3 min read Expenses

April 2026 Expenses

I review our finances at the end of every month. This post is focused on the expenses. I am curious to see how our April 2026 expenses compare to our April 2025 expenses and if we are sticking to our 2026 goals. Categories and differences are explained below the table.

Aprils are brutal for us with 9 family and close friend birthdays. There were a few big anniversaries.

Category
2026
2025
Change
Mortgage
$2,029.35
$2,139.75
-$110.40
Insurance
$575.34
$500.61
+$74.73
Household and House Maintenance
$894.44
$517.40
+$377.04
Property Taxes
$985.00
$951.00
+$34.00
Utilities
$456.29
$471.56
-$15.27
Cell Phones
$146.90
$181.48
-$34.58
Internet
-
$68.90
-$68.90
Car Payment
$425.06
$425.06
-
Car Maintenance
$248.41
$1,004.67
-$756.26
Streaming
$53.09
$80.20
-$27.11
Food
$443.59
$859.76
-$416.17
Fuel
$550.04
$656.04
-$106.00
Kids
$1,250.27
$1,334.02
-$83.75
Restaurants
$901.56
$906.07
-$4.51
Banking Fees
$4.87
$4.00
+$0.87
Fun Money
$562.84
$551.40
+$11.44
Clothing
$62.11
$603.14
-$541.03
Personal Care
$118.25
$399.76
-$281.51
Alcohol
$174.58
$367.95
-$193.37
Parking
$50.00
$38.00
+$12.00
Gifts
$2,249.16
$820.85
+$1,428.31
TOTAL
$12,181.15
$12,881.62
-$700.47

Let's explore what each category includes and some reasons for changes:

  • Mortgage - we are on a variable rate and the interest rates went down in the past year.
  • Insurance - insurance rates went up and we added a third vehicle.
  • Households and home maintenance - we did some landscaping. We bought 2 trees and several shrubs, and lots of mulch.
  • Property taxes - a small tax bump compared to last year.
  • Utilities - gas, water and electricity.
  • Cell phones - we had to travel and roamed, but not as much as we did last year.
  • Internet - another free month.
  • Car payment - no changes
  • Car maintenance - oil change and some engine/cabin filters.
  • Streaming - Netflix and YouTube. Others are paid annually and Apple TV is free for the next year or so thanks to a bunch of Apple gift cards I got 2 years ago.
  • Food - expenses are down since we went hard on birthday outings (under gifts).
  • Fuel - gas prices are high, but we travelled less than last year.
  • Kids - a little lower this month. Would have been even lower since we don't pay for daycare anymore, but this month we splurged on baby sitters and kids events, so that we can all celebrate birthdays without kids.
  • Restaurants - had guests a few times and some birthdays.
  • Banking fees - a mix of interest rate payments on credit line transactions for a few days, fees for e-transfers and certified cheque fees.
  • Fun money - coffee, books, games, etc. Small daily purchases and fun expenses.
  • Clothing - this is only for adult clothes. Kids' clothing is covered under the "kids" category.
  • Personal care - self-explanatory.
  • Alcohol - self-explanatory
  • Parking - decided to split parking out of "fun money".
  • Gifts - 8 sets of gifts (nothing for me), a couple of them celebrating large anniversaries. Also paid the tab for an anniversary party at a bar.

Despite how expensive Aprils are for us, and how high gas prices are now, I am surprised that there was an overall reduction of $700.47 in expenses compared to last year's April. This is what happens when you are tracking your spending - numbers make you want to take action even if you don't follow a budget.

Things were trending in an even better direction but life always find a way to screw you over. If I didn't cover the bar tab, we would have saved another ~$1,000. I have no regrets since my wife and her friends had a great night out without having to worry about looking after kids. Fortunately, our monthly cash-flow allows to absorb small emergencies without emptying our accounts.

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