[DOWNLOADnowADOBEphotoSHOP]

I'm just curious, as I've been struggling with keeping my finances in order, what stuff is "necessary" to you onions? here's a breakdown of my monthly spending, just curious where people think cuts could be possible or how their spending is-

$100 - Savings
$100 - Roth IRA
$665 - Rent
$45 - Student Loan (soon to be taking over more)
$240 - Lunch Money
$160 - Groceries
$50 - Laundry
$90 - Phone
$40 - Haircut
$80 - Electricity
$80 - Gasolina
$50 - Car Insurance
$18 - Netflix
$353 - Car Loan
$290 - Credit Card Payments
$100 - Engagement Ring Fund
$30 - Gym Membership
$32 - DSL Internet
$200-300 - Spending Cash / Living Expenses

[uneniaPhenits]

Mortgage (soon) 1550
Water: 150
Condo Fee: 788
Car payment: 335
Insurance (Home & Car): 180
Health/Dental/Eye: 150
Cell Phone: 75
Internet/Tv: 90
Food: 400-500
Metro Fare: 180
and lots of other stuff I have forgotten.

[Unwiseevove]

Oh, my parents take care of that sh*t. In a few years though... oh boy...

[zatronanec]

I don't keep track of it that well but...

rent: $890
electricity: $30-100
internet: $37
water/sewage/garbage: $35
health insurance: $240
Gas: $100
Groceries: $350
401K: $200
Car insurance: $70
Eating out: $300
Credit Cards: $106
Cell phones: $50

[tickerinet]

Microsoft Excel.

[animilius]

I don't.

Rent £1000
Council tax £100
All bills £150+
GF's tube ticket £90
Food £400+

**** London.

[WFSdZuP3]

very well thank you [yes]

[anatmob]

$0 - Rent : Own the Apt Building. Tenant Rental profit is enough to cover all associated building costs. Including Gas / Water / Electric / Internet

$85 - Cell Phone

$500 - IRA

$350 - Emergency Account

$500 - Monthly spending for food / fun / ect.

[PNCarl]

Badly, would be the short answer. I've had to get a financial advisor because I'm so crap with money. Essentials are basically:

rent: £800
pension: £350
utilities: £60-100 depending on time of year
virgin: 60 (phone, tv, internet) - not going in until next month though
savings: £360 (was isa account maximum but it's gone up a bit now)
benefit in kind tax (for company car): £115
lovefilm: £15
gym: £45 (****ing city centre prices)
food: £150
socialising: £600 ish

Leftover: £100 if I'm lucky. I never go into my overdraft though and I don't have any credit card debt or loans. If I do use my credit card it's paid off in full out of my socialising budget and that has to suffer. Stuff like holidays comes out of savings though) I can't get a mortgage for a while as my name is still on the one I bought with a friend before I moved away. He's going to sell up in a couple of years though and I don't contribute anything.

@Gakoex - I kind of miss living in London, but not the price of everything.

[somamasoso]

You would need to list accrual for things like car, clothes etc. too to get a decent overview.


I have given up on a monthly budget because cashflow varies so much.

Since I work with a significant cash reserve paying big ticket items from that and keep an eye on running cost, it works pretty well.

[DOWNLOADnowADOBEphotoSHOP]

The data here is kind of interesting though, despite the fact that people will have different salaries and different expenses there is a lot of overlap. I'm curious what averaging out some of the numbers might ultimately come up with. Btw dangermoose, how much is your financial advisor? I was considering getting one but I figured that would strain my already strained budget.

If I didn't have 9 grand in credit card debt I'd probably be a happy camper, but oh well

Just a tip too, those of you who have had car insurance for a while you may want to shop around. I recently ditched my old company after I found out they were charging me $40 more than a few competitors for the same package.

[Clilmence]

I'm just curious, as I've been struggling with keeping my finances in order, what stuff is "necessary" to you onions? here's a breakdown of my monthly spending, just curious where people think cuts could be possible or how their spending is-

$100 - Savings
$100 - Roth IRA
$665 - Rent
$45 - Student Loan (soon to be taking over more)
$240 - Lunch Money
$160 - Groceries
$50 - Laundry
$90 - Phone
$40 - Haircut
$80 - Electricity
$80 - Gasolina
$50 - Car Insurance
$18 - Netflix
$353 - Car Loan
$290 - Credit Card Payments
$100 - Engagement Ring Fund
$30 - Gym Membership
$32 - DSL Internet
$200-300 - Spending Cash / Living Expenses

If you want advice, i'd start with that $260 lunch fund. put that into your grocery fund and take lunches with ya. $90 for phone is crazy, are you using both cell and landline?. Haircut if you don't mind go buy a $80+ shaver and do it yourself or find a friend. Is netflix really that important? Try to put more money into your credit card payments and ditch that interest!.


thats what I would do.

[kuzbaslachek]

Once per month my wife and I each move money to our joint account to cover the mortgage, plus our supermarket/food costs for the month. We've worked out exactly how much is required to cover a month of these costs. I move more than her as my job pays more.

After that, about the only costs I have left myself are my health insurance (120 euro), and life insurance premium (100 euro).

Don't have a car, so save a bunch there which is great. Everything else that remains is then mine to spend as a wish, or move across to my internet savings account.

My credit card is set up to automatically come out of my current account in full every month.

I have no debts to pay, having paid off my student loans in one go, 4 years after leaving university.

[PNCarl]

Btw dangermoose, how much is your financial advisor? I was considering getting one but I figured that would strain my already strained budget.

Mine is fee based and £85 per hour. I needed 4 hours initially but I'm hoping not to be seeing him for more than an hour or two every two to three months now. It's expensive but my spending was getting stupid (£250 on a shirt for example). I'm very impulsive and tend to buy things without thinking of the consequences so it's worth it to me.

[kuzbaslachek]

Mine is fee based and £85 per hour. I needed 4 hours initially but I'm hoping not to be seeing him for more than an hour or two every two to three months now. It's expensive but my spending was getting stupid (£250 on a shirt for example). I'm very impulsive and tend to buy things without thinking of the consequences so it's worth it to me.

You need a financial adviser to tell you to stop spending money on sh1t?

Stop. Spending. Money. On. Sh1t.

I'll PM you my paypal details.

You're welcome.

[PNCarl]

$90 for phone is crazy, are you using both cell and landline?.

Really? I've got rid of my own iPhone now and only use my work one but the contract was £62.50 a month (£45 line rental, £10 internet tethering, £7.50 for unlimited texts). Smartphones are generally more expensive to run.

[PNCarl]

You need a financial adviser to tell you to stop spending money on sh1t?

Stop. Spending. Money. On. Sh1t.

I'll PM you my paypal details.

You're welcome.

Yeh, nice one. You how some people are good with relationships and some aren't? Well the same is true of money, cars, drugs etc etc.

Judgemental people are destined to end up miserable eventually...

[DOWNLOADnowADOBEphotoSHOP]

If you want advice, i'd start with that $260 lunch fund. put that into your grocery fund and take lunches with ya. $90 for phone is crazy, are you using both cell and landline?. Haircut if you don't mind go buy a $80+ shaver and do it yourself or find a friend. Is netflix really that important? Try to put more money into your credit card payments and ditch that interest!.


thats what I would do.

Toberlone, I actually do make most of my lunches (I eat at home typically). The $260 a month breaks down to $8 a day incase I want to buy breakfast in the morning (I'm not a fan of cold cereal and don't have time to cook in the morning) or if I want to meet up with a friend and eat. But you're right, there probably could be some cost savings by redirecting more towards groceries and being less lazy about it.

I just got my cell phone (first one I've had to pay for). It's as vanilla as possible with as basic a plan I could get + unlimited texting and it's $80 a month. It typically runs $90 because every once in a while I've called 411 rather than find a computer somewhere. The only cheaper plan didn't have nationwide coverage and didn't include nights and weekends, which pretty much defeats the point for me since I travel a lot.

I completely disagree with the haircut. I know mine's probably more than many spend here, but if you spend $10 on a haircut or do it yourself it will look exactly like that. Ladies don't want to see a buzz cut on every guy and they also don't want to see some hodge podge business. If anything, I wish I got my haircut more frequently, but once a month is what I can afford atm.

Netflix probably isn't that important, but I was a Film Studies Minor and really love renting DVD TV series and indy films so it's a hobby for me in a sense. TBH, I think that's pretty cheap considering I have the 2 DVDs at a time unlimited plan (although I should probably just drop it to one DVD since my new gf doesn't like watching movies :\ )

And I agree on the credit card. I was formerly paying $600 a month instead of $290, but since some of these financial increases it's been hard to do this without making me a broke ramen noodle eater heh.

[somamasoso]

If I didn't have 9 grand in credit card debt I'd probably be a happy camper, but oh well

Why save then and have a fund for a ring?

Paying off those 9k as quick as possible should maximise the funds available in the future because you cannot get a better return than paying off credit card debt. It is worth cutting back on everything until you are done with it.

[Petwrenny]

700€ - rent
50€ - power bill
40€ DSL/teli
170€ - instalment (car)
300€ - food
150€ - gas
100€ - annually car related stuff diveded by 12

200€ - "stuff"

200€ - savings


I dont have any debt but the car loan, but since its worth more than what I owe the bank I wouldnt call this a debt.

What I dont get is, how can someone use up £400+ for food each month? You know, there is something called supermarket, you dont HAVE to eat out every night.

I'd say I'm well of as there is still some money left I just dont need. Its a good feeling.