Personal Budget

MrMerkinball

I make a decent living....but dear lord...why does my paycheck disapear so damn quickly?

I was looking at it last night, and life with 3 kids is very expensive. It turns out I spend $65/week on Milk/Bread and Diapers alone!!!

Biggest Wave

MrMerkinball wrote:

3 kids is very expensive.

You just answered your own question.

Black Diamond

I got 3 kids and the costs went through the roof. With my wife out of commission with a broken leg, I have been doing all the shopping after work. I can not believe the expenses. Especially on the non meal items. I have been discussing putting them up for adoption but have not gotten anywhere, yet.

youngster

I thought having 2 kids was expensive when I was working. Then I got laid off and shit really hit the fan. It's amazing how much useless spending you do when the money is there all the time. Now I am on a strict budget, cutting coupons, and only buying the bare essentials.

DreamOfAngels

I was so excited when I was out of the diaper expense, but then my next exciting moment was getting out of the daycare expense, then it hit me... it just gets replaced with something else... Once you drop the diapers or daycare, etc and then you add sports/music etc which is just as necessary to fund personally since the school systems keep slashing it with budget cuts.

You might be better off buying a cow and learning to make homemade bread... I won't offer options on the diapers...

cdp1223

Hey thanks everyone for giving me a little more encouragement to never have kids!

pandora

kids are worth every cent, sure beats buying "things" all the time. My mother-in-law always says pay yourself first. I guess tuck away a little savings how ever small. I don't seem to be able to do that but I like the way it sounds.
Good luck with your family and money seems to have a way of working itself out, sometimes you got it in life sometimes you don't.

neilybabes86

cdp1223 wrote:

Hey thanks everyone for giving me a little more encouragement to never have kids!

DreamOfAngels

pandora wrote:

kids are worth every cent, sure beats buying "things" all the time. My mother-in-law always says pay yourself first. I guess tuck away a little savings how ever small. I don't seem to be able to do that but I like the way it sounds.
Good luck with your family and money seems to have a way of working itself out, sometimes you got it in life sometimes you don't.

Absolutely. I mentioned in another post that I have my wonderful children and I have PJ music. That's all I need. Doesn't mean I don't get stressed about money too though. I just had a stroke and I'm frightened of the healthcare bills which haven't started to arrive yet. I'm fearful I won't be going to a PJ concert unless they are in my backyard... I have no idea what I'm going to do when the bills arrive... but, my children being involved in athletics out of their own interest and enjoyment (and me knowing the health benefit) is worth the debt I'm going to be taking on in the meantime.

MrMerkinball

I knew the deal before I had kids....and it is worth every cent.

The kids are in Gymnastics, Skating, Soccer, Camp etc and they have new clothes. I know we are alse fortunate that both Wifey and I have good jobs.....but at the end of the week, our money is gone just as soon as it came.

decides2dream

we don't even have children and i know exactly what you mean!
firstly, expenses really have shot up, i mean....everything it seems....while raises have been scarce to non-existent. definitely sucks. 2010 is a big financial goal year for us and i worked up our annual/monthly expenses, our monthly budget and yea....ouch. and even being really mindful, there's always all those 'things' that even when planning for them, they pop up, always more than you figured, etc. car bills, vet bills, etc. life is expensive. worth it all...but yea.

Corduroyboy

Oh I wonder the same thing. Where does all the money go? We have a 4 month old and thank the Lord my wife breast feeds. Save's bigtime cash there. But it's my dogs that are the expense!! $100 a month in food, $500 vet bill last month, $500 to have a fence put up so they stop shitting all over my lawn. I love my dogs, and my big 70lb Goldendoodle is my avatar, both the 2 of them are more expensive than my newborn!! That and my wife loves to shop at Wholefoods. I find myself selling my belongings on Ebay more and more lately.

decides2dream

Corduroyboy wrote:

But it's my dogs that are the expense!! $100 a month in food, $500 vet bill last month, $500 to have a fence put up so they stop shitting all over my lawn. I love my dogs, and my big 70lb Goldendoodle is my avatar, both the 2 of them are more expensive than my newborn!! That and my wife loves to shop at Wholefoods. I find myself selling my belongings on Ebay more and more lately.

yes!
seriously!


in the past 2 months we have spent almost 2k on our pets. now, that is out of the ordinary - was sadly the end for our kitty :( - but the rest, just regular check-ups/tests for the dogs, heartworm meds and food. over the years we've spent a small fortune on a psycho dog , fencing, more fencing, etc. and you bet...worth every penny...but sweet bejeebus!

oh and whole food and trader joes are both crazy awesome!

Corduroyboy

decides2dream wrote:

yes!
seriously!


in the past 2 months we have spent almost 2k on our pets. now, that is out of the ordinary - was sadly the end for our kitty :( - but the rest, just regular check-ups/tests for the dogs, heartworm meds and food. over the years we've spent a small fortune on a psycho dog , fencing, more fencing, etc. and you bet...worth every penny...but sweet bejeebus!

oh and whole food and trader joes are both crazy awesome!

Without a doubt the kids and dogs are worth every cent, but the cringing over the money is at it's peak!

Whole Foods is awesome, but if you walk out with 4 bags of groceries, I guarantee you've just spent $300. Trader Joes is actually priced really well. We buy most of our food there. Really good stuff for what I consider good prices. What was really bad was when my wife and I lived a block away from Trader Joes. My paycheck dissolved there. Now we have to drive 15 minutes to get to one. Cuts down on the spending tremendously!!

blackredyellow

Income/expenses are like storage space/stuff... you basically use what you have.

We've all had that tiny apartment and when we move to a bigger place, you are amazed at how much room you have. Then after a couple of years, you are having trouble finding places to put stuff and think to yourself, "how did I have room for this stuff in my other place?"

Money is the same way... if you go from making $30k to $60k, after a while it doesn't seem like you have any more money left over, you just spend it on other/more stuff.

DreamOfAngels

blackredyellow wrote:

Income/expenses are like storage space/stuff... you basically use what you have.

We've all had that tiny apartment and when we move to a bigger place, you are amazed at how much room you have. Then after a couple of years, you are having trouble finding places to put stuff and think to yourself, "how did I have room for this stuff in my other place?"

Money is the same way... if you go from making $30k to $60k, after a while it doesn't seem like you have any more money left over, you just spend it on other/more stuff.

This "stuff" message above reminded me of the George Carlin skit on "stuff".

Your description above is not false but there is the other side too. While I was in the hospital for 2 weeks from an unwanted stroke and incurring medical expenses, a friend was taking care of my cat. When I got out of the hospital my cat was not right... $500 later, we found out that she apparently was stressed while I was gone and stopped eating/drinking, lost significant weight and was dehydrated... So, yes, we do spend money we have but sometimes we have the unexpected after unexpected and it is truly overwhelming.

blackredyellow

DreamOfAngels wrote:

blackredyellow wrote:

Income/expenses are like storage space/stuff... you basically use what you have.

We've all had that tiny apartment and when we move to a bigger place, you are amazed at how much room you have. Then after a couple of years, you are having trouble finding places to put stuff and think to yourself, "how did I have room for this stuff in my other place?"

Money is the same way... if you go from making $30k to $60k, after a while it doesn't seem like you have any more money left over, you just spend it on other/more stuff.

This "stuff" message above reminded me of the George Carlin skit on "stuff".

Your description above is not false but there is the other side too. While I was in the hospital for 2 weeks from an unwanted stroke and incurring medical expenses, a friend was taking care of my cat. When I got out of the hospital my cat was not right... $500 later, we found out that she apparently was stressed while I was gone and stopped eating/drinking, lost significant weight and was dehydrated... So, yes, we do spend money we have but sometimes we have the unexpected after unexpected and it is truly overwhelming.

Well we've avoided any real (human) medical expenses, I understand your point... We have a house, two cars, a toddler and two doggies, so I know about unexpected expenses and how they seem to come in groups. But in general the more money you have the more crap you buy.

decides2dream

blackredyellow wrote:

Income/expenses are like storage space/stuff... you basically use what you have.

We've all had that tiny apartment and when we move to a bigger place, you are amazed at how much room you have. Then after a couple of years, you are having trouble finding places to put stuff and think to yourself, "how did I have room for this stuff in my other place?"

Money is the same way... if you go from making $30k to $60k, after a while it doesn't seem like you have any more money left over, you just spend it on other/more stuff.

this is also why, study after study all says the same....rich people are no more *happy* than those with less, even a lot less. happiness is a choice, a perspective. money makes like *easier* absolutely, and it is a necessity for the necessities of life, but after all that...it's all on you and your pov.


and my gawd, i am soooo NOT a pack rat, i don't like to buy stuff to have stuff....and yet we are only 2 adults and 2 dogs.....and yea, we have a lot of *stuff*......... it's amazing! i am definitely of the "less is more" philosophy of accumulating stuff, but some stuff...sure, just love.

Corduroyboy wrote:

Without a doubt the kids and dogs are worth every cent, but the cringing over the money is at it's peak!

Whole Foods is awesome, but if you walk out with 4 bags of groceries, I guarantee you've just spent $300. Trader Joes is actually priced really well. We buy most of our food there. Really good stuff for what I consider good prices. What was really bad was when my wife and I lived a block away from Trader Joes. My paycheck dissolved there. Now we have to drive 15 minutes to get to one. Cuts down on the spending tremendously!!

oh i hear ya! we've only gone to whole foods once or twice....great sore, but you bet....pricey! tho certain things, not bad....just gotta know what's a good deal and what's not. trader joe's we LOVE! definitely great prices! we've only recently started going, b/c we don't have one close-by, about 20 minutes away. not bad, but when you both work full-time, i get home at 7, it's difficult. not a store to go to on the weekends :shock: so have only gone 2x when we were on staycations. we'll have to try a weeknight sometime, but it will be tight. anyhoo, great deals and sure, we spend $150-$200 there b/c we stock up! i think sure, big outlay at once...but it saves us serious $$$ at the weekly shopping trips at our home market.

youngster

blackredyellow wrote:

Income/expenses are like storage space/stuff... you basically use what you have.

We've all had that tiny apartment and when we move to a bigger place, you are amazed at how much room you have. Then after a couple of years, you are having trouble finding places to put stuff and think to yourself, "how did I have room for this stuff in my other place?"

Money is the same way... if you go from making $30k to $60k, after a while it doesn't seem like you have any more money left over, you just spend it on other/more stuff.

this is so true.

pandora

DreamOfAngels wrote:

pandora wrote:

kids are worth every cent, sure beats buying "things" all the time. My mother-in-law always says pay yourself first. I guess tuck away a little savings how ever small. I don't seem to be able to do that but I like the way it sounds.
Good luck with your family and money seems to have a way of working itself out, sometimes you got it in life sometimes you don't.

Absolutely. I mentioned in another post that I have my wonderful children and I have PJ music. That's all I need. Doesn't mean I don't get stressed about money too though. I just had a stroke and I'm frightened of the healthcare bills which haven't started to arrive yet. I'm fearful I won't be going to a PJ concert unless they are in my backyard... I have no idea what I'm going to do when the bills arrive... but, my children being involved in athletics out of their own interest and enjoyment (and me knowing the health benefit) is worth the debt I'm going to be taking on in the meantime.

You have a wonderful outlook. Try not to stress especially about bills, it can really mess with your health. I know this cause there is no money here or at our business these days but there are tons of bills everywhere!
You can always work something out, medical bills included, by paying what you can afford monthly. Believe, there are a lot of people not paying these days so hospitals really want to work with those that want to pay. Don't let then know you have a credit card though- tell them they are tapped out .
I hope you can save a little for fun times too cause you need them. Like save the spare change/1$ bills, they add up and maybe go for that road trip to see PJ. Doing something you enjoy will so help you mentally and physically. Make that a priority. Take care of yourself and Good luck to you and your family.

tinkerbell

Unfortunately life seems to always throw things at you when you are already struggling! I hope that you are doing OK after your stroke as I can imagine that has been a scary experience!

I thought once I went back to work last year after being a stay at home mum for 4 years things would get easier financially but it hasn't really. Once we pay for childcare, running the second car etc. we aren't that much better off. Though we have always tried to live within our means and don't have any credit cards or personal loans. We still have our crappy hand me down furniture from when we first started living together and I really don't care. I have lots of friends with beautiful 'things' and huge debt. As long as I have my family, PJ and my guitar I'm happy