The Money Mustache Community

Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: Gin1984 on February 18, 2014, 03:32:09 PM

Title: Facepunch please
Post by: Gin1984 on February 18, 2014, 03:32:09 PM
Grocery   3432
mortgage   3029.76
house insurance   600
car insurance   560
taxes of house   2500
car    2040
gas   1560
utilities   2150
internet/phone   1200
house repair   1200
fun money   1040
medical   310
misc.   600
school cost   2465 (will decrease by $400 when DH graduates) and by another $1500 for next year
cat   475
life/disability   500
daycare   12688
baby expenses   650
Gifts/xmas   550
hockey   475
travel   250
   38274.76
 My husband and I are PhD students, he gets paid $26,000 per year and I get paid $25,000.  We get paid from different sources so I have union dues (2%) and a pension (3%) and he has neither.  We own a duplex and get $575/month in rent but after taxes and repairs (it is an old house) we average about $4000/year.  Starting in May-July (depending on when my husband will defend) my husband will need to commute a hour each way to the closest university.  He chose to do this so I could finish my PhD at the university I got my Master's in (therefore finish in 3 years instead of 4-5).  This means adding another car to our household. 
I decided to buy my aunt's car because she stopped driving for medical reasons for $7000.  That is more than the car is really worth (more like $6000) but I wanted to help my aunt out and this was the only way to do it. 
We owe $17,000 in grad subsidized loans (6.55%) and $5500 in undergrad loans (5.75%) which will be due 6 months are my husband graduates as well as a undergrad loan for myself at $5450 which comes due as soon as I graduate (3 years). 
My mom heard about me buying my aunt's car and offered to loan me the money at the same rate as she would get from her credit union (1% right now) variable with it being no higher than my 5.75% SL so I could kill the SL first.  She will send me the money when DH starts repayment and the loan will be 5 years.  The car expenses includes this cost even though it is not there yet. 
We do have a roommate who brings in about $200/month but with that we have agreed to keep the internet.
ETA:  I feel like an idiot!  I forgot to add in a major detail.  That $17000 in 6.55% debt?  It is sitting in my high yield checking.  We have been planning to pay it back five months after DH graduates, but then we knew we needed a new to us car for the hour commute.  So, we are buying the car and then at five months, my mom loans me the money for it, we pay back the 6.55% debt.
So basically, we will have the $7000 ($120/ month) 1% loan to my mom (five years but variable), 5.75% SL ($5500, $61/month) but tax deducible and then, three years my $5450 ($30/month for a year then $90/month) also 5.75 but tax deductible. 
Title: Re: Facepunch please
Post by: warfreak2 on February 18, 2014, 03:56:03 PM
Most of this isn't terrible, you have additional income and some of your expenses will disappear when your PhDs are over. I assume all of this is per year...

You can almost certainly eat for less than $143/person/month if you try.

Quote
car insurance   560
car    2040
gas   1560
What's that $2040/year on, if it doesn't include insurance and gas?

Quote
internet/phone   1200
I assume this includes mobile phones, so scrap the landline if you have one, you don't need it. You ought to be able to do better than $100/mo for just two mobile phones and a basic internet connection. If your roommate is demanding an expensive super-fast internet connection, try making them pay for it.

Quote
fun money   1040
That's $87/month that you ought to be able to break down into more detail, but almost certainly most of it is less pressing than 6.55% APR.

Quote
Gifts/xmas   550
hockey   475
Not sure why you're spending $40/month on playing hockey when you have student loans, and a kid, and a cat. You can definitely cut down on gifts, too - homemade gifts are cheaper to make and nicer to receive.
Title: Re: Facepunch please
Post by: AlanStache on February 18, 2014, 03:59:42 PM
That is annual I hope?  Your mortgage is 3k per year?

Lot of that is not crazy, just the child care and hockey (watching or playing?) besides the car costs.

that phone/internet might be an easy one to slash.
Title: Re: Facepunch please
Post by: arebelspy on February 18, 2014, 04:03:51 PM
That is annual I hope?  Your mortgage is 3k per year?

Yes, it appears to be annual.  She seems to be defraying the mortgage cost with rent received:
Quote
We own a duplex and get $575/month in rent but after taxes and repairs (it is an old house) we average about $4000/year.
Title: Re: Facepunch please
Post by: Exflyboy on February 18, 2014, 04:04:12 PM
Yeah you have some simple choices to make.

First of all think of the SL at 6.55 and 5.75% as debt emergencies!.. Now what are you gonna do?

Hockey?.. you have to be kidding me
Food too high.. eat at home, cook beans from dry.
Internet connection etc.
Landline?.. Did I hear landline when two cell phones can be had for $10 each?

Seriously .. Getting rid of debt is your absolute first priority and there is a lot of room to be making some drastic cuts in the budget.

Frank
Title: Re: Facepunch please
Post by: Gin1984 on February 18, 2014, 06:11:39 PM
Most of this isn't terrible, you have additional income and some of your expenses will disappear when your PhDs are over. I assume all of this is per year...

You can almost certainly eat for less than $143/person/month if you try.

Quote
car insurance   560
car    2040
gas   1560
What's that $2040/year on, if it doesn't include insurance and gas?

Quote
internet/phone   1200
I assume this includes mobile phones, so scrap the landline if you have one, you don't need it. You ought to be able to do better than $100/mo for just two mobile phones and a basic internet connection. If your roommate is demanding an expensive super-fast internet connection, try making them pay for it.

Quote
fun money   1040
That's $87/month that you ought to be able to break down into more detail, but almost certainly most of it is less pressing than 6.55% APR.

Quote
Gifts/xmas   550
hockey   475
Not sure why you're spending $40/month on playing hockey when you have student loans, and a kid, and a cat. You can definitely cut down on gifts, too - homemade gifts are cheaper to make and nicer to receive.
We each get $5/week for personal fun money and $10/week for joint fun money (often a meal out once a month or a movie).  And the hockey is my husband's main form of exercise and something extremely important to him.  As of now, I am not willing to fight about it.  The gifts are high right now because people keep getting married, right and left, lol and we are away from family and ship gifts. 
We don't have a landline, and are looking for cheaper cell phones but I can't find any that include unlimited texting and based on our MO (and our jobs) we need that.  If you have any ideas on that, I would love to hear it.
The roommate pays with his rent, and the speed of Internet was negotiated when he moved in. 
The 2040 includes repairs, savings for the next car (including what I know the payment will be $120 for one car and $50 for the next car) and things like inspection and registration.   
And I'd love ideas on cutting the food because we have been trying to eat for below that for a while and have not been able to. 
Title: Re: Facepunch please
Post by: Gin1984 on February 18, 2014, 06:13:33 PM
That is annual I hope?  Your mortgage is 3k per year?

Lot of that is not crazy, just the child care and hockey (watching or playing?) besides the car costs.

that phone/internet might be an easy one to slash.
Sorry, yes it is annual.  And the hockey is my husband's playing.  He plays year round and this also accounts for equipment (he is a goalie). 
Ideas on the phone would be great, but given our lifestyle right now, we are looking for unlimited texting. 
Title: Re: Facepunch please
Post by: Gin1984 on February 18, 2014, 06:15:41 PM
Yeah you have some simple choices to make.

First of all think of the SL at 6.55 and 5.75% as debt emergencies!.. Now what are you gonna do?

Hockey?.. you have to be kidding me
Food too high.. eat at home, cook beans from dry.
Internet connection etc.
Landline?.. Did I hear landline when two cell phones can be had for $10 each?

Seriously .. Getting rid of debt is your absolute first priority and there is a lot of room to be making some drastic cuts in the budget.

Frank
First, no you did not hear landline and please, do tell where you can get cell phones with texting (yes, we do need that for our jobs) for $10 each.  We do eat at home, we do cook beans from dry.  We eat out maybe once a month and that is our fun money.  And, did you miss the fact that our Internet is something we agreed to have with our roommate who is bringing in income? 
And based on that, I'd really like some more concrete ideas on how to slash our budget, not just rhetoric.
Title: Re: Facepunch please
Post by: 4alpacas on February 18, 2014, 07:28:58 PM
Yeah you have some simple choices to make.

First of all think of the SL at 6.55 and 5.75% as debt emergencies!.. Now what are you gonna do?

Hockey?.. you have to be kidding me
Food too high.. eat at home, cook beans from dry.
Internet connection etc.
Landline?.. Did I hear landline when two cell phones can be had for $10 each?

Seriously .. Getting rid of debt is your absolute first priority and there is a lot of room to be making some drastic cuts in the budget.

Frank
First, no you did not hear landline and please, do tell where you can get cell phones with texting (yes, we do need that for our jobs) for $10 each.  We do eat at home, we do cook beans from dry.  We eat out maybe once a month and that is our fun money.  And, did you miss the fact that our Internet is something we agreed to have with our roommate who is bringing in income? 
And based on that, I'd really like some more concrete ideas on how to slash our budget, not just rhetoric.

What do you do for work that requires unlimited texting?
Title: Re: Facepunch please
Post by: Gin1984 on February 18, 2014, 07:47:37 PM
Yeah you have some simple choices to make.

First of all think of the SL at 6.55 and 5.75% as debt emergencies!.. Now what are you gonna do?

Hockey?.. you have to be kidding me
Food too high.. eat at home, cook beans from dry.
Internet connection etc.
Landline?.. Did I hear landline when two cell phones can be had for $10 each?

Seriously .. Getting rid of debt is your absolute first priority and there is a lot of room to be making some drastic cuts in the budget.

Frank
First, no you did not hear landline and please, do tell where you can get cell phones with texting (yes, we do need that for our jobs) for $10 each.  We do eat at home, we do cook beans from dry.  We eat out maybe once a month and that is our fun money.  And, did you miss the fact that our Internet is something we agreed to have with our roommate who is bringing in income? 
And based on that, I'd really like some more concrete ideas on how to slash our budget, not just rhetoric.

What do you do for work that requires unlimited texting?
I did not say unlimited, just that I do requiring texting.  My boss expects to be able to text me, as does my husband's boss, if something comes up in lab.  Just last week I was texted in the evening to do some work by the next morning.  I am a PhD student, salaried, we work 40-60 hours, even if I am out of lab, my boss expects to be able to contact me.  I've been texted when I was in a seminar,  I am just lucky he likes to text and not call.  My old PI liked to call and have discussions.  I may not need unlimited but I need a large amount between that and normal life (grad students text a lot).  I have looked at our normal texting amount and the prepaid plans don't seem to work.  Though, if there is a plan with a large amount of minutes/unlimited, I will check it out.  I am looking to save money.
Title: Re: Facepunch please
Post by: olivia on February 18, 2014, 07:59:31 PM
Have you looked into TMobile? You can get a prepaid plan that's $30/month with unlimited text and data and 100 minutes a month talk.  My sister lives abroad and got it this summer when she was back in the US.  She got the SIM card and plan from Wal-Mart (it has to be from Wal-Mart or TMoblie.com) for an iPhone she already had and it worked well. 

They do slow down the data after you use a certain amount, but if you're mostly texting that shouldn't be an issue.  And if you have Wifi at your lab (I'm assuming you do?) you wouldn't need to use the data.  Plus if you have a smartphone you could use Google voice or Skype or if you have an iPhone, FaceTime Audio to make calls on Wifi and not use up minutes.

Here's the link, scroll down a bit for details on the $30/month prepaid plan, they kind of hide it towards the bottom: http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans (http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans)
Title: Re: Facepunch please
Post by: Gin1984 on February 18, 2014, 08:17:31 PM
Have you looked into TMobile? You can get a prepaid plan that's $30/month with unlimited text and data and 100 minutes a month talk.  My sister lives abroad and got it this summer when she was back in the US.  She got the SIM card and plan from Wal-Mart (it has to be from Wal-Mart or TMoblie.com) for an iPhone she already had and it worked well. 

They do slow down the data after you use a certain amount, but if you're mostly texting that shouldn't be an issue.  And if you have Wifi at your lab (I'm assuming you do?) you wouldn't need to use the data.  Plus if you have a smartphone you could use Google voice or Skype or if you have an iPhone, FaceTime Audio to make calls on Wifi and not use up minutes.

Here's the link, scroll down a bit for details on the $30/month prepaid plan, they kind of hide it towards the bottom: http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans (http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans)
Thanks, I'll check it out.  We don't have smart phones, but it might be worth it to upgrade, if it ends up saving us money.  Will try running the numbers.
ETA: Yes, we have wifi at the lab, as well as wired.  However, nicely my boss gave me my own phone and voicemail so now I am slowly weaning people off my cell onto my work line.  :D
Title: Re: Facepunch please
Post by: olivia on February 18, 2014, 10:04:41 PM
Have you looked into TMobile? You can get a prepaid plan that's $30/month with unlimited text and data and 100 minutes a month talk.  My sister lives abroad and got it this summer when she was back in the US.  She got the SIM card and plan from Wal-Mart (it has to be from Wal-Mart or TMoblie.com) for an iPhone she already had and it worked well. 

They do slow down the data after you use a certain amount, but if you're mostly texting that shouldn't be an issue.  And if you have Wifi at your lab (I'm assuming you do?) you wouldn't need to use the data.  Plus if you have a smartphone you could use Google voice or Skype or if you have an iPhone, FaceTime Audio to make calls on Wifi and not use up minutes.

Here's the link, scroll down a bit for details on the $30/month prepaid plan, they kind of hide it towards the bottom: http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans (http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans)
Thanks, I'll check it out.  We don't have smart phones, but it might be worth it to upgrade, if it ends up saving us money.  Will try running the numbers.
ETA: Yes, we have wifi at the lab, as well as wired.  However, nicely my boss gave me my own phone and voicemail so now I am slowly weaning people off my cell onto my work line.  :D

No problem!  I don't think you need to have a smartphone, I just brought that up because you can use a smartphone on wifi to save minutes.  It might work with a regular phone too!
Title: Re: Facepunch please
Post by: ASquared on February 18, 2014, 11:09:16 PM
I don't think you need a facepunch I think you are doing a great job.  Seriously, don't be so hard on yourself.  You are living frugally with both parents as students and a baby at home.  That's tough!  It will get easier.  In the next couple years you will both be finished with school, and if you can keep up the frugalness that you have going on you will be in a great place. 

I personally am impressed that your groceries are so low for 2 adults and a baby.

You should be paying little/no taxes with that income and those types of deductions so hopefully that helps!

Always worth it to re-run your insurance numbers I think.  Easy place to cut. 600 for home insurance seems like a lot but of course depends on where you live.  Consider increasing deductibles as insurance is for true catastrophes not for inconveniences.
Title: Re: Facepunch please
Post by: warfreak2 on February 19, 2014, 04:17:57 AM
I live in the UK, so it's not direcrtly comparable, but I now eat for about £40-£50 ($67-$84) per month. The trick is: I eat very little meat (about 5 days a month), and buy things in season, on offer, or reduced-to-clear, if it's good value. I also tend to cook food in batches and eat it over a week. Now that I switched from prepackaged cereal to rolled oats, absolutely none of my food comes in cardboard boxes or rigid plastic trays, which is a good heuristic. I imagine you already know most of these, since you're spending $143 instead of $400 - but putting it into practice every time you go to the supermarket is what counts.

Mustachianism means identifying what makes you happy, and spending your spare money on that, instead of other things. If $40/month for hockey makes your husband happy, then spend it. If $40/month on a cat makes you happy, then spend it. If eating meat every day makes you happy, then spend on it, and if $87/month on other short term pleasure makes you happy, then spend it. But that's a lot of discretionary spending - each individual one can be justified, but would you really stop being happy if you gave one (or more) of those things up? You don't even have to give them up totally - maybe play half as much hockey, or drop the $5/week each and just do $10/week joint. Also consider other ways of making yourselves happy, which don't require as much spending. Considering your situation - both of you have about average incomes, and student loans, and you have a kid - you can have things you want, but not everything you want.
Title: Re: Facepunch please
Post by: Gin1984 on February 19, 2014, 06:35:40 AM
I don't think you need a facepunch I think you are doing a great job.  Seriously, don't be so hard on yourself.  You are living frugally with both parents as students and a baby at home.  That's tough!  It will get easier.  In the next couple years you will both be finished with school, and if you can keep up the frugalness that you have going on you will be in a great place. 

I personally am impressed that your groceries are so low for 2 adults and a baby.

You should be paying little/no taxes with that income and those types of deductions so hopefully that helps!

Always worth it to re-run your insurance numbers I think.  Easy place to cut. 600 for home insurance seems like a lot but of course depends on where you live.  Consider increasing deductibles as insurance is for true catastrophes not for inconveniences.
We do spend very little in taxes, a little more than $400 a year in federal, more in state though.  Then, again we do have FICA but I opened a daycare FSA which cuts down on the FICA through my union (my husband does not have access to it). 
That low tax is what is enabling us to put $625/month in our Roths and still put money away for paying of debt.  Right now we live solely on our incomes (including Roth savings), EF funding and debt repayment are coming from the roommate and rental incomes. 
My problem is that I really want to be saving 20%, not 15%.  But I also want to pay off the debt, save a full EF (we have been using the student loans as an EF as well as side hussel money), and I want to have another child by the end of my PhD.  I just don't see everything as possible, but I don't see anymore ways to cut that won't make me or my husband miserable. 
I feel like I have plateaued on the food budget, I won't give up the fun money because I feel it is important that each person has money not accoutable to the other, DH would need a much larger reason to give up hockey than I want more retirement savings.  He did give it up the year my daughter was born because money was tighter then. 
Title: Re: Facepunch please
Post by: Gin1984 on February 19, 2014, 06:41:43 AM
I live in the UK, so it's not direcrtly comparable, but I now eat for about £40-£50 ($67-$84) per month. The trick is: I eat very little meat (about 5 days a month), and buy things in season, on offer, or reduced-to-clear, if it's good value. I also tend to cook food in batches and eat it over a week. Now that I switched from prepackaged cereal to rolled oats, absolutely none of my food comes in cardboard boxes or rigid plastic trays, which is a good heuristic. I imagine you already know most of these, since you're spending $143 instead of $400 - but putting it into practice every time you go to the supermarket is what counts.

Mustachianism means identifying what makes you happy, and spending your spare money on that, instead of other things. If $40/month for hockey makes your husband happy, then spend it. If $40/month on a cat makes you happy, then spend it. If eating meat every day makes you happy, then spend on it, and if $87/month on other short term pleasure makes you happy, then spend it. But that's a lot of discretionary spending - each individual one can be justified, but would you really stop being happy if you gave one (or more) of those things up? You don't even have to give them up totally - maybe play half as much hockey, or drop the $5/week each and just do $10/week joint. Also consider other ways of making yourselves happy, which don't require as much spending. Considering your situation - both of you have about average incomes, and student loans, and you have a kid - you can have things you want, but not everything you want.
The cost is one season of hockey and money set aside for replacements.  We ran how much the equipment costs and prorated it.  He plays extra as a sub and got a free summer of playing.  I want to keep the number where it is but I think he will stay under, he always does find deals.
And, yes, I would feel personally, like a horrid person if I gave up the cat.  I feel, personally, that you do not adopt a pet, unless you keep the pet through hell and high water.  This does not even qualify.  I don't count that as a luxury because I would go without food for her.  You don't take on a vulnerable animal and just treat it like he or she is disposable.  That goes against my morals. 
Without the spending money, I go through frugal fatigue and it makes me feel like I am trying to parent my husband.  We need money that does not answer to the other.  I am working on the not eating out as much, it is my weakness.
But, that being said, you did give me a lot to think about, so thank you.
Title: Re: Facepunch please
Post by: Ishmael on February 19, 2014, 06:53:53 AM
Canadian here... Everyone should lay off the hockey thing.

You don't question a man's hockey. It's just not done.
Title: Re: Facepunch please
Post by: warfreak2 on February 19, 2014, 09:22:57 AM
I suppose I should add that I mean to making suggestions rather than tell you what to do, and my suggestions are predicated on you having to save more. I do think you're doing pretty well already, it's not like you are kite surfing in the carribean twice a year, or wasting your money on SUVs and cable tv. I expect your finances will improve even without trying, once you both have PhDs increasing your incomes rather than PhD studying expenses. The main advice I have is to clearly delineate between your needs and wants on your budget, and come to an agreement about whether an expense is worth the extra working.
Title: Re: Facepunch please
Post by: Gin1984 on February 19, 2014, 09:55:09 AM
I suppose I should add that I mean to making suggestions rather than tell you what to do, and my suggestions are predicated on you having to save more. I do think you're doing pretty well already, it's not like you are kite surfing in the carribean twice a year, or wasting your money on SUVs and cable tv. I expect your finances will improve even without trying, once you both have PhDs increasing your incomed rather than PhD studying expenses. The main advice I have is to clearly delineate between your needs and wants on your budget, and come to an agreement about whether an expense is worth the extra working.
Honestly, I appreciated your post a lot.
Title: Re: Facepunch please
Post by: Exflyboy on February 19, 2014, 10:36:02 AM
Airvoice wireless phone and text plans start at $10 a month (limited usage) going to $30 for unlimited.  Republic wireless  I was told this weekend had talk and text for $10 a month (unlimited).. Maybe I mis heard but sounded like a screaming deal.. But the phones are $300 one time (unless you loose them).

Frank
Title: Re: Facepunch please
Post by: Gin1984 on February 19, 2014, 10:44:20 AM
Airvoice wireless phone and text plans start at $10 a month (limited usage) going to $30 for unlimited.  Republic wireless  I was told this weekend had talk and text for $10 a month (unlimited).. Maybe I mis heard but sounded like a screaming deal.. But the phones are $300 one time (unless you loose them).

Frank
Thank you, I will check them all out.  I'll even take possible misheard over no knowledge.  :)
Title: Re: Facepunch please
Post by: tariskat on February 19, 2014, 11:29:38 AM
I switched to Ting several months ago and my cell is about half what it was on TMobile.  If you pull up your numbers (how many minutes used, texts used) for the last 3 months, they'll compare your current cell price to what they would charge you.  There's a Ting referral thread here or I can give you mine if it sounds like it would save you some cash.  A referral is worth 25$, so that would be a free month for me (and hopefully you!)

https://ting.com/calculator
Title: Re: Facepunch please
Post by: Jomar on February 19, 2014, 11:33:34 AM
Canadian here... Everyone should lay off the hockey thing.

You don't question a man's hockey. It's just not done.

YES

I don't play hockey (in my case I wouldn't let anyone cut my xc skiing/running/cycling budget), but regardless I set aside enough money for at least 1 NHL game a year here in Winnipeg... at $130 for 2 tickets minimum it's brutally expensive, but totally worth it. Plus I like the adrenaline rush I get from sneaking snacks into the arena.
Title: Re: Facepunch please
Post by: Gin1984 on February 19, 2014, 12:06:01 PM
Canadian here... Everyone should lay off the hockey thing.

You don't question a man's hockey. It's just not done.

YES

I don't play hockey (in my case I wouldn't let anyone cut my xc skiing/running/cycling budget), but regardless I set aside enough money for at least 1 NHL game a year here in Winnipeg... at $130 for 2 tickets minimum it's brutally expensive, but totally worth it. Plus I like the adrenaline rush I get from sneaking snacks into the arena.
ROFL