Hello, I’ve been reading the blog and the forum for a while now, and I recently got to a point where I kind of feel lost with my financial life. Thanks for the time to read this. =)
Oh, and I’ll put the income in Reais that is the local coin and in parenthesis I’ll put the equivalent in Dollar.
Life Situation: I’m 23, about to graduate in computer engineering, I live in Brazil, no kids, a girlfriend that I pretend to marry, debt free ( Scholarship in my college ), I work as a programmer analyst.
Gross Salary/Wages: R$22K ($5.8K) annual salary
Pre-tax deductions: Here in Brazil we have INSS as tax, i currently pay R$108, 26($27, 83) each month around 8%, well at least so far… The more you gain the more you pay, = (.
Living Expenses: R$1000($257, 07) this includes Gasoline, Lunch, Girlfriend, Dinner. I always eat out in restaurants for lunch and dinner, that’s because I work 08h00 till 18h00, and then I go to college 19h00 till 22h30, no time to eat at home.
Okay, I manage to save about 53% of my salary monthly; this money is separated at three categories, my future apartment, a new computer, and a Financial Life Independency Found. I finally got about R$17K($4,37) saved for those things.
The problem in, everybody that I know say that I’m losing my life saving money and not spending it, even my girlfriend says that sometimes… The last month I really slipped on my expends, like three times more, with stuff I did not want, to please people that I don’t like, with money I don’t have… All that just to fit in those “normal” age rules: party, drink, go out, nice cloths.
So here is the problem, I don’t to slip again and I’ll prove those fools that is telling me that spending is the way to go, that we are right in be mustachians ( Even if you can’t grow your own mustache, like me.), I got tired with the arguments with them, showing the math and everything. I will prove them in ten years that this is the best way to live a life, but to prove that I need help, haha.
I control every penny I have with a software called YNAB(You Need A Budget), I know where I spend the most, Car>Lunch>Dinner>Girlfriend, but I cannot cut those expenses, I need to eat, I need to go to point A to point B, and I need to go out with her(In a set budget).
Have any tips for an inspiring mustachian?