So I have a job here in my new home of Louisville but due to taxes and a county tax (WTF?) I'm not making as much as I thought I would be. And compound that with the fact I was supposed to have a roommate paying half the rent of my apartment, I'm down to a whopping $73 a week to live on. So is this even possible? The positives is that my school and my work are very close to my apartment so I only have to get gas every other week, but I think I'm going to end up spending too much on groceries. So any help on these things? Anyone live on a budget of like $50 a week?
Any one good with budgets...
by Tuesday 6 Replies latest jw friends
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rebel8
I've lived on less than that. Is the $73 for just food or does it include other expenses too?
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Tuesday
basically the $73 is what I'm left with after rent, utilities, and credit card payments. So it would be the gas every other week, food, cleaning supplies or whatever, which is all I can think of being expenses of living day to day.
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Scully
I would learn to cook simple healthy meals. For a single person, $73 a week is more than ample.
Invest in a slow cooker and look for sales - I always hit the grocery store on Tuesday and Friday morning - it's when they mark down the meat from the previous week to bring in the new inventory - I often get excellent cuts of meat at half the regular price that way. If you repackage it in single servings (label with the date) and put it in the freezer of your fridge, it will last for 3 months.
You can have omelettes for dinner - eggs are cheap and a good source of protein. Add some veggies and cheese and you're set!
You can use a slow cooker to make spaghetti sauce, soups and stews from scratch. They'll be much healthier than canned with fewer preservatives and other additives. Divide your batches into single servings to freeze or put in the fridge for meals through the week.
You can find easy recipes online, and menu planning ideas to make your life easier. If you have a meal plan and stick to a grocery list when you shop, it will make life easier.
The biggest drain on disposable income is eating out, take out and fast food, so it needs to be curtailed severely in a budget cut.
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LittleToe
For a moment I thought you mean a budget at work. I'd be qualified to discuss that, given that mine is over £1M
Domestically, I spend maybe the equivalent of $50/week on food. Gas would be another story. I live close to where I work, but I still spend maybe $50/week on gas, given the higher prices this side of the pond (4x as high). I also take on the occasional weekend job.
Have you got the ability to pursue getting another roomie, or taking on a second small job to supplement your income and fill the time so that you're not spending the money you haven't got?
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Tuesday
No luck on the roommate unless someone here wants to move into the East side of Louisville. The person who I was supposed to move in with had a family emergency and I completely understand why he couldn't move right now. Yeah he left me in the lurch a little bit, but I don't have an issue with him because if the same thing happened to me I wouldnt' have left either.
I cook for myself every night, I haven't eaten out since my first day here when I didnt' have a stove. I think the reason I was freaking out is because when you buy all the stuff that you only have to buy like once every six months it adds up. Thanks for the tips Scully, Tuesday and Friday sounds like good times to shop for me
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xjwms
Pre-plan all meals, and only buy those things for the week.
I am not sure if $73.00 would cover my bar bill.
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