kimber45
Senior Member
Life's too short to own an ugly gun
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Post by kimber45 on May 5, 2011 8:41:54 GMT -5
Minnesota Paint Lady: I just had to say I loooove your avatar. Gorgeous horse!!!!
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suziq38
Well-Known Member
I love to save
Joined: Dec 22, 2010 21:11:27 GMT -5
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Post by suziq38 on May 5, 2011 8:48:23 GMT -5
Minnesotapaitlady: You are doing very well on your food and going out budget.
Good job!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2011 10:02:14 GMT -5
Minnesota Paint Lady: I just had to say I loooove your avatar. Gorgeous horse!!!! I agree!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2011 10:06:16 GMT -5
Minnesotapaitlady: You are doing very well on your food and going out budget. Good job! That's because we don't go out...well, not much. I buy $25 gift certificates to local places off of restaurants.com for $2. We'll use one of them every once and a while and occasionally we'll pick up a pizza or stop for fast food, but that's about it unless we have a gift card. Any trips to the bar, or alcohol at all for that matter, comes out of our fun money.
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thyme4change
Community Leader
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Post by thyme4change on May 5, 2011 10:42:44 GMT -5
Brokerage funds are not tax advantaged and don't have any restrictions. However, if you sell your mutuals and stocks at a gain, you will pay taxes on that gain. But, if you put $10k into a brokerage, and buy $10k worth of stock, and the stock doubles and you sell half of it, you still have to pay taxes on the gain - even though you have only pulled out the amount of your original investment. So, the amount you put in is somewhat irrelevant. Plus - you only pay taxes on the gain - so sure, you pay some taxes, but the tax isn't 100% - so you get more than you started with.
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kimber45
Senior Member
Life's too short to own an ugly gun
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 9:40:27 GMT -5
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Post by kimber45 on May 5, 2011 11:25:03 GMT -5
Minnesota Paint Lady: I just had to say I loooove your avatar. Gorgeous horse!!!!
I agree!
Is it one of yours? FIL used to raise AQHA, then got into Paints for a while. He had some nice ones too. I really miss them.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2011 11:38:57 GMT -5
Minnesota Paint Lady: I just had to say I loooove your avatar. Gorgeous horse!!!! I agree! Is it one of yours? FIL used to raise AQHA, then got into Paints for a while. He had some nice ones too. I really miss them. I wish, but no. I just found the pic when looking for an avatar. I believe he's a son of Mr. Norfleet that I'd considered breeding one of my mares to pre-having kids of my own. I'm down to just one gelding now but I should get him spiffied up and use his pic. He's pretty handsome too, but 95% white...ugh.
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resolution
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Post by resolution on May 5, 2011 12:01:23 GMT -5
I've been looking through the budgets, and I have to ask what is LP?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2011 12:08:11 GMT -5
I've been looking through the budgets, and I have to ask what is LP? Liquid Propane (gas) It's what we heat our house/water with.
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on May 5, 2011 16:55:50 GMT -5
minnesotapaintlady - If you don't mind me asking, who did you get your life insurance policies through, how much do you have and how old were you when you got them? I did enjoy looking at your budget because we have some very similar expenses (although your net is my gross income), but this was a place where you are way cheaper than us. We've shopped around a couple times, but life insurance on a 45+ male smoker with a family history of cancer is not cheap.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2011 20:56:10 GMT -5
My life policy is not much, just 100K 20 year term that I bought when I was 33 from American Family. It's 12.50/month. I also have another policy for 150K or so at work that I don't count in the budget because it comes out of my check before I get it. DH is still carrying his policy from the job he was laid off from last year. It's $15.60/month for I believe 180K of insurance. He'll have to get something else in another year because they'll quit covering him after 18 months. We were shopping for term insurance for DH a year ago, but because he was on antidepressants it was hard to get a low rate, I think we were looking at about $60/month for 200K of 20 year term on him at age 36 (non-smoker). He's not taking them anymore, so might try again soon.
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on May 6, 2011 8:23:04 GMT -5
Thanks. That makes $75 per month on DH ($250k) not sound so bad. We got it when he was 41 or 42. I know I could do better on me. I was going to look at Life Insurance through ASCE (my professional orgnaization), but then I cancelled my membership this year.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2011 9:19:20 GMT -5
When we were shopping for DH the smoker rates were nearly double on all the quotes we were given. Any chance of him quitting? Many places lowered rates significantly if you were smoke free for 6 months. (They give you a blood test to verify).
My ex got 200K of 20 year term life at age 40 and he has to pay $108/month because he's a diabetic.
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muttleynfelix
Junior Associate
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Post by muttleynfelix on May 6, 2011 9:34:15 GMT -5
Haha. Quitting? I would love it, and he knows it. We've been together almost 7 years. At first I said I would date a smoker... that lasted a week. When we got married 15 months later, "we" agreed he would quit before we had kids. DS is 15 months old.; still smoking. He keeps thinking about it, but he's been smoking since he was 15. He tried Chantix 2 years ago and it didn't help. About 2 months before we had DS, I got him a book "How to Quit Smoking even if you don't want to" and I don't think he ever looked at it. I was going throught the hypnobabies stuff and so I found him a home self hypnosis CD (Hypnonsis is always the method he says he would use to quit) and he hasn't listened to it. Anyway, sorry to rant a bit. I just don't feel right ranting to him. He knows how I feel about it and I knew he was a smoker when we married. He knows how much money we would save just in cigarettes, but I think part of it is the built in breaks he gets during the day by smoking. He gets up, go smoke and let the dogs out. Ok, its been a couple hours, DS goes in the PNP for 10-20 minutes while DH goes outside to smoke and read and it just goes like that through out the day.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2011 10:03:39 GMT -5
I said I would never date or marry a smoker. DH used to smoke and a few months after we were married he started again after several years of being smoke free. Never buying any, just bumming them off people at work. I was livid! He quit, but he didn't want to smoke anyhow, so it was mainly his decision. Now recently (about 18 months later), he's started having the occasional out with the guys smoke. I've told him how unbelievably stupid I think this is and constantly remind him about the relapse rates doing this, but in the end, I don't have much control over his actions. I've learned much about addictions these past couple years that's for sure.
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trytofindbalance
Familiar Member
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Post by trytofindbalance on May 6, 2011 13:31:35 GMT -5
MinnesotaPaintLady - Love the horse picture too. I have a paint mare. Just turned 4 this month. She is a beauty. She' s got lots of white real estate too and boy does she like to keep it dirty
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trytofindbalance
Familiar Member
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Post by trytofindbalance on May 6, 2011 13:44:57 GMT -5
Mrs. Dinero - I thought your thread was very helpful as well. I'm not sure why alot of these posters are so interested in staying stuck in the muck. Everyone comes to these boards with their own issues, financial situations, etc. We're here to read and learn from other people's experiences. If it doesn't pertain to you, then don't read it or feel like you need to comment.
I too agree that there seems to be some kind of jealousy going on. Just because someone isn't currently struggling, doesn't mean that there information or advice isn't worth taking a look at. I personally find "success" stories very inspiring. I like to see examples of people controlling their finances so that they can enjoy life today and save for the future...that's my goal too. Surely many of the posters would be ripping her apart if she spent every single cent of that income and had no savings to show for it (very possible in the HCOL area that I live in). There is value in her example. Everyone's expenses/incomes are different because their circumstances are so vastly different (kids/daycare costs/area they live in/salary/Martial statues, etc.) so there are some of us out here who find value in the information she has provided. My income is not much different than hers, but my expenses are much, much different. It's very interesting to see how she has allocated her funds.
I know when I posted my budget a while back, I got a lot of very insightful comments (because my husband's income had drastically been reduced). I too wished that some of the harshest critics posted their budgets, so I could see their choices. Some of the posters on this board can really attack other posters, yet, they don't put their money where their mouth is.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2011 14:01:38 GMT -5
MinnesotaPaintLady - Love the horse picture too. I have a paint mare. Just turned 4 this month. She is a beauty. She' s got lots of white real estate too and boy does she like to keep it dirty My dream is to someday be in a position to raise another show horse. I'd love to retire and spend my day primping a spoiled 1200 pound baby all day. LOL I had an awesome mare and raised two great babies out of her, but it's not in the cards financially right now. I can't believe the cash I used to sink into my horses back then! Oh to be young with no budget and no worries about the future again.
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wewillsee
Established Member
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Post by wewillsee on May 6, 2011 14:46:31 GMT -5
Groceries $800.00 a month for 4?? We spend $200.00 a month for 2 adults. $100 per month per person for groceries? What kind of food and beverage do you consume that works out to $3.33 per person per day??? Tap water and rice?
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trytofindbalance
Familiar Member
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Post by trytofindbalance on May 6, 2011 14:59:51 GMT -5
minnesotapaintlady - yes I must agree they sure are budget busters LOL !!! Thank goodness my showing days are over. My horse was a gift from my DH last year for my 40th b-day. She's purely for fun and yes, I do like to spoil her. She loves to be pampered and I have a feeling that's why she likes getting herself so darn dirty...I've got to spend lots of extra time fawning over her to get her clean.
Now my daughter and her horse...that's a whole nother ball o' wax
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Post by rmtvbrooks on May 6, 2011 15:00:20 GMT -5
Considering that I am living below my means on a take home of $2884, I'm pretty sure I could live below my means on $7500! I'm not sure where I'd even spend that much money!
Here's mine:
Rent 685 Car payment 230 Water 25 Trash pickup/sewer 40 Electric (at most) 150 Phone/Internet/Cable 190 Cell Phones (3) 190 Groceries 400 Gas 100 Entertainment 130 Life Insurance 64 Insurance (Auto/Renters) 135 Savings 200 IRS 200 (deceased husband left me with this...after probate, it will be paid off and this extra 200 will go to savings) Horseback riding (for DD) 130
TOTAL spending 2869
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resolution
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Post by resolution on May 6, 2011 15:01:44 GMT -5
Groceries $800.00 a month for 4?? We spend $200.00 a month for 2 adults. $100 per month per person for groceries? What kind of food and beverage do you consume that works out to $3.33 per person per day??? Tap water and rice? Be careful... you are about to summon a couponing class... I actually got motivated by one thread to look into couponing and found a handy guide, but it lost its appeal when she explained where she was getting all of her grocery circulars. Hopefully the ladies that respond have more savory methods. Her other advice is pretty good. www.grocerycouponguide.com/articles/lazy-couponing-introduction-how-to-coupon-for-the-rest-of-us/
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trytofindbalance
Familiar Member
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Post by trytofindbalance on May 6, 2011 15:05:46 GMT -5
"$100 per month per person for groceries? What kind of food and beverage do you consume that works out to $3.33 per person per day??? Tap water and rice? "
Agreed...how is this possible? We try to eat very healthy...not fancy, but healthy. I have 3 people, 2 dogs and 1 cat in our house. My grocery/household/personal care items/pet food and supplies monthly budget is $700 and I'm always close to the mark. I buy on sale, use coupons and a warehouse club for certain products. I can't seem to get the budget much under that number. If we have a big party or BBQ (like we are this weekend) we usually go over budget for the month, since we usually host for about 25 guests. I always feel like a failure in this area when I hear people say they feed a family of four on $400 a month or 2 people on $200/month...I can't figure out how I do it and no I don't have the time or inclination to do any extreme couponing. I watch those shows and see people without kids (and none remotely on the way) stocking up on tons of diapers just because they are free. They end up with carts full of candy and processed food products...hope they're putting some of the money they save in the bank to help offset the future health care costs.
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Mrs. Dinero
Well-Known Member
100% about truth & justice. Always trying to give mercy a chance.
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Post by Mrs. Dinero on May 6, 2011 15:13:08 GMT -5
Thank you Trytofindbalance. I like your name. That's what I'm trying to do. On the plus side, there were more positive comments than negative ones and I had a few messages thanking me so we're not alone in wanting to see how others budget that aren't exceeding their income. Hopefully, the attitude on this forum will change and the negaholics will have to change their ways.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2011 15:14:13 GMT -5
Now my daughter and her horse...that's a whole nother ball o' wax
Sometimes (but not often) I wish I would have had a daughter instead of just sons. I could totally get into feeding a horse crazy girls obsession. It would be a perfect excuse for me!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2011 15:17:15 GMT -5
$100 per month per person for groceries? What kind of food and beverage do you consume that works out to $3.33 per person per day??? Tap water and rice?
Our budget is $350/month for a family of four (but the 10 month old doesn't really eat much). We've never had a problem staying under this amount and I'm not a coupon queen either. We do get a quarter or a half of beef every year as rent on one of our fields, but other than that, $80/week at the grocery store seems to be plenty.
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Sum Dum Gai
Senior Associate
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Post by Sum Dum Gai on May 6, 2011 15:20:34 GMT -5
You didn't answer the what do you guys eat part. I'm really curious, because I'd love to cut our grocery budget down to that.
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Mrs. Dinero
Well-Known Member
100% about truth & justice. Always trying to give mercy a chance.
Joined: Dec 28, 2010 17:09:17 GMT -5
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Post by Mrs. Dinero on May 6, 2011 15:21:30 GMT -5
"Everyone comes to these boards with their own issues, financial situations, etc. We're here to read and learn from other people's experiences. If it doesn't pertain to you, then don't read it or feel like you need to comment." Amen sister!
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Post by gsbrq on May 6, 2011 15:36:33 GMT -5
Mrs D, I applaud your willingness to share your budget. Very generous to provide the details, and I'm impressed with your low mortgage payment in relation to your income.
But in fairness, you have a decent income, and in response to Lena's comment that generous means are easier to live within, you said "Lower income? No problem, just cut expenses and savings"...which is a pretty glib thing to say. So it's not surprising that people would react.
In the not-too-distant past, I lived on an income that is half of what I make now; I know firsthand how doing so often requires very hard choices. Just something to think about.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2011 15:39:06 GMT -5
You didn't answer the what do you guys eat part. I'm really curious, because I'd love to cut our grocery budget down to that. For meat we have lots of beef, so things with hamburger like casseroles, spaghetti, tacos, quessadillas, homemade pizza. We eat grilled chicken breast with rice a lot. We're big on eggs too and those are 99cents a dozen at our local gas station all the time. Go through 2 or 3 dozen a week usually (getting chickens soon). There are a few things we buy in bulk at Sam's club, like chicken breasts, yogurt, cheese, rice. Last week we bought a 50 pound bag of popcorn for $14, so we're set for evening snacks for probably a year or more. We rarely buy any other snack type foods. No chips or crackers or anything. We make double or triple batches of things and take the rest to work for lunches or freeze it for later. I always have two or three meals in the freezer that can just be thrown in the oven if nobody feels like cooking. My son just wants the same thing for lunch at school everyday. PB&J, with a vanilla yogurt and a cheese stick. Breakfast if he doesn't have eggs, he just wants Cheerios. Whever they're on sale I stock up. For the most part, we just shop the sales and stick to the store brands. If ice cream is 3.88 for a gallon we'll get some that week. If it's at $6 we go without. Except for bananas and grapes (if on sale) most of the fruits and veggies we get are frozen $1/bag deals. Come summer we plant a garden and have tons of fresh produce plus cherry and apple trees on our land so we enjoy it then. This year I'm going to focus on freezing more of our harvest for the off months.
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