Author Topic: On track for an average year, but happy!  (Read 1608 times)

BlueMR2

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On track for an average year, but happy!
« on: January 31, 2015, 11:05:17 AM »
Last year's average was just over $1900 a month (and January 2014 was $2500).  Came in at $1850 (barring no disaster yet today) for this January despite a furnace breakdown *and* a car breakdown!

$450 for service call and repair of our furnace.  Failed motor + labor + brackets + tuneup parts.

$450 for Idle Speed Controller repairs on my 1991 MR2 (273,000 miles).  $150 labor as it was badly rusted in place which is why I took it to a mechanic rather than doing myself. $300 for the new OEM part.  Aftermarket parts were available for as little as $100, but I've had bad luck with aftermarket servo motor parts before.  Since I plan on keep the car for another decade (if possible), I went for the part most likely to last that long.

If not for those events, I would have destroyed last January!  :-)  I'll count that as a success!

Exflyboy

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Re: On track for an average year, but happy!
« Reply #1 on: January 31, 2015, 02:46:46 PM »
How many people in your household.. homeowner (paid off?) or rent?

BlueMR2

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Re: On track for an average year, but happy!
« Reply #2 on: February 01, 2015, 11:30:08 AM »
Household of 2.  Paid off house.

Hoping to hold the spending down to where it was last year, but we're getting socked with tax increases, loss of tax credits due to my work location moving (which is used in my utility/trash bill calculation, nearly doubling the cost of those), plus another big hit from ACA (contribution cost jumping up, HUGE increase in deductible, and loss of benefits).

If we can even stay even, we'll consider it a HUGE win!

Exflyboy

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Re: On track for an average year, but happy!
« Reply #3 on: February 01, 2015, 06:15:53 PM »
less than $23k spend for two people is still pretty darned good.

I am waiting for my wife to do her expanses.. I have spent $10k.. so hoping hers will be similar.

Same as you, paid off house but get pretty good HC thru her work.

Frank

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!