<p>We’re going through this discussion here and I’m wondering “what else” everyone pays each month. (This came up b/c my son forgot to cancel his Amazon Prime and other incidentals from Amazon.) No need to add the actual amount or the one-shot expenses, like vacations. I’ll start:</p>
<p>***The obvious:
mortgage, car payments, college loans, college tuition payments for kids, insurance, taxes</p>
<p>***daily life stuff:
phone, heat, water, electricity, gas, food</p>
<p>***regular expenses that could be disposable:
church,
newspapers,
video gaming,
credit cards stuff (b/c it’s mostly clothes)
lawn care,</p>
<p>Extras that my kids pay for themselves?
Netflix
World of Warcraft account (son)
Hair coloring (daughter)
iphones
clothes/shoes/entertainment/makeup</p>
<p>Extras that my husband and I cover:
Lawn care
Home phone
Newspaper
Cable TV
Eating out/takeout</p>
<p>Our income flucuates wildly from year to year and those categories above are the ones that we have cut when times are tough. Luckily, we have no debt other than mortgage. </p>
<p>We don’t consider our church contributions as “optional” - so that goes in the regular monthly expenses column.</p>
<p>Phone/internet/satellite tv
lawn care – just added that this year because of travel, excessive heat & H’s severe allergies
ballroom dance lessons
pet grooming
hair color which I used to do myself</p>
<p>gave up Starbucks 2 months ago on principle</p>
<p>Ah yes. Forgot that cable bill. Monthly prescriptions are a big one I forgot too, since we pay for son’s allergy medications. </p>
<p>Used to have Netflix, but we stopped. Never got into Starbuck’s. My coffee is delicious, rich & strong as is and I don’t have to go out for that.</p>
<p>Mortgage (includes property taxes and homeowners ins), home equity, car insurance, electric, water bill, land line and cell phones (5). Our newest car is a 1994 so we have no payments. Also, food for humans and canines.</p>
<p>Discretionary:</p>
<p>FIOS - I would cut out cable altogether but H is convinced the triple play is the bomb.</p>
<p>Dinners out, new clothing, books from the bookstore instead of the library, lunches out at work, Dunkin Donuts (I hate Starbucks).</p>
<p>I don’t take any papers and haven’t had a vacation in 10 years. I gave up our pool membershipi ($250/year for the family) so H and the boys could join a shooting club.</p>
<p>H cuts everyone’s hair and colors mine. He also grooms the dogs and does a lot of the car maintenance. He and the boys do the yard work.</p>
<p>Monthly Expenses
–Student Loan Payments ($700/month)–> $25/payment more than required each month
–Internet website subscription ($9.95/month)–> work-related
–Health/Dental Insurance ($34/month)–> taken out of each payment</p>
<p>Yearly Expenses
–Farm Bureau membership ($20-25/year)–> required for my car insurance
–Professional Dues (approximately $800/year)–> licensure, certification, membership dues, liability insurance, etc</p>
<p>Other Expenses
–Gas
–Food
–Cell phone–> prepaid phone that seldom gets used; have a work cell phone…</p>
<p>no home phone (yes cell), newspaper, nails/hair/country club/beyond basic cable/movies/maids/lawn care (natural)/groom our own pets and ourselves/exercise does not need massages. biggest expense? college. extras? adventurous travels. just the life style we morphed into after moving from the big city. the biggest challenge? wishing i could shop for extras- a mixed blessing since there is no shopping but on the internet and that takes a conscious effort.</p>