That jump from a guess of $400 to over $600 is genuinely wild. It makes you wonder where all that extra money was even going each week. Tracking every receipt sounds like a pain, but clearly it's the only way to see the real picture. I'd probably have the same reaction of cutting back on random snacks after a shock like that. The cash envelope method seems like a solid next step to make the budget feel real.

Did you ever get that line out, @sethh12? I had a toner spill on my driveway last year. I used a paste of baking soda and dish soap, scrubbed it with a stiff brush, and rinsed it with the hose. It took a couple tries but it faded enough that I stopped worrying about it.

Capacitors get blamed for everything. I usually find it's a ground loop problem long before I start swapping parts.