“the plan that lets you save money in the US is a life-engulfing minefield of time-consuming bargin-hunting, self-denial, and tax evasion.”
I work as a software developer in the US, have never made a ‘budget’ for myself or tried to analyze my finaces before now, I pay taxes normally, eat out often, and have no trouble saving lots of money. I’m going to substitute my expenses and pretend I only make 100k and see how much I’d still be able to save (living in Seattle).
Rent: 16.8k instead of 23.2k
Utilities: 2k instead of 7k (how can you spend 7k on utilities if you’re a single person in an apartment?)
Misc house expenses: 0.5k instead of 6.8k (what are these misc expenses that other people supposedly spend so much on?)
Food: The estimate of 13.3k is reasonable for food, although it’s easy to spend a lot less without hardship.
Transportation: 4.6k instead of 16.5k (who spends 16.5k per year on transportation? Just don’t buy a new BMW every 5 years and you should be set. I bought my car for $9k, 5 years ago).
Apparently it’s pretty easy live well in a large US city and save 33.9k per year without really paying attention to your finances. If you’re a good software developer you should be able to make a lot more than 100k and therefore save much more per year.
I spent $5800 on utilities last year… it happens when you live in an area that simultaneously gets below freezing point (and thus you need to spend on heating) and also gets above comfortable living point (and thus you need to spend on fans or air-con). I’m pretty reasonably frugal on both… I don’t set the aircon super low, I don’t set the heating on high… but utilities are pricey. I also count “internet” as a utility. When I lived in a warmer climate I spent $2800
“Misc house expenses” include things like fixing a broken toilet… or other general repairs. If you’re renting you may not have to pay that. Or maybe you do if your landlord is dodgy.
I spent around $8K on “transport”—which includes car payments (I bought a new but small hatchback 3 years ago = $22k), fuel, insurance, repairs, servicing and parking costs. I can well imagine that a family with more than one person (and thus more than one car) easily pays twice as much as me.
“the plan that lets you save money in the US is a life-engulfing minefield of time-consuming bargin-hunting, self-denial, and tax evasion.”
I work as a software developer in the US, have never made a ‘budget’ for myself or tried to analyze my finaces before now, I pay taxes normally, eat out often, and have no trouble saving lots of money. I’m going to substitute my expenses and pretend I only make 100k and see how much I’d still be able to save (living in Seattle).
Rent: 16.8k instead of 23.2k Utilities: 2k instead of 7k (how can you spend 7k on utilities if you’re a single person in an apartment?) Misc house expenses: 0.5k instead of 6.8k (what are these misc expenses that other people supposedly spend so much on?) Food: The estimate of 13.3k is reasonable for food, although it’s easy to spend a lot less without hardship. Transportation: 4.6k instead of 16.5k (who spends 16.5k per year on transportation? Just don’t buy a new BMW every 5 years and you should be set. I bought my car for $9k, 5 years ago).
Apparently it’s pretty easy live well in a large US city and save 33.9k per year without really paying attention to your finances. If you’re a good software developer you should be able to make a lot more than 100k and therefore save much more per year.
I spent $5800 on utilities last year… it happens when you live in an area that simultaneously gets below freezing point (and thus you need to spend on heating) and also gets above comfortable living point (and thus you need to spend on fans or air-con). I’m pretty reasonably frugal on both… I don’t set the aircon super low, I don’t set the heating on high… but utilities are pricey. I also count “internet” as a utility. When I lived in a warmer climate I spent $2800
“Misc house expenses” include things like fixing a broken toilet… or other general repairs. If you’re renting you may not have to pay that. Or maybe you do if your landlord is dodgy.
I spent around $8K on “transport”—which includes car payments (I bought a new but small hatchback 3 years ago = $22k), fuel, insurance, repairs, servicing and parking costs. I can well imagine that a family with more than one person (and thus more than one car) easily pays twice as much as me.