Who spends less than $30k-$40k/ income of $100k+

[Gone Fishing]

We (family of 4) lived on $36k/yr including an $850/mo mortgage payment when I was working despite a six figure income.  I missed a bit of the money I had previously spent on hobbies and fancy beer.  We can cook some damn fine food with bargain meat and vegetables, but my wife enjoys the service from a restaurant now and again. We've added a bit more of the mentioned items into our FIRE budget.

[facepalm]

I make very close to that income level, and only spend around 22K per year. I max out everything and have a savings rate over 70%.

I'm not the type to make toilet paper out of dryer lint, or reuse sandwich bags twenty times. But I don't spend any money on things I consider unnecessary. I have a cheap phone and cheap plan. I'm renting (and have a nice deal). I buy backpacking gear (and backpack), but don't ever eat out or go to bars. I don't buy most of the things that most people just can't seem to live without. So no flat screen TV, no constant stream of goodies from Amazon. I'm a minimalist.

If I can do without, I do without. I rather enjoy it.

[mm1970]

I mean, what counts as spending?  We live in a HCOL area so our mortgage payment is above that.  Aside from mortgage and after school care/ summer camps - we don't really spend much.

[cats]

Please contribute to my thread if this fits your situation. I feel lonely and want to know if there are other frugal families out there.

We spend $29,000 with a family of 5. Does not include healthcare since we use an HSA for that.

Edit to add:
Do you still look for ways to optimize even with a 60%++ savings rate? How have you managed to keep your expenses low?
Do you DIY most things?
Have you given up anything that you miss?

We are a family of 3, excluding childcare costs our household spending has been under $40k every year since we started tracking.  Childcare obviously blows it out of the water, but we both work full time and each individually earn quite a bit more than childcare costs, so we've decided it's an acceptable expense for now. 

To answer the questions:

1) Yes, we still look for ways to optimize.  I do think that as our financial situation has gotten more comfortable we've gotten more into optimizing for time savings than money savings...but we find that there is a lot of overlap between the two.  A really obvious one is that it's just a time consuming pain to go out to eat with a toddler, so it's both easier AND cheaper to eat at home.  And takeout/delivery takes longer than reheating something that we made a big batch of on the weekend.  Likewise, with kid activities, there are a lot of good free ones (library, multiple parks) within walking distance of our home, while more expensive options usually require a drive, can be crowded, etc.  It helps that both my husband and I are frugal and I think our frugal tendencies complement each other well, so while on some things one of us might be inclined to say "whatever, just spend the $$", the other is usually thinking, no, there's a better (and cheaper) way of doing this.

2) We do still DIY and also get a lot of stuff as hand-me-downs:  our town has a pretty strong "curb culture" (people leaving things they no longer want out on the curb for passersby to take if they wish) and we have gotten a lot of good stuff that way.  I do a little gardening and sewing and DH is very handy and great at engineering solutions for free/low cost where other people might just toss a bunch of money at a problem.

3) Hmmmm.  I used to indulge quite a bit more in clothes shopping and also more frequent haircuts.  Money aside, it now just feels sort of wasteful to me to own too many clothes, and it's hard to find time to go to the salon that often--I just have other things I'd rather be doing.  But I do feel like I don't look very stylish/put-together these days compared to myself maybe 5 years ago and sometimes that bothers me.  At the moment I've kind of accepted that this is life with a small kid: I'm short on time and constantly at risk of having food, snot, or dirt smeared on me, so there's a limit to how chic I'm going to look no matter what my spending level is.  But I suppose at some point I might decide it's worth spending a bit more money on my personal appearance again.  Or maybe I'll be able to find the time to scour thrift stores for cute clothes again.  Either way, I don't see it becoming something I blow thousands of additional dollars on every year.

[DreamFIRE]

I mean, what counts as spending?  We live in a HCOL area so our mortgage payment is above that.  Aside from mortgage and after school care/ summer camps - we don't really spend much.

IMO, everything except income/payroll taxes and investment expenses.   So mortgages, property taxes, health insurance, daycare, educational expenses, payments on debts, new cars, home improvement, etc. are all expenses and real spending.

However, since spending can vary from year to year, I take my long term expenses (as noted in the second post), which includes costly home maintenance over longer periods of times, and try to estimate what these costs average out to over time.

This thread about long term cost averaging for home maintenance expands on that:
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/budgeting-home-maintenance-costs/

[ptobest]

I'm in this pool! Based on my tracking, last year I made 150k+ and spent ~34K. That covered expenses (rent, food, bills, entertainment, etc. plus 2 week-long vacations) for 1.5 people - myself, and my partner who is in school and I am partially supporting.

I keep an eye out for ways to optimize, but it tends to be little things at this point, as anything left to cut out is either a small luxury I'd rather keep (Netflix, the occasional eating out) or would create more problems (going from a 2 bedroom to a one bedroom is unrealistic when I need a home office to work from, we share a car between us but eliminating the car altogether means creating some serious inconveniences). So, optimization is usually in the form of "make food from whatever is discounted", "more beans and less meat cause it's healthier anyhow", "thrifting clothes instead of buying new, also better for the environment that way", etc..

I haven't really given anything up. Helps that 5 years ago, I was barely making 40k. It also helps that the majority of those I am social with make far less than me, so I don't feel a need to keep up with others' spending habits.

[DreamFIRE]

Edit to add:
Do you still look for ways to optimize even with a 60%++ savings rate?
How have you managed to keep your expenses low?

60% would be a disappointment for me as I've been 70% or higher for years, sometimes 80%, but I've optimized my savings in recent years.... getting rid of cable (no streaming subscription, either), moving to very low cost cellular service, buying less unnecessary crap.  I even bought a coffee maker to take to work to avoid the more expensive coffee at work and have been taking my lunch.  I'm driving an 11 1/2 year old car, I don't replace my clothes frequently just to be fashionable, always taking advantage of sales for things I really want/need, keeping my debt at 0, own my house, paying off CC bills during the no-interest grace period, keeping my house above 80 in the summer, biking a lot in the summer, not putting a lot of miles on the car (less gas/maintenance/depreciation), not drinking alcohol, and more.

One interesting thing I've noticed over the years is that I just don't even have the desire for the misc. crap that I used to.  It's not like I even have to try.  I remember 20 years ago walking into Best Buy and seeing so many things I thought were so cool and would like to have.  I was in Best Buy 5 years ago to exchange a defective laptop that I bought online, and I had an entirely different feeling as I looked around.  I had no desire for anything I saw.  I was consciously aware of that difference while I was in there, and it felt good "not wanting" all the crap.  I just wanted to get out of there and haven't been back since.  And even since then, my desire for material items has dropped off further yet, and not just for the misc. minor junk, but even big ticket items.  I see less meaning and get less satisfaction from that type of thing than ever before, and I think my FIRE goal in the last couple years has helped me focus even further on what's really important.

I don't see much room at this point to cut back further except to downsize to a smaller home or get a roommate.  But with FIRE on the horizon, re-location is a possibility.

Do you DIY most things?

I would have mentioned this above if you hadn't posed it as a different question, but yes indeed, I am big on DIY.  I do my own car maintenance, motorcycle maintenance, bicycle maintenance, home maintenance, mowing, trimming, appliance repair, electrical work, plumbing, furnace repair, etc.  I replaced a heat exchanger in my furnace a few years back.  Of course, being an IT guy, I do all computer related stuff myself.  And I don't feel house cleaning is beneath me, either, so I do that as well.

Have you given up anything that you miss?

I don't miss anything as a result of anything being discussed here.

[2Birds1Stone]

60% would be a disappointment for me as I've been 70% or higher for years, sometimes 80%, but I've optimized my savings in recent years....

It's scary how much I could relate to this!

I will never let me savings rate get below 75% voluntarily, meaning I would go voluntarily homeless before that happened.

[TheAnonOne]

60% would be a disappointment for me as I've been 70% or higher for years, sometimes 80%, but I've optimized my savings in recent years....

It's scary how much I could relate to this!

I will never let me savings rate get below 75% voluntarily, meaning I would go voluntarily homeless before that happened.

My savings rate is around 75% as well. (36-40k spending on 200k income)

To keep expenses this DAMN HIGH we...

Own a motorcycle AND a summer car AND fly 2-5 times a year domestically AND take at least 'one' 2-3 week international trip AND do a few autoX events AND eat-out once a week AND AND AND AND AND AND


I guess having a small townhouse and no kids helps :)

[Carrie]

No kids definitely helps! We've got three, but really they're not that expensive since we don't pay for childcare.

[mm1970]

I mean, what counts as spending?  We live in a HCOL area so our mortgage payment is above that.  Aside from mortgage and after school care/ summer camps - we don't really spend much.

IMO, everything except income/payroll taxes and investment expenses.   So mortgages, property taxes, health insurance, daycare, educational expenses, payments on debts, new cars, home improvement, etc. are all expenses and real spending.

However, since spending can vary from year to year, I take my long term expenses (as noted in the second post), which includes costly home maintenance over longer periods of times, and try to estimate what these costs average out to over time.

This thread about long term cost averaging for home maintenance expands on that:
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/budgeting-home-maintenance-costs/

So, if we cashed out our investments and paid off our mortgage, we could probably join the club.  Still, childcare ($6k) and prop taxes ($8k) would be half of the 30k.  Due to the double income, our health care expenses are low, and our cars are paid for.

But you know, that's not a really smart thing to do, so I'm not going to do it.  I guess I have to be okay with not being a "true mustachian". 

[aceyou]

I think I'm close enough to get into the thread:)

Household Income in 2017: $155,000
Household Spending in 2017: $47,000ish

Do you still look for ways to optimize even with a 60%++ savings rate? How have you managed to keep your expenses low?  Yes.  We could go closer to 40k, but we are happier spending closer to 50k. 

Where the extra 7k or so goes...

-  Very high quality food:We eat tons of fresh fruits/veggies/berries/nuts/fish, that are just quite frankly a more expensive source of nutrition than rice and beans (but of course we still eat lots of rice and beans:).  Our food spending is still below national average, but above the MMM $80/week.  Probably 2k/year more than we have to spend. 

-  Travel.  We've taken the kids (6 &3) to Indianapolis, Chicago, Campgrounds, Grand Rapids, many museums, zoos, etc.  Also, my wife and I take a 4 day trip to Vegas each summer, and do a weekend road trip each winter, usually to Chicago.  Those things aren't free and could be cut, but they are some of the best dollars we spend.  Probably 4k or so more than we have to spend.

- Hosting Friends - We invite friends and neighbors over to our house for dinner one or two times/week...so probably 70ish times/year:)  We buy a lot more fresh food that I'd count more towards the entertainment budget than the food budget.  Again, we love being in a position to host friends and neighbors all the time, and don't mind one bit that this probably adds $1500 or so a year to the budget. 

So yeah, those are the three exceptions where we've loosened the purse strings a bit. 

Do you DIY most things?   Yes.  Not only to save money, but to show our kids that taking care of things and figuring out how to fix things is just what "normal people" do. 

Have you given up anything that you miss? When we started, we pared down the budget on EVERYTHING to see what we'd miss.  We felt we missed out three things I bulleted above: tons of fresh food, reasonably priced travel with the kids and each other, and on being pro-social, cause we're social people.  So yeah, we upped spending from 40k to 47ish k. 

So, a few questions for YOU:

- In what ways do you attribute your frugality as a contributor to your feeling lonely? 
- What are some free ways you could get more social?
- On top of that, what are some reasonably priced things you could justify that would get you more social? 

Because yeah, my wife and I felt a bit isolated for a while, particularly cause we were always taking care of two VERY young children.  For us, we started inviting friends and neighbors over, and we started taking lots of small trips with the kids.  Yep, it was a touch more expensive, but when your talking about saving 80k/year vs 70k/year, at some point who the F@#! cares, right:)  I don't think I have to turn in my MMM card for that.

[DreamFIRE]

I mean, what counts as spending?  We live in a HCOL area so our mortgage payment is above that.  Aside from mortgage and after school care/ summer camps - we don't really spend much.

IMO, everything except income/payroll taxes and investment expenses.   So mortgages, property taxes, health insurance, daycare, educational expenses, payments on debts, new cars, home improvement, etc. are all expenses and real spending.

However, since spending can vary from year to year, I take my long term expenses (as noted in the second post), which includes costly home maintenance over longer periods of times, and try to estimate what these costs average out to over time.

This thread about long term cost averaging for home maintenance expands on that:
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/budgeting-home-maintenance-costs/

So, if we cashed out our investments and paid off our mortgage, we could probably join the club.  Still, childcare ($6k) and prop taxes ($8k) would be half of the 30k.  Due to the double income, our health care expenses are low, and our cars are paid for.

But you know, that's not a really smart thing to do, so I'm not going to do it.  I guess I have to be okay with not being a "true mustachian".

This thread isn't for defining mustachian but for Carrie looking for her tribe.  But others upstream excluded similar things, so there are no hard fast rules for what counts as spending.

[Carrie]

So, a few questions for YOU:

- In what ways do you attribute your frugality as a contributor to your feeling lonely? 
- What are some free ways you could get more social?
- On top of that, what are some reasonably priced things you could justify that would get you more social? 

Because yeah, my wife and I felt a bit isolated for a while, particularly cause we were always taking care of two VERY young children.  For us, we started inviting friends and neighbors over, and we started taking lots of small trips with the kids.  Yep, it was a touch more expensive, but when your talking about saving 80k/year vs 70k/year, at some point who the F@#! cares, right:)  I don't think I have to turn in my MMM card for that.

I appreciate your post & questions. :)
- We live in a suburban town with the highest median income in our state (but LCOL, so still affordable if you don't fall into the consumerist trap). There are a lot of wealthy people around us, and then there are those who are spending as if they're wealthy. There are many SAHMs with expensive habits, and I can't relate. I don't shop for pleasure (or do spa/make up/follow trends, etc), I meal plan, cook at home, & all that other frugal goodness instead. I think that makes me weird and maybe unrelate-able.

- the good news is that I'm meeting new people! And they seem down to earth, not driven by flash. I'm hosting a brunch in two weeks at our house and have invited 5 new friends who all live within walking distance.  I've also started doing volunteer work at a local charity - teaching cooking classes to poverty stricken parents/grandparents. I hope to meet new friends through that organization (the director seems cool). I am connecting with a crafty friend at the end of the month to attempt projects together - she just moved nearby, so we haven't gotten together in years. So I'm working on it!

- I don't think we need to spend more money. I think I have to take the lead and put myself out there and just start inviting people over more often. Although, we do have some dear friends who live far away who want us to visit - so I think we should budget a trip to see each of them. Road trips!!!

I almost forget that part of my problem is that I'm just now emerging from toddler fog. Young children definitely put a kink in everything - social, sleep, sanity!

[aceyou]

So, a few questions for YOU:

- In what ways do you attribute your frugality as a contributor to your feeling lonely? 
- What are some free ways you could get more social?
- On top of that, what are some reasonably priced things you could justify that would get you more social? 

Because yeah, my wife and I felt a bit isolated for a while, particularly cause we were always taking care of two VERY young children.  For us, we started inviting friends and neighbors over, and we started taking lots of small trips with the kids.  Yep, it was a touch more expensive, but when your talking about saving 80k/year vs 70k/year, at some point who the F@#! cares, right:)  I don't think I have to turn in my MMM card for that.

I appreciate your post & questions. :)
- We live in a suburban town with the highest median income in our state (but LCOL, so still affordable if you don't fall into the consumerist trap). There are a lot of wealthy people around us, and then there are those who are spending as if they're wealthy. There are many SAHMs with expensive habits, and I can't relate. I don't shop for pleasure (or do spa/make up/follow trends, etc), I meal plan, cook at home, & all that other frugal goodness instead. I think that makes me weird and maybe unrelate-able.

- the good news is that I'm meeting new people! And they seem down to earth, not driven by flash. I'm hosting a brunch in two weeks at our house and have invited 5 new friends who all live within walking distance.  I've also started doing volunteer work at a local charity - teaching cooking classes to poverty stricken parents/grandparents. I hope to meet new friends through that organization (the director seems cool). I am connecting with a crafty friend at the end of the month to attempt projects together - she just moved nearby, so we haven't gotten together in years. So I'm working on it!

- I don't think we need to spend more money. I think I have to take the lead and put myself out there and just start inviting people over more often. Although, we do have some dear friends who live far away who want us to visit - so I think we should budget a trip to see each of them. Road trips!!!

I almost forget that part of my problem is that I'm just now emerging from toddler fog. Young children definitely put a kink in everything - social, sleep, sanity!

Ha, you sound like  my wife and I about a year or two ago:)  Sounds like you're already making really smart adjustments.  Go back and read everything you've written about your situation...you've REALLY got your shit together.  You're kind of a badass!  Hang in there and keep at it with all the great changes you are already making.  And don't beat yourself up too much if you have stretches where you feel meh.  Everyone feels that way sometimes, I know I still do, even though objectively we have a great life.  Hang in there, enjoy the kids, and celebrate any good things that happen to you, your family, and friends!!!

[Carrie]

Aw, thank you, @aceyou.

I love my frugal, simple life. It all feels pretty much ideal. I've been practicing gratitude daily and am in awe how great our life is. Being able to live on little and want for nothing removes so much stress.

[mm1970]

So, a few questions for YOU:

- In what ways do you attribute your frugality as a contributor to your feeling lonely? 
- What are some free ways you could get more social?
- On top of that, what are some reasonably priced things you could justify that would get you more social? 

Because yeah, my wife and I felt a bit isolated for a while, particularly cause we were always taking care of two VERY young children.  For us, we started inviting friends and neighbors over, and we started taking lots of small trips with the kids.  Yep, it was a touch more expensive, but when your talking about saving 80k/year vs 70k/year, at some point who the F@#! cares, right:)  I don't think I have to turn in my MMM card for that.

I appreciate your post & questions. :)
- We live in a suburban town with the highest median income in our state (but LCOL, so still affordable if you don't fall into the consumerist trap). There are a lot of wealthy people around us, and then there are those who are spending as if they're wealthy. There are many SAHMs with expensive habits, and I can't relate. I don't shop for pleasure (or do spa/make up/follow trends, etc), I meal plan, cook at home, & all that other frugal goodness instead. I think that makes me weird and maybe unrelate-able.

- the good news is that I'm meeting new people! And they seem down to earth, not driven by flash. I'm hosting a brunch in two weeks at our house and have invited 5 new friends who all live within walking distance.  I've also started doing volunteer work at a local charity - teaching cooking classes to poverty stricken parents/grandparents. I hope to meet new friends through that organization (the director seems cool). I am connecting with a crafty friend at the end of the month to attempt projects together - she just moved nearby, so we haven't gotten together in years. So I'm working on it!

- I don't think we need to spend more money. I think I have to take the lead and put myself out there and just start inviting people over more often. Although, we do have some dear friends who live far away who want us to visit - so I think we should budget a trip to see each of them. Road trips!!!

I almost forget that part of my problem is that I'm just now emerging from toddler fog. Young children definitely put a kink in everything - social, sleep, sanity!

Toddler fog is a real thing.

I think I got pretty lucky.  There are plenty of spendy people in my town, and considering starter homes in my town ranged from $200k to $950k over the space of 20 years, when you bought actually matters.

So my neighborhood is in a bad school district - there are lots of working class people here, who bought 2-3 decades ago.  There are some who bought during the recent implosion.  Some, like us, timed it terribly (but it could have been worse!  The house next door sold at the peak.)  People buying now will find themselves to be house-poor unless they are wealthy or inherited.

About 5 years ago, a neighbor/ friend from the school invited us to a potluck.  Every Sunday, for 20 years, some families on the street have been having a potluck Sunday nights at the park.  They wander up there with food and wine, from spring until fall.  After never remembering, we finally went.  And...it's my tribe.  These are people who'd rather take a bottle of wine and a potluck dish to a park to chat, while the kids can play on the playground.  Maybe throw a frisbee after dinner.  When a dog gets something stuck in her nose (and the owner doesn't drive), one family takes the kids home to watch a movie and another one takes the dog to the vet.  When you are out of town, they watch your house, get your mail.  Or...use your empty fridge to store their Thanksgiving turkey.  They go for walks on the beach with you to find driftwood to use for artistic succulent gardens.  There is always massive negotiations on who is going to whose house for a playdate.  About 3 years ago, we started doing brunch on Sundays during the winter time.

I'm not sure where I'd be without this tribe - even though it makes more sense on paper to move 10 miles to the next town, where we work (and where a starter home is the same price, but bigger) - my tribe isn't there.  During the young baby and toddler years (both of them), I felt adrift in many ways.  As my fellow high earners headed off to Europe, the South Pacific, Australia on vacation... as they bought bigger houses and bigger cars ...and went out for dinners and coffee and joined $250/month gyms and swim clubs.  We had a number of friends that were like this - we would hang with them camping or doing simpler things, and skip the rest.  Then we introduced two of them to each other, and that was that!

[Carrie]

I love this, @mm1970. I think what you describe is going to happen for us here. I actually have my neighbor's turkey in my chest freezer because they didn't have room. (She said she bought it because of something I said about buying turkey at Christmas because it's cheaper then. So maybe she is interested in frugality.)

Edit- added because got cut off last night:

There were many years that I wasn't thrilled with our place - grass is greener - thinking we could do better elsewhere.  But this year I've been hit upside the head so many times with articles, opinion pieces, just looking outside, for reasons why staying put is a good and viable option. (Low property taxes, thanks mmm thread! One of top ten states to retire for tax treatment and lcol!)

As soon as I truly opened my eyes to the good we have here, I started meeting new people. I've met three families who just moved to our neighborhood.  I've met three more who've lived here for several years. I'm making an effort to connect, and it's working. (I haven't completely broached the subject of ER, but that's not necessary.)

We live in a beautiful area. It's country-suburban.  We can be to the city in 17 miles/ minutes, but usually have no reason to go any further than 4 miles to the grocery/library. Our kids have good schools, consistently ranking highest in the state. And after looking up stats, I was surprised to realize that our town is almost purple politically.

I have to keep doing what I'm doing: be friendly but authentic. Last year a new friendship fizzled because she wanted to commiserate about financial woes - but wasn't interested when I shared how we avoided those woes with some lifestyle adjustments. Oh.well. this is who I am, I can't pretend otherwise.

[fuzzy math]

Income 135k, family of 5. regular spending in the neighborhood of $40k per year, exclusive of all the surgeries that have caused us to hit our out of pocket max for the past 3 years in a row.

I think we are the norm, not the exception, for spending on this forum. People who have housekeepers or cable are still able lay claim to this pattern of spending. I think it's the newbies posting their $90k spends with their 1.5MM houses on the case studies forum that tend to skew in the other direction.

[Raenia]

Income ~110k, DINKs.  Our current expenses are at about 33k not including health insurance, close to 39k with that included.  It would be well over 40k if we were buying our own health insurance on the market, though.

[fuzzy math]

Mm1970 I want to live near your tribe!! (Plus your town in general is cool too)

[living small]

mm1970: You found a goldmine! I wouldn't move either!

I am still looking for my tribe, but yours is inspiring! loving the potluck thing.


Carrie: I had massive postpartum depression/psychosis which subsided into a lingering fog. It. Is. No. Joke.  Glad you are on the other end of things! For the record, I am too, but damn, it wasn't a good time, looking back.

[Carrie]

mm1970: You found a goldmine! I wouldn't move either!

I am still looking for my tribe, but yours is inspiring! loving the potluck thing.


Carrie: I had massive postpartum depression/psychosis which subsided into a lingering fog. It. Is. No. Joke.  Glad you are on the other end of things! For the record, I am too, but damn, it wasn't a good time, looking back.

I still don't get enough sleep, but everything is so much better than a year, two or three ago. I have more energy and a better outlook and can see that I have the ability and energy to do things besides breastfeed and caretake! It's magical.  I'm glad you're on the other side too!

[Carrie]

Income 135k, family of 5. regular spending in the neighborhood of $40k per year, exclusive of all the surgeries that have caused us to hit our out of pocket max for the past 3 years in a row.

I think we are the norm, not the exception, for spending on this forum. People who have housekeepers or cable are still able lay claim to this pattern of spending. I think it's the newbies posting their $90k spends with their 1.5MM houses on the case studies forum that tend to skew in the other direction.

You're probably right.  There are a ton of frugal savers and optimizers around here. I'm glad.

[Teachstache]

Exactly!! These things ARE fun for me. I love making things for my family, and the fact that it's cheaper makes me even happier.
Tonight I made a huge pot of chicken stock from a $5 chicken that we smoked on the grill for dinner, made into pot pie tonight. So thrilled that one measly chicken (on sale, 79c /lb) made 10 servings plus stock for the freezer!

I understand what you're saying. I'm enjoying gardening and making my own hard cider. I love hang drying our laundry, even indoors, during the winter. I can't discuss that joy with family & we don't have many friends here.

[FIREin2018]

Please contribute to my thread if this fits your situation. I feel lonely and want to know if there are other frugal families out there.

We spend $29,000 with a family of 5. Does not include healthcare since we use an HSA for that.

Edit to add:
Do you still look for ways to optimize even with a 60%++ savings rate? How have you managed to keep your expenses low?
Do you DIY most things?
Have you given up anything that you miss?

Single, no kids,$100k/yr.
Take home pay: 67k/yr

House paid off.
Expenses are $19k/yr

So I'm saving 70% of my take home pay.
Wow.. I've never calculated the% before :o

[MaybeBabyMustache]

We're in a HCOL (bay area), so I've removed housing costs for purposes of the "spending" discussion. Together we make quite a bit more than $100K, so are saving well (around 55%), but still not approaching mustachian levels of spending by any stretch. :-)

Our spending minus housing is just under $45k.
Biggest categories for us include:
-charitable donations. This is a big priority, particularly while we're employed at companies that offer 100% corporate match
-kids sports (this could be cut, but they both play club soccer, and do a few other school sports)
-home improvement/repairs(we bought it about a year ago, and have made quite a few repairs)
-Travel. Primarily visiting family, but usually a few long weekends with friends as well.

That said, despite our spendypants ways, I love many of the frugal things you describe. I menu plan, keep a super close eye on our groceries, max travel rewards to minimize costs, have a sidehustle, don't shop for entertainment, love making fun recipes, stock our freezer, etc.

[Bro-mero]

32 year old single person, no dependents other than my cat. My yearly spending is $24k/year (not including healthcare) on income of >200k per year. My house is paid off and I feel like the 1.5k-2k I spend per month gives me a widely opulent and abundant life full of luxuries :-)

This year I should be able to put $150k into my taxable investments after maxing out my tax advantaged accounts.

Wow, you're really livin' the dream, congrats! I am a single 21 year old starting my first full-time position out of college in a few months, and I can only dream of being a situation anywhere near this in my early 30's! Way to go, man!

[Herbert Derp]

I make way more than $100K, but over the last two years my spending has averaged out to $5K / year. My savings rate is over 95%.

I don't really have any further opportunity to optimize spending, so I've been focusing on increasing my income. I cook my own meals, do my own chores, and cut my own hair, if that counts as DIY. I haven't given up anything I miss, I just focus on keeping what I want and getting rid of everything else. Classic minimalism!

Here's my journal if you're interested in hearing more about what I do:
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/herbert-derp's-frugal-adventures

[libertarian4321]

We no longer keep track of expenditures.  However, I doubt we spend more than $40 per year, on an income of ~$200k.

We just live a "lower middle class" lifestyle on what is probably a very upper middle class (or even lower upper class) income.

[2Birds1Stone]

I make way more than $100K, but over the last two years my spending has averaged out to $5K / year. My savings rate is over 95%.

I don't really have any further opportunity to optimize spending, so I've been focusing on increasing my income. I cook my own meals, do my own chores, and cut my own hair, if that counts as DIY. I haven't given up anything I miss, I just focus on keeping what I want and getting rid of everything else. Classic minimalism!

Here's my journal if you're interested in hearing more about what I do:
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/herbert-derp's-frugal-adventures

You're the first person I've come across on this forum who spends only one Jacob.

[Trifle]

Don't feel lonely OP -- we are definitely in this group.  Family of 4, income of $230k last year, spending 34k in a medium COL area.  House is paid off and we are looking to FIRE early next year. 

Yes, we DIY almost everything.  I like to think that I am pretty handy, but mainly I hit the marriage jackpot; DH can literally build and fix anything.  We have a woodshop and a machine shop, and he is an electronics whiz.  We are currently building a house (and living in it while we do it) -- pretty crazy.  [Spending figures don't include the house build, since that is a one-time project].

We do still shop for bargains and look for ways to economize.  I think it's in our DNA not to be wasteful.  :)  Honestly, it is not hard to keep our spending at this level -- we could get it down further with some focused attention.  I feel like we live and spend pretty lavishly . . . we take several awesome vacations per year, including a couple with air travel, and pay for kids' activities like sports and camp.  I can't think of anything we have given up that I miss.  We never did own anything fancy like an expensive car, so we never had to dial back on our lifestyle.  I guess for the most part the things we like to do are cheap/free.   

Still looking for our "tribe" in our new place . . . Hopefully with more time after FIRE and the house build we will be able to connect with more people.   

[Livingthedream55]

I spend about $24,000 on a household income of $87,000.

[FIREin2018]

You're the first person I've come across on this forum who spends only one Jacob.

whats a jacob?

[Trifle]

You're the first person I've come across on this forum who spends only one Jacob.

whats a jacob?

I think he might be referring to Jacob at Early Retirement Extreme, who lived (lives?) on some super low amount, like $5k per year

[2Birds1Stone]

You're the first person I've come across on this forum who spends only one Jacob.

whats a jacob?

I think he might be referring to Jacob at Early Retirement Extreme, who lived (lives?) on some super low amount, like $5k per year

Yup! $6-7k

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[mizzourah2006]

If you subtract out daycare we are around $40k for a family of 4 and we will likely clear $200k this year, but that is a very new thing for us.

[JLee]

You're the first person I've come across on this forum who spends only one Jacob.

whats a jacob?

I think he might be referring to Jacob at Early Retirement Extreme, who lived (lives?) on some super low amount, like $5k per year

Yup! $6-7k

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

It's crazy how much minimum COL is depending on where you live. I live in a HCOL area and am splitting a 900 sq ft apartment with one other person and my rent alone (without utilities) is over double that.

[2Birds1Stone]

You're the first person I've come across on this forum who spends only one Jacob.

whats a jacob?

I think he might be referring to Jacob at Early Retirement Extreme, who lived (lives?) on some super low amount, like $5k per year

Yup! $6-7k

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

It's crazy how much minimum COL is depending on where you live. I live in a HCOL area and am splitting a 900 sq ft apartment with one other person and my rent alone (without utilities) is over double that.

Yes, that's why ERE folks tend to get creative with housing. Rent a room, live in an RV, or on a cruising sailboat etc. I do believe Jacob lived in CA in an RV spending $7k/yr. 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[ThatGuy701]

We are close to this and are always looking for ways to spend less.

 - We are a household of 4 - Myself, wife, 2 year old daughter and a fluffy pouch.
 - Duel gross income of $166k base salary w/bonus potenial
 - Average spending of $48k/year
 - Daycare cost of -$11,400/year
 - Mortgage is -$13,500/year
 - Max out 401k, 403b, 457, HSA, IRAs

We are currently doing a live in flip and plan to sell in one years time. Once the flip is sold we plan to move into a smaller house and use the profits from the flip for the down payment which will bring the mortgage down significantly.

Our spending has increased in the past couple of years as we have the obvious daycare expenses but we have also found some items that we don't mind spending more on as they bring with them a better quality of life. One of the area's of increase spending is Crossfit. Both my wife and I joined in the past year and absolutely love it. Yes it is more costly than a standard gym, but it also keeps us accountable and it is something that I look forward too every day so to us it is worth it!

The other areas of spending we have dialed in. We don't eat out often and when we do we share a meal. We have two cars but one of them is a company vehicle with all expenses paid. We enjoy camping and taking in any outdoor activity that we can as it offers an abundance of new memories for little cost.

The house flipping process has been a challenge for us as it consumes a lot of our time. We are however learning a lot and know the outcome will have been beneficial.

Here's to now AND the future!

[Herbert Derp]

Yup! $6-7k

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

It's crazy how much minimum COL is depending on where you live. I live in a HCOL area and am splitting a 900 sq ft apartment with one other person and my rent alone (without utilities) is over double that.

I live downtown in a HCOL city (1 bedroom apartments go for about $2,000 / month), but I can still manage to spend less than Jacob, who lived in the Bay Area--also HCOL. I know of a couple people living in NYC who spend less than
$2K a month total. I don't think HCOL is an excuse!

[DreamFIRE]

We no longer keep track of expenditures.  However, I doubt we spend more than $40 per year, on an income of ~$200k.

We just live a "lower middle class" lifestyle on what is probably a very upper middle class (or even lower upper class) income.

Simply amazing!

[fidreamer]

We fall into this category.  Spend about $35,000/year and make about $100,000.  This includes the cost of healthcare and we have two kids.  I left my job a year ago.  We cook a lot, bake our own bread, etc.  No cable.  Blu Ray vs movie theater.  My husband and I do not exchange gifts for holidays.  We don't do Easter baskets.  My birthday was last month and we did not go out to dinner.  We played pickleball all day instead.  Everyone thinks we are crazy.  If there is something we really want we get it or do it, but I am finding great happiness in minimalism. 

[beee]

That's us too, 30yo olds, DINKs.
We have 1 car, live in a cheap 2br/2bth condo.
We buy take outs 1-2 times a week, almost never go to restaurants (just not our thing).
We don't really limit ourselves, we just know what brings us happiness and what not.
Most of the things we like are free or not expensive.

All numbers are in Canadian dollars, income is after tax, top 5 expense categories.

[wordnerd]

We've spent an average of $25K a year for the past six years (excluding childcare)--first as a family of two and now as a family three. HHI income has been well above $100K (and growing) that whole time.

I actually find it easier to frugal and social with a kid (and having friends with kids). People tend to socialize more in homes or parks or a cheap breakfast. Also, you have a built-in excuse to skip happy hour or whatever. My Saturday morning routine involves the library and the park. It's lovely.

I find frugality to be a habit (and my preference) at this point. I enjoy optimizing. I find waste somewhat distasteful. I also know I can spend on things if I really want to (like if I want to something social and spendy). Most of the time, I just don't want to.

So, I don't really have to push myself to be frugal, and it's totally unrelated to my/our income. It been a transformation for me over the course of my MMM journey; I didn't feel like this 6-7 years ago. But it's gratifying, especially now that we're about to FIRE. It would be depressing to be locking yourself into a lifestyle that feels like depravation.

[Trifle]

We fall into this category.  Spend about $35,000/year and make about $100,000.  This includes the cost of healthcare and we have two kids.  I left my job a year ago.  We cook a lot, bake our own bread, etc.  No cable.  Blu Ray vs movie theater.  My husband and I do not exchange gifts for holidays.  We don't do Easter baskets.  My birthday was last month and we did not go out to dinner.  We played pickleball all day instead.  Everyone thinks we are crazy.  If there is something we really want we get it or do it, but I am finding great happiness in minimalism.

I think we're twins, @fidreamer !  We don't do holidays or gifts either, cook at home, and have no cable.  For my birthday last month we all went for a trail run.  And yes we feel like oddballs too; our extended families think we're nuts.  But it all comes down to what makes you happy, and the simple life makes us happy.  Want to come over for dinner and a board game?  ;)

[fidreamer]

We fall into this category.  Spend about $35,000/year and make about $100,000.  This includes the cost of healthcare and we have two kids.  I left my job a year ago.  We cook a lot, bake our own bread, etc.  No cable.  Blu Ray vs movie theater.  My husband and I do not exchange gifts for holidays.  We don't do Easter baskets.  My birthday was last month and we did not go out to dinner.  We played pickleball all day instead.  Everyone thinks we are crazy.  If there is something we really want we get it or do it, but I am finding great happiness in minimalism.

I think we're twins, @fidreamer !  We don't do holidays or gifts either, cook at home, and have no cable.  For my birthday last month we all went for a trail run.  And yes we feel like oddballs too; our extended families think we're nuts.  But it all comes down to what makes you happy, and the simple life makes us happy.  Want to come over for dinner and a board game?  ;)

Lol, like minds!  ; )  Good to know we are not the only ones!

[badger1988]

I might be in this group...depending on how things are accounted for.

My wife and I have three kids now, but one was just born in March and isn't reflected in these numbers aside from healthcare costs from last year. Attached is a summary beginning when I started tracking in July 2011. I seperate income taxes and charitable giving from my spending, but the personal spending column includes everything else (mortgage, property taxes, health insurance premiums, etc.)

A few notes on timeline and big ticket expenses included:
-We graduated from college in May 2011, were married in June 2011, and started our careers shortly after.
-$9,500 cash purchase of car in 2011
-$17,000 down payment on house in 2012
-$13,000 cash purchase of car in 2015
-Twins born in 2015 (~$8,500 to cover birth and 3 week stay in NICU).
-Wife became a SAHM in June 2015
-$30,300 spent on various home improvements from 2012-today

[clarkfan1979]

Our best year of savings was 2014 when we both still worked full-time. We made 103K. After tax is was probably 85K and we spent about 50K. My wife started hating her job, so she quit in 2015. They kept on giving her more responsibility because she was a good worker, but the raises were small.

Her boss was giving her a hard time about something and she ended up standing her ground, which she rarely does. The next day she called her boss and quit. The boss was shocked and apologized and asked if she would re-consider. She said no, but still offered to finish her two weeks.

They normally don't let people finish their two weeks. When someone says their done, they often just make that day their last day. However, they were desperate for help and had zero plan "b" that she worked her last two weeks. She got to say her goodbyes at work and tell everyone at work that the job wasn't worth it. Her boss ended up looking like a turd.

[beer-man]

We are currently between $100-130k a year and spend about 45k with a family of 5. My wife staying at home helps as she is a boss at frugality as she intends to not be going back to work till the kids are gone.
 Our big splurge is take out once or twice a month and fun stuff around town with the kids once a month. This month i'm taking my son to see the new avengers in theater but of course we will be smuggling in our own treats:)
 I recently sat down with a financial adviser friend of ours to hear his pitch(Primerica) and after being forthcoming he told us that we were in a better financial position that almost any couple that he's ever advised even people making 2-3x our income. I can admit though that our neighbors and friends take way more trips than us and splurge often.....sometimes I can sense my wife getting a little envious or maybe just feeling left out.