Hmm.. This is how I see your breakdown
+ $3100- $1425 (Bills - doesn't this include groceries?)- $ 400 (Debt)- $ 275 (Spending...)- $150++? (.... More open ended spending??? Assuming you're saying 'food' is like eating out, and not groceries)__________________________
$850 or less in the green each month, yay in the green!
$850 x 12 months = $10200 saved a year...
Or less. Uh... About that:
Why are you spending $425 (or more) per month? And what on?
Having a buffer for bills is nice, when they might inflate unexpectedly or whatever, but hopefully you've killed any bills that might do this. Overages or whatever - crack down on bills that fluctuate. A successful budget is as static as possible, imo.
Having some money to take your lady out is also super nice, I know. Being taken out is awesome...
Yet, $425 pays for a lot of steak dinners, movies, cute undies (or whatever she likes) and junk.
$425 x 12 months = $5100 in a year in savings that you're missing out on.
Try getting a room mate. Even if you've just got a 1 bed. apartment, people in very dense areas (like Boston) might be willing to rent your living room on the cheap. Always explore creative options.
As ADK pointed out...
So, your "bills" excludes food and student loans...
Debt is a bill.
Also, groceries and food are a bill, so if you're not counting ALL eating (even and especially eating out) as part of your bills, you haven't really cut your bills to less than 50%..
I don't see public transportation on your bills list. Just like gas or car insurance would be on your bills list, this should be too. Transportation is a bill.
I looked into Republic wireless but there is no coverage in my office, where I spend a good 10 hours of my workday...
Does your office have wifi you can piggy back off of? Republic defaults onto wifi whenever possible anyways, for phone and text as well as data... Otherwise, look at other frugal options that use a different network (not Sprint based)?
The 325 payments for my master's will only be for 8 more months, and at that point I graduate. That'll free up quite a bit of income. I've already been promoted at my current job in lieu of completing this degree, to the tune of an additional 5k per year. The 150 I'm paying to my old school has exactly 12 months left.
Obviously paying for schooling cannot be cut, but that's totally okay. It seems you've made wise educational choices, since you're already earning more on the back of a degree you haven't even completed yet. These bills will go away with time, just don't replace them with more spending when that time comes.
So, currently, I suggest: Rebuild your budget to include food and a
small amount ($50 max) of luxury spending, and then pay down school debts asap. If they'll let you, pay the school ahead of time and see if you can prepay as much as possible of your degree. Maybe there's a discount for this? ...
As for your savings, you really need to "pay yourself" first...
I also want to echo this. My budgeting equation looks like: Pay - Bills - $50 fun money/bills buffer = Savings, transfer immediately. Saving my money is literally the first thing I do on payday morning, right after coffee.
And, the biggest thing, after those school bills go away, don't inflate your spending just because you can.
Really, you're doing a great job so far!