So frustrated with our finances right now.

[Sunnywho]

We consider restaurant eating to be fun money, and it comes out of the fun money budget.

 

[sookie]

I haven't even read all the posts here but this will be my last post. I am not going to stop the comics. this is what DH wants and I'm not going to start the fight to tell him he has to stop. I have been trying to get him to cut back and at least not start new series and that has already caused arguments. So I will not cut what fun money he has and will let him have what he wants with that amount. If we weren't able to pay the bills and were going into debt or even if we had cut back everything else we could and weren't managing to save then I would agree but there are other areas to cut back.

On the cloths. We have 1 dresser and its not a large one for the two of us. We then have one closet in the entire house which is full with storing Three big winter coats (a bit puffy one for each of us and then a black long one I can do for work), a few sweatshirts/lighter jackets for when its cooler but still need a coat, and one or two other things. Honestly I have just enough pants to get by for a week plus a few pieces for when I need to dress up. I do have more tops but not by much to be honest. DH has alot of tshirts but most are free/very cheap things he got from his retail loyalty video game sites (free stuff from video game companies because he works retail and takes surveys and stuff about their products). Then his work clothes. Honestly until last month when I made all the clothes purchases I was wearing the same clothes week after week because I only just had one weeks worth of work clothes. Most people I know have way more clothes and storage space but as I said I plan not to but one and just make what I have last for now anyway.

I came here to ask for advise on the food stuff, and I have now gotten that. The comments on what we spend our other money on were unsolicited and thus I don't feel I have any reason to continue this thread.

Then you have obviously made your choices. Spending almost 10% of your income on this sort of spending will get you nowhere. That sort of living is immature and how people get themselves into MASSIVE trouble. Buying a DVC at 23 (read your previous posts), 8% of your income on comics and "fun money", 1K on food and eating out - the list goes on. You came here to ask for help, people gave you suggestions. We are trying to help, but you don't want it. Next time, when you want help, ask someone who is going tell you what you want to hear rather than what you need to hear. Everyone here is telling you the same thing over and over.

Have fun with your rented home full of comics and receipts from eating out. Jeez louise! Just being receptive is on thing, but coming back and fussing at everyone who is giving you suggestions is another. Someone obviously has some growing up to do. BTW - I just asked my husband about the comic book issue and off the top off his head, he said that is about 50 comics / month, and now is not a good time to collect physical copies since a lot of people are going digital. That's a lot of spare time to read - could he be picking up extra hours at work to cover his comic book purchasing costs?

 

[pigletto]

One thing that has helped us is to buy groceries online. My favorite local grocery store is out of the way for me (read: extra gas $$) and on the way home for DH. However, my hubby is really good at shopping for milk/cereal/bread, and not so good at BIG shopping. So, I figured out that they have a program where you shop online, and they pull the groceries and have them ready when you walk in. I figure that between the gas savings for me to go there myself, and the lack of "impulse opportunities", it more than covers the $5 they charge for the service.

I sit at night when my kids go to bed, on my couch, and meal plan for the week. I have one window open for recipes, and one for shopping. It also helps save money by being able to walk into the kitchen and see if I have an ingredient or not. I always forget - that is why I currently have three bottles of sesame oil

Oh how I wish we had something like that here!!!!!
I easily spend an extra 10-20 every time I go shopping on things that catch my eye. If I had something like this it would justify the cost of the service.
However I live in the middle of nowhere so I can just stop dreaming about it right now and go make my list to take to the store

 

[Tiger926]

I don't know how you can judge this off a percentage or a number. There isn't one that is right, there is merely one that gets you to your goals (which, granted, the OP isn't doing).

For instance, I have a friend and I'd guess 50% of his takehome is fun money. He has no kids. His house has been paid for for 30 years (he inherited it from his parents), he drives cheap cars he keeps running forever, lives cheaply - and makes six figures. If we weren't saving for kids college and my brother in law hadn't been terminally ill and we hadn't been supporting him, we'd have 35% of our income in "fun money" (well, we probably wouldn't, cause I'd save it to retire early - I guess that's a weird form of fun money)

However, the OP is in a situation where she isn't meeting her goals.

OP, sit down with your husband and prioritize what you REALLY WANT. And then act like those are your priorities. Its that simple. If you want a downpayment for a house more than anything, that means you want it more than anything, more than not doing dishes by hand, or a new dresser, or video games or comic books. If you keep buying other things, it means you don't value owning a house as much as you think you do - or alternatively, it means that you can't really afford it right now because saving for it would cut into all the other stuff too deep.

Well, that is why I said we have no idea what her take home pay is, but considering that she can't figure out how to save for a house, has 1 dresser and her surroundings are stuffed with comic books, I am pretty certain that 8% is too much since she herself said they can't save money.

The example you gave is of someone who has his ducks in a row, so he can have a bigger fun money account. Considering the OP came to the budget board and showed us that she has major spending issues, I'm pretty much assuming that she isn't in the same place as your friend, or even some of the rest of us who have multiple savings accounts, etc.

Like I said, we don't believe in fun money, and we are high income earners. Not sure how much Target is paying these days, and don't know what OP's job is, but I don't see them figuring out a way to save any money for a house based on the profile she has presented. If they truly wanted a house, those comic books would go, as would the fast food and other useless spending they are doing.

I haven't even read all the posts here but this will be my last post. I am not going to stop the comics. this is what DH wants and I'm not going to start the fight to tell him he has to stop. I have been trying to get him to cut back and at least not start new series and that has already caused arguments. So I will not cut what fun money he has and will let him have what he wants with that amount. If we weren't able to pay the bills and were going into debt or even if we had cut back everything else we could and weren't managing to save then I would agree but there are other areas to cut back.

On the cloths. We have 1 dresser and its not a large one for the two of us. We then have one closet in the entire house which is full with storing Three big winter coats (a bit puffy one for each of us and then a black long one I can do for work), a few sweatshirts/lighter jackets for when its cooler but still need a coat, and one or two other things. Honestly I have just enough pants to get by for a week plus a few pieces for when I need to dress up. I do have more tops but not by much to be honest. DH has alot of tshirts but most are free/very cheap things he got from his retail loyalty video game sites (free stuff from video game companies because he works retail and takes surveys and stuff about their products). Then his work clothes. Honestly until last month when I made all the clothes purchases I was wearing the same clothes week after week because I only just had one weeks worth of work clothes. Most people I know have way more clothes and storage space but as I said I plan not to but one and just make what I have last for now anyway.

I came here to ask for advise on the food stuff, and I have now gotten that. The comments on what we spend our other money on were unsolicited and thus I don't feel I have any reason to continue this thread.

Well, there it is. Just as some of us suspected, you wanted justification for your spending. Your thread title did not reflect that, so you are going to get other budget tips.

You don't want them, then that is fine. You seem to value stuff, more than a house. Perhaps one day, you can sell your hubby's comic book collection (I guess Target pays pretty well these days to spend $100/month on comic books, and I hope your jobs stay stable) and buy a house that way. But I am confused as you seemed to say that you spent a lot of money on clothes, but now it's hardly anything on clothes. I don't get it...And just to let you know, it doesn't matter how many clothes other people have. All that matters is that you can afford and properly store the clothes that you have.

Then you have obviously made your choices. Spending almost 10% of your income on this sort of spending will get you nowhere. That sort of living is immature and how people get themselves into MASSIVE trouble. Buying a DVC at 23 (read your previous posts), 8% of your income on comics and "fun money", 1K on food and eating out - the list goes on. You came here to ask for help, people gave you suggestions. We are trying to help, but you don't want it. Next time, when you want help, ask someone who is going tell you what you want to hear rather than what you need to hear. Everyone here is telling you the same thing over and over.

Have fun with your rented home full of comics and receipts from eating out. Jeez louise! Just being receptive is on thing, but coming back and fussing at everyone who is giving you suggestions is another. Someone obviously has some growing up to do.

Tiger

 

[richmond282]

My DH and I each have our own "mad money" as well. It allows each of us to buy little incidentals (or save up for big ones) w/o having to justify the purchase to the other. Since the OP mentioned the % of their fun money, I figured out ours. Our mad money combines is right at 1% of our take home pay. I tend to save my up. Hubby tends to spend his right away.

 

[BeachLove]

Ok, You need to sit down and make a budget. Go online and search for interactive budgets and play around with numbers. Such as http://gailvazoxlade.com/resources.html I think you need to set a goal, such as, saving 20k for a down payment in 3 years. $20000 divided by 36 months is $555. What can you cut to get this money? Maybe you'll need to get a car in another few years. Plan for it now. Even though I just bought a new car I'm already saving $150 month towards something else. Figure in 3-5 years I have a great down payment again. I'm not going to tell you to cut out comics or clothing. I wouldn't want to hear what I should do with my fun money. Someone mentioned to not buy a new dresser, while I say buy a new dresser if you can put money aside for it and still do some sort of savings plan for a house. Why not look into automatic drafts from checking into a savings account just for a home?


In my opinion buying DVC prior to buying a home when you knew you wanted a home wasn't a super idea. But, I wouldn't try to re-sell it. I'm around your age and only got DVC only after buying and living in my home for several years and having the cash to pay for it and money set aside each month towards dues. Did I want DVC before the house? Yes, but I knew a down payment on a home was #1. Vacations are a luxury and you had chosen vacation points instead of a home. I'm guessing at that point that was more important and #1 priority. (Hopefully you didn't finance it?!) Have you considered making a 5 or 10 year plan and writing it down on paper? Along with the steps needed to make it happen. Such as in 5 years I want to be in a house. In 10 years I want Kids, a kitten or whatever it may be.

Now, I can't say too many bad things about you eating out all the time. Since I eat out breakfast and lunch daily on work days. (Bagels, OJ, or Starbucks and some sort of salad or pasta for lunch.) Then again I do budget how much I can spend in a week and stick to it. Your numbers for eating out seemed really high and that can be seriously shrunk.


It was a HUGE help to me to sit down and write up Jan-Dec and in each months column I put in how much I would put into it each paycheck. Each month I would cross it off once I had "paid" it. I kept a running total month to month. It helped to see the progress.

 

[MrsPete]

Two sayings come to mind:

1. If you keep doing what you've always done, you'll keep getting what you've always got.
Translation: if you keep buying comics and excess clothes, you're going to keep living in a rental house and feeling frustrated.

2. Never trade what you want most for what you want most right now.
Translation: you're trading the house you say you want for many small purchases of comics and clothes.

When you're REALLY frustrated and are ready to attack your budget, remember the advice you've received. Comics and clothes are a portion of the problem, just as much as the food budget.

I haven't even read all the posts here but this will be my last post. I am not going to stop the comics. this is what DH wants and I'm not going to start the fight to tell him he has to stop. I have been trying to get him to cut back and at least not start new series and that has already caused arguments. So I will not cut what fun money he has and will let him have what he wants with that amount. If we weren't able to pay the bills and were going into debt or even if we had cut back everything else we could and weren't managing to save then I would agree but there are other areas to cut back.

On the cloths. We have 1 dresser and its not a large one for the two of us. We then have one closet in the entire house which is full with storing Three big winter coats (a bit puffy one for each of us and then a black long one I can do for work), a few sweatshirts/lighter jackets for when its cooler but still need a coat, and one or two other things. Honestly I have just enough pants to get by for a week plus a few pieces for when I need to dress up. I do have more tops but not by much to be honest. DH has alot of tshirts but most are free/very cheap things he got from his retail loyalty video game sites (free stuff from video game companies because he works retail and takes surveys and stuff about their products). Then his work clothes. Honestly until last month when I made all the clothes purchases I was wearing the same clothes week after week because I only just had one weeks worth of work clothes. Most people I know have way more clothes and storage space but as I said I plan not to but one and just make what I have last for now anyway.

I came here to ask for advise on the food stuff, and I have now gotten that. The comments on what we spend our other money on were unsolicited and thus I don't feel I have any reason to continue this thread.

 

[VeeHam]

I hope OP is still reading these.
I started using "you need a budget", YNAB.com. It's wonderful. You create a budget for everything, including savings and bills are listed. Left over money rolls over each month to the next, which is great when tracking savings. DH and I are having great success with this program. I highly recommend it. There is a free 34 day trial.
I wish you both luck. I know it's hard to get yourself in order but you guys can do it.