Why can’t the other spouse work?

18 umbrella policy
65 insurance - 2 cars
75 home insurance
667 Fund 529
10 hoa community
53 verizon internet


The above is all reasonable

100 donation . (cut by $50)
500 groceries . reasonable

225 classes, therapy (swimming needed as therapy for child etc) . cut by $25

150 meds, vitamins, protein powders etc. for all find cheaper ways; cut by $25

100 household (toilet paper, detergent, dish soap, soap, toothpaste, shampoo/conditioner, cream etc.) find cheaper ways, cut by $25

200 medical including labs/co-pays/procedures/therapy/dental - most likely more, spouse has chronic health problems. (try to reduce, cut by $25)

300 lawn exterior/interior repairs maintenance Learn to DIY, cut by $100

800-1000 travel, vacation, clothes, haircuts, dining, entertainment, gifts . Discretionary -- cut by $300

150 gas (plan better, combine trips, buy gas on sale, at Costco, with points etc -- cut by $50

20 2 oil changes per car . (other car repair?)
80 2 cell phones
8 safe deposit box
5 video cloud storage
2000 Private school
200 electricity - old home (find ways to cut back on electric bill -- cut by $30)
80 water/sewer
25 trash
40 mowing averaged out
500 real estate property tax
65 car property tax



By making strategic cuts here and there you could free up another $600

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shouldn't some of the meds and therapy be coming out of the FSA?

That category also included vitamins and protein powders, which generally aren’t FSA-eligible expenses.

Ok. But you are double-counting the $200 copays, deductibles, etc line then.

I would start with a more precise budget.

Anonymous wrote:Shouldn't some of the meds and therapy be coming out of the FSA?

That category also included vitamins and protein powders, which generally aren’t FSA-eligible expenses.

Shouldn't some of the meds and therapy be coming out of the FSA?

Anonymous wrote:Your take home Amount seems low for that salary

Don’t forget he’s also making out 401k and FSA.

Would it be possible to sell your house and move someplace with better schools! You are paying more than 30% of your take-home pay to private school. When you add in 529, over 40% of your monthly take-home is going to your child’s education. That isn’t sustainable for most people.

Your take home Amount seems low for that salary

How old is your kid?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You're over here with 800-1,000 on travel/entertainment/gifts/clothes PER MONTH asking how you can find money in your budget?

Most of it is ;gifts', i.e. items and medical/dental bills for parents, as I explained above.

Right, well my comment was posted before your clarification, so there we are.

If you're determined on the private school, than you need to cut everything else that isn't a true need, basically.

I bet you can easily trim your grocery/household item bill by purchasing generics, cutting back on snacks, eating less meat, etc. You honestly need to think about cheaper meal plans.

Cut the donation down to $25 a month. I work in fundraising and let me tell you--a $25/month donor, to us, is "the same" as a $100/month donor; we love you because of your participation. We get to count you as an annual donor/monthly donor. Your consistency is what is vaulable.

Cut back on the beach vacation. Make it a long weekend at the beach/staycation the rest of the week. Or go to a lake cabin or AirBnB or somewhere else that isn't the beach.

Anonymous wrote:OP. I over-estimated the travel etc. line item. It would be $600 most months so closer to $7000. I have to make a trip to the other side of the country to visit ailing parents and wife goes to Florida to visit her mom. The gifts were items of necessity for parents who are not well to do at all especially mine.

We buy used clothes, eat typically at cheap places once a month and watch a movie once every 3-4 months. Typically it's a beach vacation less than $2k.

The reason you don't see a mortgage is because our small, old home is paid off but the schools are bad here hence the private. I should have clarified that. Yes, I could stop the donation and 529 but read that stopping 529 is anathema. Wife will hopefully be able to start part-time next year.

Stop the 529 for now. You can reasses once spouse has a job.

Anonymous wrote:You're over here with 800-1,000 on travel/entertainment/gifts/clothes PER MONTH asking how you can find money in your budget?

Most of it is ;gifts', i.e. items and medical/dental bills for parents, as I explained above.

Anonymous wrote:Why do you need two oil changes per car every month for $150?

Oops sorry that should be $20 a month.

OP. I over-estimated the travel etc. line item. It would be $600 most months so closer to $7000. I have to make a trip to the other side of the country to visit ailing parents and wife goes to Florida to visit her mom. The gifts were items of necessity for parents who are not well to do at all especially mine.

We buy used clothes, eat typically at cheap places once a month and watch a movie once every 3-4 months. Typically it's a beach vacation less than $2k.

The reason you don't see a mortgage is because our small, old home is paid off but the schools are bad here hence the private. I should have clarified that. Yes, I could stop the donation and 529 but read that stopping 529 is anathema. Wife will hopefully be able to start part-time next year.