What is your monthly budget?

[Rambler]

Hmmm. You don't even want to know for this year and last year. After that it will normalize a bit. Last year we landscaped part of the front of our two acre place. This year, we are putting in some very nice fencing on the front, a concrete driveway going halfway around the property (to be able to drive the travel trailer around instead of having to do a lot of forward-reverse action to needle it into the main drive), and probably a 40x60 shop for storage of the equipment, a couple of toys, home gym, and perhaps a small wood working area, plus an irrigation system for our back yard grass (won't plant grass until drought is over and water supplies begin to recover). So this year, we'll probably spend twice what I view as an average, normal spend for us, but I want to just get it done and over with, and I've saved the cash to do it.

R

 

[obgyn65]

This link may help the OP :

http://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/chartbooks/expenditures_aged/2010/exp-aged-2010.pdf

 

[steelyman]

My gosh, Rambler!

You want a steel player in your driveway?

 

[daylatedollarshort]

This link may help the OP :

http://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/chartbooks/expenditures_aged/2010/exp-aged-2010.pdf

That is a great resource. We compared our budget line by line to the Consumer Expenditure Survey to figure out how to lower our annual expenses in order to semi-ER.

 

[jerome len]

We have more and spend more than some......we have less and spend less than others.....so, I like to see things in % of income rather than total dollars. A Doc may spend 200k a year.....own a million dollar house.......a tech may make 50k a year and own a 200k house......both should save 10 to 20% (maybe more) of their income for retirement.....the dollar numbers would be far different but the percentages similar. I've heard, many times, that anyone making over 75k a year has enough to be happy......I bet Warren Buffet or Bill Gates wouldn't think so! Everyone to their own ideas, however, the good news is I learn a lot on these posts.....save as much as most.....and respect the thoughts of people will share as well as those who don't want to. I won't share dollars spent.......just don't want to do it.

 

[Silver]

We average about $4800 a month in actual expenses. No debts, no mortgage, cars paid for. Health care insurance and expenses are by far the largest expense.

 

[arky]

Since retiring in Jan 2008, I have averaged a hair under $4000 per month.

 

[Sea Kayaker]

Either a smidgen under or over 2k monthly.

And it doesn't feel like we are living particularly frugally. Our lifestyle just organically doesn't cost much.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Either a smidgen under or over 2k monthly.

And it doesn't feel like we are living particularly frugally. Our lifestyle just organically doesn't cost much.

Good for you. I would love to get to that point. We are working on it.

 

[Hermit]

That is a great resource. We compared our budget line by line to the Consumer Expenditure Survey to figure out how to lower our annual expenses in order to semi-ER.

I opened that book and I definitely don't like the first sentence!

"Expenditures of the Aged Chartbook examines the spending patterns of the population aged 55 or older, focusing mainly on the expenditures of those aged 65 or older."

I refuse to think of myself as getting anywhere close to "Aged"!

 

[daylatedollarshort]

I opened that book and I definitely don't like the first sentence!

"Expenditures of the Aged Chartbook examines the spending patterns of the population aged 55 or older, focusing mainly on the expenditures of those aged 65 or older."

I refuse to think of myself as getting anywhere close to "Aged"!

Well, I actually use the straight Consumer Expenditure Survey tables and they left out the "aged" part:

CE Expenditure Tables

 

[F4mandolin]

$4,000 a month is what we can hopefully sustain.......I think even a little over that. We try to hit $3,000 or less a month with the idea that sooner or later that extra $1,000 will be going to something else......like painting the house next year (shouldn't be that much...I hope). We were just under $35K last year in total expenses. Extra for one plane ticket to the UK and a couple thousand to have the septic fixed. March was our bad month......property taxes ($2370), car 30,000 mile check ($766 ouch...damn cabin air filter was over $100), 20 play golf card ($440) which I will probably need one or two more of, vet bill for dog cutting foot ($300) plus all the other normal stuff. Still averaging at $3000 a month for the first 3 month even with that bad month.

 

[mickeyd]

Like others here, we do not have a budget as such. I track expenses on the first month of each quarter (7 years of history) and compare it to the previous years experiences to see how much of an increase (decrease) we have experienced compared to previous years. It's a simple procedure that I keep on Excel.

Regarding Texas property taxes, I estimate that they are about 1.6%. I have a variety of exemptions that have reduced that from a larger #. Sure wish I had an ag exemption tho...

 

[Hermit]

More than I planned... I expected to spend a little under 4.5k. Spending a little over 6k over the last 6 months. This jobless and homeless gig isn't all its cracked up to be financially. (Still plenty in the budget for beer. ) A big part of higher expenses has been medical - averaging over $1400/mo the last 6 months. Things should settle down when the hermitage is finished and I get moved in.

 

[livingalmostlarge]

$5k but it's spend and we still have a large mortgage

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