Wedding Saving Progress (charts are back, baby!)

Last week when I shared my engagement photos and mentioned that I may turn this blog into a non-PF blog, I got some concerns from readers who expressed that they would really like me to continue with my financial posts. Well, no worries, I’m not going anywhere. I may not share my net worth in all its detail anymore, but I won’t be turning this into a “This is the real MPP” anytime soon. 

The truth is, ever since I moved here and got engaged, it’s been hard to write about my financial journey because frankly it’s really boring. I am the robot who, like clockwork, gets paid twice a month, automatically transfers money to the wedding account, and try my best to use what I have left. I personally don’t think it’s as fun as hard-core paying off debt (c’mon, that just was awesome), but I suppose I should approach it that way since I am hard-core paying for the wedding and trying to be as frugal and smart with the purchases. 

So, in an effort to bring back ol’ MPP times, here’s a chart of my weddings savings since Day 1 of our engagement:

I started with my own $2,800 savings in order to cover some upfront costs (like the venue, which we paid soon after we got engaged). Every 1st and 15th of the month, $400 goes into the account. There’s a little more beyond the last green line with expenses left to purchase, but I’m not sure if I want to share my wedding date yet. My parents graciously paid for other things that aren’t on this chart, such as the dress, the alternations, and reception decorations. If I get any extra money, like my holiday bonus, or my dad reimbursing me for the invitations, then I enter it into the addition column. Pretty simple.

Right now I have about $4,000 left to spend (caterer, photographer, flowers) and about $2,000 income to save. My hope is that I can break even with $2,800 left, which is what I originally took from my Emergency Fund. 

So there you have it! My wedding saving chart. I also have a Wedding Budget tied to this sheet where I update how well we are doing according to our original budget. But that’s another chart for another day. :)

Any questions? Comments?

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PS- If you’re curious what J is doing while I save for the wedding, he’s busy paying off his debt to his parents and helping me out with apartment expenses. Read more on how we came up with this plan.