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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Tell us your whole budget.[/quote]

$2500 - mortgage and HOA
$500 - utilities
[b]$1500 - food/gas/misc. household expenses[/b]
$200 - personal expenses (hair cuts, clothes, etc.)
$900 - half of student loans
$400 - car payment[/quote]

This is really high and vague. How much do you spend at the grocery store? How many meals do you cook at home? How much do you spend at restaurants (including lunch and on the weekend)? How much is gas and how often do you drive? What kinds of expenses are "misc household expenses"? I think you could spend a lot less in this category, but I don't really know what's in this category as it is so broad as to be meaningless.

How much do you pay for car insurance? Do you have cable? Do you both have cell phones with data plans? Are those expenses considered under "utilities"?[/quote]

DH gives me a lump sum at the end of the month for the bolded category, but perhaps I should push more about what is in it.  The car and condo insurance count in the misc. expenses category, around $80 a month, and the phone goes into the utilities category.  We have cell phones on a family plan and basic satellite.[/quote]

The "etc" and "misc" is what kills me, every time. Your budget is a good overview of what your expenses are, but there's not really a lot that's obvious to cut there.

I would start with food, honestly. Start making a budget and a plan for that. Does your DH cook? If not, he needs to learn. The umemployed person has a responsibility to contribute in other ways. Planning your meals is a serious money-saver. [/quote]

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