YesImClueless OP t1_iyez06z wrote on November 30, 2022 at 10:05 PM

Reply to comment by Liquidretro in What should i pay off first with this money? by YesImClueless

I do budget every month yes! But it feels like there's more money going to where it really shouldn't. I live in the East Bay so unfortunately most of my money goes to rent, which is increasing again in January after increasing last year as well, it's why im planning to move :( Its a whopping 2350 coming soon(no utilities) and that's very above my means which isn't cool. I currently live with a partner who hasn't been contributing much and adding to my costs this past year, and we are planning to separate for personal reasons. Ideally, my goal is to move as far away from the city as possible!

My bills roughly at the moment:

Rent- $2350 including utilities here

Phone - $60

Electricity - $65

Internet - $70

Gym - $50.99

Car Insurance - $108

Car Loan - $257

Personal - $160.98

Private - $75

Groceries - $400

Gas - $120 a month now

Dog

Tracking Collar - $17.60

Flea and Tick+Heartworm - $20

Savings - $50

Food - $90

That's roughly $3,895 in expenses monthly. It's horrible. I take home $4160 a month. With partner contributing since January $500. That leaves me with $765 monthly to put down on debt. I leave myself roughly $300 a month to play with. I've been rather strict in order to get my car loan down further and that's when my dad offered to help me out!

I believe with a roommate or living in a studio apartment i should be able to reduce costs somewhat, as well as groceries. Alone i spend around $150 a month for myself!

Liquidretro t1_iyf4ucj wrote on November 30, 2022 at 10:47 PM

East bay? San Fransico?

That's good news, and helpful for sure in this process.

Rent of 56.5% of your take home pay does seem to be the major factor here as far as spending goes. It sounds like you have a plan for that, and it sounds like roommates or living at home should be what you are looking for.

You should be pushing for your partner to pull their own weight if at all possible, as it's hurting you. No idea what they are going through but 10+ months is a long time for a lot of things especially if it was unemployment earlier in the year.

Assuming you are splitting your utilities internet bill $70 a month seems high.

$90 a month for dog food is high. You can buy 50lbs of name brand kibble from Sams Club for $60 or 38lbs of BlueBuffalo for $60. So probably worth shopping around a bit.

YesImClueless OP t1_iyf7hbr wrote on November 30, 2022 at 11:05 PM

Yes!! Right across from San Francisco. Unfortunately my work was in the city, then we moved into a hybrid schedule, and now we're fully remote. I'm not sure how i did it before when i was commuting to work more frequently. it's almost a blur.

56.5% towards rent is just unfathomable :( I can't believe I do that every month. If my partner was pulling more weight in, I would probably have been able to have way more wiggle room.

I'll have to check my internet bill, I could potentially be paying for more than I need? I'll see if i can check my usage for the month. I've been spending a few days at a quiet work space here so I shouldn't really need the best thing out there.

I don't have a Sam's club nearby but i do have a Costco. $60 sounds amazing!! That would actually last my dog a few months. I'm also going to have to check that out.

Every little bit helps so i appreciate your feedback so much!

Liquidretro t1_iyf9cqk wrote on November 30, 2022 at 11:19 PM

Ya an expensive area. Since you are remote moving not just to apartments but to a less expensive area would help you out substantially.

Ya I'm a Costco fan too, but Sams just has a lot better website to actually see what things cost vs Costco's that doesn't list everything, doesn't tell you what's in the store, or what things that are in store might cost without adding on instacart fees.