Help me to create a list of hidden expenses that come up throughout the year!!!

[cody82414]

Items such as: property taxes, car registration(s), seasonal expenses (propane), school fees/physicals, etc

insert your hidden expense here.


What I need to do is to anticipate the expense,
then hopefully to already have that amount collected.

I am looking for ideas to create a spreadsheet
that includes items that one needs to save for
but that are not necessarily a monthly expense.

[meems]

When my children were younger..clothing expenses were always one that never seemed to be in the budget. I did buy ahead & off season/garage sales, etc...but sometimes you just had to buy retail.

[mom2lucas]

DH downgraded and got a different car this year, and he totally forgot he had to pay sales tax on a car when he registered. It was only like $50, but we were not expecting to have to fork that over. So, if you might be getting a vehicle for cash, you might need to account for taxes.

[434Teresa]

car tires (car repairs)
oil changes(everyone seems to forget all to often)
Items such as frig,stove,microwave, etc going out (home repairs)
Hair cuts(if you have boys this adds up)

[MrsPinecone]

Car stuff: registration, emissions testing, renewing driver's licenses, tires, oil changes, brakes, batteries, insurance premiums

Personal care: hair cuts, pedicures or manicures (for special occasions or regular trips)

Medical: prescription and office copays, deductibles to be met, OTC meds that you haven't stocked up on

School stuff: fundraisers, field trip fees, treats, birthday gifts for party invitations

Holiday food expenses

Home stuff: property taxes if not in escrow account, insurance the same, emergency repairs, annual service calls for furnace or a/c, maintenance supplies like softener salt, driveway salt when it snows, lawn and garden supplies (annuals, fertilizer, bug killers)

Travel: passports are needed for Canada and Mexico, and the renewal fee pretty much doubled last year. Extra baggage charges.

[3timesoccermom]

Vet bills, extracurricular activities like sports registration fees (if kids are old enough), wedding/birth/graduation gifts, shoes, work wardrobe, decor expenses - bedding, towels, rugs, pillows.

[sonyaril]

In Texas we have a yearly state inspection and tags for each of our cars.

[lilysdartgame]

Create two lists standard budget items and hidden expenses. Annualize the standard items and divide by the number of paycheck you receive a year. This will give you the exact amount that you need to put way each paycheck. The challenge is getting this set up. For instance, if you pay your insurance quarterly and you are two months into the quarter you are behind by a couple paychecks( you'll need to make this up). Once you have this set up you can pay bills like garbage on an annual basis. Our disposal company gives a discount of 1 month when you pay annually. When a large bill comes due like insurance you don't have to worry because you have the money put away. I've set this up for many of my friends and family. They especially like it because they can easily calculate how much a new bill would cost and whether or not they can afford it. Caution! Do not under any circumstances dip into the "bill fund" for anything. Consider this as money already spent!!

Good Luck!

[Kulis]

We were hit several times in 2010 with OTC meds -- the kind you usually don't stockpile. For example, to treat an eye injury we had to get a tiny, tiny bottle of otc drops at $28 a bottle. We eventually needed four bottles. A prescription would have been covered by dh's plan, but this wasn't prescription.

[Lori63]

Contact lenses. I always forget until I'm down to my last pair.
Propane for the grill.