It won't be much, but could save a few bucks, but shop the Dollar Tree. I buy tons of stuff there. All cleaning supplies, TP, some toiletries,batteries other random stuff that might cost $2 -$3 elsewhere, you can get for $1. I am an Aldi shopper as well.
Not sure if anyone mentioned this, but any chance you could car pool with someone to work to save on gas??
Thank you everyone! Here is what I think I'm going to do:
1. Really work on getting the grocery budget to $300. I think this is going to mean less drinking and less variety, but that's ok. I do meal plan but it's often based more on what sounds good/what's easy than on budget. I can do better with that. 2. I'll look into a catering and/or dog walking position. I'm not that great with kids and I don't want to work 7 days a week/14 hour days, but I think I could do a few shifts a month without much issue. 3. I'm going to look into cheaper internet, switch my dogfood to Costco brand, and see if I can find cheaper car insurance. 4. I also think I'm going to keep my car and maybe do IBR on my student loans. I know the IBR isn't the best long term solution, but honestly my SLs are 20+ years from being paid off anyway so paying $70 less a month now might be worth it. It's not like they are getting paid off anytime soon anyway. 5. Depending on what happens financially, I'll look into different cell plan when our contract is up next spring. I think right now the early term fees for 2 lines would negate any savings we'd get from switching, and it would negatively impact my sister/mom to cancel so it isn't worth it if it doesn't save anything anyway.
And, I think I'm going to chill out too. If I need to supplement with $100 or so here and there from my savings, that's going to have to be ok.
Post by keweenawlove on Jan 28, 2015 10:08:21 GMT -5
This is minor but your water bill seems really high. Ours is about 50% less even in the months we go through a ton brewing. We shower at work/the gym pretty often so that might be why ours is lower.
We have internet through CenturyLink. They installed it all for us and I’m pretty sure it’s through a phone line but it wasn’t a big deal to set up at all if you have any sort of phone jack in your house. I just checked our bill and we’re paying $48/month for 7 Mbps. It’s fine for streaming. I’m guessing you could get that a little lower as a new customer too.
I hate to suggest this but have you considered moving closer to your job? I think rentals are quite a bit cheaper up there and it would lower your gas costs a lot but I’m not sure if that would make things really rough for A getting to school.
This is minor but your water bill seems really high. Ours is about 50% less even in the months we go through a ton brewing. We shower at work/the gym pretty often so that might be why ours is lower.
We have internet through CenturyLink. They installed it all for us and I’m pretty sure it’s through a phone line but it wasn’t a big deal to set up at all if you have any sort of phone jack in your house. I just checked our bill and we’re paying $48/month for 7 Mbps. It’s fine for streaming. I’m guessing you could get that a little lower as a new customer too.
I hate to suggest this but have you considered moving closer to your job? I think rentals are quite a bit cheaper up there and it would lower your gas costs a lot but I’m not sure if that would make things really rough for A getting to school.
I think our water bill is high too! It was actually about $70 this month for some reason. It's usually around $55-60 and I don't really know why. I think our washer sucks and we don't have a dishwasher (and have a really small sink) so I think we probably waste a lot of water doing dishes.
I'll look into CenturyLink, thanks! Do you guys have a home phone? I was under the impression Mediacom was the only option in our town but maybe not!
I just don't know about moving. I think maybe if it was a permanent job, but since it's not... IDK. And yeah, A is on campus 5 days a week so it would really just be shifting commuting costs to him, plus cutting almost 2 hours out of time he has available to work. And he's a nervous Nellie driving (since he didn't learn how to until a few years ago!) so I'm less comfortable with him on 380 during bad weather anyway. So as tempting as it is for cheaper housing, I don't think it would work out logistically. Hopefully I'll be back in our town for work eventually. I really prefer where we live now over the city I work in too
I will say that we eat vegetarian at home (my husband orders meat when we go out, though), and it's pretty cheap, especially if you have a Trader Joes in your area. I get a lot of organic stuff, or stuff without a ton of filler ingredients, and I do it cheaply. Our TJs doesn't have alcohol, which helps. The only splurges we have there are the cheeses, since I usually put together a cheese/app plate for "dinner" on Sunday night when we watch Game of Thrones or a movie.
Since you kind of have time (more time than you would if you were working another job - when I worked two jobs I ate horribly) you have the opportunity to plan meals better and make them cheap AND healthy. My weekly grocery bill is around $75, including toilet paper, not including pet food. Also, cleaning with vinegar, water and a little bleach, depending on what you need, is cheaper than buying windex, 409, etc. I also buy target brand toilet bowl cleaner, and I use microfiber cloths instead of paper towels or clorox wipes.
Some meal ideas:
black bean tacos (heat and mash a bit with some homemade taco seasoning - chili powder, cayenne, salt, paprika, pepper, cumin) - also makes for a good bowl without the tortilla, just add rice, veggies, lettuce, hot sauce, a little cheese stir fry (use whatever meat is on sale, or tofu, or just veggie) whole wheat pasta dishes, enhanced with veggies (a pound of pasta makes 4 servings, and you can buy jarred sauce pretty cheap or in bulk, or use a bit of butter, garlic and lemon juice) egg dishes (omelettes, scrambles - again, enhanced with veggies, like onions and peppers, which you can prep then freeze) bean dishes or chili (a way to stretch some meat, also this is a favorite, also combines eggs, and you don't need the saffron: www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102854605) greek yogurt (more of a lunch or snack idea, but TJs has frozen berries for about $3, which I defrost, then mix into plain greek yogurt, which I also use as a substitute for sour cream)
If you can buy some things like whole onions instead of the pre-chopped onions, a head of lettuce instead of a bag of salad, or make your own salad dressing (I like white balsamic, olive oil, and a clove of garlic in the blender), you'll be even further ahead. TJs also has 19 cent bananas.
I'll look into CenturyLink, thanks! Do you guys have a home phone? I was under the impression Mediacom was the only option in our town but maybe not!
I just don't know about moving. I think maybe if it was a permanent job, but since it's not... IDK. And yeah, A is on campus 5 days a week so it would really just be shifting commuting costs to him, plus cutting almost 2 hours out of time he has available to work. And he's a nervous Nellie driving (since he didn't learn how to until a few years ago!) so I'm less comfortable with him on 380 during bad weather anyway. So as tempting as it is for cheaper housing, I don't think it would work out logistically. Hopefully I'll be back in our town for work eventually. I really prefer where we live now over the city I work in too
We don't have a home phone so you should definitely look into CenturyLink. I think all you need is the phone jack and I'm guessing most houses still have one. The $25/month rates they advertise are only for a phone/internet bundle but you should still be able to cut your bill some.
I understand about moving. Have you looked at the westside or C at all? It seems like there's some cheaper housing options there that still have lots of easy bus options to get downtown. I think it's a lot of townhouses but it might be worth looking to see what's out there. That would still cut a good bit out of your commute.
Another idea for the second job....all four years of college, I worked in the Athletic Ticket Office. We always needed people to help sell tickets/take tickets. Generally, the games were nights and weekends and we were able to pick when we wanted to work and it was only a few hours each time. It may be worth a try even though you aren't a student. Concessions might also be a good option, too.
Something someone on MM used to do for extra cash was to proctor exams like the GMAT, LSAT, etc. Since it sounds like you are near a university, this might be something good to look into.
Something someone on MM used to do for extra cash was to proctor exams like the GMAT, LSAT, etc. Since it sounds like you are near a university, this might be something good to look into.
This is a good idea. I wonder if I'm allowed to since I used to work for one of the major testing companies? Not sure if that's an advantage or a disqualifier. I will look into this.
Apparently I make too much to qualify for a tax credit for health insurance I feel like they should take student loan payment amounts into account. So, I can save $13 a month by switching. At least it looks like I'm switching to plan that has $20 copays for doctor visits without meeting the deductible, so I feel like I'm actually paying for something I can use in that case.
This won't help with your regular cash flow, but can you take a couple weekends to really go through all your stuff and see what you can sell? Do you have any bigger ticket items like an extra computer monitor or an old TV?
If you go through your clothes, you might find stuff you can sell on eBay. I sold a lot of pieces for under $5 so didn't really net much, but I also sold a couple of nice winter coats for $40.
This is a good idea. I don't have any big ticket items, but I have a lot of smaller stuff that I could sell and throw toward savings or debt. My house is too full of stuff anyway.
I made over $500 selling stuff we had stuck in closets/laying around the house last spring. Anything with a brand attached seems to sell pretty easily on eBay. (clothes and accessories) Also, if you have a buy/sell/trade group on facebook for your area, that can be even easier than eBay - no shipping to mess with or eBay fees. You might be surprised at how quickly it adds up!
And ditto the recommendations to meal plan + check out Aldi. I find I spend a lot less on groceries when I make a list of 5-10 things we're planning to make (knowing that they'll last longer than 5-10 meals with leftovers) and don't have to duck into the grocery store every few days for this or that forgotten item. And, Aldi has $2 frozen pizzas and $2 or $3 wine, so you can pick up a few easy/convenience things without blowing your budget.
This is minor but your water bill seems really high. Ours is about 50% less even in the months we go through a ton brewing. We shower at work/the gym pretty often so that might be why ours is lower.
We have internet through CenturyLink. They installed it all for us and I’m pretty sure it’s through a phone line but it wasn’t a big deal to set up at all if you have any sort of phone jack in your house. I just checked our bill and we’re paying $48/month for 7 Mbps. It’s fine for streaming. I’m guessing you could get that a little lower as a new customer too.
I hate to suggest this but have you considered moving closer to your job? I think rentals are quite a bit cheaper up there and it would lower your gas costs a lot but I’m not sure if that would make things really rough for A getting to school.
I know you're not the OP but we were being charged the same rate, I called & asked for a discount & got it down to $36/mo. We don't bundle, it's just for internet. Might be worth a call for you too
Apparently I make too much to qualify for a tax credit for health insurance I feel like they should take student loan payment amounts into account. So, I can save $13 a month by switching. At least it looks like I'm switching to plan that has $20 copays for doctor visits without meeting the deductible, so I feel like I'm actually paying for something I can use in that case.
This surprises me, your gross income would have to be 400% above poverty level to get no credit. After you do your taxes, look at Form 8962 Lines 1 - 8 to calculate the amount you would need to contribute to your health insurance under a plan purchased through the marketplace. It's hard to tell without knowing what state you are in and your actual AGI but I really think you should be able to save at least $100/month.
Apparently I make too much to qualify for a tax credit for health insurance I feel like they should take student loan payment amounts into account. So, I can save $13 a month by switching. At least it looks like I'm switching to plan that has $20 copays for doctor visits without meeting the deductible, so I feel like I'm actually paying for something I can use in that case.
This surprises me, your gross income would have to be 400% above poverty level to get no credit. After you do your taxes, look at Form 8962 Lines 1 - 8 to calculate the amount you would need to contribute to your health insurance under a plan purchased through the marketplace. It's hard to tell without knowing what state you are in and your actual AGI but I really think you should be able to save at least $100/month.
I am in Iowa and my AGI was estimated at $38k and some change. I'm a single person household though, I wonder if that's the problem? IDK. I just ran through all the numbers on the website and it came up as $0.
My tax form is probably not helpful since I made more like 60k last year between my old job, severance, and my new job. But I indicated that when I ran the numbers, and used only my new income to calculate it. Do you think I should call them?
It doesn't apply to you now, but you can bundle Verizon cell phone plans with CenturyLink internet to save $5/month - they come on the same bill. It just took one phone call. Also, if your BF if considered an employee at the university, he may be eligible for a discount on his cell phone bill.
This surprises me, your gross income would have to be 400% above poverty level to get no credit. After you do your taxes, look at Form 8962 Lines 1 - 8 to calculate the amount you would need to contribute to your health insurance under a plan purchased through the marketplace. It's hard to tell without knowing what state you are in and your actual AGI but I really think you should be able to save at least $100/month.
I am in Iowa and my AGI was estimated at $38k and some change. I'm a single person household though, I wonder if that's the problem? IDK. I just ran through all the numbers on the website and it came up as $0.
My tax form is probably not helpful since I made more like 60k last year between my old job, severance, and my new job. But I indicated that when I ran the numbers, and used only my new income to calculate it. Do you think I should call them?
No, I was thinking your AGI would be lower. I did the calculations and you wouldn't qualify since your insurance cost per month is less than $300.
When will your car be paid off? When will your BF graduate? Re: $300/month for groceries - that's $69.23 per week. $325/month is $75 per week. How close are you to those numbers?
When will your car be paid off? When will your BF graduate? Re: $300/month for groceries - that's $69.23 per week. $325/month is $75 per week. How close are you to those numbers?
Car will be paid off in 2 years. BF will finish classes in May 2017, then he'll have an internship which will be paid but IDK how much. It will be a while before income really changes, unfortunately, at least on his end.
Groceries really depends on the week. I'd say more weeks than not we spend $100, but this week for example I spent $52. So it averages to somewhere between $300-400 a month. I try to shop sales, not buy anything too expensive, buy generic, shop at Costco, etc but I don't target a specific overall dollar amount, I just buy what I need/want. It looks like I'm going to need to change that.
When will your car be paid off? When will your BF graduate? Re: $300/month for groceries - that's $69.23 per week. $325/month is $75 per week. How close are you to those numbers?
Car will be paid off in 2 years. BF will finish classes in May 2017, then he'll have an internship which will be paid but IDK how much. It will be a while before income really changes, unfortunately, at least on his end.
Groceries really depends on the week. I'd say more weeks than not we spend $100, but this week for example I spent $52. So it averages to somewhere between $300-400 a month. I try to shop sales, not buy anything too expensive, buy generic, shop at Costco, etc but I don't target a specific overall dollar amount, I just buy what I need/want. It looks like I'm going to need to change that.
You might want to go through your grocery charges for the last 8 weeks or so, to see what they've been. I don't know about you, but we also buy most of our household goods at the grocery store as well. Obviously, one way or another, everyone has to buy those necessities - so it might be helpful to know what you're spending.
I'd be concerned that you're actually going into the red each month, just with groceries and household incidentals. And this is with absolutely no fun or eating out spending.
When will your car be paid off? When will your BF graduate? Re: $300/month for groceries - that's $69.23 per week. $325/month is $75 per week. How close are you to those numbers?
Car will be paid off in 2 years. BF will finish classes in May 2017, then he'll have an internship which will be paid but IDK how much. It will be a while before income really changes, unfortunately, at least on his end.
Groceries really depends on the week. I'd say more weeks than not we spend $100, but this week for example I spent $52. So it averages to somewhere between $300-400 a month. I try to shop sales, not buy anything too expensive, buy generic, shop at Costco, etc but I don't target a specific overall dollar amount, I just buy what I need/want. It looks like I'm going to need to change that.
As an example, 3 weeks at $100 and 1 week at $50 is an average of $87.50/week. Multiply by 52 weeks and divide by 12 months and you get an average monthly expenditure of $379.17. Know what you're spending before you assume you have $200/month to play with.
It would be really stupid to cancel my health insurance, right? Like REALLY stupid? I have really high deductible that I can't afford to meet, but I worry that if I cancel it I'll fall and break something or need emergency surgery or something else cripplingly expensive. But it just seems like such a money suck/waste since I'm healthy and can't use it unless it's something major anyway.
Please don't go without any insurance! My ILs did that and my MIL had a perforated bowel and needed emergency surgery. They'll probably die still in medical debt. I'm sure you're younger and healthier than my ILs but going without insurance is a risk you shouldn't take.
H and I had horribly expensive high deductible insurance for 3-4 years because it was better than no insurance. And that was when we were barely scrapping by month to month. H has always been healthy but I've always had health problems. I had to be on his insurance because I was unemployed (job hunting) and have a pre-existing condition so at the time couldn't get my own private insurance. It was the suck.
@buckybells you are not allowed to go without insurance!!!!!!!!!!!
Lol ok ok! I just threw that out there 2 days ago and then said I wasn't going to I actually signed up for different (still highly expensive, blah) insurance yesterday. I'm saving a whopping $13 a month on it.
I have never not had insurance. I'm glad it's an option now with Obamacare, since I'd be just plain old screwed otherwise. But I do hate that I'm paying almost 10% of my take home pay for something I can't even use unless I'm dying. Stupid America.