I have what I consider to be a ridiculously comfortable monthly take-home income (around $5500k), and I am super excited about being able to pay off my rental property and build up other investments. I live fairly conservatively, and when I budget, it seems like I should have at least $3k leftover each month. But there's always some, unexpected, seemingly unavoidable, OTHER one-off random things that have to get paid for.
These thousand dollars worth of miscellaneous expenses that pop up each month are making me nuts, because I'm trying really hard to get to semi-retirement (cover 100% of expenses through part-time or seasonal employment).
Next month: Painting my 150-year old barn that's weathered itself down to bare wood, toilet and sink for bathroom, property management fee
This month: Fixings to finish shower in my half-finished bathroom; last part of vet bill for unexpected pet surgery; helping Mr. MoonPilgrim with two months on the internet bill (we live together, his income is about 1/3 of mine, and generally covers internet and cell phones)
Last month: Drywall and carpet in rental property, unexpected pet surgery (9-year-old cat was never spayed/had tumor)
June: Propane tanks delivered and filled
May: Running new electrical service to the barn
April: Labor and materials for turning bedroom into bathroom
I'm not so much looking for help cutting down my current regular expenses, more just to see if anyone else finds that there are these four or five things that pop up and cost between $100 and $200 each and every month. Is it just me? What do you do about them? Inevitable? Frustrating to anyone else? Most of it is house-related, now that I'm looking through the list, so do I just put off house repairs? My situation is liveable, but I have to put in a toilet, get furniture, cover the bare concrete floor, paint the exterior, etc. eventually.
Thanks in advance for any insight and commiseration.
FWIW, my budget is:
Mortgage/Taxes on my house: $1000
Mortgage/Taxes on rental property: $500
Food: $200
Hedonistic pursuits*: $150
Automotive: $200
Electricity/Water: $200
Pets: $150
*This probably sounds very anti-mustachian, or at least an area I could cut back on, but it is totally worth $5/day to me, and I've made improvements since I found MMM. I roll my own cigarettes to the tune of a couple dollars per week, I never purchase alcohol at bars or restaurants, I pay cover charges here and there to see live bands because I'm in a band and believe in supporting the live music scene, and am the soup and water girl when I meet friends for dinner out.