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What does your budget look like?

D

DurocShark

Lifer
I take home about $3500 a month. Here's a breakdown:

Rent: 1145
Water: 20
Electric: 130
Food/groceries: 350
Doctor's (kids have lots of visits, plus prescriptions): 100
Car Insurance: 105
Cable TV + Internet: 91
Vonage: 28
Gas and car repairs: 200
Cigs: 120

Total: 2289

So why am I always broke? Even if I buy lunch out every day at work that's only another 150. But most of the time I eat those craptastic $1.25 frozen meals.
 
cut down on cigs?

it looks like you net a lil over 1k every month. if you can save that, it doesn't look too bad
 
I think you fixed your problem about always being broke by taking away checkbook privileges from a certain wifey-poo 🙂
 
Originally posted by: kyparrish
I think you fixed your problem about always being broke by taking away checkbook privileges from a certain wifey-poo 🙂
Click to expand...

Indeed. And that's what got me looking at my budget.

I just can't figure out where it all went. I don't have car payments. I don't have credit cards. It doesn't make sense.

A grand a month should be plenty for clothes and weekend play time. Sigh.
 
Use MS Money, and type all your expenses in there.
Try using one Credit Card for all your purchases. This way you can see them all in an itemized bill.
Set up Emigrant or ING, to automatically transfer say ~500 bucks out of your checking account a month. This way they are automatically saved.

 
Originally posted by: DurocShark
I take home about $3500 a month. Here's a breakdown:

Rent: 1145
Water: 20
Electric: 130
Food/groceries: 350
Doctor's (kids have lots of visits, plus prescriptions): 100
Car Insurance: 105
Cable TV + Internet: 91
Vonage: 28
Gas and car repairs: 200
Cigs: 120

Total: 2289

So why am I always broke? Even if I buy lunch out every day at work that's only another 150. But most of the time I eat those craptastic $1.25 frozen meals.
Click to expand...

$350 seems low for food when buying for yourself/wide and kids.

$200 seems low for gas/fuel. ect.

My wife is stay at home mom. I drive 21 miles each way to/from work and we spend around $275 on fuel, alone. Add to that oil change and tire budget.

My 'at work' food _ALWAYS_ consists of the leftovers from the night before.
 
There's this vortex taht'll suck up all your money, no matter how much you have.

It's called a "wife/ significant other" . . .. :evil:

In all seriousness, what worries you is where you are at now (with the whole checkbook debacle) - take away her checkbook, and see how well you do in a few months.
 
Lot's of little stuff that you never think of and underestimating what you really spend on gas/groceries/utilities.

Medicine. Birthday/Christmas gifts. Vehicle registration. Misc vehicle repairs/maintenance. Alcohol consumption. Snacks/drinks at vending machines and coffee shops. Movie rentals. Little purchases that are outside your budget. Christmas knick knack crap. School supplies. Registration fees for sports and school. Ect.

Just a whole lot of nickel and diming things that individually don't show up as a lot, but as a whole can quickly eat away at disposable income.
 
Take home: $3200

Rent: 815
Water: 12
Electric: 150
Food/groceries: 300 (I eat out a lot, especially lunches)
Car Insurance: 50
Internet: 110
Phone: 15
Cell Phone: 45
Gas: 150

Total: 1647

For the leftover stuff:
I keep my play money separate from my savings, and I seem to always find a way to spend the play money. My paycheck gets direct deposited and then I have automatic transfers setup for 2 days after payday to move the money to play/savings accounts. Not touching the income earmarked for savings really seems to be working well for me.
 
I'm really not underestimating my groceries or gas. If anything, I'm overestimating. I used receipts from the past month and added 20%.
 
Take home 1320

Rent: n/a
Water: n/a
Electric: n/a
Food/groceries: n/a (but I'll say £60 a month; this would allow me to eat 4x a week for a month but I generally get left overs or get my parents to make me some food from the takeaway)
Doctor's: Normally this is n/a but I am paying for a Chiro and that was £240 a month but now is £60 a month
Car Insurance: £60
Cable TV + Internet: n/a
Phone: £36
Gas and car repairs: £120
Cigs: n/a

Total: £336

£984

I live at home and saving £££ so I can move out. No car payments as I bought a cheap £600 car 🙂 No debt of any kind.

I over estimated the food costs as I eat most of my food from home though but better to over estimate then under estimate it.

Dam you American guy sare earning a lot more comparatively 😛

Koing
 
Take home: $3000

Car payment: $700
Car insurance: $80
Gas/maintenance: $200
Cell phone: $45
Food: $200
Student loans: $150

Total: $1375

Left: $1625

I use that to pay off my minor credit card debt ($2000), pay off my parents for lawyer fees incurred when I was 16, and save/invest.
 
Originally posted by: boggsie
$200 seems low for gas/fuel. ect.

My wife is stay at home mom. I drive 21 miles each way to/from work and we spend around $275 on fuel, alone. Add to that oil change and tire budget.
Click to expand...

How much does gas cost where you live? The closest gas station where I fill up was about $2.40 the last time I filled up. I drive about about 32 miles each way for work plus any extra driving I might do over the weekends and I easily spend below $200. I probably fill up once every 3 or 4 days.
 
MS Money. If I question my spending, I simply pull up a pie chart that shows all of it categorized ever since I've had a checking account. 😛
 
Originally posted by: DurocShark
I take home about $3500 a month. Here's a breakdown:

Rent: 1145
Water: 20
Electric: 130
Food/groceries: 350
Doctor's (kids have lots of visits, plus prescriptions): 100
Car Insurance: 105
Cable TV + Internet: 91
Vonage: 28
Gas and car repairs: 200
Cigs: 120

Total: 2289

So why am I always broke? Even if I buy lunch out every day at work that's only another 150. But most of the time I eat those craptastic $1.25 frozen meals.
Click to expand...

I take home a similar number after tax and I can easily put away $1500/month but I only pay $400/month in rent. You should easily be able to put away $1000/month.
 
Originally posted by: joshsquall
Take home: $3000

Car payment: $700
Car insurance: $80
Gas/maintenance: $200
Cell phone: $45
Food: $200
Student loans: $150

Total: $1375

Left: $1625

I use that to pay off my minor credit card debt ($2000), pay off my parents for lawyer fees incurred when I was 16, and save/invest.
Click to expand...


Still paying student loans, but driving a car that costs $700/month?
 
Originally posted by: jeffrey
Originally posted by: joshsquall
Take home: $3000

Car payment: $700
Car insurance: $80
Gas/maintenance: $200
Cell phone: $45
Food: $200
Student loans: $150

Total: $1375

Left: $1625

I use that to pay off my minor credit card debt ($2000), pay off my parents for lawyer fees incurred when I was 16, and save/invest.
Click to expand...


Still paying student loans, but driving a car that costs $700/month?
Click to expand...

I'm 21.
 
Originally posted by: joshsquall
Originally posted by: jeffrey
Originally posted by: joshsquall
Take home: $3000

Car payment: $700
Car insurance: $80
Gas/maintenance: $200
Cell phone: $45
Food: $200
Student loans: $150

Total: $1375

Left: $1625

I use that to pay off my minor credit card debt ($2000), pay off my parents for lawyer fees incurred when I was 16, and save/invest.
Click to expand...


Still paying student loans, but driving a car that costs $700/month?
Click to expand...

I'm 21.
Click to expand...
I think you missed his point.

 
Originally posted by: igowerf
Originally posted by: boggsie
$200 seems low for gas/fuel. ect.

My wife is stay at home mom. I drive 21 miles each way to/from work and we spend around $275 on fuel, alone. Add to that oil change and tire budget.
Click to expand...

How much does gas cost where you live? The closest gas station where I fill up was about $2.40 the last time I filled up. I drive about about 32 miles each way for work plus any extra driving I might do over the weekends and I easily spend below $200. I probably fill up once every 3 or 4 days.
Click to expand...

Around $2.40 ... going only on receipts for the past six months, our fuel bill for the cars averaged $258/mo.
 
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