August 2025
Where our money went (and the $69 we'd like to un-spend 🫣)
💰 total spent
$0😬 categories
1 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 | 62% | 30% | yikes 🔥 |
| Groceries | 6% | 8% | slightly under 👍 |
| Dining Out | 4% | 6% | slightly under 👍 |
| Transportation | 6% | 16% | nailed it ✅ |
| Utilities | 2% | 7% | slightly under 👍 |
| Entertainment | 3% | 4% | ~average |
| Shopping | 2% | 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
Bluetooth meat thermometer
“A $69 Bluetooth meat thermometer that sends notifications to my phone when the steak is done. I was standing right next to the grill. The notification was redundant.”
That's a lot of damage. 💸
Hers
Aesthetic desk organizer
“A $52 marble desk organizer to 'boost productivity.' The desk is still messy. Now there's just a pretty container sitting on top of the mess.”
That's a lot of damage. 💸