Living on less

[Trilliums]

Let's say you bring in 2,000 per month (probably it is either a little bit more or you get a tax refund each year).

Some of these values I estimated:

Housing: 735

Utilities: 200

Internet: 40

Karate: 60

Car insurance:42

Gas for car: 50 80

Medical bills:50

Credit card bill:30

 

Total: 1237per month.

 

Leaving 763 for food, clothing, new medical bill, homeschool supplies, etc.

So that boils down to feeding your family for under $20 per day to give you a bit left over for other expenses.

 

ETA: looks like utilities might be higher some months. Also, for gas...OP are you saying it is $20 in gas per week OR every day you drive to work?

Edited July 27, 2012 by Trilliums

[FaithManor]

In our area, you would really struggle to live on that because car insurance, electric, and heat are VERY high in Michigan.

 

Op, that really stinks. The only thing I can see is for your dh to find a creative way to make up those 20 hrs. a week he isn't getting. My brother works on the side doing computer repairs, clearing harddrives of viruses, installing software and training individuals on it's use - Quickbooks, etc. maybe your dh could get into that. He averages $400.00 a month extra income.

 

Faith

Edited July 27, 2012 by FaithManor

[BlueTaelon]

Well then share! :) What is your rent/mortgage and utilities look like? Half of what we make would be about 14k a year. Our rent alone is 8820 a year. Our electric averages about $200 a month. That is 2400 a year. Between those two things it would be 11200. Based off that it would leave $233 a month for everything else. I have to think you aren't being honest in your income OR you have to rent/mortgage, no utility payments or something else. I an sincerely not trying to accuse but your proclamations border on hyperbole.

 

So if you are completely serious then please, please share. I would love so see how you do it!

 

 

We rent a 2 bedroom apt for myself and 2 kids which is $675 mo (this is a $100 increase from our last place but it doesn't have crazy druggie neighbors so its worth it), utilities run around $60, I have unlimited minutes, txt, web, data on my cell for $55 but were switching carriers next month since they don't service the area I'm moving to. The new package will be $45 through Straight Talk for the same stuff. Cable Internet is about $50 mo which is an increase from the $30 I was paying for DSL which doesn't reach here. Car is paid off and kept maintained, liability only insurance I think runs about $200 year. Were GF/DF and on a high protein diet, food averages about $400 month. We have Medicaid for major medical but its more or less worthless since they don't cover the kids medical stuff and I have to pay out of pocket. They have a blood disorder thats treated via high dose vitamin/mineral supplements which run about $50 month when I order online, there are no Dr's who treat this condition within several hours so I do all the research and come up with treatment, we did get a chance to consult a Dr on a freebie basis once due to the severity of my dd's lab scores at diagnoses but the Dr said I was already doing an awesome job and no changes needed, I knew just as much as she did about the condition so I manage it which she was cool with). Clothes come from thrift shops, pretty much only thing thats new is shoes and underwear. I use coupons and shop sales, I will freely admit I am one of those crazy coupon ladies you see on TV only I don't buy junk food. Everything is cooked from scratch. I LOVE shopping at the ethnic markets for produce which really slashes the budget. I make my own cleaners/detergents/fabric softener. Recently started making my own deodorant and will be switching to "no 'poo" hair washing when the current stockpile runs out.

 

Lets see, I drive 45 miles each way 1 once a month for shopping, I spend $25 in gas and save almost $300 over shopping locally where we have only 2 grocery stores to choose from that are way over priced. I have a 16 sq ft freezerless refrigerator that works awesome and will keep produce good for 3 weeks and a 16 sq foot upright commercial freezer I picked up on craigslist for $100 a couple years ago. This allows me to basically do once a month shopping and stock up on sales.

 

When dd11 was doing karate I bartered and only had to pay $50mo for lessons 5 days a week in exchange for pulling weeds at their ranch 2 hours a week.

 

$8mo for Netflix, I have Amazon Prime student for $39 year, I don't really use the videos but the 2 days shipping means I don't have to drive the 45 miles to the city so it saves me money in less then 2 orders. (we live in a small town and don't have big box stores with the exception of kmart)

 

We garden when we can but missed out this summer due to moving, I will be building a green house with a large aquaponic garden at the new place so we have fresh veggies all winter and fish come spring/summer when they reach maturity, we can fish in the lake until then. Hunting is also an option where were moving.

 

Many many people live like we do, great place to start learning all this is afullcup.com :)

 

Any other questions?:)

[TranquilMind]

Hmmm Our rent is $735... and electric has been running 200-250. So that is almost half out income between the two (I said that in the original post :))

 

In our area this is the least amount of rent we can get without moving to a single wide trailer (which I am not against but in this area? I won't go there). Anything equivalent to what we have is way more. Less than what we have is maybe $50 less or so. I'd rather stay where we are than save $50 for what we would get.

 

 

 

Minimum wage is $7.25 :)

 

You are correct if my dh hours were consistent. They are not, neither are mine. I work between 32-40 hours a week. The average of that is 36 but I typically work 34. Dh can work up to 20 hours a week but they have been low on work and he has only been getting 15 hours a week. That 20 hours or so a month is what is killing us. You are also figuring our income before taxes :) My dh is a IC, so he has to pay self-employment taxes. Last year we did great. I was a IC as well and we made 36k, however we paid almost 5k in SE taxes. This year I was an IC for only 4 months then the contract wasn't renewed and I was unemployed for two months and I am making less than I was as an IC.

 

So between the two of us we make about $2100 to $2200 a month. When dh is making his full hours it isn't so much of an issue, but he isn't so we are struggling and I am trying to figure out how to cut back and what to cut back on.

 

If we only didn't have medical and a cell phone bill! That is $200 a month right there.

 

 

 

Ooo yes we will be getting that Magic Jack after our cell contract expires in October.

Sounds like husband (assuming he is well, not disabled, etc) needs a full time job, and maybe could do this part time one on the side?

[MamaBirdX7]

Medical bills, older vehicles with high miles, bare minimum groceries, husband only working 20 hours on a good week. You should NOT be looking to cut. More income is your answer.

 

If you need one parent at home, and you have the opportunity to work from home, and your husband's income isn't cutting it, to me it makes sense for you to take the at home job that sucks and DH to pick up another job outside the home. If his current work is only 20 hours a week, that would mean a second 40 hour a week full-time job until the bills are paid, you have an emergency fund, and a vehicle or two that are a little fresher.

 

(coming from someone who didn't have a vehicle made this century until 2011, whose husband works 64 hours a week min., is the mother of 6 children, and lived in a junky single wide trailer until 4 years ago)

[Mynyel]

Let's say you bring in 2,000 per month (probably it is either a little bit more or you get a tax refund each year).

Some of these values I estimated:

Housing: 735

Utilities: 200

Internet: 40

Karate: 60

Car insurance:42

Gas for car: 50 80

Medical bills:50

Credit card bill:30

 

Total: 1237per month.

 

Leaving 763 for food, clothing, new medical bill, homeschool supplies, etc.

So that boils down to feeding your family for under $20 per day to give you a bit left over for other expenses.

 

ETA: looks like utilities might be higher some months. Also, for gas...OP are you saying it is $20 in gas per week OR every day you drive to work?

 

Close :) Medical is $250 until Tax time. We used carecredit at the time for a root canal and it is interest free if we pay it off by Nov, otherwise we get hit with all that accumulated interest. I may look into that and move it to a lesser credit card and lower the payment. Hmmm just thought of that. The rest is CC payments for the medical bills we paid for other things like kidney stones and a broken collar bone.

 

The gas alone for one car is $20 a week to get to work. So for all gas to get to and fro would be about $120... we live 30 minutes from *everything*.

 

I can post more later but I need to get going... I have to work :)

[vonfirmath]

I don't know where you live BT. but $675/mo even for a 2-bedroom is crazy low.

 

What we are leaving (this weekend): $750/mo rent, $50/mo trash pickup. Electricity (keeping temps at 80 during the summer, 70 in winter) is $80 in the winter and 130 in the summer and around $100 in fall/spring. Natural Gas is $200 over the course of the 3 month winter. We pay $125/mo for insurance for two cars. No cable. Internet/Phone is $50/mo. Water is $25/mo. Automobile gas is WAY too expensive.

Edited July 27, 2012 by vonfirmath

[hsingscrapper]

We have a family of five. I feel for you.

 

I'm only chiming in to suggest Angel Food. You pay $25-$30 and get a box of food that equals about $50.

 

Another thing that helps us is our local restaurant supply that is open to the public. We love deli meat and save about $3-$4 per pound on meat. They will slice to order. Frozen veggies and pasta are cheaper here, too. Cheaper than Sams Club and, since they service restaurants, they hardly ever fluctuate on their prices.

 

You mentioned that everything is electric so I'm assuming this includes your stove? Have you considered batch cooking? It has to be cheaper to cook a larger meal for a few extra minutes than to fire the oven up the next day. At least, I think the microwave has to be cheaper. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[lovinmomma]

Your power bill seems very high. How large is your home or apartment? Can you inquire with your power company to see if they offer any programs--I know our company will come in and do an energy audit to help you determine how you could lower your bill. We have a 1450 sq. foot, 2 story house and our power bill is never higher than $200. Even in the thick of the hot NC summer, we've been running about $170 (and that's with the a/c running nonstop!).

 

Another suggestion...if your dh is only getting 15-20 hours of work right now, is there anything he can do to bring in more income? Could he get a newspaper route? Deliver pizzas? Tutor students? Create websites for small businesses? (I don't know what his talents are, but if you shared, maybe we could brainstorm some ideas). Could one of you clean the karate studios where your dd takes karate in exchange for tuition? (My husband and I clean the dance studios where my dds dance).

 

In regards to the electric bill. I paid about $200 last month for a 900 square ft ft home for my electric bill. And that's NOT with the a/c running constantly though we did have a heat wave.

[lovinmomma]

We rent a 2 bedroom apt for myself and 2 kids which is $675 mo (this is a $100 increase from our last place but it doesn't have crazy druggie neighbors so its worth it), utilities run around $60, I have unlimited minutes, txt, web, data on my cell for $55 but were switching carriers next month since they don't service the area I'm moving to. The new package will be $45 through Straight Talk for the same stuff. Cable Internet is about $50 mo which is an increase from the $30 I was paying for DSL which doesn't reach here. Car is paid off and kept maintained, liability only insurance I think runs about $200 year. Were GF/DF and on a high protein diet, food averages about $400 month. We have Medicaid for major medical but its more or less worthless since they don't cover the kids medical stuff and I have to pay out of pocket. They have a blood disorder thats treated via high dose vitamin/mineral supplements which run about $50 month when I order online, there are no Dr's who treat this condition within several hours so I do all the research and come up with treatment, we did get a chance to consult a Dr on a freebie basis once due to the severity of my dd's lab scores at diagnoses but the Dr said I was already doing an awesome job and no changes needed, I knew just as much as she did about the condition so I manage it which she was cool with). Clothes come from thrift shops, pretty much only thing thats new is shoes and underwear. I use coupons and shop sales, I will freely admit I am one of those crazy coupon ladies you see on TV only I don't buy junk food. Everything is cooked from scratch. I LOVE shopping at the ethnic markets for produce which really slashes the budget. I make my own cleaners/detergents/fabric softener. Recently started making my own deodorant and will be switching to "no 'poo" hair washing when the current stockpile runs out.

 

Lets see, I drive 45 miles each way 1 once a month for shopping, I spend $25 in gas and save almost $300 over shopping locally where we have only 2 grocery stores to choose from that are way over priced. I have a 16 sq ft freezerless refrigerator that works awesome and will keep produce good for 3 weeks and a 16 sq foot upright commercial freezer I picked up on craigslist for $100 a couple years ago. This allows me to basically do once a month shopping and stock up on sales.

 

When dd11 was doing karate I bartered and only had to pay $50mo for lessons 5 days a week in exchange for pulling weeds at their ranch 2 hours a week.

 

$8mo for Netflix, I have Amazon Prime student for $39 year, I don't really use the videos but the 2 days shipping means I don't have to drive the 45 miles to the city so it saves me money in less then 2 orders. (we live in a small town and don't have big box stores with the exception of kmart)

 

We garden when we can but missed out this summer due to moving, I will be building a green house with a large aquaponic garden at the new place so we have fresh veggies all winter and fish come spring/summer when they reach maturity, we can fish in the lake until then. Hunting is also an option where were moving.

 

Many many people live like we do, great place to start learning all this is afullcup.com :)

 

Any other questions?:)

 

Thanks for sharing! I love hearing how other people make ends meet. :)

[lovinmomma]

Close :) Medical is $250 until Tax time. We used carecredit at the time for a root canal and it is interest free if we pay it off by Nov, otherwise we get hit with all that accumulated interest. I may look into that and move it to a lesser credit card and lower the payment. Hmmm just thought of that. The rest is CC payments for the medical bills we paid for other things like kidney stones and a broken collar bone.

 

The gas alone for one car is $20 a week to get to work. So for all gas to get to and fro would be about $120... we live 30 minutes from *everything*.

 

I can post more later but I need to get going... I have to work :)

 

How do you only pay $20 per WEEK living 30 mins. from work??? I pay $70 per week and only live 15 mins. from work and my grocery store is right down the road.

[BlueTaelon]

I don't know where you live BT. but $675/mo even for a 2-bedroom is crazy low.

 

What we are leaving (this weekend): $750/mo rent, $50/mo trash pickup. Electricity (keeping temps at 80 during the summer, 70 in winter) is $80 in the winter and 130 in the summer and around $100 in fall/spring. Natural Gas is $200 over the course of the 3 month winter. We pay $125/mo for insurance for two cars. No cable. Internet/Phone is $50/mo. Water is $25/mo. Automobile gas is WAY too expensive.

 

 

Its called not living in a large city. $650 is average for a 2 bedroom apt around here. Its often cheaper to live in the smaller towns near larger cities and commute/carpool to work. I think I paid $4.03 a gallon for gas last week. As for utilities dress warmer in winter, elec blankets at night (I just spent a month staying in a travel trailer where it was in the 30's at night with no heat and I was toasty warm with that blanket), we wear thermals under clothes ect, fans really help keeping cool, we only have a window A/C but if we didn't I would just make one which is what I will be doing when we go back up to my parents property next week (check out youtube for instructions, cheaper then A/C) and stay in the trailer again while they put in my parents house. (we will be moving in with them for a few months while I find a job and our own place). We also get a 20% low income discount on our bill and have medical baseline which means we have a pretty high allowance for energy so we rarely go over Tier 1 which really helps.

[BlueTaelon]

We have a family of five. I feel for you.

 

I'm only chiming in to suggest Angel Food. You pay $25-$30 and get a box of food that equals about $50.

 

Another thing that helps us is our local restaurant supply that is open to the public. We love deli meat and save about $3-$4 per pound on meat. They will slice to order. Frozen veggies and pasta are cheaper here, too. Cheaper than Sams Club and, since they service restaurants, they hardly ever fluctuate on their prices.

 

You mentioned that everything is electric so I'm assuming this includes your stove? Have you considered batch cooking? It has to be cheaper to cook a larger meal for a few extra minutes than to fire the oven up the next day. At least, I think the microwave has to be cheaper. Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

 

I cringe when I see people recommend Angel Food, you can get better prices then they offer if you start looking at discount places like Winco or ethnic markets.

[Burger]

I cringe when I see people recommend Angel Food, you can get better prices then they offer if you start looking at discount places like Winco or ethnic markets.

 

 

I don't think Angel Food even exists anymore. I remember reading about a year or so ago that they all shut down because of some (I think) financial scandal.

[sandellie4]

And I like it so much better than long commutes, etc.

 

I was working part time, about 35 hours a week, but then got laid off and lost access to insurance and everything. I have been looking for a job for months, but every interview ends in an apology for how little they can pay (offering to pay entry level for 15 years of experience) and when I look at benefits, they are a lot leaner than I used to get and for a lot more money.

 

The first thing we did was not replace the car that was pretty much dying, which saved us TONS of money. It's inconvenient at times, requiring coordination, but it's worth it for us. I also have time to do a lot more cooking, using basic, less expensive ingredients such as beans and rice. I've become a coupon nut, a good negotiator at Best Buy, etc. (turns out they're happy to negotiate with me for the shelf display, an older-model appliance, whatever -- I had no idea), and we do a lot more outside activities like hiking and picnicking instead of going out to eat, etc.

 

The second biggest impact came from getting more flexible about the air conditioning and heat. We save tons of money by cutting our usage in this area.

 

I was starting to get kind of resentful (:tongue_smilie:) that I couldn't get a job and after so many years working, here I was, a deadbeat. But now I have time to start a new business, one that I've always wanted to try. If it works out, I'll never look back. And if it doesn't, well, someday the economy will turn around or we will all be in one of those end-of-the-world scenarios, and it won't matter that I don't have a job.

 

Sandy

 

Cutting down to one car means saving on insurance. Depending on where you live, that can be a major savings. It costs us over 800$ a year to insure one car. I can't imagine paying for two.

[JoLuRu]

We have a family of five. I feel for you.

 

I'm only chiming in to suggest Angel Food. You pay $25-$30 and get a box of food that equals about $50.

 

Angel Food went under. :(

[hsingscrapper]

Angel Food went under. :(

 

Oh. :( Sorry.

[almondbutterandjelly]

Have you looked at changing your electric carrier? I don't know how things are in NC. I'm in TX and you can use powertochoose.org to find who has the lowest rates. We chose a Co-op from the list and have excellent utility rates. Plus they usually give us a giant credit in December, making December and often January totally free. Our co-op is not-for-profit. We love them, and they have saved us a ton of money.

 

If you can work from home, wouldn't you save on gas and clothes?

[Alicia64]

I haven't read all of the posts so sorry if you've already heard this:

 

library: free dvd's, cd's, magazines and of course books.

 

bread machine: great for making cheap, but great pizza

 

"poor mouth": at least that's what dh calls it. I flat out tell the vet that we're in a bad situation and I need her to help me cut costs. I got a great deal last week.

 

I started baking a lot for desserts. Now it's sadly a downfall for our girth situation.

 

we don't eat meat (huge cost saver).

 

dh grocery shops -- hey! We saved a TON just by keeping me out of those bright beautiful stores piped with pretty music! :lol:

 

haunt the thrift stores and garage sales -- I've found birthday gifts for kids (toys that had never been opened), clothes that appeared rarely worn.

 

when friends are moving gently ask if you can haul stuff away that they'd give to GoodWill anyway -- we got a bunch of neat things this way: a fake ficus tree, a fantastic recliner, really nice knickknacks, dishes.

 

That's my list for now!

 

Alley

[ktgrok]

If both of you together are only bringing in 27,000 that is the problem. What does DH do, how many hours does he work, and why on earth do two people working full time bring home less than 30,000?

[BlueTaelon]

If both of you together are only bringing in 27,000 that is the problem. What does DH do, how many hours does he work, and why on earth do two people working full time bring home less than 30,000?

 

Min wage were the OP lives is $7.25hr so working 40 hours a week is $13,920yr, Even with both people working full time thats $27, 840 yr. Her DH is not working full time though is part of the issue.

[Heidi]

We are not on any assistance and I don't want any. I don't want to jump through those hoops unless absolutely needed.

 

 

:hurray: I have a great deal of respect for this!

 

How about food? Cook from scratch, eat healthy... cut out the dairy & meat (expensive and generally unhealthy), eat beans, rice, grains, and lots of veges, grow a garden, learn to can food, shop at thrift stores, mend your clothes...

 

I think these are some of the most valuable skills you can have and the most valuable lessons you can pass to your children. :grouphug:

[ktgrok]

Min wage were the OP lives is $7.25hr so working 40 hours a week is $13,920yr, Even with both people working full time thats $27, 840 yr. Her DH is not working full time though is part of the issue.

 

ah, sorry, must have missed a page somewhere. Increasing income needs to be the goal, but I realize that isn't an instant thing.

[FO4UR]

Your dh needs to find extra work. I have btdt and at a certain point it makes no sense to cut anything else, especially if dh can find more work - anything would help at that point.

 

 

:grouphug:

[elegantlion]

Wow. Good post. Just out of curiosity... are you aware of any minimalist blogs, etc.

 

No, we minimize in our own way, which is way different than anyone else would ever chose to do it. We also have a great set of parents living close that are generous, they provide clothes for ds (which is minimal really), help us out with some school expenses, and in turn we help them out in non-monetary ways.

 

The ability to downsize our housing expenses is what has kept me from having to seek full-time employment. I love our house, it's exactly the right style of house for us. I won't list our payment here, but it's cheaper than any rent we'd pay for a house or apartment.

 

We happened into it at the right time, where we used to live the payment was killing us each month. We moved further out of the city than we wanted, but we're still in a real town, just smaller, which I happen to like more than I expected.

[mybluesky]

My parents really sacrificed so my mom could stay home. We ate lots of pasta, frequented yard sales, never went out to eat, used the library a ton, any trips we took were to relatives or in a tent, we grew and canned our own veggies and fruit, mended clothes, and generally as kids we just knew that we didn't buy things. And I have to say, from a kids' perspective, it was a great way to grow up. I learned great lessons about needs vs. wants and how to get creative with what we had. So I just want to say, even if you cut things out like karate, which I'm sure isn't fun to think about, I really believe that kids learn good lessons from cost-cutting too. Hugs to you...I'm sure it is a hard decision to make.

[DawnM]

http://www.budget101.com/budget101-free-ebook/free-ebook-groceries-200-month-2547.html

 

The above is a great resource for eating on very little.

[jallison25]

i added this pretty quickly so might have missed something but added up to around 1340 a month. If you are living on 13,000 that is roughly 1083 a month? and that would be if the 13000 is your take home. What am i missing? Share what i am missing, we would LOVE to cut some expenses/bills save more around here.

 

We rent a 2 bedroom apt for myself and 2 kids which is $675 mo (this is a $100 increase from our last place but it doesn't have crazy druggie neighbors so its worth it), utilities run around $60, I have unlimited minutes, txt, web, data on my cell for $55 but were switching carriers next month since they don't service the area I'm moving to. The new package will be $45 through Straight Talk for the same stuff. Cable Internet is about $50 mo which is an increase from the $30 I was paying for DSL which doesn't reach here. Car is paid off and kept maintained, liability only insurance I think runs about $200 year. Were GF/DF and on a high protein diet, food averages about $400 month. We have Medicaid for major medical but its more or less worthless since they don't cover the kids medical stuff and I have to pay out of pocket. They have a blood disorder thats treated via high dose vitamin/mineral supplements which run about $50 month when I order online, there are no Dr's who treat this condition within several hours so I do all the research and come up with treatment, we did get a chance to consult a Dr on a freebie basis once due to the severity of my dd's lab scores at diagnoses but the Dr said I was already doing an awesome job and no changes needed, I knew just as much as she did about the condition so I manage it which she was cool with). Clothes come from thrift shops, pretty much only thing thats new is shoes and underwear. I use coupons and shop sales, I will freely admit I am one of those crazy coupon ladies you see on TV only I don't buy junk food. Everything is cooked from scratch. I LOVE shopping at the ethnic markets for produce which really slashes the budget. I make my own cleaners/detergents/fabric softener. Recently started making my own deodorant and will be switching to "no 'poo" hair washing when the current stockpile runs out.

 

Lets see, I drive 45 miles each way 1 once a month for shopping, I spend $25 in gas and save almost $300 over shopping locally where we have only 2 grocery stores to choose from that are way over priced. I have a 16 sq ft freezerless refrigerator that works awesome and will keep produce good for 3 weeks and a 16 sq foot upright commercial freezer I picked up on craigslist for $100 a couple years ago. This allows me to basically do once a month shopping and stock up on sales.

 

When dd11 was doing karate I bartered and only had to pay $50mo for lessons 5 days a week in exchange for pulling weeds at their ranch 2 hours a week.

 

$8mo for Netflix, I have Amazon Prime student for $39 year, I don't really use the videos but the 2 days shipping means I don't have to drive the 45 miles to the city so it saves me money in less then 2 orders. (we live in a small town and don't have big box stores with the exception of kmart)

 

We garden when we can but missed out this summer due to moving, I will be building a green house with a large aquaponic garden at the new place so we have fresh veggies all winter and fish come spring/summer when they reach maturity, we can fish in the lake until then. Hunting is also an option where were moving.

 

Many many people live like we do, great place to start learning all this is afullcup.com :)

 

Any other questions?:)

[Sharon37127]

I read through all of this very quickly and everyone's "numbers" and budget categories were running together. I'm not sure what exactly the OP is working with, but for any debt payments- I would immediately implement

pro rata plans with the holder of any debt. This works awesome with debts held directly by medical providers. This is NOT a long term plan, but if you are complimenting some other things that will take some time, then this would work for debts. Ask me for an explanation if need be, but you can google it too. Originally Dave Ramsey, I think.

[BlueTaelon]

i added this pretty quickly so might have missed something but added up to around 1340 a month. If you are living on 13,000 that is roughly 1083 a month? and that would be if the 13000 is your take home. What am i missing? Share what i am missing, we would LOVE to cut some expenses/bills save more around here.

 

I was scratching my head reading your post and redid the math, I bring in a little over $1600 mo which is $19k a year. (sorry was posting after a horrible day of moving and bickering kids and was scatter brained taking a break.) After I pay basics I usually have about $200- $300 left depending on whats going on. It gets eaten up by various things like car gas, insurance, meds, ect that are not fixed expenses.

[jallison25]

I was scratching my head reading your post and redid the math, I bring in a little over $1600 mo which is $19k a year. (sorry was posting after a horrible day of moving and bickering kids and was scatter brained taking a break.) After I pay basics I usually have about $200- $300 left depending on whats going on. It gets eaten up by various things like car gas, insurance, meds, ect that are not fixed expenses.

 

sorry, i was looking at the post where you said you lived on half of what the OP did which was 27,000 and thought they could cut something somewhere. I was very interested to see what you were doing!!! That 19k a year is your take home, so you make more on paper. I was just curious!

 

eta: sorry you kids were bickering and moving was tough!

[BlueTaelon]

sorry, i was looking at the post where you said you lived on half of what the OP did which was 27,000 and thought they could cut something somewhere. I was very interested to see what you were doing!!! That 19k a year is your take home, so you make more on paper. I was just curious!

 

eta: sorry you kids were bickering and moving was tough!

 

 

No, I don't pay taxes, my income is not taxed in anyway. Were on a fixed income.