Help Trimming Budget

[ReikiMommy07]

Below are our current expenses--that is, for DH, 9MO DS and me. Categories with a + before them aren't necessities and could be cut if we needed to. I'm trying to come up with a realistic budget so I know what kind of salary to shoot for when I'm finished with career training.

Rent (includes water/sewer, trash/recycling): $602 at most. Can be less depending on water bill
Phone/internet: $39
Electric: $60 winter, $76 summer. Winter may be less, but this is the first year we've lived here.
Satellite: $38.73 (contract ends 10/09)
Gas for cooking only: $20
Fuel oil: $136/month
Medical: $30/month (spent if needed, saved if not)
Savings: $60.24 (5%)
Household/paper goods: $20
Renters Insurance: $20
Food: $200 or less (right now we get food stamps. I'm now tracking to create an accurate grocery budget.)
+clothes: $20
+DH personal spending: $40
+My personal spending: $25 (usually don't even use that)
+Saved for DS or spent if he needs something: $30
+gifts/shipping: $20

We don't have a car or transportation costs. We have state insurance but don't use it. Medical expenses are for the ND, energy work, herbal remedies, etc. Fortunately we're pretty darn healthy, so we usually don't spend anything on that.

Anything left after these expenses gets divided between fuel oil and savings. Next year we'll be on a budget plan for oil... For now it's just save until the next time we need a fill-up, b/c there's no telling how huge the bill will be!

[phathui5]

What would it cost you to get out of the satellite contract?

[ReikiMommy07]

$400 and DH would kill me if I dropped it anyway! We have enough problems, and I'm not willing to risk another. He was mad enough when I dropped to the cheapest package.

[Ary99]

It looks like they only areas for wiggle room are really at the bottom there. What does your DH need $40 for? And what is the $30 for your DS? I'm just curious. I understand the need for specific gift savings.

What are your goals financially?

[ReikiMommy07]

My first goal is to finish career training, and then to be employed of course. I'll have to make enough to cover everything, b/c DH won't be employed until 2013 or later... : DH is also unreliable at best, so I want to know our needs will be met if he continues on his current path of making excuses for not having a job and contributing financially to the family.
$30 is for anything DS needs and if he doesn't need something--clothes, shoes, basically--then I save it for him. Later, when we have more to work with, it will probably turn into college savings, or whatever he ends up using it for.
DH gets $40 to do whatever he wants with. I don't ask, and he doesn't say--although it's usually for pizza and DVDs. (He also uses it for gifts for his family; I take care of mine and everyone else.)
I'm working on saving $1000 for an emergency fund now. Once I'm employed--should be around June '08--I'll finish that, save 3-6MO expenses, and start on retirement savings. After that will be college funding for DS. So a modified DR plan.

[jackson'smama]

Originally Posted by ReikiMommy07

DH won't be employed until 2013 or later... : DH is also unreliable at best, so I want to know our needs will be met if he continues on his current path of making excuses for not having a job and contributing financially to the family.

maybe i'm out of line here, but how DOES your dh contribute to the family? Is he taking care of your child while you are studying or taking care of the home? I'm thinking if he isn't contributing, his allowance is either eliminated or he can choose to use it to pay for the satellite package.
other areas: clothing money could be shifted to savings. then, if you really want something, say i'll get it next month - and see if you still want/need it.
cut back on household/paper goods - switch to some cloth stuff and switch to cheaper natural cleaners and detergents.

[Purple*Lotus]

Originally Posted by ReikiMommy07

Below are our current expenses--that is, for DH, 9MO DS and me. Categories with a + before them aren't necessities and could be cut if we needed to. I'm trying to come up with a realistic budget so I know what kind of salary to shoot for when I'm finished with career training.

Rent (includes water/sewer, trash/recycling): $602 at most. Can be less depending on water bill
Phone/internet: $39
Electric: $60 winter, $76 summer. Winter may be less, but this is the first year we've lived here.
Satellite: $38.73 (contract ends 10/09)
Gas for cooking only: $20
Fuel oil: $136/month
Medical: $30/month (spent if needed, saved if not)
Savings: $60.24 (5%)
Household/paper goods: $20
Renters Insurance: $20
Food: $200 or less (right now we get food stamps. I'm now tracking to create an accurate grocery budget.)
+clothes: $20
+DH personal spending: $40
+My personal spending: $25 (usually don't even use that)
+Saved for DS or spent if he needs something: $30
+gifts/shipping: $20

We don't have a car or transportation costs. We have state insurance but don't use it. Medical expenses are for the ND, energy work, herbal remedies, etc. Fortunately we're pretty darn healthy, so we usually don't spend anything on that.

Anything left after these expenses gets divided between fuel oil and savings. Next year we'll be on a budget plan for oil... For now it's just save until the next time we need a fill-up, b/c there's no telling how huge the bill will be!

I don't live in an area where we use oil, so I can't offer any comments on it

I would probably not renew the satellite if I were you. DH and I have gone without cable for years now. For your DS, when he is old enough to be interested in TV, he will most likely be like the little girl I was a Nanny for- she wanted only to watch a few videos/DVDs over and over again, so just buy a few DVDs that he likes and you should be good. We will not have cable or satellite even after we have children.

Household paper goods- have you considered family cloth? I use it, my DH does not, however, my DH uses TP maybe once a day, as opposed to the ridiculous amounts that I did. It was really easy. I am not sure if you cloth diaper, but you could try that. Also, we use cloth for just about everything. I have a nice stack of towels in the kitchen, they are seperated by type, one for cleaning, one for napkins, one for gereral dish/counter drying and ones for doing dishes with. In the bathroom I have some for cleaning with my home made cleaning products. We do have a roll of paper towels in the kitchen, but we have had the same roll for over a year, which is something DH takes an odd amount of pride in


Personal spending- it depends on what it is being used for. I generally like to give DH and myself each $40 a month to spend on whatever we want. DH is a saver, so he will save his and buy a new part for his computer, or something like that. I usually use mine for yarn, which I make things that I donate as a part of my charity giving plan. However, I was going to say that if your DH is using his personal mone for eating lunch at work every day, you could maybe pack his lunch with leftovers (or yes, he can pack it himself, some people got upset with me on another thread for thinking a wife should pack her DH's lunch , but that is just me and I am a bit weird about that). But I do not think that $40 a month on personal money is overboard at all, IMO.

As far as clothes go, you probably need it saved because your DS is probably growing like mad crazy. I can suggest a consigment shop for kids clothes, if you have one. We have one in my area and I was amazed at how nice the clothes were and how reasonably they were priced.

As far as the money saved for DS, can you elaborate on what it is for? Are we talking college here or something different?

Gifts/shipping- I say keep it in, because I have a savings for that myself. You might see if you can lesson it by maybe making some handmade gifts, etc, but overall I don't see an issue with it.

Sounds good to me

[Purple*Lotus]

Originally Posted by ReikiMommy07

My first goal is to finish career training, and then to be employed of course. I'll have to make enough to cover everything, b/c DH won't be employed until 2013 or later... : DH is also unreliable at best, so I want to know our needs will be met if he continues on his current path of making excuses for not having a job and contributing financially to the family.
$30 is for anything DS needs and if he doesn't need something--clothes, shoes, basically--then I save it for him. Later, when we have more to work with, it will probably turn into college savings, or whatever he ends up using it for.
DH gets $40 to do whatever he wants with. I don't ask, and he doesn't say--although it's usually for pizza and DVDs. (He also uses it for gifts for his family; I take care of mine and everyone else.)
I'm working on saving $1000 for an emergency fund now. Once I'm employed--should be around June '08--I'll finish that, save 3-6MO expenses, and start on retirement savings. After that will be college funding for DS. So a modified DR plan.

I did not read this until I posted earlier. I would be encouraging him to get a job, unless he is doing stay at home Dad duties, which is wonderful if that is what you all want My DH and I agreed that whoever made the most money could work and the other would stay home with the kids, lucky for me his job will always pay more than mine, so I am good to go But he really should be contributing if he is not taking care of DS full time. Unless he has a medical reason that he can not work.

[ReikiMommy07]

The reason we don't use more cloth is b/c our neighbor does our laundry (we have no washer hookup and a laundromat isn't possible). I feel it would be too much of a burden to saddle neighbors with washing cloth TP, wipes, and diapers--although we do use cloth towels and cleaning rags instead of paper ones, and we don't use paper napkins. As far as the household budget in general goes, I need to spend a month or so tracking it better. $20 is just what I budget, not necessarily what we spend.

[ReikiMommy07]

Originally Posted by jackson'smama

maybe i'm out of line here, but how DOES your dh contribute to the family? Is he taking care of your child while you are studying or taking care of the home? I'm thinking if he isn't contributing, his allowance is either eliminated or he can choose to use it to pay for the satellite package.
other areas: clothing money could be shifted to savings. then, if you really want something, say i'll get it next month - and see if you still want/need it.
cut back on household/paper goods - switch to some cloth stuff and switch to cheaper natural cleaners and detergents.

Thanks!
DH is going to be pissed when he hears he's paying for the satellite if he wants it, but oh well. I watch very little, and most of what I do like can be found online or on DVD. DS is just a baby but when he watches TV, DVDs will work for him too.