Glad to hear it!
And how is your 'prospective budget' shaping up vs real spending? Still feeling satisfied stepping away from the 'unbearable lightness of being' mode of life (aka, party hard on the weekends?)
I guess I started this journey on August 8th, so I guess I should be having a better month. That means I've been actively trying or aware of MMM for two weeks. Chalk it up to an adjustment curve.
Here is the prospective 'budget:'
Student loans:
Loan 1
--Outstanding balance: $7,744.64
---Interest: 6.550%
Loan 2
--Outstanding balance: $21,015.86
---Interest: 5.960%
Total Debt: $28,760.50
Minimum Payment: $400 split between the two loans
Revenue:
Job: ~$3,000/month
Expenses:
Rent/ Utilities: $600
Phone/ Car Insurance: $200
Groceries: $300
Gas: $150
Gym: $20
Xbox/ Netflix: $21
BoA Fee: $12
Misc: $75
Total: ~$1378
Apparent monthly payment able to put towards debt: $1622 (4x current payment)
Cash on hand: $8,033.41
So this wasn't actually a budget, it was just a list of expenses I'm 'okay' with paying (or was okay with paying). Hidden beneath this was more money I don't like spending, like 'bars and alcohol,' which has been pretty much out of control for months. 'Out of control' meaning I really didn't care I was spending it but now I don't want to spend it at all.
So, the BoA fee should be gone. I cancelled xbox live. And netflix is staying because my roommates use it, and one of my roommates pretty much pays for trash bags, dish soap, etc., and doesn't ask us for anything. The Misc. fee up there won't be returning either.
I can definitely see how groceries can be reduced. I had lentils and rice from a bygone era in my cabinet and have been eating them for lunch everyday. I went to the grocery store yesterday when I was still hungry and ended up buying snacks I didn't need. That was the first time I've been to the grocery store in August, spending $10.99. Realistically I could've got away with like $5. Still a far cry from $300 - but that was when I was 'bodybuilding' on mostly precooked chicken, lol. I honestly could see myself needing maybe four cartons of eggs a month, two bags of lentils, and a bag of rice as staples. Don't know the cost for sure, but this is under $25. I should probably get some vegetables in there too, but I'd need to cook them. I used to buy mass packs of steamfresh which could have been $2-3 a day on veggies. $60-70 a month on whey protein. If I changed that now, it could $50 for the month of September and that is high balling it. We will see. I don't want to get too excited, because I know who I am and how I am capable of getting off track, slipping back into not give a fuckery. I also know how you guys would chew me out. Something needs to be done, however, as I find myself still hungry after dinner.
All this being said, I have had some slip ups. I went out last weekend and had that sort of epiphany where I really didn't want to be out. And then I went out Saturday. It was pretty much last minute, and I fought tooth and nail the entire way, spending $22. Also, since starting, I think I have technically eaten out twice, both on Thrones Sunday. I'm starting to resent people who essentially ask me to do things that either: a) get me to get hammered, etc. or b) get me to spend money on shit I shouldn't spend it on (getting hammered, eating out, vacations).
I made the decision that I would keep all obligations I made previous to MMM so as to not lose my mind. Thus, I went to my brother's birthday party and took a $38 hit and in November I'm involved in a wedding where I'll be glad to take some more hits. Also, McGregor v Mayweather is a must buy but I'll have people to split the cost.
I want to start September clean so I'm trying to pay off any random bills: a $400 medical expense that I don't know how to pay and $90 I owe my friend from a while back.
Long post here. For anyone still interested, it's been an okay two weeks. If this community didn't exist, I don't think I could do this on my own. Also, it made me realize maybe I shouldn't 'stress' so much about my debt. I've also been questioning everything I own too meaning basically my vehicle, my phone and maybe even my body (nothing special, but it can take a lot of resources to bodybuild). I thought having a paid off vehicle was the way to go but it's not if you have shitty mileage. I'm considering getting the Moto X too and lowering my phone plan to $10 a month but not before I get some real numbers from my dad.
I can see myself getting along just fine. On the weekdays, I can just give in to the rat race, trying to enjoy the mediocre job I have and for what it is: a place of refuge from people trying to get you to spend your money. Wanna hang out Friday? Nah, man, I got work.
I haven't been exercising because I really fucked up my back pretty much a month ago. I need to start again because I think I get very depressed or anxiety ridden if I don't exercise. My other post How To Be Bored (
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/how-to-be-bored/msg1655103/#msg1655103) should be renamed to How Does One Wage The Passive War To Financial Independence? You work hard all month, and then increase your net worth or decrease your debt at the end of the month. Then the cycle repeats. You see the needle move, and that is it, you gotta pass the time until the next deposit. And then eventually you realize you aren't fighting a war anymore, you've just altered your lifestyle to something realistically no different than before except for what you eat and how you spend your weekends.
Two weeks, not so bad. Lots of room for improvement.
Note: I have one pair of pants. I bought them like a year or two ago and they are falling apart, lol. Any advice on buying jeans? I'm thinking one pair for work, and one pair for everything else.