Reply to $1200/month for adult and child for food, clothing and the like- sounds fine?

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Reply to "$1200/month for adult and child for food, clothing and the like- sounds fine?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Op here, thanks all. My marital concerns is a totally different matter and I am in therapy (my own savings paying for it). I am not legal to work in the US. 
[b]This budget is not for food and clothes only, it's for my personal expenses, too.[/b] That's why it seems high. 
H is doing his own grocery shopping, I think it's stupid but it's his idea and its easier for me.
H will have about 2k left after all payments but he claims he will be saving aggressively (he accuses me of not saving enough). Whatever. He has some pretty crazy ideas and the purpose is not clear to me. [/quote]

Even for personal expenses, that number is very generous for one adult and one preschooler (out of diapers, I assume?)

If you were smart, you could easily keep your food, toiletries and child's clothes (you really don't need to be shopping for many clothes for yourself, if any, since you are beyond the age of dirtying/wearing out the clothes and your child needs clothes for when they grow, not to stay in fashion) to around $700-900/month.  Yes, even in Northern California.

Then save the rest.  Hide it in your mattress, in your tampon drawer, in a savings account at the bank.

Marriage issues aside, your husband is right.  You spend too much and don't save enough if you can't find a way to live on such a large amount of money.[/quote]

Cut back on all that "me" stuff too.  Clip your own toes, paint your own nails, get a hair cut every other month, not every few weeks.  Go natural with your hair, so you aren't spending money on highlights, only gray touch ups if you have grays coming in.  Kill the facial, that is a luxury and a treat, not a regular beauty routine.  Step down from the high end beauty products/serums/creams/oils.  [/quote]

But why?
It's not like we went broke and there is no other way. 
I hope I am able to afford it. [/quote]

Why waste the money on pedicures and facials, when with that much of an allowance you can easily squirrel away several hundred a month, and build yourself a nice little emergency fund.

I would say this even if you had twice that amount coming in each month.

Fritter away the money on temporary things, or save some, still live well, but have something to protect yourself and your child with in the future.  Smarten up lady.  This allowance may actually be a blessing for you.

Think of it this way.  Cut out the highlights, and you save $100 every 6 weeks ($867/year) and cut out the facials ($1600/year).  Do your own pedicures ($693/year).  Just from that easy change, you now have almost $3000 in savings for yourself each year.  Cut your makeup/product budget by $75.00/month and you have another $900 each year.  Now you are nearly at $4000 in savings.

Do this for a year or two and you now have options if things continue to go badly with your husband.

Isn't independence (be you married or divorced) rather than dependence worth cutting and painting your own toe nails?[/quote]

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