[quote]JaseHxC wrote:
It’s likely that your coworkers, if not serious about nutrition and exercise, are spending $300/month on food and supps. Their grocery bills are probably much less thus affording them the ability to eat out and since they probably don’t enjoy preparing their own food as well, they see this as a positive and a just expense.
It all comes down to sacrifices and what is more valued my friend. I don’t drink/smoke/eat meat/enjoy going downtown to clubs and thus I don’t see the majority of my friends and peers as much as others would, and I’m fine with that. If you’re upset at feeling like a recluse then deal with it and spend some money, or find a hobby you can enjoy while staying in.[/quote]
I think this most likely sums it up. I see them eating out at lunch daily which can be cheaper or more expensive then how we bodybuilders eat, buying most our foods in bulk, preparing our meals and cooking at home mostly then bringing meals to work. For all I know they eat 2-3 meals a day vs 5-6 meals a day like I do meaning they buy less food overall anyway.
The post about using credit cards and spending well beyond their means is also a likely occurrence. They spend because all the others are spending and so they to spend more then they should. I simply look to suppress the urge to spend as freely and aggressively as they do. Hell, I do not have a single credit card to my name, just 1 debit card matter of fact.
I do figure I may have more student loan debt however. I pay $325 a month myself and from what I here in those random talks you have with people about lean debt, is that most of them pay $100-150 a month and they feel like they are getting rapped with loan figures like that! That could be one area of discord as well.
I make $2150 a month which leaves me about $250 for food, $50 for supps, $100 for gas and $50 for CEU courses, and then $100 for social spending all month. All else I make is ear marked for my rent, car loan, student loan, car insurance, cell, cable, utilities, internet, etc.
Thoughts?[/quote]
Declare bankrupcy and default on your loans. Who needs a credit rating anyhow? When you want to buy your own home just save up the cash. With a disposable income of $100 a month you could buy your own home by the time you’re 90. Then it’s time to settle down and have kids.[/quote]
You can’t default on student loans, even if you declare bankruptcy you have to pay it back.
Cancel your cable. Get netflix and go in with a neighbor on internet. Also, consider a roomate. [/quote]
I live in a single bedroom apartment. I only have standard cable at $40 a month and my net is $35 a month standard package as well. I had thought about these though, good call!
Holymac is right you can’t put a price on fun… Rehab in Vegas charges $750 for a bottle of grey goose it is a magnum but still spendy… Last time there the bill was over 5k… But it was amazing… Obviously Hallowed doesn’t buy her own drinks when she goes out… Exactly how many of said drinks would I need to buy you to see what’s under the dress?
[quote]Swolle wrote:
Holymac is right you can’t put a price on fun… Rehab in Vegas charges $750 for a bottle of grey goose it is a magnum but still spendy… Last time there the bill was over 5k… But it was amazing… Obviously Hallowed doesn’t buy her own drinks when she goes out… Exactly how many of said drinks would I need to buy you to see what’s under the dress? [/quote]
Now I am no expert when it comes to the wimmenz mind but I would only ask the last question if I was positively sure that I would never want to see what was under that dress.
You can go out and only have a couple drinks, and not spend a lot of money. I like the idea of a second job though, especially if money is that tight. Make it something that you enjoy, where getting paid is a bonus.
As for dropping big bar tabs…
The only reason to do so, is if you can expense it. Most of my friends who spend a lot of money going out, aren’t actually paying for it.
Saving a couple hundred dollars a month means hundreds of thousands of dollars in a few years. Unless you already have a couple mill in the bank, I suggest you start saving.
[quote]gregron wrote:
Maybe a lot of your coworkers are married or live with their significant other? Having a two income household will allow for more money for going out and things like that. (just a thought)
Maybe your coworkers are in less debt than you are? (less student loans and sush)
Maybe your coworkers are in MORE debt than you are? (and put things on credit cards, not putting as much money towards their student loans, just financially irresponsible?)
[/quote]
I think Gregron summed up most of the possibilities here.
But letâ??s say you are too young for marriage and throw that one out. In my opinion it is always a combination of the last two. In college and post grad work I was friends with a lot of guys from upper-middle class families. Kids from these families are used to spending whatever they want on a good time. If this means putting the expenses on a credit card they never seemed to mind.
I was never comfortable with that so I drove my crappy car, drank cheap beer, and declined pricey events like concerts and Euro-trips. In the end I refused to pay for things with credit as my parents wouldn’t be helping me any time soon.
That being said you can still go to a bar at happy hour, drink half price beers, and try to get laid. I think my first post-secondary internship paid $26,000 and I managed to get out twice a week during happy hour at places I knew I could stretch my dollar.
coupons… seriously… i started clipping those with my GF and our monthly food budget went from over 400 to ~150…
This morning I bought 24 peterpan peanut butters and made 0.25 cents on each one… that money paid for the bag of whole bean espresso i bought… so i only paid tax…
last week we bought 280 bucks worth of stuff and paid 29 dollars… ended up with 20 pounds of chicken breasts (boneless) and 10 pounds of beef… along with a ton of soup, cheese and bread… (again, used peanut butter to get paid)…
oh, and no, the food doesnt go to waste, when we get paid to buy stuff (like the peanut butter) we donate it to a local homeless shelter… (tax write off!)
Orion thanks for the advice… … I’m fairly confident that the comment was humor and in no way was it intended to actually get me into the dress in question… Clearly your superior chivalry and charm will work it’s magic and show me how it’s done… oh wait are we in a bar or on a forum on the Internet?
Like Ratchet said, coupons for food! There really is a secret art to doing it…some say the time you spend looking for them isn’t even worth it but once you get it down you can save a ton of money. A ton! It’s hard to give advice when we can’t see your exact spending, but I’d still drop the cable even if that’s cheap to you. I’d rather go out one more time during the month than have cable if I already have internet access.
[quote]Swolle wrote:
Holymac is right you can’t put a price on fun… Rehab in Vegas charges $750 for a bottle of grey goose it is a magnum but still spendy… Last time there the bill was over 5k… But it was amazing… Obviously Hallowed doesn’t buy her own drinks when she goes out… Exactly how many of said drinks would I need to buy you to see what’s under the dress? [/quote]
I don’t even drink!!!
Usually don’t eat too much either.
EDIT: When I did drink liked to go round for round - I’m Italian so I’m like that.
As far as OP - make some more money! There are ways to pick up some sideline income. The people you are comparing yourself to are probably accumulating debt and its clear that you live within your means which is awesome.
[quote]HolyMacaroni wrote:
holymac likes to party[/quote]
Please tell me those are 40’s for 300 bucks a pop?
Also OP. 2150 with a car, student loans and an apartment is understandably very tight. That’s alot of expenses to pay making just 25000 dollars a year. That being said, what are you friends doing that is so expensive?
Not to brag but I’m on the flip side of this issue. I have very low living expensives and a fair amount of disposable income. I have friends with similar financial standing to yours and I’d rather pay a couple dollars and make sure you come out to have a good time, rather than have you stress about money.
[quote]HolyMacaroni wrote:
holymac likes to party[/quote]
Please tell me those are 40’s for 300 bucks a pop?
Also OP. 2150 with a car, student loans and an apartment is understandably very tight. That’s alot of expenses to pay making just 25000 dollars a year. That being said, what are you friends doing that is so expensive?
Not to brag but I’m on the flip side of this issue. I have very low living expensives and a fair amount of disposable income. I have friends with similar financial standing to yours and I’d rather pay a couple dollars and make sure you come out to have a good time, rather than have you stress about money.
[/quote]
$2150 is my net income. I gross $2900 a month, making 34k a year. But since 2150 is what I have to work with yes, thats the key figure.
And whoever asked, yes I did graduate grad school from UW-LaCrosse. Eagles baby!!
[quote]Ratchet wrote:
coupons… seriously… i started clipping those with my GF and our monthly food budget went from over 400 to ~150…
This morning I bought 24 peterpan peanut butters and made 0.25 cents on each one… that money paid for the bag of whole bean espresso i bought… so i only paid tax…
last week we bought 280 bucks worth of stuff and paid 29 dollars… ended up with 20 pounds of chicken breasts (boneless) and 10 pounds of beef… along with a ton of soup, cheese and bread… (again, used peanut butter to get paid)…
oh, and no, the food doesnt go to waste, when we get paid to buy stuff (like the peanut butter) we donate it to a local homeless shelter… (tax write off!)[/quote]
I need to get a Sunday paper then. I dont get the campus circular which is loaded with coupons every week. I do get the AddSheet which has 1x restaurant discounts and B1G1 deals but no grocery type deals of any kind. Sunday paper likely has a load of those.
I shop at Hyvee because its close, good quality and has new deals and discounts every week as well. Plus online printable coupons as well. Wal-Mart from time to time as well since its basically right next door, go figure…
For example…
I have 382 bucks left in my account now on the 15th of the month, I have 311 dollars earmarked for remaining utility bill, student loan and gym fee. Leaves about 70 to go for the last half of the month. I have groceries and food done, all other bills paid. Only gas money is what I have left to pay for this month on the standpoint of MUST buy.
Have you looked into/thought about getting a roommate? I’d guess that in a college town there are recent grads/other single young people who are looking to split a two or three bedroom.
[quote]KBCThird wrote:
Have you looked into/thought about getting a roommate? I’d guess that in a college town there are recent grads/other single young people who are looking to split a two or three bedroom.[/quote]
I’d like to echo this. When i was finishing my masters i had a roomate and it does cut things in about half which left us both with a lot of income. It also cut our gas bill since we carpooled …
Im finishing my Ph.D. up this next year and I’m ok now but thats cause i live with my GF and she has a full time good paying job… however, i basically live off 700 a month (which gas, insurance and my small ass part of the rent comes out of)…