Share your budget with The Coli

[Macallik86]

After watching a few YouTube videos, I decided to crunch the numbers on my budget via Google Sheets for the first time in months. In terms of Housing, I rent a studio apartment FYI:

Overall, I'm one of those guys that is used to not having a lot of money, so I don't really spend a lot regardless of what I am making. My budget is pretty good but I want to work on grocery shopping and pregaming more to bring down my food/bars bills. The 'Cash' portion is really also just Bar Money as well, so a large chunk of my budget goes to clubbing and bar hopping smh. Also I want to cut back on the late night Ubers.

Spoiler

Steps to Create Graph

1. I got the numbers from the budgeting tool that comes with my Credit Union but any source (Mint/Personal Capital/etc) works
2. I manually typed in the categories & the numbers into Google Sheets.
3. Click the 'Explore' star button in the bottom right hand corner of the page (or just hit 'Alt+Shift+X')
   1. This built in feature looks for insights in your data and auto-creates graphs for ya
4. Copy/paste the graph & share w/ The Coli

 

[OfTheCross]

I need about $4500 a month to be comfy.

I put in 1300, wifey puts in 1300, and we get about 1700 from rental income.


We each keep the rest of our pay to save and do whatever. So normally that's like another 1000

 

[Skooby]

@Macallik86

What template did you use?

 

[Macallik86]

@Macallik86

What template did you use?

1. I got the numbers from the budgeting tool that comes with my Credit Union but any source (Mint/Personal Capital/etc) works
2. I manually typed in the categories & the numbers into Google Sheets.
3. Click the 'Explore' star button in the bottom right hand corner of the page (or just hit 'Alt+Shift+X')
   1. This built in feature looks for insights in your data and auto-creates graphs for ya
4. Copy/paste the graph & share w/ The Coli

 

[Macallik86]

Bump. How is everyone doing in terms of budgeting in these times? My alcohol/bars/clubbing has fell through the floor and I canceled my transit pass since I'll be WFH indefinitely at this rate.

 

[Macallik86]

 

[Yinny]

I’m spending less on gas and tolls for obvious reasons. Everything else is the same-had to get my car fixed, insurance due next month. I’m alright.

 

[Macallik86]

Have yall made any post-covid adjustments to your budgets? I'm lucky enough to still have a gig and here are some changes I've made:

• Since I started WFH, I stopped loading my pre-tax transit pass w/ $$$. Saves about $100/mo
• Bumped up my 401K contribution to 10%
• Since I'm in the house 24/7, I'm living off one paycheck and putting the rest in my brokerage account.

 

[Yinny]

I had an expensive month this month essentially clearing my backlog of things I needed increasingly as the shutdown goes on.

My EZpass is finally overall down from $90 auto-replenish to $70.

Food has gone down, takeout/restaurants down significantly. Entertainment budget is nil but it wasn’t significant in the first place-movies, dating (I don’t pay anyway but jic) are on indefinite pause.

 

[Skooby]

I got to take the time to do a graph one day.

I rent a one-bedroom apartment.
Transportation expenses is down of course.
My grocery and restaurant expense has remained the same. I just get takeout.
I fully contribute to my TSP (gov version of 401k), and a Roth IRA.
Every paycheck (bi-weekly) I have $300 go to a savings (some of which I use for stock and ETF investments).
$25 goes to a vacation fund every week.
I don't really shop much. I don't much care for fashion so a lot of stuff I wear is old. Wear it, wash it, wear it again lol.
I'm building my own PC so I'm buying different parts for it. Total for that will probably be $2000.

 

[MJ Truth]

Don't even use a budget yet somehow at the end of every pay cycle I wonder where my excess money went.

 

[Kal El]

After watching a few YouTube videos, I decided to crunch the numbers on my budget via Google Sheets for the first time in months. In terms of Housing, I rent a studio apartment FYI:

Overall, I'm one of those guys that is used to not having a lot of money, so I don't really spend a lot regardless of what I am making. My budget is pretty good but I want to work on grocery shopping and pregaming more to bring down my food/bars bills. The 'Cash' portion is really also just Bar Money as well, so a large chunk of my budget goes to clubbing and bar hopping smh. Also I want to cut back on the late night Ubers.

Spoiler

Steps to Create Graph

1. I got the numbers from the budgeting tool that comes with my Credit Union but any source (Mint/Personal Capital/etc) works
2. I manually typed in the categories & the numbers into Google Sheets.
3. Click the 'Explore' star button in the bottom right hand corner of the page (or just hit 'Alt+Shift+X')
   1. This built in feature looks for insights in your data and auto-creates graphs for ya
4. Copy/paste the graph & share w/ The Coli

You're spending almost the same amount on food/bars as rent?

 

[Macallik86]

You're spending almost the same amount on food/bars as rent?

Yessir. I've gone through periods where I was addicted to saving. I didn't hate my life in that period but it wasn't memorable. After a while, I decided I would automatically save a chunk and then the rest is cash for clubbing/dating/drinking.

Also, my rent is half of what I can afford to pay so that definitely helps my social life although my crib isn't the greatest when I manage to bring a girl back lol.

 

[Kal El]

Yessir. I've gone through periods where I was addicted to saving. I didn't hate my life in that period but it wasn't memorable. After a while, I decided I would automatically save a chunk and then the rest is cash for clubbing/dating/drinking.

Also, my rent is half of what I can afford to pay so that definitely helps my social life although my crib isn't the greatest when I manage to bring a girl back lol.

Lol I feel you man. I got a girl who is low maintenance so it definitely helps cut the expenses on eating/going out, but for a single breh I can get why it'd be a little higher.

Good thread idea, more people should be aware of where their money is going. I'll post my budget later.

 

[Macallik86]

COVID 2020 update
I averaged April + May & updated my budget:

* I included my company match in my savings this time around so there is an additional bump compared to prior budgets

Last year's budget:

Spoiler