For 2 years my wife and I kept track of every penny we spent (yes even a penny for a gumball counted in the food category). It was fun, and just the fact of having to write everything down was all that was needed to keep spending in check. We stopped this 1 year ago, but inflation hasn't changed prices significantly since then. We live in the midwest - so the prices only count there.
Prices per month for 2 people.
1) Rent (2 bed, 2 bath, 800 ft^2): $475.
2) Insurance for cars/jewelry/renters/etc: $95.
3) Electricity (no gas bill): $55.
4) Cable: $45.
5) Phone + Cell Phone (for free long distance): $26 + $33.
6) Food (everything not in restaurants): $185
7) Restaurant Food: $125.
8) Entertainment: $35.
9) Gifts: $80.
10) Cars (maintainence, gas, parking, etc): $70.
11) Furnature: $50.
12) Health (insurance + medicine + exams): $50. Note: my health insurance was free, and hers was reduced price so this will be much greater for other people.
13) Clothing and misc (everything else not listed here, such as toilet paper): $200.
14) Tuition (we were both students - fees, books, etc): $100.
Total: $1624. Income: $1475 after taxes. Thus we got student loans to cover the rest.
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