Da Budget

I was pretty apprehensive about sharing a monthly budget. I mean I have been USING a monthly budget for years, it is the SHARING part that had me knuckled up.

My family has been living below our means since before there was an income to live below. But the Natural Bourgeoisie Creep of a two income household has got us spending in ways that would have made me feel queasy back in the day.

Quite Frankly, I was worried about scorn and ridicule of fellow FIRE types when I look over some om my ‘necessary’ spending.  Hence the photo.

The actual paycheck income is higher than this, but ONE LESSON I have taken to heart over the years is to live off the same level income – raise after raise – and stash the ‘new money‘. I also do my expenses over 52 weeks but count my paychecks at a rate of only 24 per year. I consider the 2 additional paychecks each year to be gravy.

The primary and second mortgage rates are good at 3.75% and 3.5%. Student loans are locked in at 3.0% and 3.5% and will be cut by half in April 2017.

Dining out is a HUGE problem I know, (new post soon – also addresses Housekeeping). Daycare expenses will end in 2-3 more years.

We use gas up at an alarming rate because we both drive to work, 60 miles round trip for me, 80 miles her.

Life Insurance will also go down at the end of the year, we carry too much.

So of the money coming in, this is where it goes. $ 3,851 gets tucked away automatically, I could not divert this money even if I wanted to. This is a great system to avoid temptation. Hal-9000 is watching.

I’m Sorry David, I can’t do that.

$ 1,553.00 is showing as money ‘Left over‘ but this also includes any discretionary spending and usually gets eaten into pretty heavily each month. There seems to be no end to the little things needed to maintain the upper middle class American lifestyle (grimaces inward).