After buying my house last year, I've been trying to cut my budget more (my house+utilities is about $250 more than rent was). Beyond some of the bigger bills like reducing the cell phone monthly cost or eliminating un-needed monthly subscriptions, one area I wanted to cut was day-to-day spending. Gas, groceries, personal care, etc.
Below are the places where I've reduced my average costs. These were achieved with very little pain. I still buy clothes, I still use toilet paper, I still drink craft beer out with my friends. I admit, though, I can do even better in next year.
Yes, in gas/parking, for example, I only saved an average of $12/month. And it's easy to say "$12 isn't going to cover rent! Saving $12 is nothing and the stress is too much to make it worth the bother!" But $12 in this category and $10 in that category, can add up.
Here's my notes (if my math is right):
Line item - Historic average - last 6 months average
Groceries - 196 - 167
Transportation - 54 - 42 (includes bus, parking, gas for car)
Home/kitchen supplies - 24 - 14
Hair - 23 - 12
Clothes - 68 - 45
Entertainment - 20 - 17
Dining - 110 - 93
Alcohol - 107 - 60
Tea and coffee - 38 - 19
Misc. fun - 59 - 2
=228/mo saved on average. This is about 9% of the budget. You can do it, too.
November 28, 2017 at 11:59AM
