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View Full Version : How much does it cost YOU to live?



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Xoheather
07-16-2014, 10:00 AM
Rent : 626
Utilities : Usually around $60 give or take (we have an EXCELLENT system set up) although I expect that's going to be higher now that I'm camming.
Food : It *should* be around 300 for me and my boyfriend but, we eat out every day so lord knows. Now that I'm going to be camming on top of my normal job I'll have to stock up the fridge.
Bus Passes : 120 give or take. Cheaper than a car at least!

So let's say that I'm good and don't go over my food budget that puts me at ~$1,100. Not bad!

Melonie
07-16-2014, 12:26 PM
things are mostly way cheap down here way south of the border. Prior to buying my house 1 block from the ocean for cash, my monthly expenses ran something like this ...

rent - $500
high speed internet - $200
other utilities - $120
food - $80
gasoline ( for weekly shopping trips to the nearest 'big city' ) - $100

It's kind of weird ... 'necessary' items like rent and food and utilities are very cheap, while 'luxury' items like high speed internet and anything to do with cars are very expensive. Of course the gov't effectively owns the internet provider, the utilities, the gas stations etc. so they get to set prices any way they choose.

Also, there isn't any income tax or sales tax. So yes I could really live very well for $1000 a month ! And after deciding to 'invest' in buying the house I was renting, I can now live well for only $500 a month ! Of course, on the flip side, a 'vanilla' job down here doesn't pay anywhere near $500 a month.

AngelMari
07-16-2014, 02:31 PM
things are mostly way cheap down here way south of the border. Prior to buying my house 1 block from the ocean for cash, my monthly expenses ran something like this ...

rent - $500
high speed internet - $200
other utilities - $120
food - $80
gasoline ( for weekly shopping trips to the nearest 'big city' ) - $100

It's kind of weird ... 'necessary' items like rent and food and utilities are very cheap, while 'luxury' items like high speed internet and anything to do with cars are very expensive. Of course the gov't effectively owns the internet provider, the utilities, the gas stations etc. so they get to set prices any way they choose.

Also, there isn't any income tax or sales tax. So yes I could really live very well for $1000 a month ! And after deciding to 'invest' in buying the house I was renting, I can now live well for only $500 a month ! Of course, on the flip side, a 'vanilla' job down here doesn't pay anywhere near $500 a month.

Tried to PM you but your inbox is full. Interested in picking your brain. Was looking into a second house in Louisiana for 6 months out of the year but thinking I may want to move farther south. Appreciate any info

vaporeon
07-16-2014, 03:03 PM
Oh my gosh, it's pretty dang expensive where I live... For a family of 3
rent: $2000!
utilities: $800ish
food: $600

That's $3400 just for the basics to survive, but we try to go out often since we homeschool our daughter and like to bring her to museums and things like that. We also have really bad habits of just buying shit for no reason and we're trying to cut down on that >_<

Kaitie
07-16-2014, 03:05 PM
hmmm
Rent $2025
utilities $175
food $300 ish

Rent is way too much in vancouver

ava$
07-16-2014, 09:54 PM
Rent will now be 1300/mo, I JUST GOt out of a lease for 1715/mo, happy for the price change!
150ish utilities
200 cell phones
300/mo on food
125 cable
600/mo school ( i only have 2800 more to go so ill be done soon)
300/mo target for cleaning supplies, soap,etc.
120/car insurance
Hopeing to get a car soon so I will have a note on that(hopefully not long)
Also, getting two pomeranian puppies I plan on spoiling with cute clothes/blinged bowls/collars, hair cuts,etc :)
200/mo gas
170/mo hair
15/mo planet fitness
75/mo spray tans/ red-light unlimited both
8 netflix
Plan on getting health insurance threw my fiancé's job (100ish/mo for both of us)
80ish/mo on liquer
So as of now i need 3643/mo to live but I rack up my credit card every month on online things,clothes,skincare stuff, etc.(1000ish/mo) Plus theres always something I have to spend money on doing every month like this month its moving, ill have to pay movers and all those expenses that come with it like boxes and new things for the new place, next month, ill have to pay my remaining school balance off so it doesn't feel like I save on a regular basis.

Bitch
07-17-2014, 12:04 AM
Living is so cheap for me. I live in the South, almost into the midwest. If I make 1k a month, I'm set with money left over.

Melonie
07-17-2014, 08:51 AM
Was looking into a second house in Louisiana for 6 months out of the year but thinking I may want to move farther south. Appreciate any info

While Louisiana isn't as bad as some other states in terms of state and local income taxes, property taxes, gasoline taxes, sales taxes, etc. there's still no way to escape high federal income taxes, high social security taxes etc. Moving way south of the border, and thus escaping the majority of US federal and state taxes on both my US based and foreign country based income, essentially paid for me to purchase the house I was renting based solely on a couple of years worth of tax savings.

tiptoeing around 'taboo' subjects, it's simply an economic fact that areas which levee high property tax rates also have high rent prices ... areas that have a high minimum wage also have high grocery prices ... areas that have strict environmental regulations on power plants also have high electricity prices, etc. Down here way south of the border, such hidden 'cost increasers' simply don't exist.

ava$
07-17-2014, 09:03 PM
^^Could I get a duel citizen ship for the us and "south of the border?"lbs

Melonie
07-18-2014, 08:32 AM
^^^ yes, eventually. In my case it will take 5 years of 'permanent residence' in my adopted country. However, if you keep your US citizenship, you will still be subject to US taxes on worldwide income above $106,000 per year even if you never set foot within US borders. For me that's not an issue, but for many high earning Americans it IS an issue ... thus they renounce their US citizenship after being granted citizenship by another country.

MissNicole2U
07-18-2014, 08:52 AM
(deleted)

michele11
07-31-2014, 08:30 PM
Well I own multiple houses....

mortgages 650 and 692( I'm lucky I have lots of equity= low motgages.)
electric winter 120-150, summer 250-350.
water and garbage 80
cable 85
home phone and internet 130
homeowners ins 1200 yr
health ins 150 ( uae to be 350 but have ACA now)
car ins 80
credit cards about 200
groceries 3-500 ( yeah I have a daughter I pay for)
cell phones 80( use to be just 80-100 for mine but I got me some good deals on that!)
car 248 month( first payment starts aug 24th, haven't had a car payment in 7 years)
Gas don't even know as I barely drive( I fly out 10 days a month or so and don't drive much when I'm home, so maybe 60)
cosmetics probably 600.
security 35
That's all I can think of for now..I make a lot and save most of it so I haven't even written my bills out in about 10 years. I also have home upkeep forgot that. Was over 20,000 on my one house last year and The house I reside lawn is 60 month and I'm redoing my living / dinning room so that's like 4000. I need to quit spending. I forgot to add clothes, I just spent 1500 on a purse. Yeah I probably shouldn't have put this in writting. I'll probably delete it later as I don't really want my business online for whoever to read but thought i'd be cool since I haven't done this in years.

michele11
07-31-2014, 08:35 PM
Gosh I'm still close to 3000 a month. I need to quit spending so much on freaken cosmetics and 240 for cable, phone and internet. I need to bundle. I can do that for like 80 a month, 100 with tax. That saves 100 a month...

michele11
07-31-2014, 08:40 PM
shit...I forgot hair and spray tanning 120 month. Also I spend about 300 a month on my daughter. Also in the process of buying another persian( had them all my life ) mine died 3 years ago. So after the living/ dining is done I'm hunting. I'm very picky since todays breeders suck. So I'm looking at minimum 1000 there...