Poll: Living expenses

[Spike]

For the wife and I:

Mortgage ~$1900
Home owners dues: $215
Food ~$250
Power ~$30
Gas (natural) ~$45
Broadband (no tv here, all about the pirated shows ) $50
Gas (for car) ~$140 for both cars, $100 of that for mine alone
Clothes $0 (wifes mother likes to buy all of our clothes... except for the occasional suit).
Enterainment ~$250
Cell phones (no landline, family plan with two phones) $55

So monthly budget = ~$2935

Sorta expensive but that is what it's like living in Seattle.

-spike

 

[rsd]

Man some of you must live in cardboard boxes or in your parents basements by the numbers I am seeing.

For me,

Mortgage: 1200ish
Condo fee: 260
Electricity: 50-200 depending on season
Cable + internet: 100
Food: 300ish
Gas: 140
Car Insurance: 80
Entertainment: no idea to be honest, I try to keep it low, say $100 (I have a 92" Home theater )

Ugh now I know why it is so hard to save much per month

 

[tfinch2]

Originally posted by: rsd
Man some of you must live in cardboard boxes or in your parents basements by the numbers I am seeing.

For me,

Mortgage: 1200ish
Condo fee: 260
Electricity: 50-200 depending on season
Cable + internet: 100
Food: 300ish
Gas: 140
Car Insurance: 80
Entertainment: no idea to be honest, I try to keep it low, say $100 (I have a 92" Home theater )

Ugh now I know why it is so hard to save much per month

Low cost of living FTW!

 

[rsd]

Originally posted by: tfinch2

Originally posted by: rsd
Man some of you must live in cardboard boxes or in your parents basements by the numbers I am seeing.

For me,

Mortgage: 1200ish
Condo fee: 260
Electricity: 50-200 depending on season
Cable + internet: 100
Food: 300ish
Gas: 140
Car Insurance: 80
Entertainment: no idea to be honest, I try to keep it low, say $100 (I have a 92" Home theater )

Ugh now I know why it is so hard to save much per month

Low cost of living FTW!

Nah at this point in my life, you couldn't pay me to life with anyone else (other than SO). Forget having like 4 roommates or whatever.

Peace of mind >>>>> dealing with other people's sh!t

 

[tfinch2]

Originally posted by: rsd

Originally posted by: tfinch2

Originally posted by: rsd
Man some of you must live in cardboard boxes or in your parents basements by the numbers I am seeing.

For me,

Mortgage: 1200ish
Condo fee: 260
Electricity: 50-200 depending on season
Cable + internet: 100
Food: 300ish
Gas: 140
Car Insurance: 80
Entertainment: no idea to be honest, I try to keep it low, say $100 (I have a 92" Home theater )

Ugh now I know why it is so hard to save much per month

Low cost of living FTW!

Nah at this point in my life, you couldn't pay me to life with anyone else (other than SO). Forget having like 4 roommates or whatever.

Peace of mind >>>>> dealing with other people's sh!t

Who said anything about roommates? I'm talking about 2000+ sq ft. houses for less than 150k in certain parts of the country.

 

[DaShen]

Add ebay and online shopping to the Poll!!!!

I think many people spend exhorbant amounts on those places.

 

[IronWing]

Originally posted by: DaShen
Add ebay and online shopping to the Poll!!!!

I think many people spend exhorbant amounts on those places.

The stuff they buy should fall into the other categories. Ebay is just another vendor.

 

[rsd]

Originally posted by: tfinch2

Originally posted by: rsd

Originally posted by: tfinch2

Originally posted by: rsd
Man some of you must live in cardboard boxes or in your parents basements by the numbers I am seeing.

For me,

Mortgage: 1200ish
Condo fee: 260
Electricity: 50-200 depending on season
Cable + internet: 100
Food: 300ish
Gas: 140
Car Insurance: 80
Entertainment: no idea to be honest, I try to keep it low, say $100 (I have a 92" Home theater )

Ugh now I know why it is so hard to save much per month

Low cost of living FTW!

Nah at this point in my life, you couldn't pay me to life with anyone else (other than SO). Forget having like 4 roommates or whatever.

Peace of mind >>>>> dealing with other people's sh!t

Who said anything about roommates? I'm talking about 2000+ sq ft. houses for less than 150k in certain parts of the country.

True, but I probably wouldn't want to live in many of those parts, besides having a comparable job there to what I have now, but if that is the cost for you that's awesome.

 

[shortylickens]

Originally posted by: ironwing

Originally posted by: dullard
1) Just about everyone here lies about what they spend on food. I don't know why, but they do. I think it is not on purpose, they simply are in denial. So don't trust your poll answers at all.2) Create a spreadsheet with those categories (as well as a couple more for things like cleaning supplies, health, gifts, or even just misc purchases). For the next 6 months, enter every cent you spend into that spreadsheet. Then you'll know EXACTLY what you spend and how to budget yourself.

I've been tracking every penny for the last three years or so. Food costs about $350/person*month. About $125/month for dining out including lunch at work, snacks, plus dinners out. About $225/month for groceries including food and household supplies.

Thats sad. I think I'm already nostalgic for the eighties. I remember the day my dad complained about spending as much as 100 dollars on food for the three of us for one month.
That was back in the day when a cheeseburger was 39 cents everyday. Tacos were the same. A drink was a buck. Steak at a NICE restaraunt was $10.

 

[Mill]

Originally posted by: Spike
For the wife and I:

Mortgage ~$1900
Home owners dues: $215
Food ~$250
Power ~$30
Gas (natural) ~$45
Broadband (no tv here, all about the pirated shows ) $50
Gas (for car) ~$140 for both cars, $100 of that for mine alone
Clothes $0 (wifes mother likes to buy all of our clothes... except for the occasional suit).
Enterainment ~$250
Cell phones (no landline, family plan with two phones) $55

So monthly budget = ~$2935

Sorta expensive but that is what it's like living in Seattle.

-spike

What the fvck? 215 in HOA fees a MONTH. In a MONTH? You've got to be kidding me!!!!

 

[rsd]

Originally posted by: Mill

Originally posted by: Spike
For the wife and I:

Mortgage ~$1900
Home owners dues: $215
Food ~$250
Power ~$30
Gas (natural) ~$45
Broadband (no tv here, all about the pirated shows ) $50
Gas (for car) ~$140 for both cars, $100 of that for mine alone
Clothes $0 (wifes mother likes to buy all of our clothes... except for the occasional suit).
Enterainment ~$250
Cell phones (no landline, family plan with two phones) $55

So monthly budget = ~$2935

Sorta expensive but that is what it's like living in Seattle.

-spike

What the fvck? 215 in HOA fees a MONTH. In a MONTH? You've got to be kidding me!!!!

My condo fee is $260
It's not like it's a luxury condo either.
Cost of living in mass I guess. On the bright side I have a 10 minute commute to work through a state park

 

[CVSiN]

500 on rent 3 BR house shared with roomate
no power included in rent
gas less than 100 bucks (motorcycle)
food: 150-200 per person sometimes more for dates
cable 50 bucks
Phone 25 bucks
clothes 100 bucks
entertainment 200+

single divorced male 34 yrs old

yes for security sake you prolly need a raise or a roomate again.

 

[gigapet]

Originally posted by: Mill

Originally posted by: Spike
For the wife and I:

Mortgage ~$1900
Home owners dues: $215
Food ~$250
Power ~$30
Gas (natural) ~$45
Broadband (no tv here, all about the pirated shows ) $50
Gas (for car) ~$140 for both cars, $100 of that for mine alone
Clothes $0 (wifes mother likes to buy all of our clothes... except for the occasional suit).
Enterainment ~$250
Cell phones (no landline, family plan with two phones) $55

So monthly budget = ~$2935

Sorta expensive but that is what it's like living in Seattle.

-spike

What the fvck? 215 in HOA fees a MONTH. In a MONTH? You've got to be kidding me!!!!

mines like over 300 usually

 

[jdini76]

Originally posted by: Cutterhead

Originally posted by: shortylickens
I notice you say you pay rent but dont have a poll for rent.
???
Mine is $525. 1100 square feet, my own garage, two patios, backyard of about 1000 sq feet.

I pay $825 per month for a 600 square foot studio apartment, no yard/garage/patios to speak of. Must be nice being in a low cost-of-living area. I had to move here for my job

And yes, please include a poll for rent.

Are yout utilities included with that rent? what city are you living in?

 

[Anubis]

food: 100-150
no cable TV just BB - 54$
elect - 70-80
gas: 150 ish
car: 20-40 i hardly drive itm maybe once a week
clothes - 0 - i dont buy clothes i have enough
entertainment: less then 50$

 

[electricJ]

Originally posted by: dullard

Originally posted by: ironwing
I've been tracking every penny for the last three years or so. Food costs about $350/person*month. About $125/month for dining out including lunch at work, snacks, plus dinners out. About $225/month for groceries including food and household supplies.

That is pretty close to what I did. But I shop at the cheapest grocery store and make that ~$150/month for groceries. For example, it is amazing that people pay $5+ for a 24 pack of pop at Walmart ($6+ at a high end grocery store) when I get the same exact thing at $3.50-$4.50 at an inexpensive grocery store.

QFT

Plus, if you "cherry pick" your groceries (stocking up heavily on sale items that you often use and shop the ads frequently), you can really come out ahead.

 

[TheGameIs21]

To hell with "Live Comfortably". Live within your finances.

People that approach life with the attitude you have right now are the ones that have attirbuted to the high number of bankruptcies. Don't take this offensively but by your statement, I'd guess you to be about 18 - 22. If I'm correct, you need to understand that your time will come if you work your ass off and earn your pay. If I am incorrect about your age, then you need to mature and see the real world. Yeah... your friends might be able to do what you want to but have you looked at their climbing total debt on Credit Cards?

Your Numbers from above
Rent-$700 Have no idea what the market runs in your area
Power-$150 You can have it a little warmer in the summer in your house and cut this down
Gasoline-$200 Average
Food-$350 Average but could be less with generic labels and not eating out. Also assumign you are single
Car Insurance-$100 Have no idea what the market runs in your area
Cable-$75 This is an item that can be cut. There are other things to do in life besides watch TV. think about it. you make $12 an hour. That is to say that you are working for 6.25 hours (almost one full business day) to just watch TV or play on the internet.
Phone-$25 This is average.
Clothes-$100 This is rediculous. No further comment.
Entertainment-$200 This is also rediculous for someone on a fixed income concerned about making bills. There are plent of free things that you can do. You don't have to pay a cover or buy a drink to have fun.

I have responded to your survey.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

rent:$775 will go up to $1000 in a few months when we buy a house
Electricity:~$150
Gas(natural):$45
Water/sewage:$45
Cable/broadband: $108
Car payment:$470
Insurances:$150
Food:$300 for 2 adults and 2 kids
Clothes:$50 combined ( We don't buy a lot of clothes for ourselves, the kids grand parents buy them tons of clothes)
Entertainment:$50 for all 4 of us
Phone:$110 for 2 cell phones
$2253 a month in expenditures
I net $3180 a month
How are you people getting such low power bills???

 

[poopaskoopa]

Roommates FTW. When you make $12/hr + 10% shift differential, you don't live "comfortably". I made $12/hr 7 yrs ago, I had a roommate, no cell, no cable, and I wasn't exactly saving any money. Hopefully you can get a higher paying job soon, or work OT. I answered your survey.

 

[Kelvrick]

Combined actual takehome income of around 4.3k.

Rent: 1025
Car payments: 420
Energy: around 45
DSL: 25
Cable: 12
Cell phones: 70
Gas:
Me: about 90
Her: about 90
Food: Combined 200 a week for 800 a month

Total: 2577

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

The sad thing is My girlfriend's Dad (55 or so years old), Makes like $15 an hour at a call center, Doesn't pay his rent, doesn't pay his car payment, only thing he seems to pay is his cell phone bill and child support.

I calculated off of his salary minus the child support. That he could survive and have some money left over if he moved to a 2 bed/ 1 bath all bills(water,electric,gas) paid apt ( I actually know of a few in a good part of the metroplex) that rents for $500 a month.
Plus he could pay on his car payment and insurance of $600 a month. plus $60 on cell and he would have a surplus of $600 a month for food, car/motorcycle gas.

But he would rather live the way he is now( He thinks he is entitled to buying what he wants and not paying bills). He recently bought a HD LCD TV that was about $1000, then the next month he bought a brand new laptop.

It's sad when a 28 year old (me) has to tell a 55 year old (him) to grow up and be responsible, because I will not let him move in with us when he gets evicted and we( my girlfriend and I) will not give him money to bail him out of his situation.

 

[anno]

lets see..
mortgage 776
electricity 130-290, depending.. say 235 average
cable tv/internet 99
phone 125 (landline + 4 cells)
food.. 400-600/month depending on if the kids are home or not so.. 150-200/person
gas.. about 60 for me, about 200 for my husband
insurance.. 200ish/month, 3 cars
water 45
trash 11
parking 52
health insurance 390
clothes.. oh.. lets say 100/month for all of us
entertainment.. eh.. lets say 100/month there too.
portion of tuition/room/board not covered by scholarships 600

what's that, about 3500? ouch.

 

[Gibson486]

rent: 1525 (but it is split between my gf and I)
electricity: ~$30-$50
internet/TV: $40
food: different every month....
insurance: mom pays for it...
water: 0
parking: about $900/yr

 

[Cutterhead]

Originally posted by: jdini76

Originally posted by: Cutterhead

Originally posted by: shortylickens
I notice you say you pay rent but dont have a poll for rent.
???
Mine is $525. 1100 square feet, my own garage, two patios, backyard of about 1000 sq feet.

I pay $825 per month for a 600 square foot studio apartment, no yard/garage/patios to speak of. Must be nice being in a low cost-of-living area. I had to move here for my job

And yes, please include a poll for rent.

Are yout utilities included with that rent? what city are you living in?

Utilities have been included, until next month when I have to start paying for power. Still, this is not a bad deal for outside of DC, people moving in now pay over $900 for the same apartment. A one bedroom apartment costs $1280 in the same building, and even more in other nearby complexes. So I don't have too much room to complain for my area, but when I see cost-of-living like shortylickens' I still get jealous

 

[DVK916]

Originally posted by: shortylickens
I notice you say you pay rent but dont have a poll for rent.
???
Mine is $525. 1100 square feet, my own garage, two patios, backyard of about 1000 sq feet.

EDIT: Did you want gas, water and garbage to be part of rent costs or power costs?

WTF when I rented an apartment my first year in college I paid 800 a month for 600 squarefeet.

I know people who are paying 1200 a month for 400 feet studio to in other parts of Cali.