<prompt> Human: I outlined a budget in order to set aside 1500 a month for a house down payment e-fund over two years and in the end, after all fixed expenses, I have approximately 1,000 dollars a month or 30 dollars a day to spend. I am spending WAY less on food I started making my own meals using costco bulk foodalcoholentertainment than before, however I never realized how many random misc. expenses unrelated to my foodentertainmentgas budget that keep destroying my progress and putting me in the negative on my savings goals. I listed them all, and realized its insane: - Sons Bday- Xmas presents for family- Mothers day, Fathers Day- Motherss bday, Fathers bday, Sons Bday, sisters bday, Xmas, GFs Bday, Grandmas bday, Grandpas bday, brothers bday, all my friends bday- Oil changes x4 a year- Brothers Graduation Present- Microwave breaks down - Vacuum Breaks down- Car License Tabs In the end, I feel like Im randomly spending at least 40-60 bucks EACH WEEK on one of these random misc things. The family and culture I have is for the eldest son that has a good job to take the family members OUT for their bdays and let them choose, so it really isnt an option most of the time to get cardsmake food, especially since they KNOW I make good money and I cant pull the Im broke card. How do you deal with all these random expenses?  <response>: nothing on that list except for the vacuum and microwave are unexpected. It sounds like you didnt plan these things into your budget when you should have.My advice is either fix your budget to handle these known expenses plus a bit more for stuff like the microwave or just ignore the normal for gifts and start making what you want the new normal. Maybe try to find some way to stop paying for dinner by making it at home Dude I found these huge T-bone steaks - like a pound each! Im making you a huge steak dinner for your birthday this year then go out for drinks afterwards so you still take them out. Something like that might not save everything this year, but it will make home cooked meal and drinks out an accepted standard to where you can better plan for it in the future. 