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Well, for me it depends on how much money I have coming in. There are certain expenses that get cut if I'm not making much money. I drive my car less if I have less income and ride my bike or walk more (though I try to do this regardless). Right now I'm spending about $20/week on fuel for my station wagon. I won't go to the grocery store as often and will rely on what's in the pantry more. But given that I am the one with the free time to go grocery shopping (my SO goes to school and works, so he has an 8-hour day and then homework after that), my SO sometimes gives me money to go buy us groceries if I'm low on cash to do so.
There are bills I HAVE to pay, such as student loans, car insurance, and rent, every month. Once those are paid, the remaining $$$ goes into savings. My bills total about $525 every month, so I have to bring in more than that to make sure everything gets paid. This means working several jobs. I babysit, work at a church nursery, clean an office, nanny, substitute as an aide for the school district, and do other work for people as needed.
The fact is, there is always something I have to pay for. Right now I'm coming out a bit ahead and I'm able to put some money away for later, but with the kind of work I do, my income is not at all reliable (I have 3 reliable income sources that make me just over $600/mo), so I try to save what I can so as to have a cushion for when times aren't as good. There are weeks (such as last week) where I work nonstop, and then there are weeks (like this week) where I hardly work at all.
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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau
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