Monthly Bills (splitting from efeezy's thread)

How much are your monthly bills (personal only)?

  • $0-$500

    Votes: 32 16.2%

  • $501-$1,000

    Votes: 22 11.2%

  • $1,001-$1,500

    Votes: 24 12.2%

  • $1,501-$2,500

    Votes: 32 16.2%

  • $2,500+

    Votes: 87 44.2%
  • Total voters
    197
subigo

subigo

New member
Oct 20, 2007
3,993
104
0
45
TACOS $1.00!
zensix.com
I unintentionally hijacked this thread, so I'm starting a new one. I'm pretty sure I've done one of these before, but it was a long time ago. Anyway, this is what I posted:

Am I the only one on this forum that doesn't have any more than $500 a month in bills?

I just moved into a new condo (Springfield, MO) and my brother decided to move in with me. The rent is $620/month and I pay $275 (gave him the bigger bedroom). The bedroom I have now is about as big as the studio apartment I lived in before this... anyway, this is what I have in bills (just personal, not business):

Rent - $275
Internet -$0 Included with condo
Cable - $0 Included with condo
Electric - $30
Car Insurance - $14
Gas - $15 (I drive less than 3,000 miles a year)
Phone - $0 (I use Google Voice w/ Gizmo5 and a Google G1 with Sipdroid)
Food - $150-$250 (I'm not really frugal with food, just buy what I want)

And live in a van? No way. I'd live in my hammock (not me but same hammock).
Click to expand...
Then I got a few questions...

How exactly does your phone setup work? I just got my Google Voice account.
Click to expand...
If you don't have a G1, just use your PC, which is what I do most of the time anyway. Download gizmo5 and install it. Take note of your SIP number and add it as your main number in Google Voice (there is a Gizmo5 option). Now when people call your Google Voice number, it'll ring on Gizmo5. And when you make a call to someone from GV, it'll connect you via Gizmo5 as well. 100% free calling to anywhere and anyone. If you do have a G1, get sipdroid and you'll be able make free calls anywhere there is wifi (I don't even have SIM card in my phone). I haven't had a phone bill in almost 3 years.

That is a sweet setup. But how the fuck do you exist on $150 of food per month?
Click to expand...
Well that's just groceries, it doesn't count going out to eat, which I do a lot. On months where I don't eat out a lot I probably spend $200 on groceries. I'm only buying for myself, so $5-$7 a day is more than enough to buy me some good food. I eat a lot of grilled chicken sandwiches (hello George Forman grill) and make a lot of smoothies. I also eat a lot of salad and normally have a big bowl that I finish off every 2-3 days. I definitely don't live on ramen.

Anyway, the entire point of my post was efeezy seemed concerned about only making $6,500-$7,000 a month... when that would literally pay my bills for an entire year. I think I'll add a poll...

...
 


I think I have to consider moving to the Midwest. $620/month for a 2 bedroom condo with internet and cable included? Damn.
 
Do property taxes count? I live in a paid up house that I own, but property taxes are $7,000 here, and that's for a small house with one bathroom. $150 a month for food? Oh, please. I spend about $12 to $15 a week on food by nailing down every off price thing I can find. I just ate a .12 cup of yogurt (creative couponing). The local fruit & veg place sells 5 lb. boxes of overripe produce for $1. Another place I go to sells chicken quarters for .59 a pound. And then I cook it.
 
I'm thinking of living in a mini-van. That's pretty hardcore.

I'll post pics when I do it.
 
BlueYonder said:
Do property taxes count? I live in a paid up house that I own, but property taxes are $7,000 here, and that's for a small house with one bathroom. $150 a month for food? Oh, please. I spend about $12 to $15 a week on food by nailing down every off price thing I can find. I just ate a .12 cup of yogurt (creative couponing). The local fruit & veg place sells 5 lb. boxes of overripe produce for $1. Another place I go to sells chicken quarters for .59 a pound. And then I cook it.
Click to expand...

$7,000 for property tax? Damn.... I just paid property tax on some land I own up at Lake of the Ozarks and it was like $3.25... My car is about $20 a year.
 
$150/month on food? Damn, I spend way more than that in a day on food, and I'm underweight for my height. That's some crazy shit. My monthly personal expenses are close to $10,000-$15,000.
 
$3,800 Apartment #1
$2,200 Apartment #2

$125 AT&T
$350 o2
$80 Landline, Internet

$1,000 Food
$250 Insurance
$200 Council Tax
$150 Electricity
$50 Water

and a couple of smaller charges.
 
subigo said:
$7,000 for property tax? Damn.... I just paid property tax on some land I own up at Lake of the Ozarks and it was like $3.25... My car is about $20 a year.
Click to expand...
You're telling me, and this is on the low side. Where I come from, LI, cops and teachers make six figures because of locked in contracts for decades, so everybody has to pay up.
 
Spending so lavishly on oneself doesn't impress me in the least because it takes no ingenuity to throw money at everything. Thrift is an essential survival skill, the cheap shall inherit the earth.

A mom who feeds a family of six on $150 a week - impressive.
A single guy who feeds himself on $150 a day - not impressive.
 
Hell I pay $9000 a year in property taxes. With the housing market still in the shitter, California is temporarily lowering property taxes if you apply. I just got mine lowered to $6500 a year for a couple years at least. Here's my list.

I pay $2300 / mortgage
$415 for my truck
$380 my wifes car
$175 / month car insurance
$120 Cable / internet
$500 month food
$200 a month fuel
$135 water, sewer, trash
$150 gas & electric
$110 cell phones
$1000+ month credit cards (about $7000 to pay off)
$210 gardener
$200 misc stuff.

I'm probably forgetting something, but that's the bulk of it. That doesn't count the property taxes, homeowners insurance, life insurance etc. All the yearly stuff. Honestly, other than the house, the rest of the expenses aren't anything out of the ordinary. We live in California so houses were expensive a couple years ago when we bought the place we're in now.

We don't take expensive vacations or live high on the hog. Hell, I wish we did, but we just focus on getting that mortgage and car loans paid off as fast as possible.
 
BlueYonder said:
Spending so lavishly on oneself doesn't impress me in the least because it takes no ingenuity to throw money at everything. Thrift is an essential survival skill, the cheap shall inherit the earth.

A mom who feeds a family of six on $150 a week - impressive.
A single guy who feeds himself on $150 a day - not impressive.
Click to expand...

Ridiculous generalizing doesn't impress me in the least because it's easy to see everything in black and white. But what do you expect, when the ignorant rule the earth.

Want a cookie?
 
BlueYonder said:
Spending so lavishly on oneself doesn't impress me in the least because it takes no ingenuity to throw money at everything. Thrift is an essential survival skill, the cheap shall inherit the earth.

A mom who feeds a family of six on $150 a week - impressive.
A single guy who feeds himself on $150 a day - not impressive.
Click to expand...

A lavish spending depends on the overall monthly revenue of the person. If a person is making $5,000 a month and has a spend of $150/day on food, that is lavish and stupid. But if a person is making $500,000 a month, and spending $200/day on food, it doesn't seem as lavish. I'm not saying I make $500,000 a month though.

Also, I'm just used to the type of food I eat. I never eat at any fast foods or pizza joints. My monthly spend on food is appropriate for my overall revenue.
 
gopher said:
Ridiculous generalizing doesn't impress me in the least because it's easy to see everything in black and white. But what do you expect, when the ignorant rule the earth.

Want a cookie?
Click to expand...
I don't see the point of your unprovoked attack on me. I'm ignorant, I generalize or were you just offering me a cookie?

Maybe the violation is expressing a view that doesn't jibe with yours. No thanks, asshole, I don't want a cookie.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom