What are your monthly expenses?

wolmon

Wed, Mar 26 2014, 7:55 pm

I've always felt like I spent money wisely. But comes the end of the month and I feel like $4800 is a lot to spend every month for a frum family with 2 children living in Brooklyn.

I'm just wondering (if you don't mind sharing), how much you spend every month?
How many in the family and where you live?

amother

Wed, Mar 26 2014, 8:01 pm

We are eight people [2 parents 6 kids]

Earnings of 3750
Food Stamps - 730
Medicaid Health Insurance
School Vouchers for five children

We just about make it
Cant afford cleaning help

I work very hard to fill in but I earn measly dollars here and there

Need to earn more to pay for seasonal items occasional house expenses simchas any recreational stuff like games books etc

In Brooklyn

amother

Wed, Mar 26 2014, 8:09 pm

Just did some budgeting, so I'll share. Out of town in an expensive city. No children (first baby due any day).

DH makes about $3100 and I supplement a little when I get work, though I won't work much when baby is here.

Rent: 1300
Utilities: 300
Groceries and all household expenses: 400
Cellphone: 43
Internet: 30
Insurance: 180
Gas : 150
Incidentals: 100

Total: $2503

Whatever is left over at the end of the month goes to a bit of debt we have.

amother

Wed, Mar 26 2014, 8:16 pm

Amother because personal details.

Two Adults- Two children (pre schoolers)
Living in NY- five towns

We make approx. 5000 and spend about that- usually a little bit left over that we forward to savings. Working on increasing our income and decreasing our spending- but here it is:

Rent- 1850
Food-600 depending
Tuition- 1100 ( we pay 12 months)
Cars and Insurance- 500
Life Insurance- 100
Bills- 350
Gas-350 (My husband travels to work)
Credit Card Payments- 250 (we aren't in debt, but we do use them)
Cleaning help- 120
Misc-500
Babysitters (for when we have a simcha)-100-200

I do not buy clothes for myself ever. Buy my kids twice a year, and minimal. We happen to have lots of simchas which is where I feel all our money goes... but right now we both took on extra work and are cutting back. We used to spend on cleaners, I used to spend a ton more on groceries... every little bit helps.

amother

Wed, Mar 26 2014, 8:24 pm

We have a bunch of school age kids and live in NY. Adding together mortgage , tuition, health ins, car ins, utilities, internet/cell phone, food, clothes, home maintenance and repair inc gardening, we average about 12000 monthly. I shop minimally, we don't wear expensive clothing. I do not buy pre packaged foods and we rarely eat out (maybe pizza once a month or so). We don't hire babysitters because my older kids are around when we need them. I have cleaning help once/week. My car is paid for and we no longer pay for collision ins just liability. I do have to pay for my son's tutor and anther one of my kdis is in therapy. We rarely go on big vacations, maybe rocking horse ranch once every couple of years. We dont host shabbos meals much anymore either because it just got too expensive. My older kids work during the summer and my younger ones only go to day camps, no sleep away because of the expense. Oh, and then there's orthodontist bills for the two oldests.
Kids are expensive! If you would've told me that we'd be spending over 120000 annually I never wouldve believed I could spend that much money. But we're barely making it (we do try to save as much as possible and BH we have some savings and investments) and we're living very no-frills.

amother

Wed, Mar 26 2014, 8:27 pm

2 adults. 1 toddler. 1baby, (monsey, ny)
Health insurance- $700
Mortgage (right now in process of buying a house) will be $2700
Preschool- $375 a month. (Summer will be two kids)
Groceries - noe living with family. Between houses. But usually $200 a week.
I dont know all other bills but it adds up fast.
make abt 9000 a month.

amother

Wed, Mar 26 2014, 8:28 pm

amother wrote:

I forgot to add cars are about $600 a month

amother

Wed, Mar 26 2014, 8:55 pm

2 adults 2 kids, one in school one toddler in queens
Rent 1450
student loan-110
car payment- 285
car insurance- 2 cars- 225
tuition- 550- daycamp is more about 700 a month
babysitting and cleaning help 1200- I work long hours and the afternoon babysitter also cleans for me.
insurance- gets taken off the top of my paycheck so I don't budget for it
gas- 200- I drive for work but get reimbursed for mileage so this is for other gas
internet- 50
groceries and pharmacy/diapers averages 200 a week cheaper some months but that gets offset by yom tov expenses

I make about 300 more than this- this covers clothes, shoes, household purchases, date nights( pizza, coffee or falafel) and goes towards paying down debt.

TwinsMommy

Wed, Mar 26 2014, 8:57 pm

family of 4 in Cleveland

Rent 1200 plus water and sewer so usually about 1300 a month

Gas bill 75

Life insurance 65

Home phone, internet, cable 200

cell phone 120

electric usually about 70

car/renters insurance about 100

car lease 294.34

we try to put at least 500 towards debt each month

groceries about 800

gas for car about 100

car maintenance for the 14 year old car---- about $800 a year. we've got 2 cars--- one new leased and one old clunker. Smile

hardly ever buy clothing (love hand me downs), no health insurance, no tuition. living on the cheap. Smile

amother

Wed, Mar 26 2014, 9:19 pm

Two adults, two children

Rent- 1300
Utilities and water- 200
Car payments, insurance and gas- 450
Tuition/playgroup- 500
Food not covered by food stamps- 300
Miscellaneous (including clothes, pampers, and more)- 2-300
Total: 3100

amother

Wed, Mar 26 2014, 9:26 pm

Family of 3 living in NJ:

Rent:$1100
Car lease with insurance: $450
Life insurance: $425
Groceries: 600-700
Utilities including phone and internet:200+
Cell phones:120
Credit cards: 250 around

Misc:300

Total income monthly is $4500

Rest goes to savings

mommy3b2c

Wed, Mar 26 2014, 9:30 pm

wolmon wrote:

I have two children, live in brooklyn and spend way more than this!

amother

Wed, Mar 26 2014, 10:30 pm

Rent= $3850 (we are looking to buy a house)
Tuition= $3000 (3 kids preschool through 1st)
Housekeeper= $1200
Food, clothes, gas, gifts, eating out, tzedaka, home supplies= $3000-$3800 (and this is with careful budgeting)
Retirement savings= $600 per month
Children's college savings= $300 per month ($100 per child)
Savings towards new house= $5,000-$12,000 per month depending on our income which varies

Debt= $0
Insurance and cars through work

Work= DH works at least 60 hours a week, I work 4 hours per day. We both love our work. B"H lots of good luck and right place and right time. And we both respect and enjoy hard work.

amother

Thu, Mar 27 2014, 10:06 am

I'm actually shocked at how little tuition/babysitting people pay, unless they are listing it as per child.

We live OOT in an affordable but not dirt cheap community. 2 adults, a toddler and baby

Our monthly expenses:
Mortgage: $1250
Car payment: $250
Car insurance: $100
Utilities: average $200
Food and toiletries/paper goods + diapers, formula etc.: $1,200
Childcare: $1300
Student Loans: $550
Cell Phones: $60

Our take home pay varies because my husband receives commission in addition to his salary, but I think it averages about $5,000 per month. Our take home pay would be a lot higher except we pay about $900 a month for health insurance and we each put 15% of our salaries into our 401ks. And we put 10% towards maaser. And we do have an automatic amount put into savings each month. So we spend about what we bring home, but we put money away automatically so we are saving without really feeling it.