My Cost of Living in the Austin, TX Metro Area-December 2021

Hello everyone! Wow, 2021 is already over and I’ve been tracking every dollar that I spent, saved, and invested so far (give or take a few months). A lot has happened over this year and I’m happy to go over December 2021 to see how I ended the year. Let’s take a look.

Investing $2026 USD

I keep my monthly investments exactly the same when I don’t get any monthly commission. My job has a 4% 401k match and I am also investing in my Vanguard brokerage account and a new Wealthfront brokerage account.

About $626 is invested into my Roth 401k, $1,000 into my Vanguard brokerage which completely goes into the Total Stock Market ETF, and $400 into Wealthfront that is in an aggressive investing fund mostly made up of stocks.

Savings $0

I no longer add to my short term savings account because I’ve reached my 3-months of expenses. I might adjust this in the future, but as of now I’m happy with it.

Rent & Utilities $1153

My husband and I now split the rent and utilities of a 3 bedroom/2 bathroom apartment in the Austin Texas metro area. This total includes my portion of our rent/sewage/water as well as our electricity bill and apartment insurance.

Groceries $372

We have started to shop for our groceries online with HEB grocery store (the best grocery store in Texas). This allows us to pick only what we know we will eat and avoid those impulse purchases that happen when inside of the store. Our bill was a bit higher because we spent money for our Christmas dinner and extra snacks that we don’t normally purchase.

Charitable Giving $36

I donate $36 per month sponsor a young girl in Kenya. The money goes toward their school fees as well as providing clean water for their villages.

Subscriptions $26.96

I am subscribed to Netflix, Amazon Prime and pay membership fees to two YouTube creators that I love to watch.

General Merchandise $536

This spending went down $200 from last month which I’m very happy about. I’ve tried to monitor my purchases that happen online, especially on Amazon which I rely on for many household items. This total even includes the Christmas presents for my husband and daughter as well as few Anime plush characters that I bought for myself (they cheer me up!).

Restaurants $0

This month I didn’t purchase any food from restaurants except two meals from a local Mexican restaurant that was reimbursed by my company. Yippee!

Debt Payoff $240

This goes toward my low-interest personal loan. I plan on paying this off in the next two years. I’ve increased the payments to $300 starting next month and am contemplating paying it off within the next six months but I’m not sure yet.

Dependent $92

This cost is for diapers alone. I order a specific brand of diapers that is scent free, has no additives, and is much softer than other common diapers and therefore gentler on her skin. I only bought one box of diapers this month because she is a bit older and not going through 10-15 diapers per day like she used to.

Healthcare $350

I had a medical bill from my time giving birth to my daughter. She was born past her due date and before I went into labor my Doctor insisted I go to the hospital earlier since she was a big baby and there was a risk of her shoulders getting stuck while I delivered her. Even though she ended up coming 4 weeks later and I decided to not force an early labor and take the risk, I still have to pay for the bill what my health insurance didn’t cover.

In conclusion…

In the entire month of December, I invested and spent a grand total of….$4831.96USD. I’m happy with this number because I spent no money on restaurants, spend considerably less on Amazon and less money on diapers. I definitely call that a win!  

Do you track your spending? If so, tell me how you do so and I’d be happy to hear from you!