Big Surprise when looking at my finances....

Another approach to this...and probably the main reason I haven't done anything to change. If it's already budgeted for and you're making sure the savings account, retirement fund, oh shit fund, vacation fund, truck fund, etc etc are all fully stocked, what's the point in cutting out going to eat??? I think I've said it before, and I do advise to be more structured than me, but the first 10% goes to the Lord, 30% goes to bills/expenses, 30% goes to savings, and 30% goes to screwing off. Who cares what that screwing off consists of, it only matters if you decide you want to screw off in a different fashion and need to figure out where to get funding.
 
Here y'all go, in real time. Anyone can do this.

20170216_165729.jpg
 
Try living with my family! Everything has to be organic, non gmo, free range, blah blah!!! Hell a dozen eggs cost me almost $6!!! Even the fawkng dog food has to be "all natural " witch=$$$....I swear we have to buy all this shit every 3 days or so!!!
 
Mushrooms, 2# hamburger, sight word homework, toddler fight, 1/2c water, 1/2 can tomato sauce, & a large can of diced tomatoes...

20170216_174204.jpg
 
UTfball68 said:
what's the point in cutting out going to eat???
Click to expand...

To eat healthier which will make you feel better and live longer. It is very hard to eat healthy when going out to eat. I'm 43 and didn't always think like that, but the older I get the more I focus on my health.
 
drkelly said:
To eat healthier which will make you feel better and live longer. It is very hard to eat healthy when going out to eat. I'm 43 and didn't always think like that, but the older I get the more I focus on my health.
Click to expand...
Health doesn't mean much to you when you're young and healthy. When you get older if you are healthy you are thankful and try to stay that way. If you are not that healthy you can probably think back on your life and think of a few things you would have done to be healthier. I'm just now starting to think like an old man and trying to take better care of my body by watching what I eat and the way I abuse my body.
 
drkelly said:
To eat healthier which will make you feel better and live longer. It is very hard to eat healthy when going out to eat. I'm 43 and didn't always think like that, but the older I get the more I focus on my health.
Click to expand...

The rest of that comment was strictly financially speaking. I understand the health benefits of not eating a chili cheeseburger everyday
 
This thread inspired me as well. Went out to eat seafood by my self.

Dales in Tabor City 18.45
Breakfast: dunkin: bagel & coffee 5.45.

I'm at 24.00 right there.

Dinner was at least 2000 calories at a minimum.
 
I've been working in the processed food business for over 30 years.
TONS of sodium in that shit. Trust me.
More 411 in a bit.
 
drkelly said:
To eat healthier which will make you feel better and live longer. It is very hard to eat healthy when going out to eat. I'm 43 and didn't always think like that, but the older I get the more I focus on my health.
Click to expand...
^^^^^^^
Yes.
 
Drinking half your body weight in oz of water, daily is the most important thing you can do for your health.
 
We were in the same boat and realized we were eating a lot of money. Set down and made it a point to cut back and it made a big difference in $$ saved.
Honestly, wifey does 95% of the food shopping so I had to ask her, we average ~$500-550/month on all groceries. Us, 12 & 6 y/o, 60 lb dog, 2 cats.
On top of that we've agreed to a budget of ~$40/week for eating out. Most weeks, on Fri night we get take-out Chinese or pizza, then maybe Sat lunch if we're out and about. Sun lunch is almost always leftover take-out. Eat at a restaurant *maybe* once a month. Once you have kids restaurants become less fun...

She gets off work at 12:30, eats lunch at home. She's also gotten very good at making dinners w/ 1-2 extra servings for minimally extra cost, which I often eat for lunch (~2-3 days/week). I do eat out lunch the other days (mostly just to get the F#$% away from work), but at least 1/3 of those is going to WaWa and getting a 10" sandwich for $6 and eating 1/2 today and the other half the next day.
 
Thinking about it, really the big thing for us was learning to actually eat leftovers, and making meals where the leftovers could be easily re-prepared so the motivation was there. That saves a huge amount.
You can save a ton that way, in most cases you can make 4-6 servings for minimally more effort or cost than just 2.

I am reminded though of an old friend who said once he wanted to make a special shelf in the fridge that was a slow conveyor belt moving to the back wit ha trash can behind it... takes 4 days to get to the back... so any leftovers not eaten just automatically thrown away, lol.
 
BIGWOODY said:
I assume you aren't currently walking. Cut the eating out budget now, save money, buy a car you can pay cash for (or at least have a huge down payment).
Remember cars are a depreciating asset, carrying debt on a depreciating asset is a bad idea.
Click to expand...
THIS!

I know it sucks driving a beater. Especially if you're young, but I swear if you put the money away monthly you WOULD on a new car, and buy a used one when you've saved up enough (saving shit-tons on the dealer lot roll-off depreciation) the habit of that saving will help you SO MUCH in the long run.
 
CasterTroy said:
THIS!

I know it sucks driving a beater. Especially if you're young, but I swear if you put the money away monthly you WOULD on a new car, and buy a used one when you've saved up enough (saving shit-tons on the dealer lot roll-off depreciation) the habit of that saving will help you SO MUCH in the long run.
Click to expand...
This is what is killing me. I want a new vehicle but I'm to cheap or practical to go buy a new one. my beater is beat so I'm trying to save up some cash to get a newer nicer vehicle I can pay off pretty fast after I pay for most of it up front. While everyone else I know graduating is buying new vehicles

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
 
When you're <35ish your vehicle can sometimes define you. Hard to pull chicks in a 15yr old yota with body character (dents) and a faded paint job :shaking: but you find out years later those weren't the kind you wanted in the first place....yeah fun to conquer (for the night) but the keepers aren't out with those gold-diggers anyway.

I WANTED to fall into the trap of "nice car and not care about renting a dive" but I had too many friends smarter than myself telling me to suck it up and pay my shit off to buy a house. Did just that and had something my mother never had her whole life by the time I was 24: A brick house with a 2 car garage and basement :rockon:

Still have yet to own a new, "nice car" of my own (now the WIFE has a pimp ride :huggy:) and I'm 45 this year. But every "beater" I, and my wife own has the title sitting in the gun safe, so there's that.
 
CasterTroy said:
THIS!

I know it sucks driving a beater. Especially if you're young, but I swear if you put the money away monthly you WOULD on a new car, and buy a used one when you've saved up enough (saving shit-tons on the dealer lot roll-off depreciation) the habit of that saving will help you SO MUCH in the long run.
Click to expand...

and not only are you saving the finance charges, but as you save up, and properly invest your savings, that money will grow, 1 or 4 or 6 or 8+ percent per year over the time you are saving it. Savings adds up as much or more than the loan interest would take away from you.
 
CasterTroy said:
When you're <35ish your vehicle can sometimes define you. Hard to pull chicks in a 15yr old yota with body character (dents) and a faded paint job :shaking: but you find out years later those weren't the kind you wanted in the first place....yeah fun to conquer (for the night) but the keepers aren't out with those gold-diggers anyway.

I WANTED to fall into the trap of "nice car and not care about renting a dive" but I had too many friends smarter than myself telling me to suck it up and pay my shit off to buy a house. Did just that and had something my mother never had her whole life by the time I was 24: A brick house with a 2 car garage and basement :rockon:

Still have yet to own a new, "nice car" of my own (now the WIFE has a pimp ride :huggy:) and I'm 45 this year. But every "beater" I, and my wife own has the title sitting in the gun safe, so there's that.
Click to expand...
Graduating the second time in may will be 25. Only debt I will have is a "small" amount of student loans and my house which I bought for half of tax value from my family (bought my sister's half). I also have three vehicles and a ski boat. I'm doing pretty good for myself but tired of driving a 91 ranger that the door doesn't shut half the time.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
 
Back
Top