Our budget

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[Shiloh]

Well have you thought of applying for any aid?
Like food stamps? (canadian here so ignorant of the programme but)

I think the pets have to be looked at seriously. If the vet bills are too high and that $50 dollars a month plus food, lets say cheap at $25 a month?

You are paying @75 a month just for pets?
They are a luxury and a liability.

Also I'd skip the notions of low paying public defender for a bit, take the job that will enable you to get out of this trap. Even if its two years of high pressure big money work, if it gets you out of debt then choose something a little less stressful with more time for family, maybe dh could stay home then?
I wish when I was making big money I had used it to pay off student debts etc. If you have the opportunity to get out from under very quick take it.
Kids pick up on debt stress, marital bickering over mini things.

[RiverSky]

Originally Posted by tie-dyed

Gasoline $350
Pets $50 (we will stick this in a drawer to cover routine vet care. Pet foods are in groceries, but we foten find we can't afford the vet and that's bad.)
Food$300
Rec $100
Misc$200 (copays, car maintenance, home repair things, clothing, baby things)

Why are your gasoline costs so high? That seems rather outrageous.

I also agree that your pets seem expensive but I don't really think that getting rid of your pets is a good answer, just don't get any more unless your finances are different.

I think $300 per month on food is a good low number, so I don't think you need to reduce that. I think if you can stick to $100 rec and $200 misc, perhaps using an envelope system (certain amount of cash for each of you every week or something), then that is perfectly reasonable. If you can save any left over, that'd be great for an emergency savings account.

Is there any way you can make an extra $100 or $200 per month? In home childcare, a p/t server job nights or weekends, one or two homes to clean, some kind of clerical work in your home for someone (I know of quite a few moms who do this type of thing for extra money).

To me, $950 actually seems a pretty reasonable rental rate but what is really cool is that you rent from family who can occasionally give you a break if you really need it...what a luxury! But if you really feel you need to get a less expensive place, could you find someone else to rent the trailer for $950 a month, friends or family? Then you could move into a more expensive place.

I agree that looking into things like food stamps, WIC, etc., to help supplement is a great idea. Make sure that you two are taking lunches with you when you go out of the house. Perhaps you could take a few months and agree to going out to dinner only once per month until things are looking up a little.

I know people who have had great success going to a financial advisor...approx $40 per half hour...they told me that though they couldn't afford $40 for anything else, the Financial Advisor totally saved them more than that and was therefore totally worth it. But I think some of the most helpful tools were just carrying around a small notebook (both of you) and writing down every single expense, down to cups of coffee or other extraneous expenses to figure out how much is being wasted that really didn't need to be spent. A food & price journal might be another good tool, to ensure that you are paying good prices for the food you buy and when you find a good deal, you will be able to recognize it and possibly stock up a little. Do you plan your meals and write a list accordingly when you grocery shop?

Okay, so I have a million ideas but that's not to say that I"m an expert at this myself. I guess I'm brainstorming for myself as well.

Good luck!

[A&A]

You're paying more for GASOLINE than food? Wow. I'd get a new car or drive less. Also, are you sure you can afford to keep those pets? And I'd break down the $200 "misc" into smaller categories.

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[momofcutie]

I don't think your pet expenses are too high. Sure, it'd be ideal if pets were free to care for, but like people, they're not. Does this amount include heart worm preventative and stuff for fleas? Vet bills are expensive-just like human doctor bills. And if you have several pets, you must be an animal lover-which means they are part of your family. I have a dog and 3 small parrots. Our birds are on organic pellets (Harrison's) with seeds for treats and our dog sometimes eats Nutro and sometimes (when we don't have the money for Nutro) she eats Purina Dog Chow. I'd like to try some of the holistic foods in the future, but we can't afford it right now. We get a monthly combo heartworm preventative and flea/tick preventative for our dog. Our monthly pet budget is $45 (and that doesn't include vet bills.) You're smart to set aside money for the vet. We are just now starting to do that!

I don't see anything wrong with selling surplus milk. It's no different from selling anything else that you um, create or produce. Crafts, clothing, breast milk.... If you have an excess supply, this could be one more way that you help take care of your family.

Maybe if others posted their budgets and where they live, it would give you a basis for comparison with your budget. I know on another message board I go to (a simplicity forum) there's a money folder and people post their budgets and all the "money people" tear it apart and give some really good suggestions. Their most offered advice is to reduce or cut going out to eat, sell a car with a car payment and buy a "beater" for a few thousand dollars, sell excess stuff you own on ebay, and get rid of extras like cell phones, cable, high speed internet, extra phone features on the home phone, etc...

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You said your dh needs his cell phone for work...Have you checked into if they will pay for it or not...My FIL gets their cell phone and internet paid for through work because he needs them...Worth a shot

[sarah_bella1050]

I'm not sure what places go for in your area, but to $950 is a bit steap for a trailer. I live in a 2 story, 2 bed/2 bath duplex for about $675 rent. I would scope out the classified (usually available through a papers internet site) or the websites of property management places near you to see if you are being over charged for your area.

Also, $300 for food for two people? Do you guys eat strickly organic or are you on a special diet? If not you should be able to eat for like half that. Maybe you could invest in a crockpot so that you wouldn't have to eat out after a long day at school. Also, look into making your own bread and cooking mostly from scratch. You can find simple recipes that don't require to much time and you can make extra and freeze (which is a really good idea with a new baby on the way, you will be so tired that you will be tempted to eat out a lot).

See if anyone you know has any old baby clothes that they can give you and stock up during garage sale season, and if all else fails you could hit up some second hand shops.

We don't really have a rec department in our budget. I may spend a little bit if we have extra but most of the time we just go to the library or park or just have a date at home. $100 is a LOT for just one month. You should at least cut that in half.

Every time you put something "extra" in your cart, or go out to eat even when you have good at home, or decide to go catch a movie, think about the fact that you are going to have to pay every cent of this money back soon and that it's not just earned income it's DEBT.

Go to you library and check out some books of frugal living like The Tightwad Gazette. It'll give you some great ideas and motivation too. Being frugal and watching what you spend is a total life change, you just have to live differently and you can appreciate more. You can find a lot of great ideas on MDC too, check out the archives and everything too. Good luck!


p.s. Making your own cleaning products really helps with the household bugdet too

[mamimapster]

I don't know about average costs for housing in the detroit area, but 950.00 with water, sewer etc. mixed in sounds decent to me IF you had some kind of equity building in the trailer. Is it that relatives own and they are "letting" you use it? We live in IL and we are paying a "cheap" for where we live 1200/mo (small house w/yard & garage), which doesn't include water/sewer/garbage or taxes. However, we "own" (actually the bank does), and when/if we sell we will have definitely gained equity in our house. My suspicion since I have watched housing prices soar here is that we would probably gain 15-20 thou in the deal. Of course, then we would have to buy something else which would eat that up. Your grocery bill does sound high to me too. 300 per month is coming out to 75.00 per week. We're veggie. so no meat costs, but we're feeding three + two cats and minimal paper goods and coming out to somewhere around 250. We buy lots of bulk and cook mostly from scratch. Your recreation at 100 does make sense to me though. Where we live a few dinners out and a movie or two rapidly exceeds 100.00. I know from experience that if you squeak that one too tight you start to feel deprived and that it when someone throws their hands up and blows a wad nedlessly.

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[sarah_bella1050]

Originally Posted by tie-dyed

Already do that. We've also cut out most paper products except (please don't laught) throw away cups. I hate washing glasses. I'll wash a load of cloth tp before I'll wash a sinkful of glasses .

We only use one glass each a day. So at the end of the day, I only have to wash 3 .

[sarah_bella1050]

Originally Posted by tie-dyed

I wish I was as good as you! But like mamipster said, there is no better way to ensure we'll get frustrated and blow our budget than cutting out recreation or stretching it too tight. I'd rahter work on the grocery thing.

It's easy to be "good" when you just don't have the money

[Shiloh]

Well you also could look at relocating so that you only have one car, and only one person has to drive.

But honestly I think the pets need to be looked at seriously the baby hasn't even arrived, even with cloth diapering and breastfeeding they aren't cheap.

Last ear infection cost $200--for two visits and yer basic bottle of antibiotics.

wow, think about it logically you take home 1400 a month I know pets are family but ..... for one month that was 1/7th of your income.

Okay you are saving money for the pet's expenses but think about a child's needs as well. Children are not cheap, period.

300 a month for food for two adults is pretty expensive, start with a meal plan, grocery lists etc. That will help you see where you are spending money

But milkbanks get $3/oz

Are there many women who would pay 24 dollars a bottle for breastmilk?

Honestly I'd say get hubby on looking for a better paying job close to your law school, move close ditch one car. Think about where you will work. But a job that takes home 1400 after taxes, and still requires him to pay for a car, a cell phone isn't really much money for the effort. at 1400 a month could you apply for any social, co-op housing, school housing?

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[jentilla]

You can write off teh different for your dh's cell phone. I was in sales and they paid $100 per month, but my bill was usually $250 so i wrote off teh difference. Believe every little bit counts. Also check into a water service. I know it sounds extravagant, but I found it was pretty economical for a while and if you buy a unit it would cost even less. With yucky water, it's sooo worth it. We paid $26 a month for 20 gallons of water and the rental fee per month. Now we have containers and fill oat the local health food store and it's around $12 per month, but the water is AWESOME.

[CerridwenLorelei]

oh dh's game night

can he make some pizzas at home to take? Or maybe suggest a potluck here and there -and I don't mean the spouses make it for them lol!

[Snowdrift]

Originally Posted by CerridwenLorelei

can he make some pizzas at home to take? Or maybe suggest a potluck here and there -and I don't mean the spouses make it for them lol!

Sadly all the other guys in his group with but one exception fall into either the "girls are icky" group or the "wives or steady dp's are impossible dreams" group. Only one other attached guy out of about ten guys. This is why it's so hard to tell him not to spend that money--his friends just don't get it. I keep trying to convince them to meet at our house bc I can cook bean soup for ten for less than DH would spend on Chinese food for just himself.