I just can’t understand it-and I can’t take it either!

amother

Brickred ↓

Sat, Sep 14 2024, 6:38 pm

giftedmom wrote:

There are probably many seasonal expenses that eat up the rest like summer camp, Yom tov, back to school etc.

I was going to say this....You didn't have any seasonal expenses like camp or YT listed...
it is so crazy today that families can be making more than half a million a year and still be tight!!

amother

Caramel

Sat, Sep 14 2024, 6:43 pm

OP, we make less than you but have 5 kids so we’re proportionately in similar income brackets. First, you’re not crazy. I feel like I should feel wealthy and I really don’t. Taxes are insane. Here are some things you may be able to cut:
Mortgage - we asked the bank how we could bring down our rate. They offered us that if we paid off 20% of prinicipal we would eliminate PMI and other fees. We brought our mortgage down by $3K/month!
Property taxes - we’re in the process of appealing
Cars - we bought out our leases by financing them
Track your expenses to see where you can save in other areas. Good luck!

amother

Zinnia

Sat, Sep 14 2024, 6:47 pm

Not sure how much your heloc and cc bills are but if you double down and pay them off, that clears up $2500/month! And if you buy uncut fruit, use the tap, make your own dessert etc...you could be saving enough to at least breath. It sounds like you're spending like you're making 750k/year but you're really making 35% less than that!

amother

↑ DarkRed ↓

Sat, Sep 14 2024, 6:50 pm

amother Violet wrote:

Yes but there are so many cuts that can be made, easily. If OP is not making end meet she shouldn't be spending money on cut fruit (!!!) (I’ve literally never bought cut fruit in my entire life) or dips. Just that $40/week adds up to over 2k a year. And those are tiny examples. I bet there are so many cuts to Make.

Well, they're selling cut fruit in all the grocery stores so somebody's buying it... if it's not the families making 650k a year, who exactly should? Same for dips. Btw that was not OP's list, it was mine, and I was just pointing out how easy it is to spend 350 a week on a simple Shabbos. The people I know are not wealthy at all, but they do everything on the list.

You don't save as much as you think. Buying your own fruit costs money too, the cost of ingredients for dips cost money as well. For someone making 50k a month, this is not even a real percentage.

amother

↑ DarkRed ↓

Sat, Sep 14 2024, 6:51 pm

amother Zinnia wrote:

Lol she never said she buys cut fruit.

↑ tulip3

Sat, Sep 14 2024, 6:58 pm

amother DarkRed wrote:

Dip ingredients are dirt cheap and the same $4-7 for 3 oz you pay for each dip, you can make by yourself and have 4x the amount. With fruit, your paying triple the price bec they cut it up for you. It adds up fast.

amother

↑ Violet ↓

Sat, Sep 14 2024, 7:14 pm

amother DarkRed wrote:

This is a self defeating mentality. OP is not making it. She can’t afford fancy fruit and dips. She can’t afford a lot of the luxuries she doesn’t consider luxuries (becisse of her high salary) she needs to make cuts across the board. Lamenting tax policy and inflation and the high cost of being a frum Jew will not put more money in her pocket. But she can very easily make many cuts that really do add up. BH I earn about 1/5 of what OP does (with a smaller family) and I’m making it just fine! I have savings and retirement and don’t feel choked at all. And a big reason is because I’m careful about frivolous spending.

amother

↑ Razzmatazz

Sat, Sep 14 2024, 7:20 pm

amother DarkRed wrote:

All the pennies add up. Cut fruit and veggies are Def more expensive. Same for store bought dips/cakes/challah. Do it every week and it definitely adds up to a nice amount.

amother

Charcoal ↓

Sat, Sep 14 2024, 7:22 pm

Wow! This is making me very nervous ! I have 5 kids and we make 165k and we’re barely making it ! I would love to have 8-10 kids but my husband wants to stop here because life costs so much! So basically we should stop trying to make more money because apparently it doesn’t help.
Also we spend $200 on shabbos groceries and I make everything from scratch , challah, dips, dressing , dessert , I even cut my own fruit ! Food just costs a lot. If I spend $200 with 5 kids then it makes total sense for OP to spend $350 if she has more kids and marrieds .

amother

↑ Violet ↓

Sat, Sep 14 2024, 7:24 pm

amother Charcoal wrote:

I literally can’t fathom how someone spends $200 on shabbos. Can you break it down for me?

amother

↑ Brickred

Sat, Sep 14 2024, 7:38 pm

tulip3 wrote:

her time is better spent making 50K per month....
she and her husband are in a high income bracket!

amother

↑ DarkRed ↓

Sat, Sep 14 2024, 7:41 pm

giftedmom wrote:

There are probably many seasonal expenses that eat up the rest like summer camp, Yom tov, back to school etc.

Also she didn't mention utilities, internet, phone service, medical copays or deductible for things like dentist, glasses (unless that's included in the medical amount), car insurance, gas, clothing....

amother

↑ Violet ↓

Sat, Sep 14 2024, 7:42 pm

amother Brickred wrote:

her time is better spent making 50K per month....
she and her husband are in a high income bracket!

OP hasn’t indicated that she’s looking to take on extra work. Nor should she. But if she’s serious about wanting to stop living paycheck to paycheck we are giving her easy suggestions. Cutting up one’s own fruit and making one’s own dips isn’t so time consuming or burdensome that they should be dismissed out of hand

imaima ↓

Sat, Sep 14 2024, 7:42 pm

amother Charcoal wrote:

I think having a child at home who goes to school is more expensive than 1k a month