PP, my keyboard sucks, sorry for typos

Anonymous wrote:OP here. These are what fall into my "Other Category." Note, these are last month's expenditures. My DH handles all utitilities, mortgage, etc. from a separate account.

Entertainment $61.99
Restaurants/Dining Out $53.72
On-line Services $48.00
Pets/Petcare $47.32
Other $5.10
Clothing/Shoes $27.46
Personal Care $40.50
Dues/Subscriptions $40.00
Checks $25.00
Home Maintenance $8.24
Home Improvement $7.29
Electronics $2.99
Charitable Giving $2.65

Total $370.26

Your line items make no sense, who gives $2.56 to charity??? Why not $3.00 or $2.50?

From an earlier statement you made I suspect you resent your DH a little bit for him telling you for the last few months to budget your spending and for your lack of employment/career. Not pointing a finger, just a truth teller and hey, itis human nature to feel that way. I also suspect you started this thread in hopes of getting 100% support and the showDH all the responses and day "look, see, I told you I was budgeting the best I could."

But the responses have been different and you have been defensive and ambiguous in your follow ups, which also don't make a lot of sense number wise.

If you are sincere in seeking help this is a great forum to get it,but we can't help you if you don't really want it, do don't waste our time.

We don't have any car payments. DH insists on not having car payments.

sell the 2nd car - if you live near a metro and DH doesn't use it daily it is a waste. if you need a bigger car to fit all 7 of you at once trade in the two of them for one and you should still benefit.

My insurance is pretty low. We have USAA and no one can ever beat beat. $83 per month for the two cars. We have collision on mine b/c it is still fairly high value. DH calls his car "throw away" if it's ever in a crash.

Anonymous wrote:OK. So, OP is back. Here is the sort of breakdown for that "General Merchandise" category:

3 trips to Target - $55.86. Purchased largely laundry detergent, household cleaning supplies and cat litter. Had coupons and other discounts for some items.

1 trip to IKEA - $41.03. Household items, some food items.
I just happened to be in the neighborhood and dropped in.

$395 - clothing, shoes, household items and other finds at my favorite thrift shop.

Well, there you go. It's the thrift shop. Just. Stop.

Op-to really figure out what to cut, you need to look at several months worth of spending, not just one, and really set a budget for each category that reflects reality. One month won't show you how things balance over time. Quicken, mint, or even just an excel spreadsheet can be used for this.

I think others have given you good advice (gas, phones, and clothes seem the obvious cuts here) but I wouldn't completely rule out looking at your utilities as well. You could trim some costs there by adjusting your thermostat settings, making sure doors and windows are sealed, not leaving lights or water on unnecessarily, cold water for most laundry, check for leaks etc. what about car insurance? Shop around or tweak your coverage ( especially on the car that just sits in the driveway).

You have to want to cut back. Seems like you don't want to.

You can cut spending on clothes to zero during the shut-down. Even afterwards, I think pp is right that you are shopping because you are bored. Try not to buy any clothes for yourself for a year.

OK. So, OP is back. Here is the sort of breakdown for that "General Merchandise" category:

3 trips to Target - $55.86. Purchased largely laundry detergent, household cleaning supplies and cat litter. Had coupons and other discounts for some items.

1 trip to IKEA - $41.03. Household items, some food items.
I just happened to be in the neighborhood and dropped in.

$395 - clothing, shoes, household items and other finds at my favorite thrift shop.

Your bored so you shop at thrift stores for something to fill your time and make you believe you are making a vital contribution to your family by "saving" money at the thrift store.

Do something productive - get a job, volunteer

I bought a tracphone for about 30 bucks and loaded it with 3 months of service days/120 minutes minutes (I had a promo which doubled days/minutes). From here on out, I'll just load on minutes/days every few months when I need them (Avg will be approx 10 bucks a month).

At any rate, it is nothing fancy. I do not text, I do not use internet on my phone. But all I really need is the phone anyway. For the longest time, my kids and I shared ONE cheap phone. Having my very own phone is kind of a luxury, lol. After the initial outlay for the phone, I'll be spending around $120 bucks a year for service. Cheap, real cheap.

I'm not saying that everyone should switch to a cheapie cell phone, but it is an option. There are absolutely cuts that you can make, OP. Just look at your budget, figure out what the top priorities are and pare away costs from the less important stuff. Good luck!

DD is 14.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If that's your "other" category then what is "general merchandise"?

I disagree with PP that you should cut that much from your "other" budget because you need to make cuts that are sustainable. Eating out once or twice a month isn't unreasonable. Entertainment can probably be cut by $30 a month and dues/subscriptions can be eliminated. Your cell phone plans are way too expensive. Consider getting a family plan with your parents or siblings with only talk/text. Your DH is a fed, are you getting the Fed discount (around 18-20% per month)? Maybe your DH needs a data phone, you most certainly don't. I'd keep the gym membership, no man will object to that expense if you use it.

DH want me to cut back on the thrift shop "general merchandise" spending - says I can take that amount and apply it to my credit card. We will look into different cell phone plans. Right now, we have a family plan just for DD and I. I have data phone. DD does not. On another not listed here expense, DH wants to cut the cable and either install HD antenna and rely on Internet for other viewing. Does anyone have experience with Roku or Chromecast? He is not a big sports fan, so no need for sports channels. He'll watch a baseball game every once in awhile. DH has data phone provided by work.

When you switch plans put the phone in DH's name so you get the discount. How old is DD, does she really need a cell phone? Do you have the basic cable package or the one with HBO, etc.? Also, what about doing some part time work while DD is at school to bring in more income to offset some of the shopping?

OP: General Merchandise category. Lay it out. Fess up. Right now that is your biggest unaccounted for expense. You cannot be spending that much on thrift store clothes unless you are a hoarder.