The budget categories that DH complains about most....

[cjzimmer1]

 

No, Costco does not carry socks for big feet. We live in a cold climate. 

 

I'm not sure what style of socks you are looking for but they do carry athletic socks in extended sizes.  That's what we use for our oldest.  They aren't in the stores though, you have to order them on the website but they had free shipping when I got them.  I bought one pack and it's still going strong after 2 years of daily use.

[frogger]

I'm not sure what style of socks you are looking for but they do carry athletic socks in extended sizes. That's what we use for our oldest. They aren't in the stores though, you have to order them on the website but they had free shipping when I got them. I bought one pack and it's still going strong after 2 years of daily use.

Thanks, I will double check. We are outside a lot so we usually look for wool or similar synthetics but Costco is always changing what it carries so I will look again online.

[kiwik]

But why would you need to buy a pair of summer and winter shoes every single year if you are buying really high quality shoes?

 

If you are buying $50 shoes twice a year for a 5 year old, okay, but can't you resell them if you absolutely must buy new twice a year?

Because they grow and if you are a care for feet person you don't put your kids in older siblings shoes unless they are occasional wear shoes. Shoes are more expensive here but I buy on sale - about $90 for Asics cross trainers in winter and 75 to $100 for keen sandals in summer. Next year ds10 will need adult sizes which will add $50 to $80 to each pair.

 

I could sell them but I generally give them away as I have been given stuff by others.

Edited December 31, 2017 by kiwik

[Ann.without.an.e]

Attolia, some of these sound judgy to me but I'm sure they are trying to be helpful so I hope you put on your thick skin when you started this thread.  :)

 

I remember people not believing my food plus household items I posted here many years ago. I had no idea that life is different with littles for one. My 18 year old currently eats more than all four of my children did back then. I would have scoffed big time at my current grocery budget back when I had little ones and even when I had medium ones that would eat regular sized adult portions instead of 2 or more times an adult.  It really is hard to compare across families.

 

I'm sure people would be shocked at how much I just spent on clothing the last month. Of course, it also covered our gifts so I only had to take the money out from one budget or another. It would make one or the other look bad but a very warm coat and good socks are all necessary items. To me that saves more than coming up with cheap yet unnecessary gifts.  Also,  adult clothes cost more. A couple family members cannot buy in regular stores. No, Costco does not carry socks for big feet. We live in a cold climate. It is not for fashion that I spend money on good gear. It's so their toes don't fall off after being frozen. Although if they did then I could start buying socks at Costco.  :lol:  Now mind you the coat I just bought for me was on a 60% off clearance but I held out for over a year before finding one. That means I had lots of layers in sometimes 0 degree F weather with no real winter coat since mine fell completely apart because I had it over a decade.  I wouldn't wait that long for my children even if people got judgey on me. And I have only one child left that actually wears children sized clothes. He is at the end of the child section though and he is only 10. Be thankful you who have small children. You don't know what it saves you. 

 

I don't buy prepackaged food but what gets us is fruit and vegetables. Not many others probably spend $3 on a single Avocado. I don't either because I only buy them when I find a special deal but fruit and veggie costs in Alaska are tremendous. So is meat but we don't buy that as often although I wonder how healthy it is for my son to eat so much peanut butter. Really comparisons just don't work. Tell someone in Silicon Valley to keep housing less than a quarter of their income and you might get a look like this.  :blink:  :lol:

 

 

All this to say don't be offended and don't automatically think you are overspending. I'm not saying you are but just a reminder. If you know what you are spending then you must already track, which is good. Some have been good suggestions.  I would just pick one category a week to look at all the costs and see what could have been cut (specifically for your family). We recently switched companies for internet and such. That is the easiest honestly because though it is a pain the month you do it comparing all the special deals, discounts for adding, subtracting, what is actually enough data for your family, etc you only have to do it once and get that same savings every month. 

 

I can't remember where you live but really you will get the best advice from people who have the same needs as you and the same resources. I would get lots of fruit and veggies from farmers if I lived down south. Instead, we eat lots of Salmon and it's cheaper than our fruit and veggies. 

 

 

 

I knew to come in packing thick skin  :lol:    You know, years ago I was probably the one on this board that was in awe of what others spent.  I mean, they are so cheap when they are little!  Food was cheap, little kids clothes are so easy to find at kid's consignment shops and they could pass most stuff to the other kid, etc.  Even good quality shoes are just ..... cheaper.  

 

I think that younger kids are kind of a fraud....they make you think that kids are cheap so you don't even hesitate to have a handful or two and then bam, the teen years come along.  :laugh:

[ebrindam]

Parents should meet basic needs for clothing and shoes but the typical teen wants more than that. A lot of the money I earned as a teen went towards supplementing the basic wardrobe my parents supplied.

 

My 15 y.o. just bought a second pair of sneakers with the earnings from her PT job. She doesn't need them as she has a perfectly functional pair of sneakers. But she liked the way these other ones looked so she spent her own money on them.

 

I think that's totally different (and reasonable) but the other poster said "to be a contributing member of the family." Parents are required to clothe their children in a reasonable amount of clothing. The OP didn't say the children are clamoring for more fashionable clothing.

Edited January 1, 2018 by ebrindam

[2squared]

While looking at these four categories seems reasonable, I would sit down with your dh and examine every line of the budget. My guess is other areas can/should be cut down as well.  Maybe start with your new income at the top of the page and subtract expenses in priority order, discussing each one and possiblities for reduction as you go.  When you run out of money at the bottom, everything not funded gets cut.  It'll be a difficult discussion, but sounds like it needs to be done. You could talk about what a bare bones grocery budget looks like as you determine how to fund it.  Same with gifts. Some gifts will make the list, but which ones and at what funding level? 

 

If you have 5 phones at $200/month, that seems like an expense that can be significantly cut.  I see a lot of people with basic cell plans for many lines for under $100/month.  I'm sure other expenditures should be evaluated in a similar way.

 

FWIW, your spending is in line with ours for our family of 7. If you don't have the money, though, something will have to be cut.

 

 

[frogger]

 

 

I think that younger kids are kind of a fraud....they make you think that kids are cheap so you don't even hesitate to have a handful or two and then bam, the teen years come along. :laugh:

Ain't that the truth. :laugh:

[freesia]

You can also consider pay as you go for some or all cells. I can I-message via wi-fi and my yearly cell costs are less than $50. Our landline Carrier even had an app I can use in wi-fi areas. Yes, I can't text all day to people without an iPhone. But if you need to cut, that is a place you can--particularly for those for whom the unlimited phone plan is more of a want.

[Wheres Toto]

Gifts and clothing seem high to me.  Or at least high enough that there would be room to cut those down if necessary.

 

I have to wear Brooks sneakers and shoes that are good for plantar fasciitis so they run pretty expensive, over $100 a pair unless I luck out on finding a style that's cheaper.  I replace my Brooks yearly but dress shoes that I wear rarely can go longer.  My kids are still growing (very quickly right now!) and we usually shop Target or Walmart depending on what we are looking for.  We will spend extra for decent sneakers.  We don't usually buy at thrift stores but we do shop sales and don't replace things that are perfectly fine. None of us are hung up on styles and if the kids want a special thing of clothing (dd wanted a denim jacket), it's usually done as a gift.

 

We do birthday and Christmas for our kids, our parents (three sets), and each other (limited) and might add a few nieces and nephews for Christmas.   

[mommyoffive]

Can you cut your cell phone bills by going to Republic Wireless or Freedom Pop?

[Ann.without.an.e]

Can you cut your cell phone bills by going to Republic Wireless or Freedom Pop?

 

 

Have you used these services?  For a long time, the only way we could get reception at our house was with verizon.  We haven't checked in a few years.

[Ann.without.an.e]

Can you cut your cell phone bills by going to Republic Wireless or Freedom Pop?

 

 

I looked into this more.  We use iPhones so we are kind of stuck with Verizon.  I don't feel like we are paying too much for what we get.  We have 5 phones and we always use previous iPhone versions.  Our total most months is only $185 because we keep and stay in a low data GB amount.  We don't use too much data really.  This includes the contract phone payment for 2 of the phones.  Once the payments on those drop, it will go down a bit more and as long as the phones work, I don't care how many generations behind they are.  We are stuck until next November because of contracts anyway.

 

 

* I am a tiny bit of iPhone snob, but mainly because of how it syncs to my MacBook and I use the whole set up for work alot.  Switching to a different type of phone would be way inconvenient for me.

Edited January 1, 2018 by Attolia

[Laura Corin]

 

* I am a tiny bit of iPhone snob, but mainly because of how it syncs to my MacBook and I use the whole set up for work alot. Switching to a different type of phone would be way inconvenient for me.

I have an Android phone and a MacBook. What syncing do you think you would lose? I might be able to tell you how it works for me.

[La Condessa]

Our Republic Wireless phones run through the Verizon network when there's no wifi available.

[Garga]

We had this speech this year, all throughout the family, and as it turns out, we had a lot MORE fun than we usually do.  We got really creative and focused on handmade gifts or things we can do for and with each other.  

 

From my son's GF I got a couple of boxes of tea, with a certificate for a tea party.

I gave my mom a half-hour piano concert (over the phone).

My son gave me a date to Star Wars (complete with popcorn) and a cleaned-up room.  

We gave my MIL a drive in the mountains when spring comes.  

Our parents, we gave coffee mugs with family (and kitten) photos on them.  

My MIL gave me some of her placemats I can use on the picnic tables in the summer.  (She is 92.5 and can't shop.)

 

And my sister gave us the best gift:  Christmas Crackers.  We had a blast telling each other the jokes and tooting the whistles and wearing the crowns.  It was a blast.  And it cost a LOT less money than we had spent in the past.  I think we had the best time *together* that we have had in years.  

 

I love it that after all the preparing for everyone to be unhappy with fewer gifts, it turned out that you all had the best time together than you'd had in years.  What a heart-warming story!  Thank you for sharing it.  :)

[cjzimmer1]

Our Republic Wireless phones run through the Verizon network when there's no wifi available.

I wonder if this is location specific because our runs through Sprint lines.  My DH works in one of those rare rural areas where Verizon doesn't cover.  We had it when he first starting working there but had to switch because Sprint was on the only network in that area (confirmed by all his co-workers, many of whom carry two phones just to have a Sprint phone that gets them service in that area).  He's been on Republic for a couple of years now.

[Bambam]

We have two Republic Wireless phones here. Mine uses T-Mobile - which I hate because coverage in rural areas stinks. I called up to switch to the last carrier I had,but this phone Moto Z Play - can only be used for T-Mobile. My oldest's Republic Wireless phone uses another carrier and it is great everywhere she has been. A friend here switched his carrier with Republic because he didn't get good reception at his work. They can work with you. 

[TechWife]

 

 

For the shoes—does everyone have foot problems? I don’t have foot problems and can buy cheap shoes. If you all have foot problems, then you’re stuck with expensive shoes. But if you don’t all have foot problems, buy some cheap shoes. If those shoes end up hurting, then go back to the expensive ones. Without established foot issues, I’d stop spending $75 per pair of shoes. That’s a lot of money. Only spend that much on people who actually have foot issues. Or only on the shoes they go running in. The shoes they wear around the house can be cheaper, if they don’t have foot problems.

 

Many foot problems are caused by bad shoes. The problems can be prevented by wearing good shoes. It really isn’t as simple as saying if cheap shoes hurt, get expensive ones. It has a lot more to due with promoting overall foot health, gait, posture and joint health. Wearing poor quality shoes may be a money saver in the short term, but it won’t be in the long term and it comes with the risk of decreasing mobility as we age.

[Runningmom80]

You are around where we are for a family of 5.  We spend less on school but more on groceries sadly.  My oldest has multiple food allergies and EoE so it is what it is. 

 

I imagine school with high schoolers will be at least that. 

 

 

I try to shop sustainably so that costs more too.

 

 I don't know how you could get any of those categories lower. 

[Runningmom80]

Wow, a lot of people said the clothing is high?

 

I actually thought your clothing seemed low. :lol:  We spend 150 a month on a family of 5 and my kids are 11 and 7 year old twins.  I hand down older DS's clothes to younger DS and try to shop H&M and Target and can't get any lower than 150 a month.  I buy my clothes second hand from Poshmark too.

 

 

I guess you could shop Goodwill but I think you have to have a good one in your area.  Ours does not have a good selection at all. 

 

 

Edited January 2, 2018 by Runningmom80

[Runningmom80]

For those of you wondering why her dh is examining the budget, the OP posted in another thread that they’re losing 20k of income next year.

 

In light of that, I think you should consider making major cuts to the gift and clothing budgets. Get cheaper shoes for a year.

 

 

I missed this.  I apologize.

 

Definitely cut the gift budget.  Do not buy for adults in the extended family.  We had to cut it out a few years ago and my family was great about it.  DH has some show offs in his family who would not stand for not being able to buy fancy gifts so we ended up with a compromise of drawing names.

 

IMO they should understand. If they don't that's ok too because you are doing what's best for your family and you don't need their approval for that.  :grouphug:

 

Edited for clarity because my rant was incoherent

Edited January 2, 2018 by Runningmom80

[Arcadia]

I actually thought your clothing seemed low. :lol: We spend 150 a month on a family of 5 and my kids are 11 and 7 year old twins. I hand down older DS's clothes to younger DS and try to shop H&M and Target and can't get any lower than 150 a month.

It really depends on individual needs. My husband buys at most 2 shirts per year at less than $20 each. He goes to work in jeans and shirts so he only need a new pair of jeans every few years. His leather work shoes last for years since his job is sedentary office work.

My working wardrobe from a decade ago is still in very good condition and are all classic pieces so I don’t even need a new wardrobe if I go back to work. I am in the same clothes size for the past thirty years so even my formal clothing still works.

We find cheap jeans and tops at Children’s Place and Marshall’s for our boys. We stockpile when Children’s Place jeans were $7 each regardless of size, DS13 wears a size 16 jeans and Children’s Place has up to size 20 for jeans and pants. We are 5 miles away from a mall though so it is easy to do a pit stop and shop sales on the way home from their German class. Target cost more than Marshall’s for us for both smart casual and recital clothes.

DS13 can wear my husband’s formal shirts and blazers if he wants to as they are the same height and shoulder width, and he can wear size adult S for tops.

 

We don’t have any luck with thrift stores so it really is location dependent and also what size of clothing your family needs. I need XXS so I hold on to all my classic style clothing as my size is so difficult to find. I give away the trendy ones since those look outdated if I keep them.

[Ann.without.an.e]

 

 

I guess you could shop Goodwill but I think you have to have a good one in your area.  Ours does not have a good selection at all. 

 

 

We don’t have any luck with thrift stores so it really is location dependent and also what size of clothing your family needs. I need XXS so I hold on to all my classic style clothing as my size is so difficult to find. I give away the trendy ones since those look outdated if I keep them.

 

 

 

I am glad I am not the only one with no good thrift options.  I envy those with nice ones.  Years and years ago we lived in a town with a really nice gw and we frequented it.  Well, I am not glad for you but I am glad you understand, haha.

Edited January 2, 2018 by Attolia

[mommyoffive]

It really depends on individual needs. My husband buys at most 2 shirts per year at less than $20 each. He goes to work in jeans and shirts so he only need a new pair of jeans every few years. His leather work shoes last for years since his job is sedentary office work.

My working wardrobe from a decade ago is still in very good condition and are all classic pieces so I don’t even need a new wardrobe if I go back to work. I am in the same clothes size for the past thirty years so even my formal clothing still works.

We find cheap jeans and tops at Children’s Place and Marshall’s for our boys. We stockpile when Children’s Place jeans were $7 each regardless of size, DS13 wears a size 16 jeans and Children’s Place has up to size 20 for jeans and pants. We are 5 miles away from a mall though so it is easy to do a pit stop and shop sales on the way home from their German class. Target cost more than Marshall’s for us for both smart casual and recital clothes.

DS13 can wear my husband’s formal shirts and blazers if he wants to as they are the same height and shoulder width, and he can wear size adult S for tops.

 

We don’t have any luck with thrift stores so it really is location dependent and also what size of clothing your family needs. I need XXS so I hold on to all my classic style clothing as my size is so difficult to find. I give away the trendy ones since those look outdated if I keep them.

 

Such a great tip.   Putting that in my mental bank.