I just read this budget in a blog.
“Let me preface this by saying that I have been trying to keep our discretionary budget under $2,000 a month. The budget is like so:
Entertainment - $50
Booze - $100
Other - $50
Clothes - $200
Gas/Auto - $350
Dining Out - $150
Kids - $50
Household - $300
Groceries - $700
TOTAL $1,950”
This rather long crazy list really struck me for several reasons.
This person has money and they can do whatever they wish, I fully believe that to be the case. However, one reason I enjoy reading blogs is to understand how other’s choose to live and why. This budget for things that are not necessarily necessities (entertainment, booze, other, dining out being those items) is larger than my total monthly bills minus my mortgage each month.
I also find it sad that Entertainment, Booze and Other are more than what they choose to spend on their children for the month. I didn’t include dining out in there because perhaps they do in fact take the children out to eat. Who knows, I’m just reading a blog.
I just counted up all my expenditures for the month of September (yes I have a budget too). My total bills for the entire month were $2490. I might even throw another $200 at that just to be fair and add in things I may have overlooked.
Imagine if people just lived normally instead of having an attitude that “more is better” and “who cares, we work hard for it”. Perhaps our economy and the society we live in would be better if we all didn’t think we deserved whatever we wanted and could afford and in many cases things people can’t afford. This person calls this their discretionary budget. How many other millions of people live like that and justify it? Am I the only soul that lives below my means in an effort to ensure a decent future, a future where there is no social security, where there is no guarantee, where the economy is going to total shit and we need to consider a rainy day??
Rick and I live far below our means. I save money, so does he. We have a good life. We aren’t living paycheck to paycheck. We do eat, and I do purchase books. And if something happened to him, I would be able to maintain our life. I might not be able to save as much money as I do, but I could keep what we have and would be ok. We own two cars. Read that correctly, OWN. As in paid for.
My discretionary budget includes books, CD’s, rental movies, etc. And as most of my few readers know, I live 10 minutes from the most beautiful beaches in Florida in a middle class moderate neighborhood. My budget also includes any and all expenses I incur due to being a full time college student.I expect to graduate college in February and when I obtain a better paying job I intend to add nothing to our monthly outgoing bills. IE: I won’t be spending money every month on useless things just because I can. I will just add more to savings and perhaps look into investments.
How much stuff is enough? How much do you spend on unnecessary things? Do you live below your means? Do you live paycheck to paycheck? How do you decide how to spend your money?
I get credit card offers all the time, I throw them away. I have a good life and I don’t spend tons of money to have it. I deserve financial peace of mind. I deserve savings and a safety net. I am working on the latter two. My monthly book purchasing budget equals their booze one and I suppose I could always sell my books and gain back some return. However, I’m fueling my brain not killing my liver.
This is not about that particular family. It’s about America and the financial state we are in and the type of “the world owes me everything I want” attitude that dominates in America. The mere notion that we deserve THINGS and that THINGS in fact make us happy???
The biggest thing I covet is my knowledge that my simple easy going lifestyle is abundant to my soul. My realization that I need for nothing is really a blessing.
p.s. I think when my income increases I’ll definitely have a larger “charity” budget.
