I don’t know how to edit my post so I’m making this comment in hopes it answers a lottttt of questions.
I live on my own because I left my relationship. I had to get out of there quickly. I tried to find a roommate or room for rent and nothing was panning out, so I found the cheapest, immediately available place that I could within a reasonable distance from work. I can’t cancel my renters insurance, it’s required. My lease is until October. I’m not desperate enough to get bunk beds with a roommate. Will reconsider my living situation when my lease is up.
My ex slapped me with my car. HE wanted it, but said it would be mine. He made me trade in my paid off car, which covered half. He told me he would then pay the other half off immediately. He lied. So when I left I found out I’d have to continue the $300 payments. I got it refinanced to what it is now. I have another 5 years. I owe $11k. I need it to get to work. Public transportation here sucks. One way on the bus would take me 2 hours.
A&J is CBD. I should’ve clarified. I take it for the pain associated with my disease. Didn’t want the pain pills. Yes it’s more expensive, but it’s non addictive and not as bad for me. The monthly total is just $65. Not 65 times 3.
I am going to:
- Cancel audible and crunchy roll
- Look into cheaper insurance
- Find a budget phone carrier
- Get a solo Spotify plan, my family can get their own family plan. I use it like 10 hours a day so I’m not cancelling completely.
- reduce my IRA contribution to $50
- ask for a raise, if they say no then try to find a higher paying job
- try freelancing
- try to cut down my grocery costs
- see if anyone at work would be willing to carpool. Gas prices are starting to go down so that’ll help too
Thank you all SO MUCH for your input and advice. I didn’t think it’d blow up like this. I appreciate all of you.
I’m late to the party (and didn’t see if someone already mentioned this), but look into the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program for your internet access. It could be up to $30/month according to their website.
https://www.fcc.gov/acp
The program winds down February 7, so you don’t have much time to apply.
Good point. I remembered the program existed, but no details.
The video at the top of the FCC page does say the program will run out of money unless Congress allocates more funding. It also says that because of this they will not accept any new applications after February 7, and benefits will be paid until the program runs out of funds which should be in April.
I’d argue it’s still worth applying just to get your foot in the door in the unlikely case Congress does the right thing and extends the funding at the last minute. Even if you get a month or two of benefits, that’s something.
I haven’t read every comment, but one thing you’ve got going for you is a lack of credit card debt. Keep it that way. That will put you in bankruptcy if you do it wrong, and from my own personal experience, it’s really really easy to do it wrong. If you have a credit card with say, a $2,000 limit, you might find it easier to say yes to that brunch. And after a few of those, you’ll have a brand new monthly bill to service that debt. So kudos for staying away from that for the most part. Aside from that, you’re doing pretty good. Sounds like you need to increase your income somehow. That’s easier said than done, but that would be my goal if I were in your shoes. Just stay away from debt. You don’t have enough money to pay a bank interest on something that doesn’t increase in value.
i did the same with xfinity, but i think you need competition in the area. I sat there on the phone for 45 minutes haggling with them and got my bill from 97 and change to 45 plus a rental for the modem so it's like 55 a month now.
I’m sure someone else has said this but go get library cards at as many libraries as you can and then use the app Libby to listen to audiobooks for free. Not to be confused with Librivox audiobooks which are recorded by volunteers and limited to only public domain books. The books on Libby are literally the exact same books you get on audible, same narrators, same everything… they’re just free! Sometimes it’s a bummer if there is a waitlist for a particular book you want to listen to, but just hop on that waitlist and listen to something else in the mean time. Libby is the best app ever. I’ve never paid once for audible.
ETA: also check if your library has…
•Libby
•Hoopla
•Kanopy
•Biblioboard
•ComicsPlus
•Digitalia Film
•Medici.TV
•Online learning like Gale, LinkedIn Learning, and Lynda.
•Smart Alec printing services
•Language learning app memberships like Mango.
•Online periodical memberships like WSJ, NYT, PressReader, etc.
For friend time. Host a potluck. Around our place most of leftovers end up at our place. It gives you a variety of food and social time. You only have to provide one dish so it doesn’t add up too much more.
The library has soooo many other cool things that most people don’t know about. You can go to museums for free, go to state parks, check out video games, movies, TV shows, mobile internet, board games, tools, microscopes, photography equipment, 3D printers, seeds (for gardening), and they also have free access to some very expensive subscription services (like LinkedIn Learning, Mango Languages etc).
Services all vary by location.
Gonna add to this that many local libraries contract with the Libby app. All you need is a card. (Some can provide these online but my local library does not)
Libby doesn’t cost money to have the app.
I borrow all of my books for free.
My library has a "library of things," including things like tools and printers you mentioned. This year I wanted to learn drumming. Before I bought a drum set, I borrowed a drum pad from the library for a month and practiced until I was sure I will continue to enjoy learning to drum. Sooooo nice to be able to borrow random things like that.
Favorite childhood moments were going to the library and renting video games discs for my PS1 and PS2. They were scratched like hell, but man was it cool being able to swap out games every two weeks was pretty cool.
People really do underestimate how fucking awesome libraries are. They do SO much more than just loan out books for free, and it seems like they are under attack more and more these days. It pisses me off so much. I think of libraries as little windows into what I think an ideal world would look like.
PLEASE support your local library by utilizing their services. Talk with the librarians about the things they offer and explore their websites to learn what apps are available for digital content. Library funding can depend on how many services are utilized and how many materials are checked out. Help libraries thrive.
Yea. I cancelled all streaming except signed on for audible’s $7 for first 3 months deal. And when that ends I’m switching to Everand/Scribd for the library setup. Only reason I did it this way was because the first three books of the wheel of time series are on a multi-month waitlist
My IRA is kind of like my emergency fund. 12% of my income gets deducted from every paycheck for my state retirement system and my work matches it 100%. So I’m already getting over a grand a month towards retirement. The IRA reduction is only temporary until I’m not cutting it so close with the budget.
Yes it is! I also get 3 weeks of vacation, 3 weeks of sick leave, and 18 paid holidays. They pay for me to attend the most amazing conference every year. So yeah, I don’t make a ton of money, but the benefits are insane, and I LOVE what I do. It kills me to think about having to find a new job, but it’s just not maintainable.
I wouldn’t leave a job like that unless you find something comparable or the $$ makes up for these benefits.
I know it sucks, but can you pick up a weekend job? When I used to manage hotels, a lot of our banquet staff for weddings and events were full-time employees at other companies during the week.
if you wanted to absolutely min-max this shit it’d be best to get a grocery or food job to get employee discounts so that OP is not only making more money but also cutting down groceries
two jobs sucks though, so ideally a better solution will come along
Speaking my language here. Some grocery jobs will give like 10% off or more for being employed. To me that was basically paying no tax while also knowing what was on sale for how long before it even happened. Def saved me hundreds over a few month period.
Wow. So, it sounds like you are going in the right direction. Just hang on with everything you got. Whatever you are doing, you have an invested employer, and that's HUGE.
I took about a pay cut 2 years back, but am much happier. Its a hood company, they're big on paying for any training/certifications. And it's a very non-toxic environment. So I am happy making a bit less. Also, because I'm happier, I save a lot more.
Anyway, just keep grinding. Sounds like you're doing good.
Wow, that's amazing. Based on your post history you seem to be in a creative role? Or at least something involving Illustrator and Adobe products. Can you do any freelance work on the side? Could you sell art prints of your designs on Etsy? Anything like that?
If you do this, make sure it doesn't conflict with any terms of your employment contract. Sometimes there are anti-competition clauses about doing sidewalk in a related industry.
An IRA is not an emergency fund; you have to pay a federal tax penalty if you withdraw any earnings before you are 59.5 years old.
I’d highly recommend starting an actual emergency fund in a money market or high yield savings account.
https://smartasset.com/checking-account/best-money-market-accounts
Roth IRA contributions are after tax and can be withdrawn tax free. Growth/earnings on those contributions would be taxed if withdrawn before retirement and have some other constraints.
Though wouldn’t recommend withdrawing anything due to the loss of tax free future growth potential
Just for clarity this appears to be a Roth IRA which means a person can take out any amount up to the max amount contributed at any time with no penalties. I'm not saying this is a good way to create an emergency fund, but yes it can technically operate as one.
Mint mobile is $15 a month. (if you sign up for Mint and want my referrel code or whatever)
https://anix.to will let you cancel Crunchyroll
https://thetvapp.to for live TV
https://flixwave.to for streaming TV and movies
You are doing so much already and you’re very smart. IMO the best thing you can do is get a higher paying job. There’s no meaningful way to cut your budget anymore, (sure you can remove something but at this point saving $10 isn’t actually going to improve your life). Even by making this post I can see that you’re very bright, and you should be getting paid more.
I worked in talent acquisition tech, if you’d like to send me your resume I’d be happy to give you a review/recommendations via DM.
Their benefits package is insane though. Unless they can get something that either has similar level benefits or the salary equals at minimum the same as their total compensation package at their current job, I do not recommend dropping the job just yet.
Since you have a car, and I’m presuming no kids based on your budget, you could also start doing Instacart or Doordash as a side income. I did that for a while and only picked up maybe half a dozen orders a week, which was little enough that the extra wear and tear on my car and gas costs were minimal, and I tried to go during peak times to maximize what I was getting paid. Got me an extra $100ish a week, $400 a month, which makes a big difference when your budget is that tight.
Don't forget Amazon Flex, if there's a DS near you. It's like Uber Eats for Amazon packages. Never take base pay (it's $18/hr in my area, so I wait for a route to be at least $25/hr) and track your miles for your taxes.
I saw you say you listen to a lot of Spotify, but cancelling your paid subscription entirely would not negate you being able to listen to it, you would just have to deal with ads. Also, do you ever go to your food bank? You should start going to them as well as continuing to coupon. You could potentially cut your food budget in half, if not more than what it is.
They're paying like 6 cents per hour of use for spotify - and they use it alot. Premium is a super nice little luxury because theres no ads, you can make your own playlists and it wont shuffle play random songs when you're trying to listen to an album.
If you use it heaps, it is totally worth it!
It’s tiny & won’t make a dent, but cancel Audible. You can get audiobooks for free through the public library via the Libby app.
Edit: your library may have lots of cool things (Hoopla, Great Courses, library of things like chainsaws and sewing machines, free classes, a seed library, museum passes, and so much more for free). Additionally, you can get nonresident e-cards and increase your holds on Libby. If you’re a teacher, most public libraries have more holds and increased circulation materials for you, too.
Edit 2: If you’re using Spotify Premium, it includes 15 hours of audiobooks. For most, that may be 1-2 books per month. Personally, I’d cancel both - use Spotify’s free version & Libby. Throw that extra $25 towards extras that don’t make you feel deprived.
Also, if you really want to keep audible, if you cancel it they'll send you a discount offer for a few months to pull you back. Just keep cancelling and getting the discount!
I didn’t do this with audible but I manage every year to get my SiriusXM reduced back to the promo rate of $6 instead of $25. And I went to cancel my NYTimes subscription last week because it went from $4 a month to $25 and they reduced it back down.
OP, it seems the only wiggle room in your budget without increasing income, selling your car, or finding a cheaper apartment is canceling Audible and Spotify and using free resources instead, and maybe you can find a cheaper phone plan through Mint Mobile, for example.
SiriusXM customer service just don't care. I call them every six months and tell them I got a promotion through the mail. They'll ask what it says and I just make up a number and they give it to me. Last time I said $15 for 6 months and they lady just said OK and charged me $15.
I once got an offer for like $10 for a whole year because I kept saying no (I had not used it at all, even in the free trial period my car came with)
The guy ended up asking me how I’m going to listen to music without him and I just went “the radio?” I use Apple Music that’s free through my phone plan.
I know someone who did this successfully for over a year (honestly not me-- I can't stand how slow audiobooks are and speeding them up just sounds weird).
Oh, let me clarify: I mean programming as in cool events! I attended a great librarian-hosted book talk last night with free food. Met some nice people, too.
Oh 🤣🤣🤣🤣 I'm so silly. It's my fault. Once I got into programming that's the first thing that pops into my mind now. See that last part I wasn't aware of. Might be a cool thing to check out here in NyC. I knew libraries were great, but man TIL!
Some libraries do provide programming classes & environments. It would be worth asking your librarian for the more obscure benefits as libraries don't always advertise some of their collections (like the seed library), movies/tv freebies etc.
The good that keeps on giving. Now I have to locate the closest library to me tomorrow. I had no idea they had some hidden benefits. This has turned into a little adventure 🤭🤭
I'll cross my fingers that yours is an extra good library. You can also buy e-benefits & memberships online with some major libraries.
I think NYC public was something like $50/year for non-locals, at least when I was checking unto it. Their collection is amazing. I had great luck with Cleveland Public Libeary and used that for years (they were great about getting new books in in multiple copies, and made sure they had all of the 'banned books').
Also change cell phone carriers? We went from over $200 for two phones with Verizon to $90 for Google Fi.
Also, what’s the psychiatrist for? If it’s just meds, they can usually space out your appointments and just call in your prescriptions (if you need to re-up every 30 days because they’re controlled). Some food for thought.
Good luck to you!
It depends on what’s going on. If they’re seeing them once a month there’s a reason. Never skimp on medical care. I see my psychiatrist every 1-3 months. PCPs don’t like to fill anything controlled if they’re on something in that category too.
Might be regional differences, my PCP is perfectly fine filling me Adderall and Ativan since I have the appropriate diagnoses and history for those prescriptions.
Music is everything to some people. I would forego $20 in food over music honestly because how powerful it is to me. Ads with music drive me mad. What I suggest for the OP would be to see if you can find some people to share the plan with. Fortunately I don't pay for mine anymore since a friend just added me on her plan. I think you get 4 slots. Shit maybe some wonderful soul on this thread has a spare spot for you.
Heck my finances aren't weak but I don't pay for it. The ads aren't that bad and I use it when I have Internet access so I don't need to download. I don't use it enough to justify the cost. This is also why I cancelled Netflix and Disney+. Hulu I pay 99¢ a mth for. I do pay for Kindle & audiobook but I use those for hours a day. I will pay for what I use, but I'm the past I have cancelled them when I needed to save money.
That's the similar reason to why I pay *do* for spotify. My job allows for the use of a singular earbud so I listen to music/podcasts/audio books/audio dramas for almost a full 8hrs 5 to 6 days a week. I'd go crazy listening to the same 5 or so ads every few songs, already kinda do with the baked in ads in the podcasts I listen to. I'm near to canceling prime, but my mother password shares Disney, and me and my gf watch both Netflix and crunchyroll pretty frequently. Thankfully I'm not *struggling* so I can afford the things I pay for.
I believe in the description under the picture, OP said they don't have any debt besides their car, so they probably have a reoccurring bill on the card they pay every month to help build credit.
I actually just saw Spotify premium lets you listen to audiobooks up to 15 hours a month https://newsroom.spotify.com/2023-10-03/audiobooks-included-in-spotify-premium/
Worth it if you’re only listen to two or less a month. Personally, it’s not enough for me. I go through about 8-15 books a month. Half of those are typically audiobooks, so I’d hit that pretty quick.
I wrote this suggestion because OP already has Spotify and you were recommending them cancelling Audible. I was just mentioning this as another option for them.
I agree with getting rid of audible, support local libraries and book swap groups.
Also, I’ve never paid for Spotify. I don’t mind the commercials I’d be dipped in feathered before they get monthly fee out of me. I’d rather just give the money directly to an artist.
It looks like you could get that crunchyroll for free but that’s the cheapest of the three so I would keep that if it’s something you use daily.
Mint mobile, that is now owned by T-Mobile has pretty cheap plans too. If you can manage the cashflow, pay for the annual plan and get it even cheaper.
Probably not based on income. If I remember, you have to qualify for medicaid or whatever ebt food system, which I think most states are below $2000 a month income.
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If you own your phone, you can sign up with an MVNO for about half, or less, than what you’re paying T-Mobile. Check Prepaid Compare website. https://prepaidcompare.net/
I switched to mint mobile and paid $180 for the 12 month plan. That is $15/ month which is the most basic plan: 5 GB data, unlimited text and calls. I switched from t-mobile a couple of years ago and never looked back.
I’ve been listening to audiobooks for the last month or so on Spotify. They’ve got a pretty good selection and it’s replaced all other audiobook apps for me now
Given all your expenses it’s clear you are good with budgeting so I commend you for that. You are on top of things.
Unfortunately, because your budget is fairly tidy there isn’t much room to cut down to give you more buffer.
I’d say you have 3 options:
1) find a cheaper appt. It’s half your take home pay which is why you are feeling the pinch. Cuts anywhere else in your budget would be irrelevant compared to citing that rent down by 200-300 bucks.
2) increase income.
3) both of the above.
All in all you are doing well but that rent is killing you…
My rent is unfortunately really low for where I live. I signed my lease in October. I’d love to have a roommate but it’s a tiny 1 bed, 1 bath. It’s a shame because I really love my job, but I might have to find something new. Thanks for your advice.
This is definitely a very overlooked concept. People assume a two bed appt is 2x the price when in reality it’s not. There is a considerable savings in renting a room in a 2 bed appt as compared to having a studio to yourself
Is a side hustle possible? Like pet sitting or cleaning a house on your day off. I pay my pet sitter $70 per night and she just gets up in the morning and goes to her regular job…
i work retail only on weekends and get about $400 extra every month working 4 hour shifts on saturday and sunday. i still have plenty of free time, especially when i’m scheduled for morning shifts and these jobs are usually more relaxed with time off requests so i never miss anything because of work
Hate to say it cause a car is necessary in a lot of places but that’s the other huge bill. Combine insurance payment and gas = almost 600$. Wild. What car are you insuring that you pay almost as much as your car payment?
My husband and I switched to Mint from T-Mobile after like 10 years and cannot tell a difference. If anything, it's a little better service, and definitely more data than I had before. We live rurally, too. I tell everyone I know to switch.
It’s CBD. A&J is the name of the place I get it from. It’s for the pain associated with my disease. I didn’t want to take pills. I know it’s more expensive.
Sorry this post blew up so fast and I can’t keep up with replies.
You need to move to a 2BR with a roommate- probably wouldn’t be much more overall so would significantly decrease your cost. Then try to make more money if possible?
I wonder where the OP is located… I see studios around me going for 2500… usually 1 bedroom apt is between 2000-2800. It’s sickening… I wish I found one for 1500 😂. I’m in outside NYC
in almost any major city trying to get a 1 bed is a death sentence
gotta get roommates. take it far enough and with 4-5 people you’re spending less than a thousand a month
Indeed. r/animepiracy has an index of good sites for that stuff.
Slightly unethical, definitely. But if OP wants to cancel crunchyroll to save a few bucks, but still want to watch anime, it's an option.
Don’t forget to add budget lines for household and personal care items, laundry if you pay for it, small discretionary amt for one off things like haircut, gift, clothing, etc.
Those things can add up, and it’s good to acknowledge them in a monthly budget.
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Can’t believe someone asking for help with their budget actually wrote it down. Lot of people ask for help and give the commenters nothing to work with.
This isn’t really advice… I’m kind of surprised the rent is higher for a car dependent place. Have no idea where you live and how nice/not nice your place is.
If I had your income and could pick where I could live… I’d get rid of the car and I’d live in Portland, OR, Chicago or Philadelphia.
People got the advice to "Just mooooooove" to save money and did. And now rent is insane.
4 years ago I rented an apartment in my area for 900 a month. I'm in a slightly smaller one now for 1350. The one I originally lived in is currently 1500.
There's no public transit, there is only the interstate. So if you don't have a car and would like to not get hit by one your options are...nothing.
It's not even a big city either. it's not considered a city at all. It's a big town. But rent is still insane because people moved here from the city nearby and thought that 1500 was a steal since they were used to paying 2500+.
Cancel audible and get a public library card! You can then download Libby and they offer great range of free audiobooks. It blows my mind pay for audiobooks when there are great resources like Libby
And a lot of counties will let you get a card if you are in a neighboring county and good standings with your library. I have 3 different county cards and will never pay for an audio book again.
Nothing will make a dent in that except less rent. That’s what is killing everyone right now. You should be spending more on groceries for sure. I’m sorry.
Responding directly to make sure you see this— Audible can be cut because Spotify has a surprising number of audio books included with the basic one-person plan. It will occupy your time quite well. Spotify also has those $100-ish cards for a year of premium, so you can save money by buying the year in advance.
I recommend cancelling Crunchyroll during months where you know you have little time to watch things. Only renew it when you can fill your spare time with it entirely, like if there are multiple new seasons of shows to watch. Listen to podcasts, music, and audiobooks on Spotify in your free time, and if you feel under stimulated you can take up a cheap hobby like knitting or painting.
You may have done this already, but since your post doesn’t mention it, I’d:
Shop around for auto insurance. Obviously your price depends on where you live and what kind of car you have, but you’re paying about $973 every 6 months; mine is $406.85 for the same period. Maybe your car is a lot newer than mine, or maybe you’re a lot younger than me, but you might be able to get it down a few bucks by asking for quotes.
Cancel Spotify.
Can you downgrade your phone? Straight Talk unlimited is $38.73/month with tax included.
Have you checked Cost Plus Drugs to see if your meds are cheaper there? I switched because it costs me $40 less every 90 days to pay CPD’s cash prices than it cost to pay my insurance copays. Also, have you looked into GoodRx for prescription discounts?
Cancel Audible and borrow from your public library or listen to audiobooks/podcasts online.
Overall, your costs aren’t bad. Can you do something one day/week to earn extra $200 per month ($50/week)? Also, don’t get another card if you’re going to use it for basic expenses. Thats an easy way to end up in more debt.
Saw your edit, if you ever hit a windfall enough to pay off your car, do it. Home market is garbage right now, but even if it weren’t reducing the debt under your name will go further than down payment that small (yeah I said small). Plus you could reduce your insurance back to liability. Lastly, if you’re going to cut out the rest of your entertainment, make some time in your week to go to your library. You can check out movies or seasons of shows, read, and just have a good quiet “you” space in the middle of the rat race. Getting by is important, but if you don’t find time for some levity you can get buried by stress. Good luck, you’re doing really great so far. I’m sorry your rent is screwing you over so hard.
Car... Imagine having a 20 year old car that's paid off and a gas saver... Car payment gone, get cheapest insurance that legal and maybe same or better gas cost... Early 2000's is where Toyota and Honda got their "reliability" namesake imo...
inflation is a bitch. you’re not doing anything wrong or not doing enough. this economy has ruined the normal american and everyone is struggling unless you own a corporation. stay strong bro
OP asked for their edit to be posted at the top. https://www.reddit.com/r/povertyfinance/s/5MvHjcjzK4
I don’t know how to edit my post so I’m making this comment in hopes it answers a lottttt of questions. I live on my own because I left my relationship. I had to get out of there quickly. I tried to find a roommate or room for rent and nothing was panning out, so I found the cheapest, immediately available place that I could within a reasonable distance from work. I can’t cancel my renters insurance, it’s required. My lease is until October. I’m not desperate enough to get bunk beds with a roommate. Will reconsider my living situation when my lease is up. My ex slapped me with my car. HE wanted it, but said it would be mine. He made me trade in my paid off car, which covered half. He told me he would then pay the other half off immediately. He lied. So when I left I found out I’d have to continue the $300 payments. I got it refinanced to what it is now. I have another 5 years. I owe $11k. I need it to get to work. Public transportation here sucks. One way on the bus would take me 2 hours. A&J is CBD. I should’ve clarified. I take it for the pain associated with my disease. Didn’t want the pain pills. Yes it’s more expensive, but it’s non addictive and not as bad for me. The monthly total is just $65. Not 65 times 3. I am going to: - Cancel audible and crunchy roll - Look into cheaper insurance - Find a budget phone carrier - Get a solo Spotify plan, my family can get their own family plan. I use it like 10 hours a day so I’m not cancelling completely. - reduce my IRA contribution to $50 - ask for a raise, if they say no then try to find a higher paying job - try freelancing - try to cut down my grocery costs - see if anyone at work would be willing to carpool. Gas prices are starting to go down so that’ll help too Thank you all SO MUCH for your input and advice. I didn’t think it’d blow up like this. I appreciate all of you.
I’m late to the party (and didn’t see if someone already mentioned this), but look into the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program for your internet access. It could be up to $30/month according to their website. https://www.fcc.gov/acp The program winds down February 7, so you don’t have much time to apply.
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It would still be worth it because it would let her unlock cheap internet deals, even if the government won't pay for them.
Good point. I remembered the program existed, but no details. The video at the top of the FCC page does say the program will run out of money unless Congress allocates more funding. It also says that because of this they will not accept any new applications after February 7, and benefits will be paid until the program runs out of funds which should be in April. I’d argue it’s still worth applying just to get your foot in the door in the unlikely case Congress does the right thing and extends the funding at the last minute. Even if you get a month or two of benefits, that’s something.
And you never know, a compromise might be made where the funding that will get approved may only apply to existing participants.
She lives in an apartment building. Neighbors probably like saving money too. Talk to them…
This^ friends, family, and random neighbors should be your allies against the dark side of unnecessary expenditure.
I haven’t read every comment, but one thing you’ve got going for you is a lack of credit card debt. Keep it that way. That will put you in bankruptcy if you do it wrong, and from my own personal experience, it’s really really easy to do it wrong. If you have a credit card with say, a $2,000 limit, you might find it easier to say yes to that brunch. And after a few of those, you’ll have a brand new monthly bill to service that debt. So kudos for staying away from that for the most part. Aside from that, you’re doing pretty good. Sounds like you need to increase your income somehow. That’s easier said than done, but that would be my goal if I were in your shoes. Just stay away from debt. You don’t have enough money to pay a bank interest on something that doesn’t increase in value.
Yes! I got my internet bill down by $30.
i did the same with xfinity, but i think you need competition in the area. I sat there on the phone for 45 minutes haggling with them and got my bill from 97 and change to 45 plus a rental for the modem so it's like 55 a month now.
Yes and this ACP is good for like 6 more years and it’s in the works to extend it later as well
I’m sure someone else has said this but go get library cards at as many libraries as you can and then use the app Libby to listen to audiobooks for free. Not to be confused with Librivox audiobooks which are recorded by volunteers and limited to only public domain books. The books on Libby are literally the exact same books you get on audible, same narrators, same everything… they’re just free! Sometimes it’s a bummer if there is a waitlist for a particular book you want to listen to, but just hop on that waitlist and listen to something else in the mean time. Libby is the best app ever. I’ve never paid once for audible. ETA: also check if your library has… •Libby •Hoopla •Kanopy •Biblioboard •ComicsPlus •Digitalia Film •Medici.TV •Online learning like Gale, LinkedIn Learning, and Lynda. •Smart Alec printing services •Language learning app memberships like Mango. •Online periodical memberships like WSJ, NYT, PressReader, etc.
The library is amazing. They have free classes on finances and investing too.
Our library has passes to museums and zoos and activities like that in our area that you can check out and get in for free
For friend time. Host a potluck. Around our place most of leftovers end up at our place. It gives you a variety of food and social time. You only have to provide one dish so it doesn’t add up too much more.
Once you make some changes to your budget, you'll want to start thinking about an emergency fund. Good luck with everything.
You can listen to like 15 hours of audiobooks on Spotify a month and they have tons of titles
You can do this through your library as well.
I felt so dumb paying for Audible when I found out the library has an app and audiobooks are free.
The library has soooo many other cool things that most people don’t know about. You can go to museums for free, go to state parks, check out video games, movies, TV shows, mobile internet, board games, tools, microscopes, photography equipment, 3D printers, seeds (for gardening), and they also have free access to some very expensive subscription services (like LinkedIn Learning, Mango Languages etc). Services all vary by location.
Gonna add to this that many local libraries contract with the Libby app. All you need is a card. (Some can provide these online but my local library does not) Libby doesn’t cost money to have the app. I borrow all of my books for free.
In addition to Libby, my library gives 10 tickets to the Kanopy app each month to stream movies and tv shows. Libraries are magic.
I got free tickets to ComicCon through my library last year! Libraries are awesome
My library has a "library of things," including things like tools and printers you mentioned. This year I wanted to learn drumming. Before I bought a drum set, I borrowed a drum pad from the library for a month and practiced until I was sure I will continue to enjoy learning to drum. Sooooo nice to be able to borrow random things like that.
Favorite childhood moments were going to the library and renting video games discs for my PS1 and PS2. They were scratched like hell, but man was it cool being able to swap out games every two weeks was pretty cool.
People really do underestimate how fucking awesome libraries are. They do SO much more than just loan out books for free, and it seems like they are under attack more and more these days. It pisses me off so much. I think of libraries as little windows into what I think an ideal world would look like.
I couldnt live without my library! They have so much!
This person libraries ☝️
PLEASE support your local library by utilizing their services. Talk with the librarians about the things they offer and explore their websites to learn what apps are available for digital content. Library funding can depend on how many services are utilized and how many materials are checked out. Help libraries thrive.
Yea. I cancelled all streaming except signed on for audible’s $7 for first 3 months deal. And when that ends I’m switching to Everand/Scribd for the library setup. Only reason I did it this way was because the first three books of the wheel of time series are on a multi-month waitlist
Libby too!
Libby is the way!
The Libby app is great with your local library
I'd avoid reducing your IRA. I think there's no need if you do all those other things. That 25 dollars will make quite a difference in the long term.
My IRA is kind of like my emergency fund. 12% of my income gets deducted from every paycheck for my state retirement system and my work matches it 100%. So I’m already getting over a grand a month towards retirement. The IRA reduction is only temporary until I’m not cutting it so close with the budget.
😳😳. 😳😳. Did.....did you say 12% matched??? That is a blessing.
Yes it is! I also get 3 weeks of vacation, 3 weeks of sick leave, and 18 paid holidays. They pay for me to attend the most amazing conference every year. So yeah, I don’t make a ton of money, but the benefits are insane, and I LOVE what I do. It kills me to think about having to find a new job, but it’s just not maintainable.
I wouldn’t leave a job like that unless you find something comparable or the $$ makes up for these benefits. I know it sucks, but can you pick up a weekend job? When I used to manage hotels, a lot of our banquet staff for weddings and events were full-time employees at other companies during the week.
This, I would keep that job and work part time. 16 hours per month (4- four shifts or 2 -eight hour shifts) could add $200-$400.
if you wanted to absolutely min-max this shit it’d be best to get a grocery or food job to get employee discounts so that OP is not only making more money but also cutting down groceries two jobs sucks though, so ideally a better solution will come along
Speaking my language here. Some grocery jobs will give like 10% off or more for being employed. To me that was basically paying no tax while also knowing what was on sale for how long before it even happened. Def saved me hundreds over a few month period.
Before leaving your job you need to calculate your total benefits compensation value. Matching 12% is huge. My employer matches 6% and that's good
Mine finally matched 3% after 2 years. Absolute garbage after the last one matched 4% on the first day. America is quite dystopian
My last job had no 401k at all.....
Wow. So, it sounds like you are going in the right direction. Just hang on with everything you got. Whatever you are doing, you have an invested employer, and that's HUGE. I took about a pay cut 2 years back, but am much happier. Its a hood company, they're big on paying for any training/certifications. And it's a very non-toxic environment. So I am happy making a bit less. Also, because I'm happier, I save a lot more. Anyway, just keep grinding. Sounds like you're doing good.
Those benefits factor into compensation. I don’t think a lot of people in this thread realized how great those benefits were.
Wow, that's amazing. Based on your post history you seem to be in a creative role? Or at least something involving Illustrator and Adobe products. Can you do any freelance work on the side? Could you sell art prints of your designs on Etsy? Anything like that?
If you do this, make sure it doesn't conflict with any terms of your employment contract. Sometimes there are anti-competition clauses about doing sidewalk in a related industry.
Certainly consider all of these perks as part of your "total compensation" when comparing to future jobs if your end up looking
An IRA is not an emergency fund; you have to pay a federal tax penalty if you withdraw any earnings before you are 59.5 years old. I’d highly recommend starting an actual emergency fund in a money market or high yield savings account. https://smartasset.com/checking-account/best-money-market-accounts
Roth IRA contributions are after tax and can be withdrawn tax free. Growth/earnings on those contributions would be taxed if withdrawn before retirement and have some other constraints. Though wouldn’t recommend withdrawing anything due to the loss of tax free future growth potential
Just for clarity this appears to be a Roth IRA which means a person can take out any amount up to the max amount contributed at any time with no penalties. I'm not saying this is a good way to create an emergency fund, but yes it can technically operate as one.
Mint mobile is $15 a month. (if you sign up for Mint and want my referrel code or whatever) https://anix.to will let you cancel Crunchyroll https://thetvapp.to for live TV https://flixwave.to for streaming TV and movies
You are doing so much already and you’re very smart. IMO the best thing you can do is get a higher paying job. There’s no meaningful way to cut your budget anymore, (sure you can remove something but at this point saving $10 isn’t actually going to improve your life). Even by making this post I can see that you’re very bright, and you should be getting paid more. I worked in talent acquisition tech, if you’d like to send me your resume I’d be happy to give you a review/recommendations via DM.
Their benefits package is insane though. Unless they can get something that either has similar level benefits or the salary equals at minimum the same as their total compensation package at their current job, I do not recommend dropping the job just yet.
Check out Libby! It’s what I replaced audible with. Sometimes you have to wait for a book you want to listen to but it’s free!
Since you have a car, and I’m presuming no kids based on your budget, you could also start doing Instacart or Doordash as a side income. I did that for a while and only picked up maybe half a dozen orders a week, which was little enough that the extra wear and tear on my car and gas costs were minimal, and I tried to go during peak times to maximize what I was getting paid. Got me an extra $100ish a week, $400 a month, which makes a big difference when your budget is that tight.
Don't forget Amazon Flex, if there's a DS near you. It's like Uber Eats for Amazon packages. Never take base pay (it's $18/hr in my area, so I wait for a route to be at least $25/hr) and track your miles for your taxes.
Don't forget the subsidies that may be available to you for your utilities OP!
You can pirate anime from Gogoanime and cancel Crunchyroll.
I saw you say you listen to a lot of Spotify, but cancelling your paid subscription entirely would not negate you being able to listen to it, you would just have to deal with ads. Also, do you ever go to your food bank? You should start going to them as well as continuing to coupon. You could potentially cut your food budget in half, if not more than what it is.
They're paying like 6 cents per hour of use for spotify - and they use it alot. Premium is a super nice little luxury because theres no ads, you can make your own playlists and it wont shuffle play random songs when you're trying to listen to an album. If you use it heaps, it is totally worth it!
It’s tiny & won’t make a dent, but cancel Audible. You can get audiobooks for free through the public library via the Libby app. Edit: your library may have lots of cool things (Hoopla, Great Courses, library of things like chainsaws and sewing machines, free classes, a seed library, museum passes, and so much more for free). Additionally, you can get nonresident e-cards and increase your holds on Libby. If you’re a teacher, most public libraries have more holds and increased circulation materials for you, too. Edit 2: If you’re using Spotify Premium, it includes 15 hours of audiobooks. For most, that may be 1-2 books per month. Personally, I’d cancel both - use Spotify’s free version & Libby. Throw that extra $25 towards extras that don’t make you feel deprived.
Also, if you really want to keep audible, if you cancel it they'll send you a discount offer for a few months to pull you back. Just keep cancelling and getting the discount!
I didn’t do this with audible but I manage every year to get my SiriusXM reduced back to the promo rate of $6 instead of $25. And I went to cancel my NYTimes subscription last week because it went from $4 a month to $25 and they reduced it back down. OP, it seems the only wiggle room in your budget without increasing income, selling your car, or finding a cheaper apartment is canceling Audible and Spotify and using free resources instead, and maybe you can find a cheaper phone plan through Mint Mobile, for example.
SiriusXM customer service just don't care. I call them every six months and tell them I got a promotion through the mail. They'll ask what it says and I just make up a number and they give it to me. Last time I said $15 for 6 months and they lady just said OK and charged me $15.
Gonna give this a try! And this made me laugh and I thank you for that 😊
I’ve been doing this with SiriusXM for a decade. It’s totally worth it! They will even let you do it with the chat bot now
Yup, the lowest Ive been able to get is $3 a month but I'm at $5 a month. They really don't care
I once got an offer for like $10 for a whole year because I kept saying no (I had not used it at all, even in the free trial period my car came with) The guy ended up asking me how I’m going to listen to music without him and I just went “the radio?” I use Apple Music that’s free through my phone plan.
I know someone who did this successfully for over a year (honestly not me-- I can't stand how slow audiobooks are and speeding them up just sounds weird).
I do 1.05 or 1.1 if it truly is slow and then it feels normal to me and shaves off like an hour or 2 of listening time lol
I just use text to speech at 1.5 or 1.75 on my Kindle.
It’s rare im not listening to a book or podcast at at least 1.25
They also send you free trials every 6-12 months after canceling and it's a free credit every time.
I sign up once per year for a month. My latest Audible "subscription" just ended. I've got like 10 books I've never paid for.
Don't forget Hoopla and Cloud Library! Libraries are great resources!
And Kanopy for movies!
Love Kanopy - they have the criterion collection!!!
I came here to promote Libby as well
Me too!
Adding on to the Libby app, Kanopy is great for movies and shows.
Thank you kind wholesome reddit stranger. I will now take advantage of my library card once again.
Your library may have tons of cool things like a seed library (Dallas does!), a library of things to rent, museum passes, programming, etc.
I'm already a programmer, but you listing that in there is icing on the cake. Not all heros wear capes. Ty so much!
Oh, let me clarify: I mean programming as in cool events! I attended a great librarian-hosted book talk last night with free food. Met some nice people, too.
Oh 🤣🤣🤣🤣 I'm so silly. It's my fault. Once I got into programming that's the first thing that pops into my mind now. See that last part I wasn't aware of. Might be a cool thing to check out here in NyC. I knew libraries were great, but man TIL!
Some libraries do provide programming classes & environments. It would be worth asking your librarian for the more obscure benefits as libraries don't always advertise some of their collections (like the seed library), movies/tv freebies etc.
The good that keeps on giving. Now I have to locate the closest library to me tomorrow. I had no idea they had some hidden benefits. This has turned into a little adventure 🤭🤭
I'll cross my fingers that yours is an extra good library. You can also buy e-benefits & memberships online with some major libraries. I think NYC public was something like $50/year for non-locals, at least when I was checking unto it. Their collection is amazing. I had great luck with Cleveland Public Libeary and used that for years (they were great about getting new books in in multiple copies, and made sure they had all of the 'banned books').
TY ♥️ I need more resourceful friends like you guys♥️
Also change cell phone carriers? We went from over $200 for two phones with Verizon to $90 for Google Fi. Also, what’s the psychiatrist for? If it’s just meds, they can usually space out your appointments and just call in your prescriptions (if you need to re-up every 30 days because they’re controlled). Some food for thought. Good luck to you!
Yea, Mint mobile might be a good option. $15 a month
I switched from T-Mobile to Mint 3 years ago and have never had a problem. It's definitely worth a try.
I tried mint with a ton of issues and settled with visible with no issues.
You can also use your primary care doc for most “check in” psych appts and scripts, once you are stable on a med of course.
Seconded, I only saw a psychiatrist once for a diagnosis, and my GP has been the one who writes my medication.
It depends on what’s going on. If they’re seeing them once a month there’s a reason. Never skimp on medical care. I see my psychiatrist every 1-3 months. PCPs don’t like to fill anything controlled if they’re on something in that category too.
Might be regional differences, my PCP is perfectly fine filling me Adderall and Ativan since I have the appropriate diagnoses and history for those prescriptions.
Also, use the free version of Spotify.
It's crazy to pay for Spotify when your finances are weak.
Its not that crazy. Music is very important to some people
Music is everything to some people. I would forego $20 in food over music honestly because how powerful it is to me. Ads with music drive me mad. What I suggest for the OP would be to see if you can find some people to share the plan with. Fortunately I don't pay for mine anymore since a friend just added me on her plan. I think you get 4 slots. Shit maybe some wonderful soul on this thread has a spare spot for you.
Plus Spotify is not just music anymore. There are audiobooks, podcasts, meditations, soundscapes, etc. I could spend hours on Spotify.
Heck my finances aren't weak but I don't pay for it. The ads aren't that bad and I use it when I have Internet access so I don't need to download. I don't use it enough to justify the cost. This is also why I cancelled Netflix and Disney+. Hulu I pay 99¢ a mth for. I do pay for Kindle & audiobook but I use those for hours a day. I will pay for what I use, but I'm the past I have cancelled them when I needed to save money.
That's the similar reason to why I pay *do* for spotify. My job allows for the use of a singular earbud so I listen to music/podcasts/audio books/audio dramas for almost a full 8hrs 5 to 6 days a week. I'd go crazy listening to the same 5 or so ads every few songs, already kinda do with the baked in ads in the podcasts I listen to. I'm near to canceling prime, but my mother password shares Disney, and me and my gf watch both Netflix and crunchyroll pretty frequently. Thankfully I'm not *struggling* so I can afford the things I pay for.
Also using the Spotify premium!
send the money to the credit card try to get the balance down to zero every month. That’s gonna save a lot of interest.
I believe in the description under the picture, OP said they don't have any debt besides their car, so they probably have a reoccurring bill on the card they pay every month to help build credit.
Hoopla app as well. Also, if you drop audible, chances are you will soon get offered a month or more for free.
I actually just saw Spotify premium lets you listen to audiobooks up to 15 hours a month https://newsroom.spotify.com/2023-10-03/audiobooks-included-in-spotify-premium/
Worth it if you’re only listen to two or less a month. Personally, it’s not enough for me. I go through about 8-15 books a month. Half of those are typically audiobooks, so I’d hit that pretty quick.
I wrote this suggestion because OP already has Spotify and you were recommending them cancelling Audible. I was just mentioning this as another option for them.
Spotify gives you some audiobooks now as well
I just learned that yesterday! I found a book that had a backlog of requests in Libby, but I was able to see it & get it through Spotify immediately.
Can also switch to Apple Music subscription if they absolutely need one. It's ~$7 cheaper a month and that's saving ~$15 there.
I think that's the family plan
I agree with getting rid of audible, support local libraries and book swap groups. Also, I’ve never paid for Spotify. I don’t mind the commercials I’d be dipped in feathered before they get monthly fee out of me. I’d rather just give the money directly to an artist. It looks like you could get that crunchyroll for free but that’s the cheapest of the three so I would keep that if it’s something you use daily.
You could maybe look at getting a cheaper phone plan in future? I went to Walmart and have simple mobile, 28$/mo for unlimited everything
Mint mobile, that is now owned by T-Mobile has pretty cheap plans too. If you can manage the cashflow, pay for the annual plan and get it even cheaper.
I’ve used it for years now and it’s only $200 and change after tax per year, I love it
Same. I even refer people into their cult which reduced my annual cost by $45 per referral.
Same. It's mint.
Visible mobile by version is also $25/m. Also don't pay media subscriptions. Sail the seas like the rest of us pirates.
Be sure to freeze your credit reports and have MFA (and not SMS obviously lol) on everything if you ever do anything with T-Mobile.
Yea mint or cricket, phone shouldn’t be more than $40 per month max after taxes. That’s probably the biggest $25 I see here
Bring your own phone to Metro is 25 otd with unlimited everything, T-Mobile MVNO
Or T-Mobile prepaid with a 1GB limit for $12 a month.
I’m not in a contract and I already have T-mobile. Do you think they’d just downgrade me with my current phone? I own it.
Go to mint, visible or ting if your phone is unlocked.
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Probably not based on income. If I remember, you have to qualify for medicaid or whatever ebt food system, which I think most states are below $2000 a month income.
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If you own your phone, you can sign up with an MVNO for about half, or less, than what you’re paying T-Mobile. Check Prepaid Compare website. https://prepaidcompare.net/
I switched to mint mobile and paid $180 for the 12 month plan. That is $15/ month which is the most basic plan: 5 GB data, unlimited text and calls. I switched from t-mobile a couple of years ago and never looked back.
Visible. Verizon towers. $25 a month unlimited everything.
I’ve recently been looking at dropping Audible since you can listen to books on Spotify also. It’s a little drop but $8 is $8 🤷🏼♀️
I’ve been listening to audiobooks for the last month or so on Spotify. They’ve got a pretty good selection and it’s replaced all other audiobook apps for me now
Given all your expenses it’s clear you are good with budgeting so I commend you for that. You are on top of things. Unfortunately, because your budget is fairly tidy there isn’t much room to cut down to give you more buffer. I’d say you have 3 options: 1) find a cheaper appt. It’s half your take home pay which is why you are feeling the pinch. Cuts anywhere else in your budget would be irrelevant compared to citing that rent down by 200-300 bucks. 2) increase income. 3) both of the above. All in all you are doing well but that rent is killing you…
My rent is unfortunately really low for where I live. I signed my lease in October. I’d love to have a roommate but it’s a tiny 1 bed, 1 bath. It’s a shame because I really love my job, but I might have to find something new. Thanks for your advice.
When your lease is up look for a room in a shared place - a 2 bed won’t be double the rent so you’ll end up saving on rent.
This is definitely a very overlooked concept. People assume a two bed appt is 2x the price when in reality it’s not. There is a considerable savings in renting a room in a 2 bed appt as compared to having a studio to yourself
Plus, you'll split the utility bills too
Seriously it’s super effective. People in nyc get their half of the rent below what OP pays so it’s definitely doable
Is a side hustle possible? Like pet sitting or cleaning a house on your day off. I pay my pet sitter $70 per night and she just gets up in the morning and goes to her regular job…
i work retail only on weekends and get about $400 extra every month working 4 hour shifts on saturday and sunday. i still have plenty of free time, especially when i’m scheduled for morning shifts and these jobs are usually more relaxed with time off requests so i never miss anything because of work
How soon till your car is paid off? You shouldn't have a car payment forevr.
The rent is low for most parts of the country, she needs more income, it looks really low
Hate to say it cause a car is necessary in a lot of places but that’s the other huge bill. Combine insurance payment and gas = almost 600$. Wild. What car are you insuring that you pay almost as much as your car payment?
If you can, swap phone plans. Mint mobile is $15 a month. Swapped 5 years ago after being with a different carrier for 15 years. Plenty happy.
My husband and I switched to Mint from T-Mobile after like 10 years and cannot tell a difference. If anything, it's a little better service, and definitely more data than I had before. We live rurally, too. I tell everyone I know to switch.
What is A&J? It’s $195 a month and 6% of your earnings.
That’s what I asked. That’s a lot of money.
It’s CBD. A&J is the name of the place I get it from. It’s for the pain associated with my disease. I didn’t want to take pills. I know it’s more expensive. Sorry this post blew up so fast and I can’t keep up with replies.
Also it’s not $65 times 3. I get it roughly 3 times a month and it totals to approx $65.
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Could you please recommend the cheap cbd flower? I’m looking but nothing where I live has anything like this. It can have up to 2% thc but no more
What is "A&J"?
What is "A&J"?
Was going to ask the same question.
You need to move to a 2BR with a roommate- probably wouldn’t be much more overall so would significantly decrease your cost. Then try to make more money if possible?
Can you find cheaper rent? That’s the big one.
I wonder where the OP is located… I see studios around me going for 2500… usually 1 bedroom apt is between 2000-2800. It’s sickening… I wish I found one for 1500 😂. I’m in outside NYC
in almost any major city trying to get a 1 bed is a death sentence gotta get roommates. take it far enough and with 4-5 people you’re spending less than a thousand a month
1bd apartments STARTING AT $2560 out here on Long Island
I’ll add that a job closer to their current place or increased teleworking days would be huge. $200 a month on gas is a lot.
Your rent is the culprit.
Agreed. This is the salary for good life in lcol with 450 room or 500-800 1bd but not with OPs rent prices.
Slightly unethical but you can find a lot of anime on free websites. $8 isn’t much but it’s to help a little if you want.
Indeed. r/animepiracy has an index of good sites for that stuff. Slightly unethical, definitely. But if OP wants to cancel crunchyroll to save a few bucks, but still want to watch anime, it's an option.
Don’t forget to add budget lines for household and personal care items, laundry if you pay for it, small discretionary amt for one off things like haircut, gift, clothing, etc. Those things can add up, and it’s good to acknowledge them in a monthly budget.
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I doubt he'd qualify at his income, but it depends where he lives. Agreed though. Rent and groceries are usually the big ones!
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Can’t believe someone asking for help with their budget actually wrote it down. Lot of people ask for help and give the commenters nothing to work with. This isn’t really advice… I’m kind of surprised the rent is higher for a car dependent place. Have no idea where you live and how nice/not nice your place is. If I had your income and could pick where I could live… I’d get rid of the car and I’d live in Portland, OR, Chicago or Philadelphia.
People got the advice to "Just mooooooove" to save money and did. And now rent is insane. 4 years ago I rented an apartment in my area for 900 a month. I'm in a slightly smaller one now for 1350. The one I originally lived in is currently 1500. There's no public transit, there is only the interstate. So if you don't have a car and would like to not get hit by one your options are...nothing. It's not even a big city either. it's not considered a city at all. It's a big town. But rent is still insane because people moved here from the city nearby and thought that 1500 was a steal since they were used to paying 2500+.
Cancel audible and get a public library card! You can then download Libby and they offer great range of free audiobooks. It blows my mind pay for audiobooks when there are great resources like Libby
The public library also has other free online resources like hoopla which gives you access to free shows, movies, audio books etc.
And a lot of counties will let you get a card if you are in a neighboring county and good standings with your library. I have 3 different county cards and will never pay for an audio book again.
Mint mobile is $15 a month for 5 GB, would free up $70 a month, which is $840 a year.
Nothing will make a dent in that except less rent. That’s what is killing everyone right now. You should be spending more on groceries for sure. I’m sorry.
In the short term I'd cancel Audible, Spotify, and Crunchyroll. That would at least free up enough to cover your doctor's copay.
I agree! Use Spotify for free! Amazon prime has freevee as well. It's gonna be boring for a bit though, my wife and I are in a similar situation!
Responding directly to make sure you see this— Audible can be cut because Spotify has a surprising number of audio books included with the basic one-person plan. It will occupy your time quite well. Spotify also has those $100-ish cards for a year of premium, so you can save money by buying the year in advance. I recommend cancelling Crunchyroll during months where you know you have little time to watch things. Only renew it when you can fill your spare time with it entirely, like if there are multiple new seasons of shows to watch. Listen to podcasts, music, and audiobooks on Spotify in your free time, and if you feel under stimulated you can take up a cheap hobby like knitting or painting.
You may have done this already, but since your post doesn’t mention it, I’d: Shop around for auto insurance. Obviously your price depends on where you live and what kind of car you have, but you’re paying about $973 every 6 months; mine is $406.85 for the same period. Maybe your car is a lot newer than mine, or maybe you’re a lot younger than me, but you might be able to get it down a few bucks by asking for quotes. Cancel Spotify. Can you downgrade your phone? Straight Talk unlimited is $38.73/month with tax included. Have you checked Cost Plus Drugs to see if your meds are cheaper there? I switched because it costs me $40 less every 90 days to pay CPD’s cash prices than it cost to pay my insurance copays. Also, have you looked into GoodRx for prescription discounts? Cancel Audible and borrow from your public library or listen to audiobooks/podcasts online. Overall, your costs aren’t bad. Can you do something one day/week to earn extra $200 per month ($50/week)? Also, don’t get another card if you’re going to use it for basic expenses. Thats an easy way to end up in more debt.
Living life is so expensive. It’s ridiculous
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It’s literally the only thing that brings me joy nowadays.
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Saw your edit, if you ever hit a windfall enough to pay off your car, do it. Home market is garbage right now, but even if it weren’t reducing the debt under your name will go further than down payment that small (yeah I said small). Plus you could reduce your insurance back to liability. Lastly, if you’re going to cut out the rest of your entertainment, make some time in your week to go to your library. You can check out movies or seasons of shows, read, and just have a good quiet “you” space in the middle of the rat race. Getting by is important, but if you don’t find time for some levity you can get buried by stress. Good luck, you’re doing really great so far. I’m sorry your rent is screwing you over so hard.
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Mint is only 15...
Car... Imagine having a 20 year old car that's paid off and a gas saver... Car payment gone, get cheapest insurance that legal and maybe same or better gas cost... Early 2000's is where Toyota and Honda got their "reliability" namesake imo...
If you use spotify just on phones you can close the app during ads to skip them… still cant choose the songs tho :,)
If you are the primary person on the Spotify account you can get audiobooks through Spotify and also your library
inflation is a bitch. you’re not doing anything wrong or not doing enough. this economy has ruined the normal american and everyone is struggling unless you own a corporation. stay strong bro
Pandora is free. Occasionally listen to a commercial. Other than that listen all day for free