Total Spending in 2009

[landover]

I don't recall seeing this topic, there were similar threads for previous years. My total spending was about 13000. I lost interest in keeping record around September so it's an estimate. My spending is low since I am living in a developing country.

 

[daloanboy]

I live in England. Very expensive. Fuel for the car (diesal) is $7.50 per gallon, for example.

Last year I spent (2 people 55 years old)

$2,600 on heating/electricity for a 3 bedroom house.
$1,000 on clothes
$6,000 on groceries and regular misc household stuff
$2,000 on cds, books, dvds, magazines, newspapers
$2,000 on house maintenance, refurbishment, repairs
$2,000 on house tax
$1,700 medical insurance (not really needed 'cos it's all free here - but nice to be seen quickly)
$1,400 on gifts for family and friends
$1,500 on theatre, soccer, rugby matches
$1,300 on dining out
$1,200 on car maintenance, insurance and tax.
$400 on house insurance
$2,500 on diesel fuel for car
$400 broadband and phone
$7,000 travel and vacations (varies a lot year on year)

 

[F4mandolin]

I also live in the UK. Don't have to buy the expensive gas though.....don't drive much anyway. 3.5 year old car has 22,000 miles on it. Only just started keeping good track the last 6 months of 2009. Double it and we come in right at $30k. We were set to spend less than $1500 this month....but.....wife's car is giving bad vibes and am afraid it may need to be put down.

 

[JacqJolie]

I only started tracking expenses the last 3 months of 2009, but my total for 2009 came in around $30k plus about $18k for the mortgage (low balance but accelerated payments) for a total of about $48k for the year.

Total net income working full-time plus consulting part-time was around $150k and I semi-retired (just doing some consulting now) a couple of weeks ago. Planning on netting and spending around $40k this year through consulting the first 6 months working <15 hours a week and then fully retiring after that job is done.

 

[TromboneAl]

$39K, of which $7K was the last college payment.

 

[shotgunner]

$37K for 2009 my first full year of semi-retirement. Part-time work brought in $25K giving me about 1.4% withdrawal rate of my 2009 portfolio starting balance to make up the difference. Portfolio balance as of 1/1/10 is much better than 1/1/09 and part-time work at current rate seems secure. I will try to "live" more this year as a result.

I got a sobering wake up call last week when the guy I used to commute with everyday for several years suffered a massive stroke at age 60. Four months into his long awaited retirement he was struck down. Lost his hearing, sight and ability to swallow. It was cold dose of reality that there are much worse things than running low on money an looking to go back to work!

 

[ziggy29]

I don't recall seeing this topic, there were similar threads for previous years.

This thread more or less covered it for 2009:

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f28/2009-actuals-v-s-budget-48044.html

 

[Red_y]

$36k CAD in 2009 for my second full year of semi-retirement. This includes $14.4k for rent, an expense which will be gone after we move into the house we're building for cash. Of course, rent expense to be replaced by property taxes, water/sewer/garbage bill, maintenance fund etc. but still overall expenses will be reduced by at least 6k per year.

 

[FIREd]

Total for 2009: $79,461.76 which includes:

1) automobile depreciation costs
2) a large, one-time charitable contribution to our newly established charitable gift fund
3) purchase of a new car for mom

 

[Life_is_Good]

About $40K ...

including a $7K down payment on a new clunker during the cash-for-clunkers program.

 

[ziggy29]

2) a large, one-time charitable contribution to our newly established charitable gift fund

This is actually something we've talked about and want to do when we feel like we can safely divert some of our current savings (i.e. less tenuous household employment situation that isn't a single-paycheck failure risk).

We have a small, paid-off home in a state with no income tax, so even with a pretty decent amount of charitable giving we still won't be able to itemize -- we can't write a single cent of it off our taxes.

Ultimately we'd like to create a charitable gift fund so we can have a large enough charitable donation in a single year to be able to write most of it off, then start using that for ongoing donations while putting a little aside from each paycheck to "reload" it (with tax deductions) a few years later.

 

[happy2bretired]

I ended up spending $39K. That doesn't include medical insurance. Medical insurance is taken from my pension before I see it - so I don't miss it. Hoping this year I can get it down to about $35K since daughter is now paying her own way.

 

[tryan]

Geeez, we're looking like "big spenders" amoung this crowd. 57k for a family of 4. Alot of it having 2 kids who want to "do something" and "go somewhere". Paying for healthcare and dentist costs most of the year hurt some too.

Rounded breakdown of the major pieces:

12k groceries
5k auto (2 cars gas and maintenance)
18k housing (mortgage and maintenance)
6k utilities (heat included)
8k insurance (health, auto, home)

 

[Animorph]

$129k per Quicken, family of 4 with one son in college. Excludes taxes withheld but includes estimated taxes and refunds, so that number is a little ill defined.

 

[DayDreaming]

$34k - single guy - spent a bit less than I expected.

 

[walkinwood]

I had started a similar thread in early Jan. You may find more input there
http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f28/2009-actuals-v-s-budget-48044.html

 

[WM]

We must be big spenders too - around 60K for two people, not including about 20K lost on selling a house.

Those that are spending in the 30's - does that include mortgage/rent? Even when ours is paid off, I will be surprised if our spending gets down that low.

 

[shotgunner]

My $37K of expenses was for me living single. My largest outlay was healthcare including dental. Out of pocket medical expenses from HSA and premiums for HDHP policy totaled $6400 (age 52 and lots of dental expense last year). I own my home free and clear but NH has high property taxes and that was $4000 for 2009.

 

[Bikerdude]

Single, $41,038. $10,800 of that...... = taxes.

 

[av8er]

We came in at ~23,500--not including rent or any retirement/college/taxable investments.

 

[usrules]

33k out of pocket expenses for 2 just outside of NYC:

9k health insurance - 7k for my Cobra + copays, 2k for DW's HDHP
6k condo maintenance, insurance (paid off mortgage)
2k real estate tax
5k travel
3k food - grocery and fresh produce
2k car maintenance gas insurance
1.5k electric internet phones
4.5k other expenses

Separately though fed income and payroll taxes + 7k state income tax add up to another 34k - blah!

 

[yakers]

Probably @$80K, just a quick figure for gross income minus income taxes. One son in college, a couple not so big trips and lots of little ones. Our first year we are both fully retired, expect to spend this way indefinitely. More to play with when younger son gets out of college in 1 1/2 yrs.

 

[haha]

$40,600, single, in Seattle. This is cash expenses, no set-asides for car replacement, etc. No income tax included in this figure. No unusual expenses.

I feel this is pretty cheap, but not quite by the standards of many in this group. It would easily increase 50-100%, if I relaxed my vigilance.

Ha

 

[albundyz]

I'm always amazed at how low some budgets are. Congrats, I wish my wife could see how other people spend their money.

*******************
We spent $60K (not incl income taxes) last year which included no car payments and no house mortgage payments.

Our property taxes, health insurance, car/house insurance, utilities, and food/gasoline was $27K. We also took $8K in traveling. and we allocate an allowance of $600 each month for each of us. That's over $14K per year just for that.

 

[Sea Kayaker]

About $38000 for DW and I, and that includes our mortgage, a two week Mexican trip in November, and quite a few nights out for dinner etc.

And we pulled this off in the least affordable city in North America.