s/o $100K budget

[Anonymous]

I'm not even looking at the threads for those who make $375K or $185K. I make just under $100K. I'm looking for budgets at this "paltry" level. As for my parent + kid household:

$1500 mortgage
$250 utilities
$300 cell phone, cable and Internet
$500 food and paper supplies
$50 pet supplies and insurance
$100 restaurants
$500 health insurance, copays and prescriptions
$300 car payment
$600 retirement
$200 529
Rest on gifts, clothes, home repairs, etc.

One to two moderate priced vacations per year

[Anonymous]

You have a car, what about gas? I saw other insurance, did you account for car ins?

[Anonymous]

Good points.
$75 car insurance and $100 gas (very short commute in little car).

[Anonymous]

Do you have dental ins.? or vision coverage? What about vet bills or boarding fees when you are out of town?

We lived on a little over $100k for a long time (family of four) and the dentist was always a big expense. We found that the insurance wasn't worth it, we had to pay extra for it and what they paid back was lower than what we paid. Just took DS to the eye Dr, over $800 for contacts and glasses. School related expenses? Backpacks, Trips, contributions? They all add up. Plus a misc. fun column should be added for little things, treats, a coffee, ice cream, new book, whatever little extras you like. Say like $50-75 that you don't have to account for.

I feel like there should be more to this budget, maybe it just needs to be broken down more to make sure you are not forgeting anything.

[Anonymous]

We're DINK but DH is self employed so his income varies and we can't depend on it month to month. Everything he makes goes straight to savings essentially, so we live off my income of 89K (pre-tax) + 15K rental income:

I put 7% of my income into my 403-b. My health is fully covered by employer. Take home is about $5700/month

2600 -- Rent, Utilities, Parking (soon to be a mortgage)
100 -- Comcast
140 -- Auto and Home insurance
350 -- DH Health Insurance
150 -- Cell phone/iPad plan
200 -- IRA contribution
650 -- Food (groceries and eating out)
250 -- Condo fee on rental property
350 -- Taxes on rental property
250 -- Shopping/Personal Care
60 -- Pet Supplies

That leaves about $500 for miscellaneous things that come up. We barely drive and I get metro benefits from work so we don't budget for that (very low each month, I fill up maybe every 2.5? Even then, its usually work travel so I get reimbursed) No debt. And as I said DH's income, between 40K - 50K in his self employment, goes straight into savings (retirement for him, vacation fund, and general savings that will also pay taxes later on, too).

[Anonymous]

Previous poster -- I'll add I am 27, DH is 30. I think we're doing fairly well. Wanting to get my base income over $120K before we have kids, though.

[Anonymous]

How about us really poor folk (LOL) at 80k. One parent and one child.

Mortgage - 1400
car payment and ins - 250
childcare - 1000 (will go down in Sept!)
cell - 50
TV/internet/home phone - 120
food - 300
utilities - 150
gas - 100

When you add in misc costs (eating out, clothes, hair cuts) - we usually go into the red most months - luckily we have savings. Sigh.

[Anonymous]

We make $120k between the two of us. We have 1 kid.

$980 mortgage
$1500 retirement
$200 utilities
$80 cable
$100 car insurance
$120 gas, tolls etc.
$140 cell phones
$100 charity
$300 Misc (either pets or clothes or kids activities)
$500 groceries/take out
$200 lunch at work (my greatest weakness)