The Money Mustache Community
General Discussion => Welcome and General Discussion => Topic started by: Roland of Gilead on April 07, 2014, 09:00:28 PM
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(reposting this since it seems to have generated an error or bug)
I will try to rewrite this since I lost the post. I am curious about MMM followers who live on a very low budget. I have heard of people living on $1000 a month but wonder if there are people here who manage on even less? If you don't mind sharing, I would love to hear about your entry into the "lowest budget contest" :-)
I think I could do a year or two with a $500 a month budget and still have a shower now and then plus stay warm and eat well.
The reason I am curious is we hear talk about "what happens if your money runs out?" for people wanting to ER on a 4% SWR. If your 4% SWR is significantly above what the lowest budget could be, then you really have no fear of running out of money as long as you a) react to a drop in your portfolio quickly by reducing expenses and b) are ok living for several years on that level budget until things recover.
We are planning on a $40,000 a year budget with a 4% SWR actually providing around $50,000, but I think I could be happy on a $15,000 to $20,000 a year budget. Maybe I could be happy on much less than that.
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Per person or combined? My boyfriend and I spend $700-$750/month each on all our expenses except travel.
Rough breakdown for each of us:
Rent - 365
Food - 115
Phone - 30
Internet - 14
Transit - 20
Everything else - 150-200
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Rent - $335 (includes utilities)
Groceries - $150
Gas/Fuel - $120
Car Insurance - $40
Cell Phone - $20
Internet - $15
Netflix - $8
Fast Food - $20
Misc Amusement (books, games on sale, beer) - $40
Student Loan - $50
Total: $798
That's my normal monthly budget, but it's kind of a cheater budget. Yes there's room in there for some fun and going out (the fast food and misc amusement budget), but on the flip side several of those bills are "halved" due to splitting them with my girlfriend. Obviously if I had to pay the rent and internet bill on my own, my budget would go up (to around $1148). There's also no money in there for car repairs/maintenance, but since my car is surprisingly reliable and I have an emergency fund, I haven't really budgeted it out.
That said, I'm proud of how much I have cut back since I first started reading MMM back in October. At one point my monthly budget was closer to $1500, and that was with the same lowish rent.
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Jacob from Early Retirement Extreme had a budget of somewhere around 8k a year I think. Something like 6 or 7 hundred a month.
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Certainly the lowest budget would go to someone whose job includes all room and board plus a uniform (like deployed military or such). Or someone who works on a cruise ship. Jobs like these are usually remote enough to preclude much of any spending too.
Anyone here got a gig like this, where they've got three hots and a cot as part of their compensation package? I say they would win hands down.
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I think it really depends on you & your stage of life. Our minimum with no debts is $40,000/gross but we both prefer to work p.t. to enjoy other things ($65,000/gross). Now that may decrease as we age but for now that makes us happy. I think it will be different for everyone.
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I agree with you Cassie, but I started to think what we actually needed to live and stay healthy.
We are two, who cannot live quite as cheaply as one, but pretty close.
I can dream up all sorts of bare bone budgets but it is interesting to hear real life experiences. Sub $1000 a month is very impressive, especially if you have to pay something for rent. I think I could only get sub $1000 by car/van camping (or rv).
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We own our home & cars and are 60. I sacrificed a lot when raising my kids & now want to have a certain standard of living. Even though my Mom loved to travel (more then I do) once she hit 80 she did not want to anymore. So I want to do things while I can & also want to. She was able to travel until about 90 but lost the desire & she had a lot more desire then I ever had. I guess one thing that helps is that we both are doing professional work that we love & don't want to quit entirely. WE love doing our own thing but don't work more then 10 hours/week. If we no longer want to work we can live on what we have.
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My spending is around $650/month, but I can't hold a candle to those guys in Korea who have all their expenses covered by their employers.
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Certainly the lowest budget would go to someone whose job includes all room and board plus a uniform (like deployed military or such). Or someone who works on a cruise ship. Jobs like these are usually remote enough to preclude much of any spending too.
Anyone here got a gig like this, where they've got three hots and a cot as part of their compensation package? I say they would win hands down.
There are a few posters here (including me!) who teach English abroad and are provided apartments and often Internet as part of employment packages. Ian, another teacher in South Korea, even gets some meals provided by his school (free? or just cheap? not sure).
I spent ~$8,000 USD last year, including a trip back to the States. I imagine my spending will be higher this year, though, due to conscious changes in food spending (organic CSA = more than I spent before on produce), a trip to Vietnam this summer, and MAYBE another trip to the States at the end of the year. I still won't break $10,000.
But I must say that I'm certainly not in a remote place! It's very easy to spend money here, and a lot of expats do. Not me, of course ;-D
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My spending is around $650/month, but I can't hold a candle to those guys in Korea who have all their expenses covered by their employers.
Pfft! Imagine if you were in Korea, though. You'd blow us out of the water. Ian's spending is much more comparable to yours than mine. I'm a bit of a fancypants compared to you guys, you know? Especially when it comes to grocery spending. Oh well!
By the way, I was about to pull up a link to Herbert Derp's thread because I'm pretty sure he has the leanest budget of frequent posters.
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My spending is around $650/month, but I can't hold a candle to those guys in Korea who have all their expenses covered by their employers.
That's incredible man.
I'd love to see a breakdown of what makes up that 650
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My spending is around $650/month, but I can't hold a candle to those guys in Korea who have all their expenses covered by their employers.
That's incredible man.
I'd love to see a breakdown of what makes up that 650
It's in his thread. $500 rent/utilities, $100-150 "other". ;)
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/throw-down-the-gauntlet/financial-independence-at-27/
January
Rent: $500.00 (includes electricity/water/sewage/trash/internet)
Other: $161.28
Total: $661.28
December
Rent: $500.00 (includes electricity/water/sewage/trash/internet)
Cell phone: $25.00
Groceries: $40.18 (mostly chicken breast, noodles, and vegetables)
Other: $27.04 (went to a bar with coworkers and lunch with friends)
Total: $592.22
November was an expensive month for me, had to stock up on pet supplies and got invited to a happy hour where I somehow managed to spend over $40 on booze...
November
Rent: $500.00 (includes electricity/water/sewage/trash/internet)
Other: $167.99
Total: $667.99
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My best friend's goal for 2013 was to spend $500/mo - $250 on rent (bedroom in a house shared with multiple other people), 250 on food and everything else. That'd be $6k/yr. I believe he ended up spending around 10k for the year though, partly due to book purchases.
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As soon as I post my budget I start thinking about those little purchases people usually don't include in their budget, that add up. Whether it's mine, Herbert Derp's, whoevers... what about toothpaste and toothbrushes? Deodorant and shampoo? Razors? Toilet paper? Spices for the kitchen? Shoes (everyone needs new ones eventually), socks, underwear... I don't know about you guys, but that's the type of stuff that wears out after a while. My jeans my last forever, but my socks sure don't.
I'm not a smelly hairy guy with bad teeth (debatable?), so I know I'm spending money on those things. I just never seem to take it into account when I write down my budget like this, and just lump it in with "household" or "misc" or some other category on Mint.
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As soon as I post my budget I start thinking about those little purchases people usually don't include in their budget, that add up. Whether it's mine, Herbert Derp's, whoevers... what about toothpaste and toothbrushes? Deodorant and shampoo? Razors? Toilet paper? Spices for the kitchen? Shoes (everyone needs new ones eventually), socks, underwear... I don't know about you guys, but that's the type of stuff that wears out after a while. My jeans my last forever, but my socks sure don't.
I'm not a smelly hairy guy with bad teeth (debatable?), so I know I'm spending money on those things. I just never seem to take it into account when I write down my budget like this, and just lump it in with "household" or "misc" or some other category on Mint.
I can see how you might miss those things if you were listing off the top of your head, but if you use Mint, how could you miss them? They'll be categorized as something.
So like mine are all lumped with groceries. But if you split it out into household goods (or whatever), you'll see that category when you look at your spending by category (and it'll be included in the total when you look at spending over time).
I don't see how it's possible to "miss" something when using a tool like Mint, except if you use cash sometimes and don't log it.
Things received as gifts (e.g. a new pair of jeans for Christmas) would be the only thing I can think of that isn't counted. But every single thing you mentioned would get counted, simply because it would get purchased and automatically tracked.
I pretty much know to the penny what I've spent the last few years, and am confident nothing was "missed."
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As soon as I post my budget I start thinking about those little purchases people usually don't include in their budget, that add up. Whether it's mine, Herbert Derp's, whoevers... what about toothpaste and toothbrushes? Deodorant and shampoo? Razors? Toilet paper? Spices for the kitchen? Shoes (everyone needs new ones eventually), socks, underwear... I don't know about you guys, but that's the type of stuff that wears out after a while. My jeans my last forever, but my socks sure don't.
I'm not a smelly hairy guy with bad teeth (debatable?), so I know I'm spending money on those things. I just never seem to take it into account when I write down my budget like this, and just lump it in with "household" or "misc" or some other category on Mint.
I can see how you might miss those things if you were listing off the top of your head, but if you use Mint, how could you miss them? They'll be categorized as something.
So like mine are all lumped with groceries. But if you split it out into household goods (or whatever), you'll see that category when you look at your spending by category (and it'll be included in the total when you look at spending over time).
I don't see how it's possible to "miss" something when using a tool like Mint, except if you use cash sometimes and don't log it.
Things received as gifts (e.g. a new pair of jeans for Christmas) would be the only thing I can think of that isn't counted. But every single thing you mentioned would get counted, simply because it would get purchased and automatically tracked.
I pretty much know to the penny what I've spent the last few years, and am confident nothing was "missed."
Sorry, I meant more of the "post to MMM forums" type of budget than a to-the-penny budget on Mint. Like my budget I posted in this thread was just me thinking off the top of my head. I know I spend a little more than that due to those smaller purchases.
Actually I did think of something that's not counted, and that's gift cards. Thanks to my CC churning (see the ever popular Loyal3 thread), I've earned a boat load of $100 CC's I've been using to buy groceries, household supplies, etc. No wonder my budget looks so great lately ;)
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Sorry, I meant more of the "post to MMM forums" type of budget than a to-the-penny budget on Mint. Like my budget I posted in this thread was just me thinking off the top of my head. I know I spend a little more than that due to those smaller purchases.
Actually I did think of something that's not counted, and that's gift cards. Thanks to my CC churning (see the ever popular Loyal3 thread), I've earned a boat load of $100 CC's I've been using to buy groceries, household supplies, etc. No wonder my budget looks so great lately ;)
Ah. I would think most people would toss on an "other" or "miscellaneous" category and throw everything else in there, so the total posted budget adds up to their total spending.
I guess some might not do that, but I'd assume most people would look at their spending by category on mint or whatever and post according to that.
I could be wrong though. You're obviously coming at it from a "I've made that mistake and assume others do too" and I'm coming at it from a "It wouldn't cross my mind to even do it in a way that would allow that mistake to happen" perspective, so it's harder for us to envision the other way. :)
Tough thing to verify.
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I could be wrong though. You're obviously coming at it from a "I've made that mistake and assume others do too" and I'm coming at it from a "It wouldn't cross my mind to even do it in a way that would allow that mistake to happen" perspective, so it's harder for us to envision the other way. :)
Tough thing to verify.
I know I've witnessed some under-budgeting in a few of the case study/journal threads. Although unlike my quick budget in this thread, in those cases other people are relying on those budgets being accurate so they can give useful advice.
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I can't compete with any of you at this point of my life (Although I did drop my monthly spending by about $2.5k after starting this blog 3 months ago, yay), but I saw someone mention the military and wanted to share my lowest budget. When my sub was on deployment my bills were close to $0. The Navy had my stuff in long-term storage since I deployed as soon as I showed up to the boat, so no housing, no bills, suspended cell phone, car insurance almost went to 0 while on deployment. The only thing I spent was money at a few bars during port visits.
That's why the military is so great for saving money. They may not pay the best, but if you take advantage of all the perks and reduced spending opportunities you can really come out ahead, especially those who deploy to a tax-free combat zone.
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Hey guys.
I am certainly not going to win any prizes but mine is frugal compared to everyone I know. Remember mine is from the UK, I have put figures in dollars though.
Gas/electric = $133
Water bill - $41
Council tax = $187
Food = $200
Petrol = $217 (considered cheap over here)
Yearly large outgoings (car ins, tax, house ins etc) - $167
LLOYDS Gold membership (worldwide travel ins, mobile phone ins, road breakdown cover, legal expenses cover - $21
Cancer research UK - $10
Smart phone & ipad data/call plan - $51
Internet and landline $46
Disposable income/fun/outings money - $50
Total monthly - $1123
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Our consumption spending is pretty low for a family of 5
Food/personal care $450
Medical OOP $50
Fuel $150
Car insurance $80
Discretionary/personal (varies, but typically zero unless it is gift or side business)
Travel and educational field trips add about $150 a month
It's having a house that is killer. It is small and cheap, but there are few cheap things about home ownership. Even fully paid off it would be:
Tax $200
Utilities $250
Insurance $40
Vague capital expenses $100ish over time
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Our consumption spending is pretty low for a family of 5
Food/personal care $450
Medical OOP $50
Fuel $150
Car insurance $80
Discretionary/personal (varies, but typically zero unless it is gift or side business)
Travel and educational field trips add about $150 a month
FAMILY OF 5 , I DECLARE YOU THE WINNER!!! hands down!
It's having a house that is killer. It is small and cheap, but there are few cheap things about home ownership. Even fully paid off it would be:
Tax $200
Utilities $250
Insurance $40
Vague capital expenses $100ish over time
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We are planning on a $40,000 a year budget with a 4% SWR actually providing around $50,000, but I think I could be happy on a $15,000 to $20,000 a year budget. Maybe I could be happy on much less than that.
Rephrased:
"I think I could be happy living on an amount that would be a 1.2%-1.6% withdrawal rate from my assets. Maybe even much less than that."
Sounds to me like you're going to have either an enormous bucket of money to shower up on your heirs, or you'll be spending lots of money on stuff that doesn't actually make you any happier. Why are you accumulating such a (seemingly) excessive pile of assets?
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Rephrased:
"I think I could be happy living on an amount that would be a 1.2%-1.6% withdrawal rate from my assets. Maybe even much less than that."
Sounds to me like you're going to have either an enormous bucket of money to shower up on your heirs, or you'll be spending lots of money on stuff that doesn't actually make you any happier. Why are you accumulating such a (seemingly) excessive pile of assets?
We don't have any heirs.
I agree with you that stuff doesn't make you happier. I am drowning in stuff right now and the process of getting rid of it. I do like my tools though. They make me happy.
I watch survival shows like Naked and Afraid and see people starve themselves for 21 days just for the personal challenge (no great prize money offered). They have a $20 knife and a $5 firestarter so their budget is $25/month (slightly more). Imagine what you could do on $500 a month. It makes $4,000 a month seem grotesque.
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Back when I shared a 500 square foot house with three other people (was until just over a year ago), I spent around $600-700 per month in total. It was about $185 for housing/utilities, $100 for groceries, $150 for car insurance and gas, $30 cell phone, plus some "misc". >60% savings rate on $1600/month after taxes was pretty nice.
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Back when I shared a 500 square foot house with three other people (was until just over a year ago), I spent around $600-700 per month in total. It was about $185 for housing/utilities, $100 for groceries, $150 for car insurance and gas, $30 cell phone, plus some "misc". >60% savings rate on $1600/month after taxes was pretty nice.
So if you had nixed the car and just biked, you would be in the $500 a month range? Could very well be a winner.
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Back when I shared a 500 square foot house with three other people (was until just over a year ago), I spent around $600-700 per month in total. It was about $185 for housing/utilities, $100 for groceries, $150 for car insurance and gas, $30 cell phone, plus some "misc". >60% savings rate on $1600/month after taxes was pretty nice.
So if you had nixed the car and just biked, you would be in the $500 a month range? Could very well be a winner.
I would have been biking 20 miles each way, but you're not wrong. I had a bus stop 100ft from the house that would have taken me to the train that took me within a 1/4 mile of work, but that actually would have come out more expensive than driving at the time (I had my 53MPG Chevy Sprint; I miss that car every day).
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Very Interesting, when we were first married we had a very small budget, I can't remember exactly but I know our rent and utilities were only $500 and our grocery was only $60.
That was before a home and 3 kids, but our salary has tripled also, we aren't winning any awards right now for sure.
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It's not true anymore that I have my own place to furnish (the pain! it burns!), but last year I was under $1000/month.
$500 rent + utilities
$80 car stuff (gas, insurance, DIY repairs)
$100 insurance
$150 food
$50-250 everything else
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The first 3 months this year I was at $1,141.13, $986.23, and $898.79.
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We are a family of 5, in a 2000 sf house.
Tracking spending in Mint, have 8 months of records, spending at $3600-$3800 month (includes mortgage of $1300/month, health insurance and everything else)
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Mine's pretty low, but I'm cheating b/c I live with my parents, who won't accept rent (and any help I do provide is certainly not worth what my rent would be). January I spent ~$1,100 (yikes) February ~$650, March ~$500. Thinking April might be < $400.
Last month was:
Groceries: ~$170 (I buy mostly free range/organic things, i.e. milk/meat/peanut butter)
Public transit: $75 (I get $30 back from work, so really $45)
Gym: $30
Other: $200 (going out to eat w/ SO (ouch) and occasional drinks with friends/clothes). This should really be more like $50.
Phone is provided by work
Still nowhere near HD's levels, but I'll keep on trying. Would be nice to stay to have a yearly budget of $4k!
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Certainly not the lowest :D
26 year old
Single Male.
Living alone.
My average monthly budget YTD is: $3,468
March figures break down as follows:
| House |
| Rent | $1,475 |
| Internet | $78 |
| Cell Phone | $45 |
| Netflix | $10 |
| Groceries | $105 |
| Total | $1,713 |
| Food & Drink |
| Drinks | $335 |
| Dining Out | $360 |
| Fast Food | $84 |
| Total | $779 |
| Recreation |
| Misc | $580 |
| Total | $580 |
| Clothing |
| Clothes | $277 |
| Total | $277 |
| Transport & Travel |
| Gas | $11 |
| Taxi | $101 |
| Total | $112 |
| Personal |
| Medical | $10 |
| Other | $5 |
| Total | $15 |
| _ | _ |
| Total | $3,476 |
I still hit a 62% Savings rate in March.
Recreational expenses were much higher than usual as I had a quite a busy month.
Typically, recreational expense come in around $250-$300
The clothes budget was a bit of a luxury spend when I had some trousers made from my tailor.
The amount I spend on alcohol and dining out is way too high really, I think I can possibly shave 25% from that and save an extra $200/month.
Were I able to bring my recreational expenses down to a normal rate of $250 and shave 25% from drinks/dining spend ($200) I could have bought the monthly budget down to $3,016 and raised the monthly savings rate 5 points to 67%
I think with an upcoming pay-rise/bonus and some effort to reduce spending, I should be able to hit ~70% savings rate fairly consistently.
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Hey, looks like with my new living arrangements, I'm competing with the lowest!
Not counting business expenses:
Rent $225 (includes utilities)
Food $100-300
Internet/phone $60
Cell phone $12
Huluplus + netflix $7 (shared with my ex, she pays one, I pay the other)
Motorcycle insurance $6 (lump $72 payment once a year)
Total $510
Usually goes over by 100 or so from discretionary spending, eating out, books, music, something
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I refrained from posting earlier since I thought surely there would be many super low budgets here below ours. I'm actually really surprised that there aren't.
Our family of five is spending $3100 a month(everything including health insurance). That's $620 a month per person. We have a 1500 square foot house with 3 car garage, two cars(2006 and 2013)and a new-to-us camper. If we didn't have the mortgage, it'd be $460pp.
And that's the budget, not what I expect to spend. We always come out 5-15% under budget for the year.
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Our health insurance premiums alone are as much as some people's budgets for the year-$9600.00.
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$659 each (kid, me).
It's tight for us, but from it we can still pay Canadian prices for food, Canadian prices for mail, BC prices for insurance, etc. On the other hand, friends are giving us super cheap rent, the BC government pays for some of his autism services, we can get our whole salmon for $2.50 at the low-income store, etc.
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Jacob from Early Retirement Extreme had a budget of somewhere around 8k a year I think. Something like 6 or 7 hundred a month.
7k/year
http://earlyretirementextreme.com/how-i-live-on-7000-per-year.html
http://earlyretirementextreme.com/frequently-asked-questions
Herbert Derp and the English teachers in Asia (Korea and Taiwan) probably have the lowest budgets of everyone on these forums.
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Hey, looks like with my new living arrangements, I'm competing with the lowest!
Not counting business expenses:
Rent $225 (includes utilities)
Wow, how do you pay such low rent in the Bay Area?
He's the maintenance manager for the small apartment building he lives in, for which he gets "paid" with reduced rent. Similar to how overseas teachers have low expenses, due to their job covering rent, Bakari's side gig covers a lot of his rent.
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My monthly spending is $650
Rent $420 (includes trash and water)
Electricity $60
Food $120
Cell $10
Internet $40
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The reason I am curious is we hear talk about "what happens if your money runs out?" for people wanting to ER on a 4% SWR. If your 4% SWR is significantly above what the lowest budget could be, then you really have no fear of running out of money as long as you a) react to a drop in your portfolio quickly by reducing expenses and b) are ok living for several years on that level budget until things recover.
We are planning on a $40,000 a year budget with a 4% SWR actually providing around $50,000, but I think I could be happy on a $15,000 to $20,000 a year budget. Maybe I could be happy on much less than that.
Similar situation with me ie. A 4% SWR level supports a bit more than I planned to spend, a lot more than I am currently spending and I could quite comfortably live on about half that.
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Our health insurance premiums alone are as much as some people's budgets for the year-$9600.00.
Ditto that. Medical/Dental/Vision insurance for my family of 4: $1515.15 per month. We also put $500/mo into an HSA (that we don't touch) and budget $583 per month for out of pocket spend which we do use ($7k deductible/OOP max for our family).
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Hey, looks like with my new living arrangements, I'm competing with the lowest!
Not counting business expenses:
Rent $225 (includes utilities)
Wow, how do you pay such low rent in the Bay Area?
He's the maintenance manager for the small apartment building he lives in, for which he gets "paid" with reduced rent. Similar to how overseas teachers have low expenses, due to their job covering rent, Bakari's side gig covers a lot of his rent.
That's awesome. I never knew about those kind of arrangements.
Aye.
Its hard to figure the equivalent dollars per hour, because some weeks the only thing I do is take out the trash cans on trash day, another week two people move out and units needs to be fixed up, there's a domestic dispute, and the main sewer lines back up.
Overall, I think its a pretty good deal - zero minute commute, and since it isn't really income, no tax penalty.
I started at $325, after a few months they spontaneously offered to lower it, because I've been workin hard and doing a good job, and they don't want me to quit :)
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What's fair market rent the other tenants are paying?
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I am late to this party, but I spend between $130 and $300 per month.
Rough breakdown:
Rent: Employer-covered
Utilities: $20-130
Food: $80-150
Phone: $10
Transport: $10-20
Luxuries: $10-20
My gas bill destroys my average during the winter, sadly, but the high end of the food bill mostly represents early mistakes. I'm hoping to get a string of low months spring-fall and then invest in a space heater to try to balance out electricity and gas usage (both have tiered rates). I'm pretty happy with my situation overall but it isn't for everyone.
My spending is around $650/month, but I can't hold a candle to those guys in Korea who have all their expenses covered by their employers.
What Nikki said: with your rent covered, you're doing better than us. Hats off to you.
There are a few posters here (including me!) who teach English abroad and are provided apartments and often Internet as part of employment packages. Ian, another teacher in South Korea, even gets some meals provided by his school (free? or just cheap? not sure).
I teach at two different schools. For my main school, I'm part of the lunch program, which is reasonably cheap. I only go to the second school one day a week, so they just let me eat for free.
For others reading and considering teaching overseas, I think I'm relatively lucky. I hear stories about teachers who get only rice, kimchi, and soup every meal for lousy prices. Most teachers seem to get decent meals, and my school seems to put more effort into it than some, but that's the spectrum here.
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Ya... I was lucky with pretty decent school lunches at my previous school. Unlucky, however, with inconsistent, high pricing. Grumblegrumblegrumble.
I teach at a university now, so all three meals a day are on me. Different perks at different places. Honestly, I feel like three meals a day on me is better than two and a school-provided lunch, though.
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What's fair market rent the other tenants are paying?
$860 (which is already lower than most 1bdrms in this city, including worse neighborhoods. no idea why)
But then, I am also getting free electricity, laundry, and the extra (finished) room, plus storage in the basement. Maybe the extra room makes it more similar to the 2 bedrooms, which are $1200
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You may be vastly underpaid. We should delve into some numbers on that.
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You may be vastly underpaid. We should delve into some numbers on that.
Alright, you inspired me to finally write down some numbers.
$975 rent credit
$15 monthly laundrymat cost
$10 former gym membership
$30 electric bill (est.)
$1030 savings
Would take $1211 to get $1030 take home if it were taxable pay.
Average 1-2 hours per week x 4.3 weeks per month ~ 7 hours per month.
To make the equivalent from regular hourly work, I'd have to make $173 per hour.
I was not expecting that! I would have been happy with $20/hr equivalent.
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What makes you think it's not taxable?
The pay is judged based on what the equivalent person providing that service gets paid, not an hourly rate you think is fair or not. :)
In other words, if you moved out and they had to hire someone to do the job and they'd have to pay them 2k/mo, you'd be getting underpaid.
I'm not saying you need to push for the full fair market value, you can give them a discount on your work and make a win-win scenario, but you also may be able to negotiate for more and still have them be happy with it, and have it priced under the equivalent market price.
So you do some miscellaneous handyman work. Can you give some examples of stuff you've done? Do you collect rent from other tenants? How many units are in the building? They pay an average of 860/mo.? Do you advertise for, and screen, potential tenants?
And yes, property management work pays ridiculously well per hour. It's the dealing with angry people aspect, being available at odd hours, etc. that make it so. It's why I still manage all my own local properties - very little time for very good pay (saving 8-10% per month of gross rents that would go to a PM). Oh, and I don't do any actual work on the properties, I have handymen and contractors for that stuff. It's also why I don't understand people who say they don't want to landlord because they don't have time. :)
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The pay is judged based on what the equivalent person providing that service gets paid, not an hourly rate you think is fair or not. :)
In other words, if you moved out and they had to hire someone to do the job and they'd have to pay them 2k/mo, you'd be getting underpaid.
That's a subjective standard. Its not how I look at it. Seems a little keeping up with the Jones-y. What other people make has nothing to do with me.
So you do some miscellaneous handyman work. Can you give some examples of stuff you've done?
Replaced a couple broken windows, change locks between tenants, clear drains, repair cabinets and drawers, replace ceiling fans, change lightbulbs - lots of the same stuff I do in my own handyman business.
Do you collect rent from other tenants?
Two tenants who pay in cash bring it to me, and I keep the cash and write the landlords a check. A couple people drop off money orders with me. I never go to them to collect or ask for it.
How many units are in the building?
18, including mine.
They pay an average of 860/mo.?
1bdrms do. 2 bdrms are 1200.
Do you advertise for, and screen, potential tenants?
Never. I do unlock the door for showings once a week (about an hour each time) when we have a vacancy.
It's the dealing with angry people aspect
I don't.
being available at odd hours
phone goes off when I go to sleep
Oh, and I don't do any actual work on the properties, I have handymen and contractors for that stuff
That's the part I actually enjoy, and am good at. And I charge less than one quarter as much when I do the same work for own clients.
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Alright, if you're good with it, I have no other input. :)
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Our consumption spending is pretty low for a family of 5
Food/personal care $450
Medical OOP $50
Fuel $150
Car insurance $80
Discretionary/personal (varies, but typically zero unless it is gift or side business)
Travel and educational field trips add about $150 a month
It's having a house that is killer. It is small and cheap, but there are few cheap things about home ownership. Even fully paid off it would be:
Tax $200
Utilities $250
Insurance $40
Vague capital expenses $100ish over time
*I know it's an old thread, but I hate starting a brand new one with the exact same subject, and I hadn't seen any similar thread with the same gist.*
Family of 4 here-- our budget/spending is $1,800/mo, including mortgage and extra principal payments. Goblinchief, is your house fully paid off?-- I didn't see you list any kind of mortgage payment.
$800-- Mortgage payment
$106-- Property Tax
$46-- Homeowners Insurance
$245-- Utilities
$10-- Phone
$22-- Internet
$175-- Gasoline
$65-- Auto Insurance
$30-- Auto Maintenance
$8-- Auto Licensing/Registration
$70-- Household Supplies
$160-- Food
$35-- Clothes
$15-- School Supplies
$20-- Fun Activities
$76-- Personal Care
$17-- Life Insurance
Without a mortgage payment (likely next year!), we're at $1,100/mo. If I were FIRE and not working a day job, we could drive one car to cut auto insurance/maintenance/licensing in half, trim at least $100 off the gasoline budget, and once the kiddos are potty-trained, we could probably cut out $50 from personal care. That'd leave us with a $900/mo budget.
Btw ^This^ $1,100 budget is pretty luxurious, IMO. So many areas we could cut back if we really really had to.
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Internet: 49.95/mo
Phone: 54/mo
Required debt payment: 75.53
Discretionary: 200/mo
I pay much more than the minimum, but count that as savings, since that's what it's doing. Please note: I am military, so have very few expenses.
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Man, these groceries budgets are amazing! I worked hard to keep this month's under $500 (for the two of us!) and am already $100 over with 4 days to go.
*sigh* We'll try again next month!
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Man, these groceries budgets are amazing! I worked hard to keep this month's under $500 (for the two of us!) and am already $100 over with 4 days to go.
*sigh* We'll try again next month!
I'm with you! I was averaging $450-$500/month for the two of us. At this point I'm budgeting for $400/month, because I think I can actually do that, although eventually I'd like to get down to $350...
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wow some crazy low budgets, you guys are pro !
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My housing alone is higher than many of your budgets...and it's not a very big house, lol.
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Ok, someone please tell me how the heck you keep your grocery budgets so low.
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Ok, someone please tell me how the heck you keep your grocery budgets so low.
By shopping at places like this http://99only.com/. Some meals for me (single, no kids) cost about $.50 cents or less.
My budget is about $700/month or less for basic expenses with a paid off house. This includes food, gas, reg. and insurance for the paid-for vehicle, house insurance and prop taxes, utilities and pretty much everything else. I do spend more for things like budget travel though.
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Ok, someone please tell me how the heck you keep your grocery budgets so low.
I think planning is key - a lot of us are just extremely organized. We make a weekly meal plan pulled from a monthly rotation of our 25 favourite meals (so we make each dish only once per month, plus new dishes for the few remaining meals, which is enough variety for our tastes). When we go grocery shopping, it's for specific items for that week's meals, planned around the weekly flyers. We have four grocery stores that we go to very frequently, and about four more we go to rarely when we need a specific item. We know which store has the best price on every item we buy.
We have a tight ingredient and food rotation that ensures we never need to toss leftovers, and we also never have ingredients get forgotten and expire. We buy exactly what we need for our meals and baking, and nothing more.
We definitely don't buy expensive pre-made meal type things like frozen pizza, microwave meals, things from the bakery, or whatever else the masses are eating these days.
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We have budgeted $32,000 per year (http://rootofgood.com/developing-a-retirement-budget/) ($2700 per month) to cover everything for a family of 5. That's $533 per month per person.
I think that's pretty low considering it includes $5000 per year of travel and all the capital reserves to replace a car occasionally and update our house as necessary.
We are underspending our budget so far. In June, for example, we only spent $830 total (http://rootofgood.com/june-2014-financial-update/)(for a family of 5).
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Ok, someone please tell me how the heck you keep your grocery budgets so low.
I'm on a $20-25 per week grocery budget, so $80-100 per month. I'm single, not a very good planner, and I have a finicky appetite. My solution is to keep a well-stocked pantry of staple canned/boxed items: pasta, sauce, stovetop stuffing (my crack), soup, canned veg, etc. that I purchase through couponing. There's a "Do You Stockpile" thread that goes into better detail. The only things I buy each week are fresh produce, eggs, meat, bread and the occasional $1 or less jar of dried herbs. $5-10 of the weekly budget goes to maintaining the pantry by jumping on the hot coupon deals of the week.
Secondly, when I cook, most recipes are for 6 servings (or in my world 3). So I portion and freeze two meals immediately after I'm done cooking. These become my lunches or in-a-hurry dinners throughout the week.
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My housing alone is higher than many of your budgets...and it's not a very big house, lol.
Yeah, really. I rent for way under market, but it is still just over a grand a month alone. Life in a HCOLA for you.
Back when I lived in a LCOLA, we were able to get by on about $1400 a month. Those were the days, according to my wallet.
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And here I thought we were pretty badass with our sub 3k monthly budget.
Some amazingly frugal types in this thread. Not sure I'm willing (or my wife) to go there.
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My best friend's goal for 2013 was to spend $500/mo - $250 on rent (bedroom in a house shared with multiple other people), 250 on food and everything else. That'd be $6k/yr. I believe he ended up spending around 10k for the year though, partly due to book purchases.
Sounds like your friend could use a tour of the library and a FREE! FREE! FREE! library card. My book habit was a budget tanker until I started volunteering at the library book sales. Any book is $1 or less and nary a library fine. Plus I made new, frugal friends that way and the experience had completely enriched my life. His mileage may vary, but it's so worth a try.
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My best friend's goal for 2013 was to spend $500/mo - $250 on rent (bedroom in a house shared with multiple other people), 250 on food and everything else. That'd be $6k/yr. I believe he ended up spending around 10k for the year though, partly due to book purchases.
Sounds like your friend could use a tour of the library and a FREE! FREE! FREE! library card. My book habit was a budget tanker until I started volunteering at the library book sales. Any book is $1 or less and nary a library fine. Plus I made new, frugal friends that way and the experience had completely enriched my life. His mileage may vary, but it's so worth a try.
I misunderstood budget tanker.
(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5z9_1PNmh1I/TfXfMhDIDxI/AAAAAAAABkY/AMmadJhoiqo/s1600/budget+cuts+mini+tank.jpg)
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My best friend's goal for 2013 was to spend $500/mo - $250 on rent (bedroom in a house shared with multiple other people), 250 on food and everything else. That'd be $6k/yr. I believe he ended up spending around 10k for the year though, partly due to book purchases.
Sounds like your friend could use a tour of the library and a FREE! FREE! FREE! library card. My book habit was a budget tanker until I started volunteering at the library book sales. Any book is $1 or less and nary a library fine. Plus I made new, frugal friends that way and the experience had completely enriched my life. His mileage may vary, but it's so worth a try.
He gets a lot at the library, yes, but generally reads books that aren't available at libraries. I personally find it hard to criticize someone's budget who spends ~6-10k/yr., personally. If they want to indulge and own some books, rather than rent them for free, I'm okay with it. :)
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Ok, someone please tell me how the heck you keep your grocery budgets so low.
I'm on a $20-25 per week grocery budget, so $80-100 per month. I'm single, not a very good planner, and I have a finicky appetite. My solution is to keep a well-stocked pantry of staple canned/boxed items: pasta, sauce, stovetop stuffing (my crack), soup, canned veg, etc. that I purchase through couponing. There's a "Do You Stockpile" thread that goes into better detail. The only things I buy each week are fresh produce, eggs, meat, bread and the occasional $1 or less jar of dried herbs. $5-10 of the weekly budget goes to maintaining the pantry by jumping on the hot coupon deals of the week.
Secondly, when I cook, most recipes are for 6 servings (or in my world 3). So I portion and freeze two meals immediately after I'm done cooking. These become my lunches or in-a-hurry dinners throughout the week.
We've been *actually* spending closer to 180-190/mo lately, but that spending level feels careless and not tight at all. We don't coupon, but we buy in bulk (oatmeal, flour, rice, beans, lentils, etc.), we shop the sales (and only the sales, unless it's absolutely necessary), and when it's a super good price on a non-perishable we buy a ton (dry pasta, ice cream, tuna, cheese, etc.). And we almost always only buy ingredients, rather than foods-- flour, yeast, salt, and oil rather than bread, for example. And we never eat out (last time we did, it was in the Costco food court to the tune of about $4.50).
I keep meaning to write a blog post about how we grocery shop, but I haven't gotten around to it.
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Ok, someone please tell me how the heck you keep your grocery budgets so low.
I'm on a $20-25 per week grocery budget, so $80-100 per month. I'm single, not a very good planner, and I have a finicky appetite. My solution is to keep a well-stocked pantry of staple canned/boxed items: pasta, sauce, stovetop stuffing (my crack), soup, canned veg, etc. that I purchase through couponing. There's a "Do You Stockpile" thread that goes into better detail. The only things I buy each week are fresh produce, eggs, meat, bread and the occasional $1 or less jar of dried herbs. $5-10 of the weekly budget goes to maintaining the pantry by jumping on the hot coupon deals of the week.
Secondly, when I cook, most recipes are for 6 servings (or in my world 3). So I portion and freeze two meals immediately after I'm done cooking. These become my lunches or in-a-hurry dinners throughout the week.
We've been *actually* spending closer to 180-190/mo lately, but that spending level feels careless and not tight at all. We don't coupon, but we buy in bulk (oatmeal, flour, rice, beans, lentils, etc.), we shop the sales (and only the sales, unless it's absolutely necessary), and when it's a super good price on a non-perishable we buy a ton (dry pasta, ice cream, tuna, cheese, etc.). And we almost always only buy ingredients, rather than foods-- flour, yeast, salt, and oil rather than bread, for example. And we never eat out (last time we did, it was in the Costco food court to the tune of about $4.50).
I keep meaning to write a blog post about how we grocery shop, but I haven't gotten around to it.
We spend $150-$250/month. This includes paper products, personal care products, cleaning products, etc.
We shop at one store. We have our groceries delivered ($3). We don't use coupons. We don't shop sales.
We analyze cost/ounce. Our goal is to have no food waste. We also cook in bulk and freeze individual portions. We shun most prepared foods, but we always have a frozen pizza around for our lazy nights. We stopped buying unnecessary cleaning stuff.
Meal planning, shopping at multiple stores, coupons, tracking sales, and stockpiling are overwhelming to me. I've reduced our grocery budget from $800/month to $200 (on average). This has also lead to a reduction of time in the kitchen (woohoo!). I spend 1-2 hours/weekend cooking and preparing food. During the week, I spend ~15 minutes/day prepping dinner, packing lunches, and moving food (freezer to fridge).
I will abstain from posting our budget until there is a "prize" for the largest. Our rent ($2k/month) is higher than the budget for full families!
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I don't see how a "we" can do $150 to $250 a month shopping at one store getting delivery if that also includes toiletries.
Some things have a base price. Fruit is $0.60 to $0.80 a pound everywhere. Figure eating 1 pound a day for 2 people that is near $20 right there. Even 1 ply toilet paper made from recycled diapers would be $10 a month.
I don't doubt your figures but I would love to see a typical breakdown of your meals and food, if you have the time and are willing to share. It might give us some ideas where to save.
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I don't see how a "we" can do $150 to $250 a month shopping at one store getting delivery if that also includes toiletries.
Some things have a base price. Fruit is $0.60 to $0.80 a pound everywhere. Figure eating 1 pound a day for 2 people that is near $20 right there. Even 1 ply toilet paper made from recycled diapers would be $10 a month.
I don't doubt your figures but I would love to see a typical breakdown of your meals and food, if you have the time and are willing to share. It might give us some ideas where to save.
If you can believe it for food, why would toiletries push it over? How much do you spend on toiletries?
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If you can believe it for food, why would toiletries push it over? How much do you spend on toiletries?
Actually I don't know really. I would estimate about $2 on dishwashing tabs, $1 on laundry detergent, $15 on toilet paper, $2 on deodorant, $0.50 on razors/shaving cream, $8 on paper towels, $1 on other cleaners, $10 on female stuff (guess here).
That is for 2 people per month. About $40. That is probably low though, as some months you need things like cotton swabs, alcohol, creams, sunblock, etc. etc.
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If you can believe it for food, why would toiletries push it over? How much do you spend on toiletries?
Actually I don't know really. I would estimate about $2 on dishwashing tabs, $1 on laundry detergent, $15 on toilet paper, $2 on deodorant, $0.50 on razors/shaving cream, $8 on paper towels, $1 on other cleaners, $10 on female stuff (guess here).
That is for 2 people per month. About $40. That is probably low though, as some months you need things like cotton swabs, alcohol, creams, sunblock, etc. etc.
$15 dollars per month on toilet paper!? Are you one of these people who are litterally wiping their butts with money?
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If you can believe it for food, why would toiletries push it over? How much do you spend on toiletries?
Actually I don't know really. I would estimate about $2 on dishwashing tabs, $1 on laundry detergent, $15 on toilet paper, $2 on deodorant, $0.50 on razors/shaving cream, $8 on paper towels, $1 on other cleaners, $10 on female stuff (guess here).
That is for 2 people per month. About $40. That is probably low though, as some months you need things like cotton swabs, alcohol, creams, sunblock, etc. etc.
$15 dollars per month on toilet paper!? Are you one of these people who are litterally wiping their butts with money?
It might be extra cushy soft :-)! I buy mine at Costco - 30 very large rools for about $13 I think. 2 layers of soft absorbancy (or so says the package). I buy a lot of stuff form the 99 cent only stores we have her in SoCal. For instance just bought up a bunch of Coppertone brand spray sunscreen (SPF 50 Sports version for us sweaty sporty types) for .99 cents each. Other stuff like that plus cleaners, paper towels (Bounty, Ajax, etc...) food, veggies, fruit, etc... Most food is bought at Costco though.
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Yes, I also load up on the extra soft Charmin toilet paper at Costco when they have coupons. I had though it was $15 with coupon but maybe it is $13. You get about 30 rolls. Perhaps we don't use 30 rolls per month... I am kind of a toilet paper freak as I have about 8 of the Costco packages (240) rolls in the storage closet.
Hey, TEOTWAWKI and I am going to have the cleanest, softest bottom!
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Yes, I also load up on the extra soft Charmin toilet paper at Costco when they have coupons. I had though it was $15 with coupon but maybe it is $13. You get about 30 rolls. Perhaps we don't use 30 rolls per month... I am kind of a toilet paper freak as I have about 8 of the Costco packages (240) rolls in the storage closet.
Hey, TEOTWAWKI and I am going to have the cleanest, softest bottom!
I get Costco's brand (Kirkland) and it's actually...er...quite nice! Has a lot more TP/roll than Charmin's too so more bang for your buck... or for your butt :-)!
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I don't see how a "we" can do $150 to $250 a month shopping at one store getting delivery if that also includes toiletries.
Some things have a base price. Fruit is $0.60 to $0.80 a pound everywhere. Figure eating 1 pound a day for 2 people that is near $20 right there. Even 1 ply toilet paper made from recycled diapers would be $10 a month.
I don't doubt your figures but I would love to see a typical breakdown of your meals and food, if you have the time and are willing to share. It might give us some ideas where to save.
I'll provide a breakdown...but I worry the nutrition police are going to face punch me about my sweets.
Our major protein sources are eggs, black beans, and chicken breasts.
Our habits are inconsistent, which is why our grocery bill fluctuates. Right now, we're eating hard boiled eggs as a snack. We buy eggs in a package of 5 dozen for $8.84. I eat 2-4 eggs/day. We spend about $20/month on chicken breasts ($1.99/pound). I stretch the chicken by using it as a component in a dish rather than the main course. My favorite recipe is chicken taco bowl from Budget Bytes (http://www.budgetbytes.com/2011/07/taco-chicken-bowls/). I double the recipe for everything except the black beans and corn. I use a 'Rotel-esque' can of tomatoes instead of salsa. We eat chicken taco bowl on chips, in tortillas, and mixed with eggs. I'm usually lazy and use cans of black beans ($0.68) instead of cooking our own ($2/2 pound).
For carbs, I love sweet potatoes. I buy about 5 pounds/month. We also eat a whole wheat pasta dish at least once/week. I'll make a pesto (basil $2 plant from TJ on our balcony, minced garlic bought in a large jar, olive oil) or defrost a marinara sauce (http://www.budgetbytes.com/2011/11/slow-cooker-marinara/). We also have egg noodles, which I use when I make chicken noodle soup.
We also buy several pounds of fruit every week. This week we have apples($1.40/lb) and bananas ($0.59/pound). We each 1-2 pieces of fruit/day.
For vegetables, we're even more inconsistent. We buy a lot of avocados (~$10-20/month). I buy a large clamshell of spring mix for salads (use whatever we have around for toppings) 2-3 times/month. I toss frozen peas in pasta and rice dishes. We're also buy baby carrots and hummus about 2x/month ($10).
On dairy...We also spend $20/month on cheese. No regrets. We don't buy shredded (it tastes weird to me, so we shred our own). We buy 1/2 gallon of organic milk ($3.58) every other week. I also buy a container of Fage 1x/month. My DH buys a few Yoplait yogurts every once in a while for snacks/breakfast.
Now for the bad stuff. Last week, I spend $2 on pudding mixes (4 boxes). I'm putting them in our popsicle maker. I also buy expensive dark chocolate (Ghiradelli >70%) frequently ($2-$4/bar). My DH drinks about 4L of diet orange pop/week (~$7/month). I've started to buy turkey bacon ($2.50/week) too often. We also buy a fair amount of alcohol. We drink ~2 times/week. Hard alcohol (~$5/month), wine ($20/month), beer ($5/month).
We don't drink coffee. I drink tea, but it's all gifted (so lucky).
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I don't see how a "we" can do $150 to $250 a month shopping at one store getting delivery if that also includes toiletries.
Some things have a base price. Fruit is $0.60 to $0.80 a pound everywhere. Figure eating 1 pound a day for 2 people that is near $20 right there. Even 1 ply toilet paper made from recycled diapers would be $10 a month.
I don't doubt your figures but I would love to see a typical breakdown of your meals and food, if you have the time and are willing to share. It might give us some ideas where to save.
I think I've posted this somewhere else, but here is a snapshot from our spreadsheet-- what we actually bought for a random (recent) three months, and how much we actually paid. It's no meal plan, but it might help you get a better idea what us low-budget people are spending on. Stores shopped from include Costco, national chain groceries (Kroger/Safeway/etc), the local farm/produce store, and Azure Standard (for bulk oatmeal/rice/spices mainly). In July, we were at $210.30, I expect this month to be similar, if not a little lower. April is high, but note that we bought a ton of ground beef, and a ginormous jar of coconut oil. Notice all the extravagant spending: turkey lunch meat and chocolate in April ($19); a ton of ice cream and more sliced turkey in May ($41); cashews in June ($15). This is not a spartan diet.
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/10304343_10204363818244091_6372755555883197082_n.jpg?oh=777ac6ec0638557e31f3f89c1b7e13c0&oe=5465D0A8&__gda__=1415473111_5dd1d2d20547d425867167e6f08221fe)
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My monthly spending is about $700. Then again, I don't pay rent (because parent's house is the most mustashian!). If I cut the unnecessary crap and lived the Spartan way for a month, spending would be much closer to $400.
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Thanks, everyone, for the detailed notes, breakdowns, and/or spreadsheet shots. I'm studying!
I realize that item by item, food is generally more expensive in Canada than it is in the States, and my son and I can't do much in the way of carbohydrates (he literally loses his ability to speak; I lose several levels of happiness and mental ability) but still I'm dismayed that our best average is $400/mo for just the two of us, and we get a fair amount of stuff from a store for people with low income!
It's a vast improvement over our previous $1000/mo (!!), but I'm shocked at how it's still adding up despite several significant changes (no more organic, no more household cleaner, no more eco toilet paper, eating less food, no more supplements/vitamins, adding as many cheap carb fillers as our bodies seem to be able to manage, eating a ridiculous number of meals from whole salmon from the low income store -$2 per whole salmon- instead of beef, chicken, etc).
I do spend some on luxuries like tea (Stash, boxed) and cream.
I've been doing not a complete breakdown for July and August, but as much as I can bear to do. Meat (rather than "chicken", "salmon", "tuna", etc) is a category, for example, and the low-income store does not name most items on its receipts, so I drop those in under a general category. Will keep studying your details!
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scrubbyfish, Have you tried to stretch your meat with other proteins? Black beans are a staple in my diet. They're delicious and easy.
If you want to post your grocery bills, maybe we could help point out cheaper alternatives.
Also, I think tea is a necessity! Have you tried brewing loose leaf tea? I like it a lot more, and it's usually cheaper than quality tea bags (no comment on Lipton).
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4alpacas: Thanks!
Beans, legumes (and fruit, grains, rice, etc), all fall under the type of carbohydrates that affect us. (Paleo does wonder for us both. A similar diet took my son from literally non-verbal to fully verbal within three days of starting it.) We have been slowly incorporating a small amount of rice and a couple of slices of bread in a week, and we also seem okay with lentils if we soak/ferment them first, but I'm a little too disorganized to take care of those. But it is indeed an option. I've so far reduced our costly meat a lot via the whole $2 salmon (that's $2 for the whole thing, not per pound) and by using eggs more.
I will definitely want to post my grocery bills. After August ends, I'll see if I can organize the material to post what I have for July and August.
One funny thing is that after my second hot yoga class, I have had almost no appetite. For two days! So maybe that's my answer ;)
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I realize that item by item, food is generally more expensive in Canada than it is in the States, and my son and I can't do much in the way of carbohydrates (he literally loses his ability to speak; I lose several levels of happiness and mental ability)
Not to derail, but this sounds so bizarre! What medical condition is this?
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I'm also amazed at how low some of the monthly food expenses are. I average $315/month on groceries for 1 person, not including toiletries, cleaning supplies, etc. But I think living in Fairbanks, being a strict vegetarian, and limiting my consumption of processed foods contribute to the high cost. When I ate more processed foods my grocery bill was about $50 cheaper.
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We spend about $350-400/month for 2 people. However, when I look at some of the things listed many people don't eat much meat or a variety of meat like we do. This also includes all our paper products, etc. We also have people over to eat frequently.
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Not to derail, but this sounds so bizarre! What medical condition is this?
Agreeing not to derail (because I already have to some extent, getting from "lowest budget" to "grocery breakdowns"), so I'll say just that it's not specific to any one medical condition, per se, but rather heaps of people responding to carbohydrates with any number of symptoms: depression, pain, inflammation, anxiety, stuttering, constipation, crabbiness, mutism, eczema, fatigue, disorientation, you name it. We take them out, relief. We put them in, symptoms return. (And yes, it seemed absolutely bizarre to me, too, the first several times I tested it!) Most of my son's most obvious symptoms of autism disappeared when I removed these carbohydrates from his diet. Which got me thinking today, after posting here, that maybe I would feel better distributing food costs across two categories: "food; prevention" or "food, disability". Because as it stands, I feel compelled to swap some foods to save money...when it's kinda critical that we (my son and I, not everyone) not do that too, too much!
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I'd post my budget but I'd probably get banned. It's a work in progress... :/
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So all the super low expenses people are getting rent covered by parents\roomates or it's built into their job?
It's disheartening but explains why I can barely scrape down to 9 (perfect budget)-12k (closer to reality as I slim down) a person.
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I'm also a free-rent teach in Asia low budget buster.
Rent - Free
Utilities - Free (electric, heat, water, gas)
Internet - 100yuan (17 dollars or so)
Phone - I get a 50yuan voucher, my bill costs 18yuan (3 dollars) including data. I make 5 dollars there.
I work 7 days a week, lift and play board games. I cook mostly vegetables. I haven't done a budget but would put it likely in the low 200 dollars each month. I had to buy the board games, squat rack, bench, weights, etc before.
I make average 3-4k a month US.
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I make average 3-4k a month US.
Not bad - what level of education and what kind of hours do you work?
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I'm also a free-rent teach in Asia low budget buster.
Rent - Free
Utilities - Free (electric, heat, water, gas)
Internet - 100yuan (17 dollars or so)
Phone - I get a 50yuan voucher, my bill costs 18yuan (3 dollars) including data. I make 5 dollars there.
I work 7 days a week, lift and play board games. I cook mostly vegetables. I haven't done a budget but would put it likely in the low 200 dollars each month. I had to buy the board games, squat rack, bench, weights, etc before.
I make average 3-4k a month US.
What do you net after taxes if you don't mind me asking?
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Kudos to them for thinking outside the normal consumer sucka box.
+++1! I've successfully pursued cheap rent (via unconventional living), but I'm really excited for the ones who've combined solid incomes with that or better. Well done!!
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So all the super low expenses people are getting rent covered by parents\roomates or it's built into their job?
It's disheartening but explains why I can barely scrape down to 9 (perfect budget)-12k (closer to reality as I slim down) a person.
Also wanted to add that I think it's great that all these people (especially the younger ones) are bucking the common trend of getting an expensive apt or house just because they can afford to. Most seem to "live small and save big" so that, when the time comes, they can probably buy a place with cash and live the MMM ideal of FIRE on a small budget. Kudos to them for thinking outside the normal consumer sucka box.
What I mean by disheartening is that I can't mimic. Hate my mother, and my mother in law is moving in with US, not the other way around. Nobody's job pays for our phone or housing (although three roommates come close to covering the mortgage.) Don't own the house but at 38k A 3.5% we are focusing on the 28k @ 6.8% school loans first. I look for examples of how I can slim down to ERE numbers, people post and I'm like wow! But then it's because they get free housing/phones or mortgage free.
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I look for examples of how I can slim down to ERE numbers, people post and I'm like wow! But then it's because they get free housing/phones or mortgage free.
? The vast majority of folks on this forum don't get free housing or phones. Most people are paying for those. It's an exciting few who aren't. Also of note is that many people who have finished the (in most cases) hard work of paying off their mortgages are still paying for home insurance, property taxes, maintenance, etc, which can add up.
A whole bunch of us who don't have the immediate option of free housing have pursued other ways to reduce housing costs. We live in RVs, or manage apartment buildings for reduced rent, or do work exchanges, or move into other weird and wonderful opportunities. Don't despair, Mesmoiselle! There are ways. They may require releasing conventions like "a house", or "home ownership", or "minimum 1000 sq feet", or "in this particular city", or "in the country I was born in", or "able to host houseguests several times per year". We walk away from stuff like that :)
It's merely a bonus if our place is, alas, too small for MIL to move in ;)
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I'm still home living with family. I pay no rent and minimal groceries in exchange for doing household chores. Here's my monthly average this year:
$130 transportation
$100 entertainment (also includes expenses from a trip to London)
$80 cash
$80 eating out (boo)
$65 general merchandise and gifts
$40 pharmacy
$40 groceries
for a total of ~$555 per month.
However, I also got walloped by 2 major unexpected medical events this year, with a monthly-averaged cost of $430 a month :(
So about $1000 a month with one-off medical events included.
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I'm fortunate to be in the expat crowd who gets accommodation included in my package. Also have relatively low utilities. Shanghai has pretty low COL if you don't spend all your time in expat areas. My average monthly spend looks something like this:
Groceries: $100
Bills: $60
Beer/bars (I know, I know): $100
Eating out: $60
School lunches (subsidised): $50
Transport (taxis/metro): $40
Other (inc coffee,clothing,phone bill) $100
So around $500-$600 I guess.
Could definitely be lower; I know there are areas that could be trimmed! But also fortunate to be able to save like I am at the minute.
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So all the super low expenses people are getting rent covered by parents\roomates or it's built into their job?
It's disheartening but explains why I can barely scrape down to 9 (perfect budget)-12k (closer to reality as I slim down) a person.
Also wanted to add that I think it's great that all these people (especially the younger ones) are bucking the common trend of getting an expensive apt or house just because they can afford to. Most seem to "live small and save big" so that, when the time comes, they can probably buy a place with cash and live the MMM ideal of FIRE on a small budget. Kudos to them for thinking outside the normal consumer sucka box.
What I mean by disheartening is that I can't mimic. Hate my mother, and my mother in law is moving in with US, not the other way around. Nobody's job pays for our phone or housing (although three roommates come close to covering the mortgage.) Don't own the house but at 38k A 3.5% we are focusing on the 28k @ 6.8% school loans first. I look for examples of how I can slim down to ERE numbers, people post and I'm like wow! But then it's because they get free housing/phones or mortgage free.
Our budget isn't ERE level numbers, but if our mortgage was covered (by renting a room or whatever), we could budget $1,100/mo for a family of four. That's paying for our own phone/internet/utilities/insurance/food/everything. If I was "retired" (i.e., quit my day jobs), our budget could likely go down to ~$900-950/mo. But we also don't have any loans other than the mortgage.
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I look for examples of how I can slim down to ERE numbers, people post and I'm like wow! But then it's because they get free housing/phones or mortgage free.
What are your expenses minus housing and loans? I'm not the hardest core person here by any means, but I think I'm reasonably frugal even after disregarding my free housing. That doesn't mean I can necessarily offer you any help, but I can try.
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So all the super low expenses people are getting rent covered by parents\roomates or it's built into their job?
It's disheartening but explains why I can barely scrape down to 9 (perfect budget)-12k (closer to reality as I slim down) a person.
Oh c'mon Mesmoiselle. I don't have rent covered by anyone, it's not built into my job, and my expenses are finally settling in at around $550 a month after my house purchase. Not so bad. It all depends on what sort of situation you're able to carve out for yourself.
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Yeah, after our cheap-because-we-walked-away-from-convention housing and laundry, we're at about $600/mo for one kid, one adult.
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Yeah, after our cheap-because-we-walked-away-from-convention housing and laundry, we're at about $600/mo for one kid, one adult.
Hey scrubbyfish, I fixed your avatar.
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:))))))))))))))
That's awesome, Grid!! lol. I'm going to steal that away to my desktop...
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:))))))))))))))
That's awesome, Grid!! lol. I'm going to steal that away to my desktop...
:) Glad you like it!
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Yeah, after our cheap-because-we-walked-away-from-convention housing and laundry, we're at about $600/mo for one kid, one adult.
What do you do for housing and laundry?
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Yeah, after our cheap-because-we-walked-away-from-convention housing and laundry, we're at about $600/mo for one kid, one adult.
What do you do for housing and laundry?
For housing, I've done a host of things -WWOOFing, live-in home support, communes, etc. Since I started raising a child, "what works" has changed, so I've instead done things like: own a house for cheap, and rent out as many parts of it as possible; share an 800 sq foot apt with a single dad and his two kids; locate an unused suite and negotiate a cheap rent in exchange for some light responsibilities. A win for the landlord -who was getting $0 before I found their unused suite- and a win for me! I'm currently in my third one of that.
My laundry is a little walk across a country field to a shared laundry building (coin operated). A slight inconvenience and involves planning more than I've otherwise needed to, but the savings (and other happiness!) ROCK it!
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Yeah, after our cheap-because-we-walked-away-from-convention housing and laundry, we're at about $600/mo for one kid, one adult.
What do you do for housing and laundry?
For housing, I've done a host of things -WWOOFing, live-in home support, communes, etc. Since I started raising a child, "what works" has changed, so I've instead done things like: own a house for cheap, and rent out as many parts of it as possible; share an 800 sq foot apt with a single dad and his two kids; locate an unused suite and negotiate a cheap rent in exchange for some light responsibilities. A win for the landlord -who was getting $0 before I found their unused suite- and a win for me! I'm currently in my third one of that.
My laundry is a little walk across a country field to a shared laundry building (coin operated). A slight inconvenience and involves planning more than I've otherwise needed to, but the savings (and other happiness!) ROCK it!
You've WWOOFed! I'm very very very curious about your experiences.
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You've WWOOFed! I'm very very very curious about your experiences.
Nikki!!! Long time, no see!
WWOOF...I did this in several parts of the world. My experiences really ranged in terms of type of work, type of accommodation, number of hours requested by a farmer, happiness of the farm, happiness in me, types of meals, types of farms... Some were urban, some rural. Some were centered on food, some on animals, some on neither (e.g., under construction)... Some wanted me to watch their kids while they farmed, some wanted me to cook for everyone (no!), some wanted me to pull weeds all day, or plant, or talk to animals. Some wanted help making lovely soaps, or cleaning, or registering B&B guests. Some left their farm to us for weeks and paid us to take care of it. Some farmers were solo, some were families with young kids, some were communes. One farm was beautiful, but the farmer horrible and super weird; another farmer was dangerous; most hosts were peaceful, mellow, hardworking, and kind.
It's been a long time now, I can't seem to remember anything specific.
The gist for me overall is that in the vast majority of situations, it was an AWESOME way to meet good people, have access to fresh air/water/etc, eat well, travel, help people out, help increase the world's food supply and care for the earth, work at my own pace, rest well, sleep well, and live (housing and food) for free. Some WWOOF ads emphasize learning; I don't feel I learned a lot, but I was there just to live. I'm sure everyone has their own leanings (animals, planting, harvesting, building, cooking, childcare, etc). I totally loved helping to weed. I loved working alone in silence with others doing the same near me, and I was really happy to gift a farmer with that. i.e., I could do the stuff that was straightforward but still really needs to be done, while the farmer was freed up to do stuff that required more skill/knowledge/etc. I was also extremely shy at that time in my life, so arrival at each farm and then first encountering people each morning was stressful for me. I love soil and green and plants and quiet and kind people. WWOOF had a lot of that.
When I do it again, I will probably stick with intentional communities -more people, less intensity of attention- or drive my own camper-van around so I can find solitude whenever I want, ensure some privacy, and cook when and what I want. Some WWOOfers are far more sociable, and less awkward, than I am, and seem totally good with wandering in and out of a new person's house or whatever. WWOOFing would be very easy for them, I think. I'm quirky, so a camper-van it is. Others who are more like me bring their own tent for the space/privacy/meal prep.
I guess my point is, WWOOFing and similar options really vary from opportunity to opportunity. When you join, you get to read a description of each farm, and choose which ones sound most appealing.
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So all the super low expenses people are getting rent covered by parents\roomates or it's built into their job?
I just got lucky. A former boss has an empty house that has been in his family for years. He is well off and doesn't need rental income, but wants someone reliable to be there to look after it. So, my boyfriend and I get two bedrooms, two baths, an upstairs office, a garage, front and back porches, and a small fenced-in backyard for $500/mo. Plus, it's in a lovely neighborhood only a mile from work. Utilities are a bit pricey compared to the tiny apartment that I used to have, but it still works out to be cheaper than what I was paying before.
My budget:
Rent - $250.00
Electricity - $62.50
Internet - $25.00
Water/Sewage/Trash - $15.00
Security System - $20.0
Natural Gas - $37.50
Renter's Insurance - $12.50
Car Insurance - $120.00
Phone - Paid by Employer
YMCA - $33.00
Hulu - $5.00
Netflix - $5.00
Food - $300.00 (maximum)
Gasoline - $100.00 (approximately)
Total - $985.50
I usually give myself an additional $400/mo for clothes, gifts, household goods, car maintenance, vet bills, amazon prime, cloud storage, etc.
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You've WWOOFed! I'm very very very curious about your experiences.
Nikki!!! Long time, no see!
WWOOF...I did this in several parts of the world. My experiences really ranged in terms of type of work, type of accommodation, number of hours requested by a farmer, happiness of the farm, happiness in me, types of meals, types of farms... Some were urban, some rural. Some were centered on food, some on animals, some on neither (e.g., under construction)... Some wanted me to watch their kids while they farmed, some wanted me to cook for everyone (no!), some wanted me to pull weeds all day, or plant, or talk to animals. Some wanted help making lovely soaps, or cleaning, or registering B&B guests. Some left their farm to us for weeks and paid us to take care of it. Some farmers were solo, some were families with young kids, some were communes. One farm was beautiful, but the farmer horrible and super weird; another farmer was dangerous; most hosts were peaceful, mellow, hardworking, and kind.
It's been a long time now, I can't seem to remember anything specific.
The gist for me overall is that in the vast majority of situations, it was an AWESOME way to meet good people, have access to fresh air/water/etc, eat well, travel, help people out, help increase the world's food supply and care for the earth, work at my own pace, rest well, sleep well, and live (housing and food) for free. Some WWOOF ads emphasize learning; I don't feel I learned a lot, but I was there just to live. I'm sure everyone has their own leanings (animals, planting, harvesting, building, cooking, childcare, etc). I totally loved helping to weed. I loved working alone in silence with others doing the same near me, and I was really happy to gift a farmer with that. i.e., I could do the stuff that was straightforward but still really needs to be done, while the farmer was freed up to do stuff that required more skill/knowledge/etc. I was also extremely shy at that time in my life, so arrival at each farm and then first encountering people each morning was stressful for me. I love soil and green and plants and quiet and kind people. WWOOF had a lot of that.
When I do it again, I will probably stick with intentional communities -more people, less intensity of attention- or drive my own camper-van around so I can find solitude whenever I want, ensure some privacy, and cook when and what I want. Some WWOOfers are far more sociable, and less awkward, than I am, and seem totally good with wandering in and out of a new person's house or whatever. WWOOFing would be very easy for them, I think. I'm quirky, so a camper-van it is. Others who are more like me bring their own tent for the space/privacy/meal prep.
I guess my point is, WWOOFing and similar options really vary from opportunity to opportunity. When you join, you get to read a description of each farm, and choose which ones sound most appealing.
*thumbs up*
Thanks for the thoughtful (as always!) response.
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So all the super low expenses people are getting rent covered by parents\roomates or it's built into their job?
It's disheartening but explains why I can barely scrape down to 9 (perfect budget)-12k (closer to reality as I slim down) a person.
My expenses are about $450/month for one person and this is not the case. I own a paid off home which is within walking distance of my work. I think most people could match my budget under these circumstances.
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My husband and I are retired (50 & 54) and have rental properties in Canada.We live here during the summer (4 months).
We only need to provide for a share of the landline phone/cable/internet, because of the set up of our home here.
All of our car expenses are covered by the company car, which we don’t use for personal, as we are able to walk to anywhere we want.
In Canada, most of our groceries are free, because we use points to pay for them. Also after our vacating tenants leave, many leave a lot of unopened food, toilet paper, cleaning supplies behind.
We live in Australia for the winter (summer there) for 8 months. We housesit for half of it, so free accommodation in return for looking after their home and pets. Usually there is a garden, fruit trees,honey bees and chickens (free eggs) that they tell us to help our self, so that keeps expenses down. For the rest of the time in Australia we live in a motel/caravan park /roadhouse. Here they provide us with accommodation and restaurant meals at no charge. My husband likes to be busy, so he fixes stuff...and they also pay him, so really all of our 8 month expenses in Australia are covered by this 3-4 month income. Going from housesit and travelling around, we do in our paid van we keep there, which we converted to a mini camper. So we spend an average of 20 nights per year sleeping in it, usually at a campground. We buy second hand clothes, books and gadgets whenever possible.
We are very happy. Want for nothing.Love the freedom of not working.
So here is a breakdown. for a year
2173.08 food and restaurant (I do keep track of this)...includes all personal care products, cleaning supplies etc (= $41.79 week)
0.00 mortgage
480.00 electricity
381.60 cable/internet/landline
3900 flights round trip for 2- Australia from Halifax,NS
1015 gifts for 4 adult children and their partners
600 car registration, insurance in Australia
1000 Australia car repairs
3000 car fuel in Australia
2322 life insurance for both of us
600 camping fees
0.00 haircuts....we cut our own
0.00 alcohol and smokes
1000 dental, glasses, medication
500 misc....clothing, books, gadgets
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=16,971.68 year
=1414.31 month (for 2 people)
=707.15 per person
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kathrynd, your budget is amazing for including the jump to Australia each year.
We are thinking of looking for house sitting gigs but I have not researched it yet.
Your food budget is incredible. $165 a month for two people including toiletries?
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kathrynd, your budget is amazing for including the jump to Australia each year.
We are thinking of looking for house sitting gigs but I have not researched it yet.
Your food budget is incredible. $165 a month for two people including toiletries?
Yes, but a lot of it free..air miles and PC.points, tenants leave behind, house sitting, meals included place.
We cook almost everything from scratch.We shop sales.
But if needed, we could still eat very well on $50 week, if we didn't have access to all the free food.
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I take it that, being retired, you are FI kathryd?
If so, and you don't mind me asking, why this line item in your budget?
2322 life insurance for both of us
Works out to 14% of your annual budget.
Just curious, because I dropped life insurance the moment my wife and I became FI on the rationale that my stash is more than enough for two of us to live on. If one of us goes, the stash becomes downright luxurious for the remaining partner and if both of us go there's plenty of stash to spread out amongst cash-strapped relatives (whom, I might add, should otherwise be responsible for their own financial situations).
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I take it that, being retired, you are FI kathryd?
If so, and you don't mind me asking, why this line item in your budget?
2322 life insurance for both of us
Works out to 14% of your annual budget.
Just curious, because I dropped life insurance the moment my wife and I became FI on the rationale that my stash is more than enough for two of us to live on. If one of us goes, the stash becomes downright luxurious for the remaining partner and if both of us go there's plenty of stash to spread out amongst cash-strapped relatives (whom, I might add, should otherwise be responsible for their own financial situations).
Yes we are retired and own a lot of rental properties.
We still have mortgages, and paying them off.
The life insurance would be enough to pay off all the mortgages, and the surviour would never need to worry the banks may call the loan/ or refuse to renew.
Probably that expense should be in with business expenses?
But we pay for it personally.
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So all the super low expenses people are getting rent covered by parents\roomates or it's built into their job?
I just got lucky. A former boss has an empty house that has been in his family for years. He is well off and doesn't need rental income, but wants someone reliable to be there to look after it. So, my boyfriend and I get two bedrooms, two baths, an upstairs office, a garage, front and back porches, and a small fenced-in backyard for $500/mo. Plus, it's in a lovely neighborhood only a mile from work. Utilities are a bit pricey compared to the tiny apartment that I used to have, but it still works out to be cheaper than what I was paying before.
My budget:
Rent - $250.00
Electricity - $62.50
Internet - $25.00
Water/Sewage/Trash - $15.00
Security System - $20.0
Natural Gas - $37.50
Renter's Insurance - $12.50
Car Insurance - $120.00
Phone - Paid by Employer
YMCA - $33.00
Hulu - $5.00
Netflix - $5.00
Food - $300.00 (maximum)
Gasoline - $100.00 (approximately)
Total - $985.50
I usually give myself an additional $400/mo for clothes, gifts, household goods, car maintenance, vet bills, amazon prime, cloud storage, etc.
So I have a question....this post is typical of what several others....there are things that at first glance appear to be missing from these budgets. Can I ask if you pay for health insurance? Out of pocket medical expenses (deductible)? Are you employed...if so do you have disability insurance? Also, how do you account for income taxes, personal property taxes (if applicable)? It looks like you own a car since you have gas expenses...do you set aside x dollars per month to plan for its ultimate replacement and consider that an expense? Same with vacation/travel...do you set aside a certain amount each month to plan for your annual trip to the beach? Or is that covered in the $400 per month lump sum? Or do you never travel?
While I am super impressed with how little some of you are able to spend, it does appear to me that there are certain expenses that are not accounted for?
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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The current budget for me and my wife is $1550, we are aiming to cut it to $1450.
At the higher number that's $775 each, and that includes $200 worth of health insurance (not paid for by employer) and $300 worth of medium term health expenses.
But we do have the advantage of living in a very low COL city (Johannesburg, South Africa), have a great deal on our apartment, and get a lot of perks from family (meals out, inviting us on holiday, etc).
When we do hit FI, we would aim to spend a bit more in certain areas (adding in some travel etc) but would also cost commuting costs (2x vehicles, gas, maintenance, insurance, etc).
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Our budget will likely be quite variable month to month as we will have no permanent home.
Basic monthly expense estimate:
$200 insurance/tags (truck/motorcycles/sailboat)
$200 health insurance (heavy ACA subsidy plus cost sharing)
$200 dental/vision
That is about it for required expenses. $600 a month or thereabouts.
Now other expenses might be:
$500 food
$500 fuel
$200 camp ground/park fees
$600 hotel stays (figure 6 to 8 stays per month average)
$1000 entertainment
So a month might be $3400
But some months could be a lot lower. We plan to spend weeks hiking/backpacking. The total outlay in those months could be as low as $1000.
I am aiming for a portfolio that will give $4000 a month which should easily cover the expensive and cheap months.
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So all the super low expenses people are getting rent covered by parents\roomates or it's built into their job?
I just got lucky. A former boss has an empty house that has been in his family for years. He is well off and doesn't need rental income, but wants someone reliable to be there to look after it. So, my boyfriend and I get two bedrooms, two baths, an upstairs office, a garage, front and back porches, and a small fenced-in backyard for $500/mo. Plus, it's in a lovely neighborhood only a mile from work. Utilities are a bit pricey compared to the tiny apartment that I used to have, but it still works out to be cheaper than what I was paying before.
My budget:
Rent - $250.00
Electricity - $62.50
Internet - $25.00
Water/Sewage/Trash - $15.00
Security System - $20.0
Natural Gas - $37.50
Renter's Insurance - $12.50
Car Insurance - $120.00
Phone - Paid by Employer
YMCA - $33.00
Hulu - $5.00
Netflix - $5.00
Food - $300.00 (maximum)
Gasoline - $100.00 (approximately)
Total - $985.50
I usually give myself an additional $400/mo for clothes, gifts, household goods, car maintenance, vet bills, amazon prime, cloud storage, etc.
So I have a question....this post is typical of what several others....there are things that at first glance appear to be missing from these budgets. Can I ask if you pay for health insurance? Out of pocket medical expenses (deductible)? Are you employed...if so do you have disability insurance? Also, how do you account for income taxes, personal property taxes (if applicable)? It looks like you own a car since you have gas expenses...do you set aside x dollars per month to plan for its ultimate replacement and consider that an expense? Same with vacation/travel...do you set aside a certain amount each month to plan for your annual trip to the beach? Or is that covered in the $400 per month lump sum? Or do you never travel?
While I am super impressed with how little some of you are able to spend, it does appear to me that there are certain expenses that are not accounted for?
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I posted my budget (http://"http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/who-thinks-they-have-the-lowest-budget/msg381858/#msg381858") earlier, and here's how we account for those factors.
Health insurance is deducted from my paycheck at a fixed amount weekly, so I don't include it in my budget, since I budget take-home pay, not gross. Or, if I go to a job with no health insurance, under the WA Health Exchange, I end up with fully subsidized health insurance. Out of pocket medical expenses (vitamins, copays, deductible, etc.) would fall under my "Personal Care" category, and thus are budgeted for (or, in the event of a massive medical happening, the emergency fund would step in to cover what the budget couldn't handle).
I believe there is some form of disability insurance provided by my employer, deducted from my check; I'm not sure about this, but I do carry life insurance, which is a line-item in the budget.
My income is low enough that, with a wife and two kids in a single-income household, I reasonably expect to pay zero income taxes. WA also has no state income tax.
Property taxes are a line-item in my budget.
Our more expensive car is a '96 Civic for which we paid about $2,500. $1,800 of which was covered by the sale of my previous car. I expect it to last the next ten years or more. I budget for maintenance and repair, but not replacement. At the end of its useful life to me, I expect it to sell for about half of what I paid for it, and I expect to replace it with another cheap vehicle...basically, in the end, I expect replacement cost to be negligible on a monthly basis.
Vacations are funded either with our Fun Activity budget line, or out-of-budget moneys (gifts from family/friends/sid-gigs/credit card points/etc).
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While I am super impressed with how little some of you are able to spend, it does appear to me that there are certain expenses that are not accounted for?
The amount I mentioned ($652 per person, I think?) includes everything. Last month's is detailed here: http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/scrubbyfish%27s-journal-take-2/msg501625/#msg501625, and that was on the higher side (600 km return trip, Christmas, additional "extras").