We are currently pretty rock bottom. Well, it could be lots worse but I want the situation to improve from here on! So, I've noticed people asking for advice from the senior Mustachians are pretty blind about their own situation so I thought you might have insights I missed.
Our situation
I'm 25 and my husband 29. We live in a small rural community in the Netherlands and I'm 33 weeks pregnant with our first child. We bought a cheap house last october and renovated the kitchen at the beginning of this year and this took up pretty much all our savings. We have 2 cats and a dog.
My husband was a poorly paid job, but because of a reorganisation the place he works will close in the first half of 2016 which will give him an educational budget of 2500 and a bonus of about 2500. So he wants to stay till the end and start his own company after that. Here, you get a government payment of 70% your wages the first 3 months you start the business and about 45% the next 3 months, so 6 months total
I've started my own business 2,5 years ago, a blog about healthy cooking on a budget. I've had an unforntunate run so far, having an accident the first year which got me brain damage fo 1,5 years. The second year a thyroid tumor which had to be removed and Costed a lot of time to recover from and this year I got pregnant and I'm completely lethargic. Nonetheless, the business goes well, I released my first paperback cookbook but right now I simply miss the hours and energy to put in so revenue is about enough to cover the costs right now (still paying off the new website till january). So at the moment I can't take profit out of the company
At the moment it's really tight. At the end of september I get a pregnancy payment from the government for 16 weeks (I love the Netherlands!) of minimal wages (around €800 per month). We also should get back too much paid taxes of about €1550 but this could be next week or in a couple of months
Income per month
Wages husband: 1447
Government support health care: 91
Total: 1538
Expenses per month
Obligatory life insurance house: 14
Bank costs for debit cards and credit card: 6,40
Mortgage advisor payment: 205 (last 2 months)
Mortgage: 451
Insurances: 62 (car, interior, house)
Taxes county: 61
2 sim only phones: 34
Health insurance: 173
Sewer taxes: 22
Car tax: 20
Funeral insurances: 10
Netflix: 8 (instead of cable)
Gas/electricity: 80
Internet: 30
Groceries: 250
Petrol: 87
Dogfood: 50
Cat food and litter: 20
Baby expenses: 50
Take out for hubby's hobby night: 25
Total costs: 1658
Other:
Emergency fund €1000
Debt mortgage advisor €410
Debt from website in company €1810
No creditcard debt, college loans
Special government second mortgage €20000, monthly payments and interest start oct 2017, €80 p.m.
Car is a €800, old, light and high MPG vehicle, necessary where we live
Changes made after started reading MMM last week:
Husband rides 10 miles by bike to the trainstation instead of taking the car (hour and 15 minutes total commute)
Selling things we don't use on the Dutch craigslist
Done a tyrepressure check and optimalised (where way too soft)
Using less meat in meals
We are already rather frugal, most baby stuff and furniture are hand me downs or craigslist. But the husband really hates the feeling of not being able 'to live' and is really unhappy if I want to be too frugal. I don't mind. Things he values are his nights at the hobby club, netflix, a comfortably warm home in the winter and being able to drive to friends for visits. This is why it wasn't much trouble to convince him to start cycling to the station, so more petrol money can be used for friends instead of commuting (with 20 euros a week not much is left with a 5 days a week commute of 10 miles).
Thanks for reading this whole story!
Edit: just noticed we don't play even anymore, this being the first month I can't take profit from my own business...