Chris and I each get a $300 allowance per month. That is meant to cover going out to eat/drinks, clothing purchases, etc. For him, he also uses it to save for things like his flight lessons. For me, I also use it for makeup, hair & lotions type products above and beyond standard $3-4 bottles, LUSH stuff, books, etc.
I usually use mine up by the third week of the month and am broke on the last week. I have about $30 left right now, due to buying make-up, books and a trip to Victoria's Secret semi-annual sale this week.
Could you make it on $600/month as a couple, given the types of things I said we spend it on? Is $300 more or less than you'd need? I thought $300 would be plenty. It's turning out to be tight.
On another note..I requested Boo as my tentmate for the 3 Day and she hasn't responded. Do you think I pooted in the tent, or maybe drooled on her pillow, last year? UPDATE: I must have bullied her into accepting. :-)
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This blog is a collection of things on my mind. Could be serious, could be rambling idiocy. I invite you all to read, debate, ridicule, *whack*, and even give me a little love.
14 comments:
Can I come live with you? I would like an allowance please. *holds out hand*
This is a good question. We don't really do an allowance, but it wouldn't be such a bad idea.
If you don't use your whole $300, does the leftover roll over to the next month or do you just start with $300 again?
When you go to dinner together do you split the tab? Or does one of you treat? Or is it not that structured?
When I was working in the office I bet I'd have that $300 spent pretty fast, with going out to lunch and stopping to shop on the way home. Nowadays I don't know that I'd spend $300 a month. My biggest expenditure now is going out to breakfast on Saturdays. Although, I did just place a fairly big order for underwear and nylons because all of mine are old, holey, or just need to be retired.
Sal bowls in a league on Sundays that costs him $25/week so that's $100 of his right there. I'm about to splurge on the OTBC books so I guess this month I'd use a good amount of mine.
Hm. Maybe we should try this.
$600 a month as a couple? Probably. I suppose if I had to, I could. It seems like a lot of money, although when I add up Michael's golf and my treats, it's probably not a lot.
I do need to get myself on a budget. I really, really do.
I have not seen this request. *confused look*
1. Breezi can come and live with me. I'll give her $10/month of my allowance. But she has to make my bed.
2. Fro-the money rolls over. That's how Chris is saving for his lessons. When we go out, we usually split the tab. Sometimes we'll treat eachother, though. It's been interesting to see how much more restrained I've become. Probably $150 less per month than I used to spend, so that's been good. Hard, but good. I refused to do a system of saving every receipt and tracking spending to the dollar, so we picked $600 as a guestimated average and went with it. It's worked out ok.
3. Boo-I did my medical form and such yesterday, so I assumed the tentmate request email would go through right away. Guess not. *waits* I didn't watch the safety video, since it was the same quiz and such as last year.
Oh, I guess I should have checked in, eh?
I was thisclose to posting something goofy in the little box, but I just decided to accept with no comment.
Allowance? Whatever is left over after I pay my bill sis my allowance. I have absolutely positively no clue what that amount is. I just paid all of my bills and I have $306 left. But I will buy some grocries with that. So, I guess I'll have about $100 left over from this paycheck. I'll have to check in after the next paycheck. I only have to pay my half of the mortgage with that paycheck.
I don't think Boo likes you, is the problem.
I don't have an official allowance or personal budget, but $300 sounds slim. I think for us $500 would be a better number. Some months would be less and some a bit more. I don't buy much but when I do buy I buy what I want. We eat out less than once a week, which helps. Eating & drinking out is expensive.
It is more complicated when you have kids as they continually nickel & dime you into comparative poverty.
If we didn't drink, we could save a lot of money.
I should be more disciplined in my finances. I spend until I don't have any left to spend. That's probably not the best strategy. :-)
Happy First Day of Summer, Weltek!
Does this include gas for your cars? Or I think I remember that you two car pool.
We don't have allowances, but it is something I have thought about. Maybe once this tightening we had to do gets straightened back out we could consider it.
Currently, there aren't any extras but our bills and the occasional meal out. And that is tough.
Where does communual things come from like shampoo, graoceries, soap? I am curious because this really sounds like something that would help us keep our spending totally in check and sometimes that is sorely needed.
Groceries and very basic things like OTC drugs, shampoo, soap, batteries, lightbulbs, etc. come out of the common fund, lumped with groceries. We don't have a budget amount for this, but should. I sometimes go overboard on groceries.
Gas is a completely seperate category in the budget and we just keep and eye on it and adjust things accordingly. We've had to reduce the "extra" amount we were paying on some bills (above and beyond regular payment for car, student loan, etc.) to offset the gas increases. If either of us goes on a big trip for fun, it comes out of our allowance, but regular communting/errand gas doesn't.
Gifts also have a seperate budget line. We go over every month how much we'll need for gifts and adjust if needed. Some months it's zero, sometimes it's $100.
I think the $300 each is a good idea; prevents you from overspending. Any way of keeping track of money is a good idea. Writing it down makes you realize what you spend on and how you can cut back, if you have to.
We used to have a budget. We don't have one anymore, but I still keep track of what we spend money on and what things cost.
I am really interested in this...that is why I am asking so many questions. I hope you do not mind.
Do you each get the 300 in cash, or seperate accounts, or just there and you deduct in your head as you go?
We would have to do cash, I think.
I have cut our groceries down a lot. By about half I think. I continue to look online at different mom or parenting sites to try and cut it even more.
One thing I have cut out, and I am embarrassed almost to say, is laundry detergent.
I was reading a site where some moms were discussing making their own detergent, and the best products to use based on quanity, quality, and price. One lady posted that she had started using dawn, the oxy one, for all of her laundry and that everything comes out just as clean if not cleaner. So I tried it and was really really surprised. A teeny amount does a whole load. One big bottle has lasted over 2 months now. At $2 something a bottle it beats the $8 (or more) every two weeks for the others we were paying.
Sorry I totally just went off on a tanget.
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