2025 Budget Wrap Up

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don’t enjoy dining out?? Even if you don’t like the food, don’t you miss out on a lot of socializing?

I don’t track anything this closely but I think you must be missing your health insurance costs, and I’m not sure you should do the roof/water heater/etc by dividing them over 12 months. I think you should either do them as cash or count big home things over a larger period, maybe the life of each system? Idk but I don’t think 12 months makes sense.

Socializing would be great. I don’t have many people to socialize with, though. I need to figure that out but tend to go for walks or drives with friends or just hang out and talk over tea.

Yes, clarified above that medical in my OP is not inclusive of premiums paid by paycheck which add $500 monthly for a total medical cost of $1125 a month.

I mean, I don’t want to say you’re a party pooper but you love making sandwiches in your 66 degree house and clearly disdain most people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, are you sure your utilities are that low? Electricity has been that much alone for a few months.

We are low users of energy. House set to 62 in winter and 77 in summer. We also do all those savings programs. Figures are accurate. It was 55 the other morning inside. Brrr. But I don’t mind and DH goes in to work.

What are “all those savings programs”? Also, can you break this out—it really seems impossible to get water, gas, electricity, phones (for 3) and internet for $350/mo. Friends and I calculate our numbers each year and nobody is anywhere near this low. Electricity is up nearly 20% this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don’t enjoy dining out?? Even if you don’t like the food, don’t you miss out on a lot of socializing?

I don’t track anything this closely but I think you must be missing your health insurance costs, and I’m not sure you should do the roof/water heater/etc by dividing them over 12 months. I think you should either do them as cash or count big home things over a larger period, maybe the life of each system? Idk but I don’t think 12 months makes sense.

Socializing would be great. I don’t have many people to socialize with, though. I need to figure that out but tend to go for walks or drives with friends or just hang out and talk over tea.

Yes, clarified above that medical in my OP is not inclusive of premiums paid by paycheck which add $500 monthly for a total medical cost of $1125 a month.

I mean, I don’t want to say you’re a party pooper but you love making sandwiches in your 66 degree house and clearly disdain most people.

62!

[Anonymous]

Can you please share how you were able to do Yellowstone, Hawaii, and a Disney cruise on $2k for three adults? Those are all 20k trips on their own?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don’t enjoy dining out?? Even if you don’t like the food, don’t you miss out on a lot of socializing?

I don’t track anything this closely but I think you must be missing your health insurance costs, and I’m not sure you should do the roof/water heater/etc by dividing them over 12 months. I think you should either do them as cash or count big home things over a larger period, maybe the life of each system? Idk but I don’t think 12 months makes sense.

Socializing would be great. I don’t have many people to socialize with, though. I need to figure that out but tend to go for walks or drives with friends or just hang out and talk over tea.

Yes, clarified above that medical in my OP is not inclusive of premiums paid by paycheck which add $500 monthly for a total medical cost of $1125 a month.

I mean, I don’t want to say you’re a party pooper but you love making sandwiches in your 66 degree house and clearly disdain most people.

I am open to suggestions. I used to have more friends but everyone got busy with their families and we moved back to Maryland to be closer to help our aging parents. With all my friends in Virginia, just getting over the bridge and back makes any trip take hours and we're exhausted at the end of workdays. I just had a PB&J to finish up my breakfast and it was very satisfying!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you please share how you were able to do Yellowstone, Hawaii, and a Disney cruise on $2k for three adults? Those are all 20k trips on their own?

That's $2,000 per month on average--so $24k for the year.

$7,000 Yellowstone (5 nights AirBnB, made our own food, park is nearly free with hiking, sightseeing, got great airfare deal)
$5,000 Disney cruise (4 nights, cheap flight to Miami)
$10,000 Hawaii (7 nights AirBnB, two islands, prepare own food, activities mostly free/cheap, we did snorkel and kayak trips)

Not sure how we could spend $20k on a vacation. We didn't even come close to that when we took DD to Europe for her HS graduation for two weeks!

Remaining $2,000 was misc travel throughout rest of year including a New York getaway for two.

No desire to scrimp--this is just what we all like!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don’t enjoy dining out?? Even if you don’t like the food, don’t you miss out on a lot of socializing?

I don’t track anything this closely but I think you must be missing your health insurance costs, and I’m not sure you should do the roof/water heater/etc by dividing them over 12 months. I think you should either do them as cash or count big home things over a larger period, maybe the life of each system? Idk but I don’t think 12 months makes sense.

Socializing would be great. I don’t have many people to socialize with, though. I need to figure that out but tend to go for walks or drives with friends or just hang out and talk over tea.

Yes, clarified above that medical in my OP is not inclusive of premiums paid by paycheck which add $500 monthly for a total medical cost of $1125 a month.

I mean, I don’t want to say you’re a party pooper but you love making sandwiches in your 66 degree house and clearly disdain most people.

I am open to suggestions. I used to have more friends but everyone got busy with their families and we moved back to Maryland to be closer to help our aging parents. With all my friends in Virginia, just getting over the bridge and back makes any trip take hours and we're exhausted at the end of workdays. I just had a PB&J to finish up my breakfast and it was very satisfying!

In the best shape of your life and eating PB&J for breakfast?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don’t enjoy dining out?? Even if you don’t like the food, don’t you miss out on a lot of socializing?

I don’t track anything this closely but I think you must be missing your health insurance costs, and I’m not sure you should do the roof/water heater/etc by dividing them over 12 months. I think you should either do them as cash or count big home things over a larger period, maybe the life of each system? Idk but I don’t think 12 months makes sense.

Socializing would be great. I don’t have many people to socialize with, though. I need to figure that out but tend to go for walks or drives with friends or just hang out and talk over tea.

Yes, clarified above that medical in my OP is not inclusive of premiums paid by paycheck which add $500 monthly for a total medical cost of $1125 a month.

I mean, I don’t want to say you’re a party pooper but you love making sandwiches in your 66 degree house and clearly disdain most people.

I am open to suggestions. I used to have more friends but everyone got busy with their families and we moved back to Maryland to be closer to help our aging parents. With all my friends in Virginia, just getting over the bridge and back makes any trip take hours and we're exhausted at the end of workdays. I just had a PB&J to finish up my breakfast and it was very satisfying!

In the best shape of your life and eating PB&J for breakfast?

Well, two scrambled eggs, spinach, ground turkey, an apple, soy milk didn't fill me up enough after my 4 mile run! So I had dessert--a delicious PB&J on whole wheat bread with organic peanut butter and jelly. Measured at 25% body fat the other week which was my best ever.

Maybe I missed your point?

[Anonymous]

Now do your utilities! With providers. Tx

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, are you sure your utilities are that low? Electricity has been that much alone for a few months.

We are low users of energy. House set to 62 in winter and 77 in summer. We also do all those savings programs. Figures are accurate. It was 55 the other morning inside. Brrr. But I don’t mind and DH goes in to work.

What are “all those savings programs”? Also, can you break this out—it really seems impossible to get water, gas, electricity, phones (for 3) and internet for $350/mo. Friends and I calculate our numbers each year and nobody is anywhere near this low. Electricity is up nearly 20% this year.

Two Pepco throttlers on my two systems (furnace, heat pump) saves $48/month on electricity bill
Washington Gas Energy Rewards gives annual gift card for participation
My company gives me $25/mo for my phone line

Mobile Phone with Verizon Visible - $780 annual/$65 monthly for three lines after company subsidy
Water/Sewer/Trash (~9,000 gallons per quarter) - $830 annual/$70 monthly
Internet Verizon FiOS - $540 annual/$45 monthly
Pepco Electric - $1,700 annual/$142 monthly
Washington Gas - $300 annual/$25 monthly

[Anonymous]

I recently did ours and it was $35,000 a month, not including income taxes. We have two homes and the property taxes alone are about $4k. We are retired, travel frequently between the two homes and are members at two clubs. It’s pretty insane but we both worked a lifetime to be able to live this way. We also give a lot to charity through a DAF.

[Anonymous]

Trump
Says everything is down 700 percent yiu all should have tons left over 😂😭

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don’t enjoy dining out?? Even if you don’t like the food, don’t you miss out on a lot of socializing?

I don’t track anything this closely but I think you must be missing your health insurance costs, and I’m not sure you should do the roof/water heater/etc by dividing them over 12 months. I think you should either do them as cash or count big home things over a larger period, maybe the life of each system? Idk but I don’t think 12 months makes sense.

Socializing would be great. I don’t have many people to socialize with, though. I need to figure that out but tend to go for walks or drives with friends or just hang out and talk over tea.

Yes, clarified above that medical in my OP is not inclusive of premiums paid by paycheck which add $500 monthly for a total medical cost of $1125 a month.

I mean, I don’t want to say you’re a party pooper but you love making sandwiches in your 66 degree house and clearly disdain most people.

This is gratuitous unkindness. Talk about being a pooper - look in the mirror.

[Anonymous]

Your real estate tax is very low. How much is your home worth?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don’t enjoy dining out?? Even if you don’t like the food, don’t you miss out on a lot of socializing?

I don’t track anything this closely but I think you must be missing your health insurance costs, and I’m not sure you should do the roof/water heater/etc by dividing them over 12 months. I think you should either do them as cash or count big home things over a larger period, maybe the life of each system? Idk but I don’t think 12 months makes sense.

Socializing would be great. I don’t have many people to socialize with, though. I need to figure that out but tend to go for walks or drives with friends or just hang out and talk over tea.

Yes, clarified above that medical in my OP is not inclusive of premiums paid by paycheck which add $500 monthly for a total medical cost of $1125 a month.

I spend at least $750 a month on socializing expenses.