Post # 1
Member
283 posts
Helper bee
Ok, so my husband and I are both working in the mining industry and earning great money, i want to leave and go back to working in my hometown as I’m sick of living away from home. What I was wondering is what are your budgets like? How much do your bills come to and what is your additional expenses on top ( groceries, movies etc) we haven’t really ever had to budget so I need to know what is a reasonable amount of spending money each week on top of billsIf thanks guys!!! 🙂
Post # 3
Member
8446 posts
Bumble Beekeeper
@Charlie89: Well I can give you a basic breakdown, but I’m in the US.
Our mortgage (tax, insurance, principal, etc) is just under $800, we spend about $200-$300 on groceries, and our other bills/going out money is about $800-$900, so I’d say altogether about $2000 a month.
Post # 4
Member
283 posts
Helper bee
@housebee:
how do you so little on groceries? Do you Make a meal plan for the week? All my accommodation and food is provided for me by the mining camp I live in so I’m not sure how much food to get, I always buy more than I need so I guess I will need to pay more attention To what I’m buying.
ok so our bills are around $4000 per month ( we have a business on the side so have to pay for contractors insurance, income protection, life insurance and private health insurance).
i want to live off my husband pay and save mine and whatever extra the business makes. I will have around $3500 left a month from my husbands pay so is this reasonable?:
$100 – groceries
$50 – fuel
$150 – general expenses
will any additional expenses come up from living at home instead of in a camp tthat im not taking into consideration??
Post # 5
Member
8446 posts
Bumble Beekeeper
@Charlie89: well I’m a stay at home, so I make everything from scratch. Bread is incredibly inexpensive to make, and I never purchase anything that is pre-made. If we want pizza, it starts with flour, yeast and water. Also, we purchase things like meats and cheese in bulk, then portion it out and freeze it. We’re lucky that we’re within a few minutes of several farmer’s markets for cheap produce. Oh and DO NOT go food shopping when you’re hungry, you end up buying a bunch of snacks that don’t fill you up for the price.
Post # 6
Member
926 posts
Busy bee
Rent: $765
car payment: $200
car insurance: $150
phone: $99
groceries: between $150-300
no student loans, I think that’s everything!
Post # 7
Member
283 posts
Helper bee
@housebee: I have a bread maker so I might need to start using it. I didn’t know you could freeze cheese, can you really do that? ours always drys out before we can eat it all lol
Post # 8
Member
283 posts
Helper bee
@yogaqueen: is that per month?? Man, australia is expensive haha
Post # 9
Member
926 posts
Busy bee
@Charlie89: haha yeah that is per month, but I didn’t include fi car payment and insurance and the groceries might be a little more…
Post # 10
Member
6741 posts
Bee Keeper
Also from the US:
$900 is rent
$48 basic cable
$30 internet (will go up to $50 after the first year)
$30 HD, DVR, etc
$350 car payment
$65 car insurance
$350 student loans
$400 for food (groceries and eating out)
$150 for utilities (water, electric, trash, etc)
$200 for gas
Not really sure what else there is! But my takehome pay is about $1400 every 2 weeks, so it really doesn’t leave much after this. My cell is paid for by my job and my we paid my FI’s cell a year in advance. can’t think of anything else!
Post # 11
Member
1548 posts
Bumble bee
This breakdown is for Fiance and I, not just myself – also keep in mind, we live right outside NYC and its very expensive
Rent – $2500
Car – $290
Car Insurance – $200
Parking – $250
Groceries – $400
Misc. bills/expenses (cable, internet, utilities) – $700
Post # 12
Member
771 posts
Busy bee
Mortgage (including taxes, insurance, and PMI) is $1500
Groceries – $500
Gas/Electric – varies by month but we average around $175
Car Payments – $350
Car Insurance – $200
Cell Phone – $100 (such a racket, we don’t even have smart phones – WTF)
Cable/Internet – $160
Water/Trash Removal/Sewer – they are minimal and only come once every quarter
I think that’s everything. It’s a lot!
Post # 13
Member
4464 posts
Honey bee
Rent – $950
Electric – can be as low as around $70 or as high as $120 (can’t remember exactly how much in the summer)
Car – $240 x2
Insurance – $365
Cable – $10
Internet – $25
That’s basically it right now. Our parents still have us on their cell accounts and health insurance. The car is what is absolutely over the top, but we won’t be paying that much forever. We don’t have a grocery budget since we’re tight and live 5 min from my mom. We basically buy peacemeal whatever we need to get by. We also don’t have an entertainment fund right now, nor do I get manicurea for pedicures, etc.
ETA: I also put $100 toward a credit card that my husband had before we got married.
Post # 14
Member
750 posts
Busy bee
Here’s our budget right now (but I’m in a low cost of living area in the US, so it may not be helpful!)
Rent: $675
Power: $80
Water: $35
TV/Internet: $75
Cell phones: $150
Gym Membership: $90
Food: $300
We pay about $100 for renters insurance at the beginning of the year, and car insurance is paid for twice a year, so we don’t take those into account for the monthly budget. We’re lucky that we don’t yet have car payments. In August when our house is built, it’ll all go up though, because we’ll have a $1300 mortgage payment!
Post # 15
Member
283 posts
Helper bee
@JemmaWRX: Hahah my name is Jemma too, I only really see it spelt with a G haha
To everyone else thank you so much for showin my budgets, helps to show how much spending is too much and I can compare and maybe reign in the spending a little. One question though, do you put money aside each pay time for monthly bills such as electricity, insurance etc to make them easier to pay?
Post # 16
Member
2550 posts
Sugar bee
Rent/Garbage/Recycling: $1,375
Groceries – $500
Car Payments – $405
Car Insurance – $40
Cell Phone – $150
Cable/Internet – $100
Student Loans: $600+
Credit Cards: $200
Gas: $100-$200
But I live in CA so rent, gas, & eating out is all super expensive
Member