January 2026
Where our money went (and the $89 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 | 3% | 3% | ~average |
| Health | 2% | 7% | slightly under 👍 |
| Subscriptions | 1% | 3% | slightly under 👍 |
| Other | 11% | 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
Smart water bottle
“A $89 water bottle that vibrates to remind you to drink water. My phone already does this. I don't listen to my phone either.”
That's a lot of damage. 💸
Hers
Express shipping for a book
“Paid $67 in express shipping for a book that has been sitting on the nightstand unread for 3 weeks. The regular shipping was free.”
That's a lot of damage. 💸