What % of Your Salary Is For Living Costs?

Depends on what you consider living costs..... but my rent, utilies, cable/internet, laundry (not dry cleaning) is about 22% my gross. Loans are another 20%.

I spend a shitload of money on food too, got to hit those macros.

You can definitely live within your means around 40% going to routine expenses.

A depressingly high amount, of net income:

Rent = 42% Utilities = 8% Other bills = 8% Travel = 4% Food = 15%

If we exclude food, 62% of my net goes to fixed, monthly costs.

Does anyone have a detailed spreadsheet of all their living expenses broken out by month?

Anybody else finding it fucking hard to save $ after all expenses are in? After 5% to 401k, Rent, food, car, standard cable / electric bills, and entertainment.. Boom there goes most of your net income.

25% rent ??% food 5% student loans 5-20% medical bills 10% books, CFA (and material)

~35-40% alcohol, depending on the month

Really needs to change.

Do you want to be further depressed?

My living expenses make up .07% of my gross income. My debt obligations on the other hand make up about 70%.

Mind you I paid cash for my condo, cars, and other toys. I have a ridiculously high debt payments because 100% of my passive cash generating assets are debt financed. So those fund themselves and let me live on the remainder with out breaking a sweat.

I've been trying to cut back because usually late night food, more alcohol, and cabs (more expenses in general) are corollary to alcohol in the first place. Still have to go to DMV and get a new ID which I'm absolutely dreading.

Yeah if someone could post or PM one for me too, that would be great.

Someone needs to break down this 35-40% alcohol expenditure. How is that possible?

If you are making $6000 a month gross for example, you are spending more than $2000 a month on alcohol. If net, lets say $4500 for arguments sake, then you are still spending more than $1500 a month. How do you guys spend that much?

If you are making $4000/mo, go out at least one rager on the weekend --> $2004=800 (this is with food, cabs, ancillary shit to drinking in NY IMO). Then brunch/day drinking the next = ~ $504=200. Weekday drinks can range, but will say about another $50/week depending on the week (could be much more).

So grand total of about $1200 giver or take a few hundred. That is a very rough estimate, and on the short end of my estimate at 30%.

And regarding med bills, yeah, it was a very "character building" experience to say the least. Still paying them off, but trying to avoid ever going through that again!

Your tags are hilarious hahaha

I use Mint

@lkc @scandal

I have one I can upload, trying to figure out how to do it from my work comp though with most stuff blocked. Made it about a year go for myself and it's super basic and useful.

Anyone want to take a stab at my second question(s)? What would you consider to be living within your means? Above or below?