Recently I shared that we have a big goal to pay off our mortgage within five years. Here's the budget that is helping us get there.

You'll see that we have $1,000 of savings budgeted towards the house each month, which we put into a Vanguard index fund (a fund that is not actively managed and tracks with the stock market).

With the help of Mint we try to make our budget reflect real life. That's why we have nearly $100 worth of miscellaneous medical expenses and pharmacy costs even though I consider us a really healthy family. But considering that a typical month could include one of Cedric's routine appointments plus an eye exam for me plus some over-the-counter allergy medication for Chris and this budget is not far off.

Changes from our last budget:

+ Daycare costs reflect two children in daycare. $1,950 is actually an average monthly cost. Because we pay our daycare bill weekly the total cost fluctuates a bit month to month depending on how many weeks there are in the month.

+ Recently, we had my iPhone unlocked and Chris and I are both on plans with Net on the Run, an MVNO service (which unfortunately I think only takes new business customers now). Our total cell phone bill is $50, down from $100. Feels so good.

+ We increased my Orange Theory membership. Chris and I each have 8x/month memberships.

Questions? Please ask in the comments or email me!

And if you'd like more budget conversations, on today's episode of Matrimoney Chris and I are sharing how we did sticking to our budget in August with the help of Mint to keep us honest.