What’s considered a normal budget?

amother

OP ↓

Mon, Oct 28 2024, 9:25 pm

We’re a couple of 2 with a baby. Husband learns and gets a small Paycheck and I have a well paying job bh. We’re working on budgeting and looking to hear what others in similar living situations are spending monthly. We live in town for reference.

Please include all details you can if u want- ie: how much you make and how much u spend and what ur budget is and how u stick to it

Thank you in advance!!

amother

↑ OP ↓

Mon, Oct 28 2024, 9:42 pm

amother OP wrote:

Last edited by amother on Mon, Oct 28 2024, 9:43 pm; edited 1 time in total

amother

↑ OP ↓

Mon, Oct 28 2024, 10:15 pm

amother IndianRed wrote:

We’re newly married and live out of town, house hold income $200k. Monthly expenses around $3,000 - $3,500

We use an app to track expenses. It is linked to our bank accounts

Thanks! Is that including rent? Are u paying for a babysitter? Can u give a brief breakdown? We’re spending a lot more than than and curious what to know what your breakdown is. TIA!

amother

Black ↓

Mon, Oct 28 2024, 10:21 pm

amother IndianRed wrote:

We’re newly married and live out of town, house hold income $200k. Monthly expenses around $3,000 - $3,500

We use an app to track expenses. It is linked to our bank accounts

wow! Does your husband work?

amother

Opal ↓

Mon, Oct 28 2024, 10:23 pm

[colorblack]amother IndianRed[/color] wrote:

We’re newly married and live out of town, house hold income $200k. Monthly expenses around $3,000 - $3,500

We use an app to track expenses a. It is linked to our bank accounts

Wow sounds like a dream Smile

my advice from eleven years down the road: invest as much as you can now. It’ll pay off so nicely.

amother

↑ IndianRed ↓

Mon, Oct 28 2024, 10:24 pm

amother OP wrote:

Thanks! Is that including rent? Are u paying for a babysitter? Can u give a brief breakdown? We’re spending a lot more than than and curious what to know what your breakdown is. TIA!

Sure we live in dingy family apartment and pay $300/month.

$1000 food
$350 car insurance
$300 gas
$200 misc shopping
$300 bills (phone internet)
$100 health
$300 rent

Something like that

Cars are not fancy and owned out right. They’re both worth like $15k combined. No kids yet so no child expenses

We don’t go on vacation often

amother

Apricot ↓

Mon, Oct 28 2024, 10:35 pm

Our expenses add up to about 3500. One baby
Live in town, cheap rent
Rn I’m not working and we’re living on very little but it’s temporary. Now we’re saving about 700 a month but it used to be more and iyh soon it’ll be again
We use a spreadsheet and enter in all expenses, everything we buy goes in its own category. It automatically does the calculations once we enter in expenses so we can easily see how much we have left in that section to spend
We invest in an account for ourselves, an account for baby, and a Roth.
All cash back from credit cards goes toward vacations

amother

Zinnia ↓

Mon, Oct 28 2024, 10:53 pm

In town couple with one kid, renting a basement. Looking at my budgeting app, looks like we spend between 4 and 6k a month. Usually around 5k but sometimes less and sometimes more. We save a few hundred a month.

paying $700 a month for the babysitter
$700-800 on groceries
$1400 on rent
$1000 on our car (we got a lease during the most expensive time and it is a gas guzzler and car insurance is expensive, plus we pay a nice amount in tolls because we drive to the city a lot)
$250 health/dental insurance
$75 WiFi
$35 phone bill (husband’s plan is paid by his parents)
$100 utilities
$200 shopping for clothes, baby gear, household items
$60 diapers and wipes
$70 coffee, takeout
$50 life insurance
$40 gym memership
$20 google storage, music, Hulu subscriptions
And we pay maaser too.

Spending so much on my car is so upsetting but giving the lease back early has a steep fee. Can’t wait til the lease runs out.

amother

↑ OP ↓

Tue, Oct 29 2024, 12:06 am

amother Zinnia wrote:

This is so helpful thank you so much! I’m curious how u spend so little on groceries. Are you home for Shabbosim? We’re usually home and spend like $150 during the week and another $150-200 for Shabbos when we’re home and we don’t buy anything crazy! I don’t know why we’re spending more than most people….

amother

↑ Zinnia ↓

Tue, Oct 29 2024, 12:14 am

amother OP wrote:

I’m glad you found it helpful! I shop at Aldi, Target, Walmart, or Trader Joe’s a lot, food is so much cheaper when you don’t shop at a frum store.

I do go away for Shabbos about once a month. And we don’t make all the standard Shabbos foods when we’re home. Don’t have patience for all that cooking! Just salmon, challah, dips at both meals - soup at night too, and cholent during the day.

People are always astonished when I say how little I spend on groceries. I don’t think I’m the average, I shop around a lot and am frugal.

amother

↑ Apricot ↓

Tue, Oct 29 2024, 4:17 am

amother OP wrote:

800 is a lot for groceries
I dont spend more than 500 and I’m in town. but were only home for shabbos once or twice a month.
1600 rent
500 groceries
300 car (we own it so just insurance)
250 train and gas
500 miscellaneous- detergent, Costco, diapers, toys, clothes
100 WiFi and phones
30 Spotify, renters insurance, apps
100 formula
Maaser
Savings

amother

Crocus ↓

Tue, Oct 29 2024, 9:31 am

amother OP wrote:

Can you describe what you spend up to $200 on just for Shabbos? I've heard of people doing this, but I've never understood (unless they have a bunch of teenagers)
We're frugal and careful, and spend around $150-200 on food (plus some household goods) per week with 4 kids.
However, are you trying to spend less? Because you're not obligated to do so just because you can/other people do.

amother

↑ OP ↓

Tue, Oct 29 2024, 9:38 am

amother Crocus wrote:

I am wondering the same thing…we do sometimes have guests so we spend more then. Our big expenses are boneless chicken, chicken for soup, meat, chulent meat, salmon, frozen broccoli, checked lettuce, coleslaw I also buy pans which are expensive. That’s just a few things but alone cud be Aton!
Can you tell me about ur shabbos meals??

amother

↑ IndianRed ↓

Tue, Oct 29 2024, 9:41 am

Dave Ramsey says whatever you think you’re spending on food, take that number a multiple times two 😂

Food is also = groceries + convenience stores + coffee + eating out

We tend to underestimate our food expenses unless it’s directly tracked on an app or spreadsheet.

Example: We order take out once a week which is usually $35, but that adds up to $140 a month which is significant

We spend $200/week on groceries so that’s $800 plus $140 equalling $940 a month! Food is a big expense!

amother

Ballota ↓

Tue, Oct 29 2024, 10:06 am

amother Apricot wrote:

In the current climate 800 is much closer to a realistic number than 500
How are you spending 500? Do you keep CY, py?

amother

Sunflower

Tue, Oct 29 2024, 10:09 am

I don’t know if you can save.

But think about savings for weddings/bar mitzvah/yeshiva/seminary/support. It can be a savings account or better is a conservative mutual fund.
Automatically deposit in there monthly a set amount.

amother

↑ Crocus

Tue, Oct 29 2024, 10:10 am

amother OP wrote:

Things like salmon, broccoli, and lettuce can be considered luxuries based on the prices that checked vegetables cost.
I don't know what kind of meat you use, or how much, but meat is expensive. Having a full portion of that as your protein for a meal is a lot.
We eat 95% of our Shabbos meals at home and have guests sometimes
I bake my challah-maybe $5 (It usually lasts 3 weeks)
I make dips sometimes-maybe $3 (lasts a couple of weeks)
I check lettuce or use other vegetables for salad $4
ground beef or chicken (2 lb)-$10-14
piece of meat for cholent-$5
other cholent/kugel ingredients-$4
vegetable (string beans, zucchini, etc)-$3
cookies/brownies-$2

I buy pans by the case, but I use reusable ones for easy-to-clean things

what else am I missing?