The mortgage. By a lot. It's 41% of my take-home pay! Nothing else is even half that much. I'm in process now of moving to a cheap rent place and putting my house on the rental market. Rental income won't cover the mortgage, but I can improve my cash flow by a couple hundred a month.
Our mortgage is our biggest payment right now, followed by day care. Gas (traveling a lot for work), groceries, and student loans are all about the same each. In a few months though, day care will double and that will be more than the mortgage.
So refreshing this article.Finally someone thought about those of us who have done all the "basic" things to cut expenses.Do you know how many times I have read one of these "so called experts" to see the same mundane advice and been thinking "no kidding" really cut spending? At our house each dollar has a responsibility assigned to it,groceries-gas-heat and if there is any left over it goes to the envelope called savings.I try and plan for every little detail like oil changes/tires/routine dental cleanings.There is even an envelope for emergencies(from little to big).I designate the 2 months each year we have 3 paychecks a responsibility.My budget is run on fixed amount every 2 weeks so bonus/increases of any kind go into emergency or the amount gets increased to 401K.I work 2 jobs,hubby does 1 and picks up alot of household responsibilities.House all paid off,obligations all taken care of except working to fund retirement.Thank you for not insulting me and providing intelligent fun information.
My rent is normally the highest (I live in Cambridge close to the Boston line) but this winter I have been undergoing a treatment for back pain that my insurance doesn't cover. My rent should reduce when I get married in the fall and move into a one-bedroom further from the Boston line. Not sure how to cover the "non-medical" treatment!
Rent on our apartment, for sure. We might be able to find cheaper rent someplace else at this point, but I don't think it would be worth the expense or hassle of a move. We love our place and our landlord loves us, so we make it work.
Housing, definitely. It comes to about 35% of our budget, and that's just renting the bottom floor of a house where we don't have a bathtub, dishwasher, garbage disposal or freezer. Food comes to about 25%, auto 10%, charity/tithe 10% and the rest get smaller percentages from there. Since we live a flight away from both sides of our family, travel is usually a decent portion of our budget too.
We currently rent. Our local area is still struggling with the housing crisis,but we were able to sell a bit before the bottom. Since we didn't lose money, we decided to wait the ride out and in the process we discovered we really like renting. If I could reduce our rent, we would save quite a bit. However for our area, we really do not pay that much.
I buy the expensive organic, free range, grain-fed chicken eggs. I just prefer the thought of my money going toward a company/farmer that's taking better care of the chickens instead of shoving them in cages and injecting them with chemicals. The shells of the eggs I buy seem to be thicker than the cheap $1 carton eggs, too, probably due to the better health of the chickens.
My biggest expense is definitely my rent. It's not too bad at $600/month, but I'm really stubborn and refuse to get a roommate. I like my privacy and not having to worry about someone else messing with my stuff while I'm not around. Fortunately, since I'm already saving over 2/3 of my income, I figure I can allow myself this expense.
After rent, food is the biggest item in my budget. This includes groceries and restaurants. However, I've managed to cut it down a bit with meal planning and cooking at home.
Hmm great tip ! Never thought about it. I am always thirsty on the plane .
I travel every week. And this is a good list. I would also add an exercise book which tells you how to work the muscles and stretch while sitting.
The mortgage. By a lot. It's 41% of my take-home pay! Nothing else is even half that much. I'm in process now of moving to a cheap rent place and putting my house on the rental market. Rental income won't cover the mortgage, but I can improve my cash flow by a couple hundred a month.
Tragically, student loans by a landslide.
Housing: Rent, utilities, e.t.c.
rent
The highest single item is our house payment. It is about 15% of our total take home pay.
Our mortgage is our biggest payment right now, followed by day care. Gas (traveling a lot for work), groceries, and student loans are all about the same each. In a few months though, day care will double and that will be more than the mortgage.
So refreshing this article.Finally someone thought about those of us who have done all the "basic" things to cut expenses.Do you know how many times I have read one of these "so called experts" to see the same mundane advice and been thinking "no kidding" really cut spending? At our house each dollar has a responsibility assigned to it,groceries-gas-heat and if there is any left over it goes to the envelope called savings.I try and plan for every little detail like oil changes/tires/routine dental cleanings.There is even an envelope for emergencies(from little to big).I designate the 2 months each year we have 3 paychecks a responsibility.My budget is run on fixed amount every 2 weeks so bonus/increases of any kind go into emergency or the amount gets increased to 401K.I work 2 jobs,hubby does 1 and picks up alot of household responsibilities.House all paid off,obligations all taken care of except working to fund retirement.Thank you for not insulting me and providing intelligent fun information.
My rent is normally the highest (I live in Cambridge close to the Boston line) but this winter I have been undergoing a treatment for back pain that my insurance doesn't cover. My rent should reduce when I get married in the fall and move into a one-bedroom further from the Boston line. Not sure how to cover the "non-medical" treatment!
Rent on our apartment, for sure. We might be able to find cheaper rent someplace else at this point, but I don't think it would be worth the expense or hassle of a move. We love our place and our landlord loves us, so we make it work.
My mortgage, then my wife's clothing!
Housing, definitely. It comes to about 35% of our budget, and that's just renting the bottom floor of a house where we don't have a bathtub, dishwasher, garbage disposal or freezer. Food comes to about 25%, auto 10%, charity/tithe 10% and the rest get smaller percentages from there. Since we live a flight away from both sides of our family, travel is usually a decent portion of our budget too.
The rent is too damn high! lol. It is actually really cheap, but it is my highest expense every month nonetheless.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4o-TeMHys0
We currently rent. Our local area is still struggling with the housing crisis,but we were able to sell a bit before the bottom. Since we didn't lose money, we decided to wait the ride out and in the process we discovered we really like renting. If I could reduce our rent, we would save quite a bit. However for our area, we really do not pay that much.
Definitely our mortgage!
Technically it is taxes, but I don't track that in my budget, so next on the list is the Mortgage.
Mortgage. But thankfully, we only owe money on the house and one car, and the car will be paid off in 11 months. Something to look forward to! :)
My apartment beats taxes as my biggest expense.
I buy the expensive organic, free range, grain-fed chicken eggs. I just prefer the thought of my money going toward a company/farmer that's taking better care of the chickens instead of shoving them in cages and injecting them with chemicals. The shells of the eggs I buy seem to be thicker than the cheap $1 carton eggs, too, probably due to the better health of the chickens.
Student loans and rent are basically tied. Trying to pay off law school earlier than 10 years so we can be freed up for other job opportunities...
Ours is rent. I'm afraid to live anywhere cheaper though... even this current place is pretty sketchy.
My biggest expense is definitely my rent. It's not too bad at $600/month, but I'm really stubborn and refuse to get a roommate. I like my privacy and not having to worry about someone else messing with my stuff while I'm not around. Fortunately, since I'm already saving over 2/3 of my income, I figure I can allow myself this expense.
After rent, food is the biggest item in my budget. This includes groceries and restaurants. However, I've managed to cut it down a bit with meal planning and cooking at home.
Well, if we didn't have two houses right now, it would be wedding expenses.