What's your weekly budget? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

jnthnlllshprd · 11-30-2009, 07:09 PM

I know for some reason this makes people uncomfortable, but whatever.

I net about 240 in a good week. Here's me:

80 for rent, internet, power, and services. (studio apartment with roommate)
15 for phone.
30 on food (bologna, cheese, and cheap-ass Flender's burger patties)
10 on cigs/dip.
05 on scooter gas.

140 in all. The other hundred bucks usually goes into necessities like oil, etc., or new stuff that'll make life a little easier (extra work clothes, winter stuff, new work gear, etc.), and I rarely, if ever eat out, buy software, etc. The only thing I ever buy that I want is some form of energy drink, maybe a snack for work. This is how it's gonna be until I can get a day-time job or find some big money on the ground.

Salem · 11-30-2009, 07:37 PM

My budget: Not enough.

I'd say probably, 50 for food, 80 for rent, 30 for entertainment(movies, out for dinner... ect) 20 for random shit I dont know where it goes.

Like I said, not enough.

Punk.of.Ages · 11-30-2009, 07:51 PM

I get paid on commission weekly, so it varies. It's about $500/week on average lately, though.

These days, I just give Jen whatever she needs for that weeks bills when I get paid. The rest I spend on smokes and whatever luxuries I want.

I don't worry about money. I don't live above my means. If I do I make enough money to cover it by working harder.

telekinetic · 11-30-2009, 08:30 PM

There are weeks I've spent more than 240 just on groceries, haha. I'd say I live within my means, but I could always spend less and save more. We don't have credit cards, so once our student loan debt is gone, all our debt is secured.

My bills, in approximate descending order:
Mortgage on a new house
Two Car payments (one used, one new)
Student Loan payments
Gas for my 80 mile-a-day commute
Food food and more food
Car Insurance
Electric bill
House Insurance
Two cell phones with internet
Life Insurance
Cable Internet (we don't have Cable TV anymore)
Gas bill
Water bill
Baby stuff (Diapers add up!)
Pet stuff (two cats and a dog)

Still manage to have a couple hundred bucks a month to blow on hobbies and projects, although I try to only spend what I make from side jobs. Anything the wife makes goes into her allowance to buy baby clothes and clothes for herself...she likes to shop.

Xerxys · 11-30-2009, 08:38 PM

Not weekly, but monthly:
-phone 70
-car insurance 120
-gas -40 (full tank)

I don't live alone anymore so I spend nothing on anything else, just yet ...

Charlatan · 11-30-2009, 09:50 PM

I would estimate that the budget for my family per week is around S$2000 or US$1,440.

Groceries for the week are around US$200-US$250 per week alone.

LordEden · 12-01-2009, 05:31 AM

I make $1280 (320 x 4) a month.

Each week I allocate money for three things.

$100 goes to rent ($310 a month)
$100 for bills (Power $50-$75, Internet $50, Phone $100, Car Insurance $86, CC Payment $35, Gym $20)
$100 for gas, food, liquor, entertainment, various expenses (this is running money)

If a week comes without a need for rent (1 week out of 4 is "free" money, same with bills) this goes into my bank account to try to make a buffer for my bills and to save up cash for something big I want.

I also get a gas check every 2 weeks which ranges from $50-$100 (up to $200 if I'm running around a lot) and that goes to getting my car repaired and keeping it on the road. Since this is not "stable" money I don't count it in my budget. Sometimes I use it for bills if I'm behind, but now I want to save it for Jan/Apr's big expenses.

jnthnlllshprd · 12-01-2009, 12:37 PM

kinda sucks living paycheck to paycheck, but it keeps my work performance up, and I'm not the kinda guy who likes to get comfortable.

I don't have a credit card either, but I do owe about 700 bucks in all to random people that have saved my ass during tough times (scooter broke down, a month of unemployment in July). The worst part is telling myself 'ok, on 12-2 I can finally get a new set of thermal tops and some boots, and on Dec 16th I can finally get some new shoes.. It's taken me about 3 months to acquire what most people would get for Christmas, and about 90% of it is stuff I've needed. When the Scooter broke down, I had to walk to work for about a month to make the money to have it fixed. At this time, I was still paying it off at 225/month.

I'm constantly doing my budget. This paycheck, for example:

gross: est. 450 (two weeks)

225 rent
16 internet
28 power
13 water, services
70 food, dip, and the 5 bucks I owe my roommate for those Powerades.
10 for gas money, hold in my wallet.

Total is 362. Leaves me with about 88 bucks.

10 multivitamins (necessity)
10 glutamine (I'm shrinking for some reason, need this)
10 thermal top at Wally World.
10 on a new can of mace.
5 on coffee. Definite must-buy.

so for two week, I'll have about 43 dollars in case something detrimental happens to my situation. Although I found out I have $1.20 on my Direct Deposit Mastercard from my last job

TOTALLY PSYCHED. this money will probably go towards cigs, energy drinks, and possibly a pack of tank tops because they're cheap at Wal-Mart.

damn it feels good to be a gangsta.

Lasereth · 12-01-2009, 01:24 PM

We make around $1300 a week (net, after health insurance, life insurance, retirement, taxes, etc.). My wife does all the bills so I don't know the specifics but:

$1080 for mortgage
$450 car payment
$350 car payment
$100 car insurance
$100 TV and cable
$15 netflix
$300 student loans
$500-1000 into a savings account
approximately $200 for groceries for both of us (never been a big food spender, what a colossal waste of money IMO, you shit it out in the toilet)
$50 on dog maintenance
$30 for water
$100 power
$10 HOA
$130 for both phones
$120 car gas
$120 TV payment
$150ish on eating out (trying to cut back)
$200ish on entertainment (shopping, odds and ends)

I know I'm forgetting stuff but this is most of it. This is for the whole month, not week by week.

Plan9 · 12-01-2009, 02:21 PM

Weekly:

$25 on fossil fuels.
$35 on car insurance.
$10.50 on Subway sandwiches (2 days a week)
$40 on cereal / milk / tuna / peanut butter / diet pop / granola bars.
$13 on smellphone.
$13 on Intarweb.
$0 car payment (paid cash for it)
$0 student loans (free ride scholarship)
$0 rent (MGIB Chapter 33)

I actually make money off my current lifestyle despite being unemployed.

snowy · 12-01-2009, 02:51 PM

Well, I'm a student, living with another student. We both have jobs and get financial aid. He makes much more than I do in both areas, because I'm a post-bacc student who works in human services. We buy groceries together. We probably spend about $30-60 a week on groceries.

My individual expenses break down thusly:
$400/mo for rent, water, sewer, garbage, electricity, and gas
$50/mo for my half of the cellphone bill
$68/mo for car insurance
$20/mo for student loan interest payments
$20 every two weeks for gas, if that (I live in a compact city and have a bicycle)

I try to keep my fixed expenses low.

kutulu · 12-01-2009, 03:20 PM

Mine is something like this:

$2000 for both mortgages (will decrease by about $250 once I get the escrow caught up)
$210 for cable, internet, phone
$200 for electricity
$35 for natural gas
$75 for water, sewer, trash
$120 for 2 cell phones
$325 for credit cards
$55 for HOA
$23 for netflix
$35 for car insurance
$40 for homeowners insurance

That is about $3300. After taxes and insurance I take home about $4600 per month. The rest goes towards food, gas, etc. It sounds like a lot but a family of four can go through that quickly.

jnthnlllshprd · 12-02-2009, 04:42 AM

i sell what I find or confiscate as well. current items up for bid:

1.) one genuine Opal pendant on gold necklace.
2.) some fancy rhinestone watch that sells for hundreds when it's brand new.
3.) .5 ounces of low-to-mid-grade marijuana, one whole bud.

cj2112 · 12-02-2009, 07:49 AM

My monthly budget is pretty tight right now but this is prior to the small raise that comes with the promotion I just received.

Rent: 400
Truck payment: 425 (This is more than what's required, but it is what I pay every month)
Cell phone: 200 (We have 4 phones w/ unlimited texting, no roaming, free incoming, insurance, and a data plan on 1 phone)
Truck insurance: 85
Gym: 73
Bed : 100
Gas: 240
Cable/landline/internet: 200

My wife covers the other half of the rent, the groceries, the power and her car payment/ insurance.

raging moderate · 12-02-2009, 06:47 PM

well i'm not going to be as detailed as the other people, but usually after expenses I have about a hundred per week for gas and flex. gas is five bucks a day or more b/c i have a super long commute. other than that it's not too bad, though groceries come out of that too. I actually had a thread similar to this, though yours was better b/c it posted a legit question. http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/general...le-income.html Since that thread however my SO became gainfully employed, upping my "disposable" income somewhat.

redsneaker · 12-02-2009, 09:06 PM

Not that I mind discussing this, but I do find it very depressing. My financial situation is drastically different than when I purchased my condo in '05, which I am now upside down in - so my bills are more than my income, which has spun me into credit card debt, and now they are jacking interest rates up as high as 30% (ouch!) so...while i am busting my butt to pay off the credit cards whose rates are escalating to 30% (one down, one to go!) I find I am having to float other bills like electricity and gas. It feels like I work all the time and have nothing to show for it. (A full-time - basically a start-up company, a part-time in retail and several freelance jobs) Selling the condo would just lose me more money, so I think it's better to struggle now and hope that home prices will begin to rise.

With all of that said, I bring in 1600-1900 spend about 1900 (yep, monthly) - this includes utilities and credit cards and insurance and what not. I just signed on to do freelance work with two more publications, so I'm hoping that this will adjust soon in my favor, after the new year. I'm just thankful at this point to still be IN my house. And after December, the other credit card will be paid off, so that will free up an extra couple hundred a month. I'll be glad to see 2010 arrive!

robot_parade · 12-02-2009, 09:20 PM

I make about $1200 a week (net).

$275/wk rent
$120 car payments (both cars will be paid off in 2010! Hoo boy am I looking forward to that)
$65 electric
$12 water
$4 netflix
$25 cellphones
$13 cable modem
$100 credit cards (ugh - but paying them down, not just the minimum payment)
$50 insurance
$50-ish gas
$175-ish groceries
$100-ish savings

The rest goes to incidentals/extras/whatever.

passthru · 12-03-2009, 03:08 AM

I put almost everything on my credit card, so I only pay attention to the monthly bills. I used to pay closer attention but it's never evenly spread between the weeks. The amount owed on the card varies and usually (well.. always) exceeds the intended amount due to all the unplanned pointless or required purchases.

0900 - rent
0300 - car
1200 - card

Next month will stink, since I pay car insurance every 6 months..

11-30-2009, 07:09 PM	#1 (permalink)
jnthnlllshprd Tilted	What's your weekly budget? I know for some reason this makes people uncomfortable, but whatever. I net about 240 in a good week. Here's me: 80 for rent, internet, power, and services. (studio apartment with roommate) 15 for phone. 30 on food (bologna, cheese, and cheap-ass Flender's burger patties) 10 on cigs/dip. 05 on scooter gas. 140 in all. The other hundred bucks usually goes into necessities like oil, etc., or new stuff that'll make life a little easier (extra work clothes, winter stuff, new work gear, etc.), and I rarely, if ever eat out, buy software, etc. The only thing I ever buy that I want is some form of energy drink, maybe a snack for work. This is how it's gonna be until I can get a day-time job or find some big money on the ground. Last edited by jnthnlllshprd; 12-02-2009 at 04:43 AM..

11-30-2009, 07:51 PM	#3 (permalink)
Punk.of.Ages Forming Location: ....a state of pure inebriation.	I get paid on commission weekly, so it varies. It's about $500/week on average lately, though. These days, I just give Jen whatever she needs for that weeks bills when I get paid. The rest I spend on smokes and whatever luxuries I want. I don't worry about money. I don't live above my means. If I do I make enough money to cover it by working harder. __________________ "The fact is that censorship always defeats its own purpose, for it creates, in the end, the kind of society that is incapable of exercising real discretion..." - Henry Steel Commager "Punk rock music is great music played by really bad, drunk musicians." -Fat Mike

11-30-2009, 08:30 PM	#4 (permalink)
telekinetic zomgomgomgomgomgomg Location: Fauxenix, Azerona	There are weeks I've spent more than 240 just on groceries, haha. I'd say I live within my means, but I could always spend less and save more. We don't have credit cards, so once our student loan debt is gone, all our debt is secured. My bills, in approximate descending order: Mortgage on a new house Two Car payments (one used, one new) Student Loan payments Gas for my 80 mile-a-day commute Food food and more food Car Insurance Electric bill House Insurance Two cell phones with internet Life Insurance Cable Internet (we don't have Cable TV anymore) Gas bill Water bill Baby stuff (Diapers add up!) Pet stuff (two cats and a dog) Still manage to have a couple hundred bucks a month to blow on hobbies and projects, although I try to only spend what I make from side jobs. Anything the wife makes goes into her allowance to buy baby clothes and clothes for herself...she likes to shop. __________________ twisted no more

11-30-2009, 09:50 PM	#6 (permalink)
Charlatan Getting it. Super Moderator Location: Lion City	I would estimate that the budget for my family per week is around S$2000 or US$1,440. Groceries for the week are around US$200-US$250 per week alone. __________________ "My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars." - Old Man Luedecke

12-01-2009, 01:24 PM	#9 (permalink)
Lasereth Knight of the Old Republic Location: Winston-Salem, NC	We make around $1300 a week (net, after health insurance, life insurance, retirement, taxes, etc.). My wife does all the bills so I don't know the specifics but: $1080 for mortgage $450 car payment $350 car payment $100 car insurance $100 TV and cable $15 netflix $300 student loans $500-1000 into a savings account approximately $200 for groceries for both of us (never been a big food spender, what a colossal waste of money IMO, you shit it out in the toilet) $50 on dog maintenance $30 for water $100 power $10 HOA $130 for both phones $120 car gas $120 TV payment $150ish on eating out (trying to cut back) $200ish on entertainment (shopping, odds and ends) I know I'm forgetting stuff but this is most of it. This is for the whole month, not week by week. __________________ "A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert

11-30-2009, 07:37 PM	#2 (permalink)
Salem Psycho Location: Canada	My budget: Not enough. I'd say probably, 50 for food, 80 for rent, 30 for entertainment(movies, out for dinner... ect) 20 for random shit I dont know where it goes. Like I said, not enough.

11-30-2009, 08:38 PM	#5 (permalink)
Xerxys Junkie Location: My head.	Not weekly, but monthly: -phone 70 -car insurance 120 -gas -40 (full tank) I don't live alone anymore so I spend nothing on anything else, just yet ...

12-01-2009, 12:37 PM	#8 (permalink)
jnthnlllshprd Tilted	kinda sucks living paycheck to paycheck, but it keeps my work performance up, and I'm not the kinda guy who likes to get comfortable. I don't have a credit card either, but I do owe about 700 bucks in all to random people that have saved my ass during tough times (scooter broke down, a month of unemployment in July). The worst part is telling myself 'ok, on 12-2 I can finally get a new set of thermal tops and some boots, and on Dec 16th I can finally get some new shoes.. It's taken me about 3 months to acquire what most people would get for Christmas, and about 90% of it is stuff I've needed. When the Scooter broke down, I had to walk to work for about a month to make the money to have it fixed. At this time, I was still paying it off at 225/month. I'm constantly doing my budget. This paycheck, for example: gross: est. 450 (two weeks) 225 rent 16 internet 28 power 13 water, services 70 food, dip, and the 5 bucks I owe my roommate for those Powerades. 10 for gas money, hold in my wallet. Total is 362. Leaves me with about 88 bucks. 10 multivitamins (necessity) 10 glutamine (I'm shrinking for some reason, need this) 10 thermal top at Wally World. 10 on a new can of mace. 5 on coffee. Definite must-buy. so for two week, I'll have about 43 dollars in case something detrimental happens to my situation. Although I found out I have $1.20 on my Direct Deposit Mastercard from my last job TOTALLY PSYCHED. this money will probably go towards cigs, energy drinks, and possibly a pack of tank tops because they're cheap at Wal-Mart. damn it feels good to be a gangsta.

12-01-2009, 02:21 PM	#10 (permalink)
Plan9 I Confess a Shiver	Weekly: $25 on fossil fuels. $35 on car insurance. $10.50 on Subway sandwiches (2 days a week) $40 on cereal / milk / tuna / peanut butter / diet pop / granola bars. $13 on smellphone. $13 on Intarweb. $0 car payment (paid cash for it) $0 student loans (free ride scholarship) $0 rent (MGIB Chapter 33) I actually make money off my current lifestyle despite being unemployed. __________________ *Whatever you can carry.* "You should not drink... and bake."

12-01-2009, 02:51 PM	#11 (permalink)
snowy Kick Ass Kunoichi Location: Oregon	Well, I'm a student, living with another student. We both have jobs and get financial aid. He makes much more than I do in both areas, because I'm a post-bacc student who works in human services. We buy groceries together. We probably spend about $30-60 a week on groceries. My individual expenses break down thusly: $400/mo for rent, water, sewer, garbage, electricity, and gas $50/mo for my half of the cellphone bill $68/mo for car insurance $20/mo for student loan interest payments $20 every two weeks for gas, if that (I live in a compact city and have a bicycle) I try to keep my fixed expenses low. __________________ If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

12-01-2009, 03:20 PM	#12 (permalink)
kutulu Junkie	Mine is something like this: $2000 for both mortgages (will decrease by about $250 once I get the escrow caught up) $210 for cable, internet, phone $200 for electricity $35 for natural gas $75 for water, sewer, trash $120 for 2 cell phones $325 for credit cards $55 for HOA $23 for netflix $35 for car insurance $40 for homeowners insurance That is about $3300. After taxes and insurance I take home about $4600 per month. The rest goes towards food, gas, etc. It sounds like a lot but a family of four can go through that quickly.

12-02-2009, 04:42 AM	#13 (permalink)
jnthnlllshprd Tilted	i sell what I find or confiscate as well. current items up for bid: 1.) one genuine Opal pendant on gold necklace. 2.) some fancy rhinestone watch that sells for hundreds when it's brand new. 3.) .5 ounces of low-to-mid-grade marijuana, one whole bud. Last edited by jnthnlllshprd; 12-02-2009 at 04:45 AM..

12-02-2009, 07:49 AM	#14 (permalink)
cj2112 Unbelievable Location: Grants Pass OR	My monthly budget is pretty tight right now but this is prior to the small raise that comes with the promotion I just received. Rent: 400 Truck payment: 425 (This is more than what's required, but it is what I pay every month) Cell phone: 200 (We have 4 phones w/ unlimited texting, no roaming, free incoming, insurance, and a data plan on 1 phone) Truck insurance: 85 Gym: 73 Bed : 100 Gas: 240 Cable/landline/internet: 200 My wife covers the other half of the rent, the groceries, the power and her car payment/ insurance.

12-02-2009, 06:47 PM	#15 (permalink)
raging moderate Insane Location: Whatever house my keys can get me into	well i'm not going to be as detailed as the other people, but usually after expenses I have about a hundred per week for gas and flex. gas is five bucks a day or more b/c i have a super long commute. other than that it's not too bad, though groceries come out of that too. I actually had a thread similar to this, though yours was better b/c it posted a legit question. http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/general...le-income.html Since that thread however my SO became gainfully employed, upping my "disposable" income somewhat. __________________ These are the good old days... formerly Murp0434

12-02-2009, 09:06 PM	#16 (permalink)
redsneaker Tilted Location: Atlanta	Not that I mind discussing this, but I do find it very depressing. My financial situation is drastically different than when I purchased my condo in '05, which I am now upside down in - so my bills are more than my income, which has spun me into credit card debt, and now they are jacking interest rates up as high as 30% (ouch!) so...while i am busting my butt to pay off the credit cards whose rates are escalating to 30% (one down, one to go!) I find I am having to float other bills like electricity and gas. It feels like I work all the time and have nothing to show for it. (A full-time - basically a start-up company, a part-time in retail and several freelance jobs) Selling the condo would just lose me more money, so I think it's better to struggle now and hope that home prices will begin to rise. With all of that said, I bring in 1600-1900 spend about 1900 (yep, monthly) - this includes utilities and credit cards and insurance and what not. I just signed on to do freelance work with two more publications, so I'm hoping that this will adjust soon in my favor, after the new year. I'm just thankful at this point to still be IN my house. And after December, the other credit card will be paid off, so that will free up an extra couple hundred a month. I'll be glad to see 2010 arrive!

12-02-2009, 09:20 PM	#17 (permalink)
robot_parade Junkie Location: San Antonio, TX	I make about $1200 a week (net). $275/wk rent $120 car payments (both cars will be paid off in 2010! Hoo boy am I looking forward to that) $65 electric $12 water $4 netflix $25 cellphones $13 cable modem $100 credit cards (ugh - but paying them down, not just the minimum payment) $50 insurance $50-ish gas $175-ish groceries $100-ish savings The rest goes to incidentals/extras/whatever.

12-03-2009, 03:08 AM	#18 (permalink)
passthru Addict Location: Portland, OR	I put almost everything on my credit card, so I only pay attention to the monthly bills. I used to pay closer attention but it's never evenly spread between the weeks. The amount owed on the card varies and usually (well.. always) exceeds the intended amount due to all the unplanned pointless or required purchases. 0900 - rent 0300 - car 1200 - card Next month will stink, since I pay car insurance every 6 months..