therapy.
His
Novelty ice cube molds
“Spent $34 on skull-shaped ice cube molds for the 4th of July party. They leaked. Every skull looked like a melted ghost. Regular ice was right there.”
Could've been worse... barely. 😅
Hers
Festival fanny pack
“A $45 'festival fanny pack' that was too small to hold a phone, a wallet, AND sunscreen. Chose the phone. Got sunburned.”
Could've been worse... barely. 😅