so1970
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Post by so1970 on Mar 23, 2011 7:39:17 GMT -5
i really dont know that seems strange but i have never personally paid a bill in my whole married life. i work on a boat and my wife pays our bills. i make money and send it home. i tell my wife that after bills are paid a % to save and % for fun money any left we pay extra on our house towards principle.
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so1970
Junior Member
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Post by so1970 on Mar 23, 2011 7:41:35 GMT -5
i do know that the area we live in is extremley low cost
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steph08
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Post by steph08 on Mar 23, 2011 7:47:30 GMT -5
We are right around $2000/month for everything, though that doesn't include any kind of savings (besides what is automatically deducted for retirement) or any extra expenses like vet bills, clothes, car repairs, etc. Basically the bare minimum. It does still include internet, cable, netflix, and cell phones, which could all be cut back or cut out if needed. It also includes our mortgage, escrow savings for when taxes and insurance are due, and loan for the acreage we are purchasing.
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constanz22
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Post by constanz22 on Mar 23, 2011 7:56:57 GMT -5
We are right around $2000/month for everything, though that doesn't include any kind of savings (besides what is automatically deducted for retirement) or any extra expenses like vet bills, clothes, car repairs, etc. Basically the bare minimum. It does still include internet, cable, netflix, and cell phones, which could all be cut back or cut out if needed. It also includes our mortgage, escrow savings for when taxes and insurance are due, and loan for the acreage we are purchasing. Ditto! That's my budget, almost exactly. I, too, could cut out cable and cell phone if needed and also have a camper that could go. I am still in debt payoff mode, so, my expenses should continue to decrease, except that other expenses keep going up (gas, electric, groceries, etc). My goal is to get my expenses low enough that I could survive on UE (max $405 a week here) if needed as my job situation is looking more uncertain every year. I really get stuck on whether I should continue to focus on debt paydown or sock away as much cash as possible. I guess either would benefit me in the end...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 23, 2011 8:03:55 GMT -5
We run at around $4000 for our basics, not including eating out, entertainment, clothing, savings, taxes, health care insurance premiums, etc.
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resolution
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Post by resolution on Mar 23, 2011 8:16:08 GMT -5
We run $2000 per month for our monthly expenses, not including our retirement and insurance that is taken out of our gross pay checks. It includes monthly expenses, dining out, entertainment, car insurance and other recurring expenses that are billed infrequently but does not include non-recurring expenses like car repair and home maintenance. We could cut it down to $1600 in a pinch, although that may cause some marital discord due to the expenses we would need to drop.
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Post by Savoir Faire-Demogague in NJ on Mar 23, 2011 8:29:55 GMT -5
Roughly $3100, which is inclusive of monthly expenses/costs for my vacation house of about $1300.
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cronewitch
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Post by cronewitch on Mar 23, 2011 8:35:16 GMT -5
Around 1,900 for basics. Mortgage 650, utilities 400, taxes & insurance 600, food & gas 250. That doesn't include anything for repairs, replacements, fun or savings.
When I retire I want a minimum of 3,000 a month so I don't have to live in real poverty.
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sheilaincali
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Post by sheilaincali on Mar 23, 2011 8:55:40 GMT -5
We run about $2300 a month. This is mortgage, homeowners/vehicle insurance, one car payment, gas, water and garbage, electricity, cell phone, cable and Internet. This is in Minnesota. When we lived in So Cal our mortgage payment was over $2300 a month.
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schildi
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3718 and no text
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Post by schildi on Mar 23, 2011 9:08:49 GMT -5
We use about $3,000 as the basic monthly need for the four of us.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 23, 2011 9:15:08 GMT -5
$1400/mo for rent about $250-300/month for all utilities about $200-350/month for all groceries maybe $1000/month for both our SL's (paying more than the minimum)
I must be off because we manage to still buy things we like and save a good deal. I make a little over $35k and DH makes around $43k and we live in a HCOL area.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 23, 2011 9:28:35 GMT -5
around 5k
mortgage/property tax: $1858 car/life/umbrella/house/rider insurance: $300 healthcare premiums: 1k student loan: $256 bills & utilities: 1k food runs around $800
We've been averaging another 500-1k a month in healthcare bills but I guess we could give it up if we were broke.
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daisylu
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Post by daisylu on Mar 23, 2011 9:33:03 GMT -5
$2050, that includes EVERTHING but savings. With some work, that could easily be trimmed $500/month.
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souldoubt
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Post by souldoubt on Mar 23, 2011 9:51:46 GMT -5
HCOL and expenses are about $1,900-2,000 a month. I live with roommates so my rent and utlities expenses are shared and probably about half of what they would be if I lived on my own.
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shanendoah
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Post by shanendoah on Mar 23, 2011 10:15:57 GMT -5
We're around $3,400/month. Half of that is our mortgage and another $650 SLs (which could be put in deferrment if absolutely necessary). That puts us at just over $1k/month for bills, gas, and groceries. The bills do include cable/internet, cell phones, and timeshare dues, so there are places to cut. It does not include savings, eating out, allowances, retirement savings (automatically taken out of my paycheck), health insurance (also comes directly out of my check), or DH's current school expenses.
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Post by illinicheme on Mar 23, 2011 10:31:45 GMT -5
We're at roughly $5200 in essential and/or contracted expenses each month. Extremely high COL (Bay Area baby!)
$3100 mortgage (PITI) ~$600 food (could be cut down if need be) ~$300 utilities ~$300 gasoline ~$120 auto insurance ~$60 life insurance ~$160 health/dental/vision insurance ~$200 miscellaneous household necessities (toilet paper, pet food/litter, etc. - could be cut down if need be) ~$180 cell phone (would drop the data plans if need be) ~$200 cable/internet (this might actually be less - I'm not sure. Either way, it would get cut to just internet if need be)
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parker1b2
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Post by parker1b2 on Mar 23, 2011 11:40:43 GMT -5
We are right around 3200 a month for basics, not including savings or dinner out, etc.. 2K of that is our mortgage(including escrow payment).
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motherto2
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Post by motherto2 on Mar 23, 2011 11:44:15 GMT -5
I'm in a fairly HCOL area. Mortgage (includes ins/taxes)- $1400 car ins (me, 2 kids, 3 vehicles) - $191 electric - $200 ins. (health, vision) - $200 FSA - $150 gas - $200 account for autos, DS life ins., HOA dues, extras, unexpecteds, - $400 EF savings - $400 Food - kind of depends on who's at home cell phones (4) - $200 cable/internet - $110 home security system - $34 kids college loans - $600 vonage - $17 pup - $100 Church/charity - $250-300 extra retirement account - $720 $5,000 give or take (probably more with misc. stuff that crops up)
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 23, 2011 11:50:04 GMT -5
I'm at $1500 for the basics including minimum retirement savings, cable, internet, utilities etc. This doesn't include eating out, entertainment, travelling, clothing or savings other than retirement.
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midjd
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Post by midjd on Mar 23, 2011 12:03:02 GMT -5
We live in a LCOLA, work/go to school in a MCOLA. Total monthly spending is around $3000 (not including retirement/savings/insurance), but we could probably get by on $2500. PITI - $1000 Student loans - $585 Utilities, trash, etc. - $150ish Food and gas/auto expenses vary, but usually ~$400/month for each. The rest goes to nonessentials - cable, internet, phone (a little under $200 for all those), birthday gifts, clothes, and whatever random expense Murphy decides to throw at us this month
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TrixAre4Kids
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'Not all those who wander are lost' - J. R. R. Tolkien
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Post by TrixAre4Kids on Mar 23, 2011 13:01:48 GMT -5
My basics are $3766/month. That does not include retirement/other savings or fun money. It does include internet/cable.
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Knee Deep in Water Chloe
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Post by Knee Deep in Water Chloe on Mar 23, 2011 14:59:20 GMT -5
Did you want debt payments included?
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murphath
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Post by murphath on Mar 23, 2011 17:22:53 GMT -5
We live in HCOLA (another Bay Area gal!). Our expenses for everything are around $2800 month, not including the cost of DS's college tuition and room and board. We have that in savings but try to pay for it through our regular monthly money of @ $3,000 month. Sometimes we can, and sometimes we can't. We've made a game of it-- though I don't stress if we have to take the $ from that savings account.
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rovo
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Post by rovo on Mar 23, 2011 17:38:18 GMT -5
We budget $7,500 a month for expenses and this amount is transferred into the checking account each month from our savings/market account. This is for everything except income taxes.
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doxieluvr
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Post by doxieluvr on Mar 23, 2011 18:16:06 GMT -5
We are at about $3800 not including eating out, entertainment, retirement saving, general saving and payments to credit cards.
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Post by debtheaven on Mar 23, 2011 18:21:52 GMT -5
I want to be Rovo when I grow up. LOL.
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Post by debtheaven on Mar 23, 2011 18:53:50 GMT -5
This message has been deleted.
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Knee Deep in Water Chloe
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Post by Knee Deep in Water Chloe on Mar 23, 2011 19:45:42 GMT -5
Debt: $1700 (not counting mortagage) Living expenses: $5400 Alimony: $1250
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Mar 23, 2011 20:11:18 GMT -5
My take home for pension is approximately $2200 (after health insurance). My 20 hr per month job brings in $200.
$350 goes automatically to savings $150 to debt repayment $860 to mortgage which will go up when the tax abatement comes off for the September taxes Usually have about $150 left at end of month.
I will not give up dish or the cell. Cell is my main phone. Only have landline because it was cheaper with that than with internet alone. Will probably give it up when the year is up.
Budget will be tight for the rest of my life. I'm 59 and owe 29 years on my mortgage.
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Post by debtheaven on Mar 23, 2011 20:18:06 GMT -5
Budget will be tight for the rest of my life. I'm 59 and owe 29 years on my mortgage.
Theo, if you don't mind my suggesting this, might you prefer to get a housemate to split expenses? Or help you pay off that 150 monthly debt repayment faster? Just a thought. Best of luck to you whatever you decide.
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