Money Diary - DINKs in OC

[agnes]

HCOL but a different area of OC than farmvillelover.
I work for local government, H is a mechanic, and we recently started a business. (Anyone want to buy an awesome fire pit that folds down to less than an inch? lol)

Fixed expenses:

PITI (townhouse) - 1960
HOA (includes trash) - 265
Electric - 30
Water - 25
Natural Gas - 30
Auto Ins - 121
Car - 272
Cell (including my mom's) - 160
Cable/Internet - 140

The Diary doesn't include bills or automatic savings I have set up nor H's random spending or business expenses. Outside of retirement savings I have $125 taken out of our checking account weekly for random stuff not budgeted like vacations or the IKEA spending spree you'll see below.



Monday
Forgot to take my Lee’s coffee (from Costco frozen section) out of the freezer to defrost the night before. So Starbucks it is. Tall Mocha Frap with an add shot - $5.05
Lunch - Leftover Bucca di Beppo from SIL’s birthday dinner at last night. - $0
Dinner - Oven broke over the weekend and we haven’t ordered the part yet. Little Ceasar’s it is! - $11.58
Total: $16.63

Tuesday
Remembered to defrost the coffee! - $0
Lunch - yakitori rice bowl thing from Costco frozen section
Weekly run with new work BFF at Quail Hill. No charge for parking!
Dinner - garlic quinoa and wild rice mix with mixed vegetables
Total: $0

Wednesday
More defrosted coffee
Lunch - leftover rice, veggies, and pizza
Dinner - TJ’s frozen Ricotta and Spinach ravioli
Total: $0

Thursday
More of that frozen coffee
Lunch - frozen stuff
Dinner out with H, walked to restaurant - burritos and chips and salsa - $14.18
Total: $14.18

Friday
My flex day and H got off work early so we went out to a late lunch - yummy gourmet burger, patty melt and fries. - $24.47
Groceries - Haven't gone in a few weeks - $134.83
The groceries consist of a couple dishes like chicken afritada (at least one dinner and several lunches to freeze) and H’s family pasta sauce (usually feeds 5 people plus several jars to freeze), some frozen lunches, salads, ice cream, toiletries, snacks.
IKEA - finally gave in and got cheapo chairs for our dining room table and snowballed from there. Also got a shade for our front door window, curtains and rod for the slider, a desk, pillow, placemats, and a $10 as-is coffee table that we now know won't work - $466.92
We only put the chairs together and the shade up.
Total: $626.22

Saturday
Cleaned, organized, did some schoolwork while H was out on a ride.
Total: $0

Sunday
H put the desk together and cooked sauce all day while I went to Great Aunt’s house for Easter lunch.
Dinner - fresh bread and cake to go with the pasta - $10.78
Total: $10.78

My take away, I eat a lot of frozen stuff.

[nicechicken]

Tell me more about the fire pit.

[agnes]

Apr 17, 2017 15:14:34 GMT -5 nicechicken said:

Tell me more about the fire pit.

H wanted a small collapsible fire-pit for when he/we go camping. The options out there are bulky (washing machine tubs) or not very good quality and not quite what he was looking for. So a few months ago he created one. It's 11 gauge steel, packs down to less than an inch thick, and has a handy carrying bag.


foldaflame.com

[nicechicken]

agnes,
pm'd you.

[alleinesein]

Damn I wish I had the money for that fire pit. It is pretty awesome. How long does it take to cool down?

[agnes]

Apr 17, 2017 15:54:33 GMT -5 nicechicken said:

agnes,
pm'd you.

back at ya!

[agnes]

Apr 17, 2017 16:06:13 GMT -5 alleinesein said:

Damn I wish I had the money for that fire pit. It is pretty awesome. How long does it take to cool down?

about a half hour once the coals or wood is emptied.

[tacokick]

I'm impressed with how cheap your restaurant meals were!

[agnes]

Apr 17, 2017 16:53:48 GMT -5 tacokick said:

I'm impressed with how cheap your restaurant meals were!

we have some really great restaurants with in walking distance. It's one of the reasons we picked this area.

[Deleted]

What do you spend per month on groceries?

I'm impressed that $134 is your "we haven't shopped in a few weeks" budget. I'm lucky if I don't spend more than that weekly!

Also, you make living in LA area sound doable H would love to move back there someday but it makes me nervous. I feel like we could live with your expenses, though.

[agnes]

Apr 17, 2017 20:59:53 GMT -5 @buckybells said:

What do you spend per month on groceries?

I'm impressed that $134 is your "we haven't shopped in a few weeks" budget. I'm lucky if I don't spend more than that weekly!

Also, you make living in LA area sound doable H would love to move back there someday but it makes me nervous. I feel like we could live with your expenses, though.

I don't really know anymore!  I haven't actually kept track in a long time.  We used to live with more people (MIL, SIL, BIL) and easily spent $800/month.  I can say with a doubt we're not even coming close to that with just the 2 of us (and the cat).  

You should move here!  I love the area we live in and our little house.  It's only 700 sq ft and we have a nice little patio and 2 car garage.  It's a special little unicorn of a property.  It's not a "desirable" neighborhood like the newer neighborhoods popping up, but that's ok by me.  I work only 4 miles away and couldn't be happier.  I used to have a 20 mile commute.  

Really, we can do a lot more with our money since we don't have children in the house or student loans (might change in a couple years if I max out work reimbursements).  Like, I took the government job with a take home of about 30-40% less and we haven't really had to make adjustments except for not being able to buy the expensive furniture we really want or taking a big trip to Europe.  

[tacokick]

Apr 17, 2017 17:40:27 GMT -5 agnes said:

Apr 17, 2017 16:53:48 GMT -5 tacokick said:

I'm impressed with how cheap your restaurant meals were!

we have some really great restaurants with in walking distance. It's one of the reasons we picked this area.

Jealous! We can walk to McDonalds or to buy drugs.

[agnes]

Apr 17, 2017 22:06:28 GMT -5 tacokick said:

Apr 17, 2017 17:40:27 GMT -5 agnes said:

we have some really great restaurants with in walking distance. It's one of the reasons we picked this area.

Jealous! We can walk to McDonalds or to buy drugs.

sorry to rub it in, but with in 1 mile I can walk to 2 grocery stores, 2 99 cent stores, 1 kosher market, 2 Indian markets, and 1 carneceria. And countless restaurants (fast food, hole in the wall, Indian, American, Mexican, Thai, Japanese, Chinese, etc) and a well-known bakery, froyo, coffee, ice cream, doughnut shops, etc.

And about 3 miles away is a giant outdoor shopping center - 165 acres and over 120 stores. It's ridiculous.

[tacokick]

Apr 17, 2017 22:17:13 GMT -5 agnes said:

Apr 17, 2017 22:06:28 GMT -5 tacokick said:

Jealous! We can walk to McDonalds or to buy drugs.

sorry to rub it in, but with in 1 mile I can walk to 2 grocery stores, 2 99 cent stores, 1 kosher market, 2 Indian markets, and 1 carneceria. And countless restaurants (fast food, hole in the wall, Indian, American, Mexican, Thai, Japanese, Chinese, etc) and a well-known bakery, froyo, coffee, ice cream, doughnut shops, etc.

And about 3 miles away is a giant outdoor shopping center - 165 acres and over 120 stores. It's ridiculous.

You're evil.

[Deleted]

Apr 17, 2017 21:43:52 GMT -5 agnes said:

Apr 17, 2017 20:59:53 GMT -5 @buckybells said:

What do you spend per month on groceries?

I'm impressed that $134 is your "we haven't shopped in a few weeks" budget. I'm lucky if I don't spend more than that weekly!

Also, you make living in LA area sound doable H would love to move back there someday but it makes me nervous. I feel like we could live with your expenses, though.

I don't really know anymore!  I haven't actually kept track in a long time.  We used to live with more people (MIL, SIL, BIL) and easily spent $800/month.  I can say with a doubt we're not even coming close to that with just the 2 of us (and the cat).  

You should move here!  I love the area we live in and our little house.  It's only 700 sq ft and we have a nice little patio and 2 car garage.  It's a special little unicorn of a property.  It's not a "desirable" neighborhood like the newer neighborhoods popping up, but that's ok by me.  I work only 4 miles away and couldn't be happier.  I used to have a 20 mile commute.  

Really, we can do a lot more with our money since we don't have children in the house or student loans (might change in a couple years if I max out work reimbursements).  Like, I took the government job with a take home of about 30-40% less and we haven't really had to make adjustments except for not being able to buy the expensive furniture we really want or taking a big trip to Europe.  

I'm still impressed lol. I think we spend a minimum of $500 on groceries each month, and often more. It's annoying.

Your house and neighborhood sound like exactly where we'd want to live. I want a small house or condo for sure, and it sounds like you have lots of great places close by. When it comes time to actually move, we may need to chat more