Grab a pair of noise canceling headphones. Don't get the latest and greatest as noise canceling technology hasn't moved all the far in recent years. I got a pair off Amazon for $30 and it has been one of the best items I have bought.
For the coffee though, I like the coffee brewed on Southwest. And I hate to break it to you, they are going to pour you a cup of hot water with the same water that is used to brew the coffee.
Me and my Fiancee live in a high rise in downtown Arlington, Va. I had no idea how expensive the cost of living was here. I am from one of the wealthiest counties in the nation in Maryland and it pales in comparison to city living. With 40 restaurants within a 1 mile radius, it's hard to hold onto our money for a full pay period.
Eating out would be our biggest achilles heel. Even groceries are expensive!
Ours is by far medical - My coverage is paid for by my work, but it's $580 for husband + $400 HSA to meet annual deductible (company pays in $1,200). That's more than our house payment,3x more than our car payment and twice as much as our utilities. And we're stuck with this because of pre-existing conditions. We've tried to get individual health insurance for my husband, but since he has diabetes (controlled), insurance companies avoid him at all possible costs.
My mortgage is paid off, but the condo fee (which includes utilities) is still the top item at $516 followed closely by health insurance at $383 for a high-deductible policy.
Rent on our apartment. I've looked into moving elsewhere, but that would mean I have to drive to work and pay for a parking permit. Plus our rent includes water, internet, and parking. Also the floor plan is laid out so we use very minimal lighting which means an ultra low electricity bill.
We rented for 23 years before buying a house 2 years ago. Now I wish we were still renting! Home ownership, in my opinion, is overrated. We are debt-free otherwise, and I despise being in debt $170K on a house.
I'm a college student going to school out-of-state, so getting home for breaks is what makes my travel costs so high. I reduced my housing costs by moving to an apartment instead of the dorms after May 2010. The dorms were very overpriced. In general I don't have many monthly expenses. All utilities including tv and internet are included in my rent. Still on my parent's family plan for cell phone & their medical/dental insurance (and will be for 4 more years with the new health care bill! :) ).
Housing and property taxes. I married a year ago, we combined households and put one home up for sale. I inherited three parcels of acreage, so we gained additional property taxes. Thank goodness, one piece of land sold and the other two are pending. We expect any "profit" to be used up while we carry the modest mortgage of the extra home until it sells, if ever.
These are all good points. The other thing you can to is set up calendar reminders to sign up for bonus rewards programs if you have Chase Freedom or Discover or any other card that makes you opt-in for the extra bonus. A few minutes of set up could yield a much higher reward.
The mortgage is our biggest expense, but we're focusing on getting rid of PMI and shopping around for other insurance companies to cut our monthly cost. After that, I'd have to say groceries, a big part of which is pet supplies (2 dogs, 2 cats).
My biggest expense is clothes.
Grab a pair of noise canceling headphones. Don't get the latest and greatest as noise canceling technology hasn't moved all the far in recent years. I got a pair off Amazon for $30 and it has been one of the best items I have bought.
For the coffee though, I like the coffee brewed on Southwest. And I hate to break it to you, they are going to pour you a cup of hot water with the same water that is used to brew the coffee.
The Mortgage is my highest. Nothing else really come close.
Me and my Fiancee live in a high rise in downtown Arlington, Va. I had no idea how expensive the cost of living was here. I am from one of the wealthiest counties in the nation in Maryland and it pales in comparison to city living. With 40 restaurants within a 1 mile radius, it's hard to hold onto our money for a full pay period.
Eating out would be our biggest achilles heel. Even groceries are expensive!
Ours is by far medical - My coverage is paid for by my work, but it's $580 for husband + $400 HSA to meet annual deductible (company pays in $1,200). That's more than our house payment,3x more than our car payment and twice as much as our utilities. And we're stuck with this because of pre-existing conditions. We've tried to get individual health insurance for my husband, but since he has diabetes (controlled), insurance companies avoid him at all possible costs.
My biggest expence is rent
Definitely the mortgage!
Tuition bills right now. But almost finished!!
I live in Manhattan, so housing eats up a large chunk of my budget.
Vehicles. Between my wife & I, we pay $700/month in car notes + $200/month in insurance + $300/month in gas - not to mention maintenance/repair, etc.
mortgage - followed closely by taxes.
That's what I intend to do if I ever decide to buy a house... buy it 100% cash. I hate the thought of paying interest on anything.
My mortgage is paid off, but the condo fee (which includes utilities) is still the top item at $516 followed closely by health insurance at $383 for a high-deductible policy.
Thanks for including my link, what a nice surprise.
I cannot wait for the Superbowl!!
My rent and my student loans. My undergrad and MBA student loans (combined) are more than $500 per month payment. Yipes!!
Rent on our apartment. I've looked into moving elsewhere, but that would mean I have to drive to work and pay for a parking permit. Plus our rent includes water, internet, and parking. Also the floor plan is laid out so we use very minimal lighting which means an ultra low electricity bill.
We rented for 23 years before buying a house 2 years ago. Now I wish we were still renting! Home ownership, in my opinion, is overrated. We are debt-free otherwise, and I despise being in debt $170K on a house.
For 2010...
1. Rent (47%)
2. Travel (13%)
3. Food & Dining (12%)
I'm a college student going to school out-of-state, so getting home for breaks is what makes my travel costs so high. I reduced my housing costs by moving to an apartment instead of the dorms after May 2010. The dorms were very overpriced. In general I don't have many monthly expenses. All utilities including tv and internet are included in my rent. Still on my parent's family plan for cell phone & their medical/dental insurance (and will be for 4 more years with the new health care bill! :) ).
Housing and property taxes. I married a year ago, we combined households and put one home up for sale. I inherited three parcels of acreage, so we gained additional property taxes. Thank goodness, one piece of land sold and the other two are pending. We expect any "profit" to be used up while we carry the modest mortgage of the extra home until it sells, if ever.
Housing, by far.
The mortgage payment is by far my biggest expense. People who can acquire a home without going into debt are ahead of the game.
Housing for me!
These are all good points. The other thing you can to is set up calendar reminders to sign up for bonus rewards programs if you have Chase Freedom or Discover or any other card that makes you opt-in for the extra bonus. A few minutes of set up could yield a much higher reward.
The mortgage is our biggest expense, but we're focusing on getting rid of PMI and shopping around for other insurance companies to cut our monthly cost. After that, I'd have to say groceries, a big part of which is pet supplies (2 dogs, 2 cats).
Mortgage, but then followed very closely by tithe. It is a major stretch, but almost every month we tithe 10% for our gross income.