Personal Investments • Expense Tracking - How to handle large, unual expenses

I am starting to track our monthly expenses.

For those who do this, how do you handle large, unusual expenses?...things like a new car, a kitchen remodel, a costly medical procedure.

Does it make sense to amortize such an expense...e.g. spread a $60,000 car over 5 years, taking $1,000/month in your monthly planning/reporting.

MUN

I track expenses as they happen... when the money gets paid. So if I pay $50,000 in April 2025 for a new car, that full $50,000 gets entered as a transaction in my expense tracker. I use Quicken. Same when I buy a $1.25 candy bar.

If you're asking about budgeting that's different. I personally don't budget. But if I were to set up a budget for the coming year, I would estimate how much I might spend on a dental implant in November 2025. I don't do any sort of amortization over time. It's when the money leaves my virtual wallet.

Statistics: Posted by PaunchyPirate — Fri Apr 18, 2025 6:57 am — Replies 3 — Views 98

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