Seriously, I find it very interesting to see how my spending compares to others, so I figured you might enjoy it.
All in all I found it to be enlightening. Here are some more specific thoughts & comments on various categories.
Car
Obviously, when you drive under 700 miles for the year your car expenses are low - but I ended up spending around a dollar per mile! Still worth the luxury of owning a car, though I think the amount I'm paying in insurance is crazy - it's a liability only policy but still... I'll have to shop around on that one.
Health
Thank You President Obama! Seriously, my expenses here went WAY down thanks both to subsidies from the Affordable Care Act and the fact that it's now OK to switch to a lower level of coverage because they can't refuse to cover you like they could in the past (previously, my insurance company had a rule that you could NEVER switch to a policy with better coverage, so you had to hedge your bets and pay for much more than you really needed.)
Home
Expenses here went way down from previous years since I got the mortgage paid off in late 2013. MMM (Mr. Money Mustache) had way cheaper insurance bills, but after some reading it looks like that's because he has a $10K deductible on his policy. Given the fact that I've suffered through 2 giant hailstorms in the 20 years I've owned the house - which took out the roof, siding, windows, doors etc each time - I think I've gotten my money's worth on the insurance.
Miscellaneous
I definitely spent more in this category than I usually would - bought and fixed up the mountain bike, and treated myself to a few things like slipcovers for the couch. There were also some big gifts in there, both for CatMan (just because I love him) and for my Dad on his 80th B-Day.
Guess I felt like I could afford it since the mortgage was paid off. Luxury spending to be sure, but all in all it's stuff I feel good about.
Utilities
Don't EVEN get me started on the phone/internet situation. It's beyond infuriating to me that I could get both cheaper & better service if I lived in a fancier neighborhood, but such is life. I switched carriers mid-year and the overall costs went down, but there were setup fees.
The service is marginally better, meaning I don't lose phone service every time it rains and I now actually have fast internet, but digital phone service still leaves something to be desired since the signal garbles if traffic is high on the network. Still worth it to have a land line though, since I spend over 3 hours per day on the telephone.
The cell phone is a pre-paid neolithic thing, and the bill is much higher than usual because I had to rely on the cell when the land line went out. Still room for improvement on gas/electric, but since Princess is sick, I've decided to keep it a little bit warmer in here for the rest of the winter.
Food
The grocery bill seems high to me, but it does include everything purchased at the grocery store, so there's some personal care in there as well as some kitty junk food, birdseed & squirrel food (yes, I'm a sucker) and random other stuff. Still, I'm sure there's room for improvement with the grocery bill, but you do reach a point of diminishing returns when you factor in the time required to sniff out all the best deals.
Cats
Oy Vay! I knew they were costing me a fortune but that total floored me! However, things haven't exactly been "normal" in kitty-land (though I'm starting to wonder if there is such a state as "normal".) This includes all of the end-of-life expenses for Sputty, the follow up from Smoky's illness in 2013, and crazy expenses for Princess including the raw food experiment & diagnostic stuff for her kidney disease.
The vet insurance is a negative number because I put both premiums and insurance reimbursement payments into that category, and as you can see, I got more than I paid for - plus there's about $400 of reimbursements that didn't come in until January. Overall I think pet insurance is worth it. Of course, they don't cover things like supplements and prescription food - and there's been a LOT of surplus cat food expense both for Princess & for Sputty since getting sick animals to eat can be a challenge.
I certainly wish this number was lower, but since I can afford it, I want to do the very best I can for my furry little friends, so I'm not gonna stress over it too much.
And there you have it, 2014 in a nutshell! I'm curious to hear what y'all think. Any suggestions for shaving a bit off of any categories? Do any of you tally up your spending for the year? I'd love to hear how your expenses compare.
I used to tally our spending for the year but that was pretty laborious. Instead, I look at my yearly charge bill and also note what categories it's broken down into. Our bills are rather consistent and are easy to add in.
ReplyDeleteI really don't count bills as things I can change much. It's the other spending that I use plastic for that I give more scrutiny to. Those tend to me areas where we could cut back.
I am looking for expenses to change a bit this year but am looking forward to 2016 when our health insurance can be switched to my employer which will save at least $200 a month.
Predicting vet bills is always next to impossible!
Tackling "fixed" expenses is certainly more challenging, since it generally involves big decisions, but I've found that it's worth it to reevaluate them from time to time. But reining in the old plastic is certainly a good idea - especially these days when one can spend online 24/7!
DeleteGahh, it just ate my comment. Hate when that happens.
ReplyDeleteAnyway as I was saying, your car insurance seems a bit expensive alright. My insurance, in Ireland where it's fairly expensive to live, is €520 for both my mam and I. And considering I drive 70+ miles per day for college, I don't think it's a bad deal. I also spend more on fuel in a year than you did in the year! The joys of being a commuter.
Isn't it great that you're able to spend that money on your felines though? I've always said when I have my own home, the two things I will spend most of my money on will be travel and furry friends. I don't think it's a bad choice 😄 hope princess is doing well.
I hate the lost comment thing - What always happens to me is that I go to publish my comment but hit the "sign out" button by accident. GRRRRR! It's like they put the buttons in all the wrong places. I've actually griped about this on the Blogger forum and supposedly it was forwarded to the development team, but I'm not holding my breath that they will change it.
DeleteAnyhow, I need to check to see if low mileage discounts are available here - the thing is my car is a 1990 model and I don't know if it has the little plug-in thing that they use to track mileage. We'll see.
And yes, I am very grateful that I have the financial ability to give my kitties whatever they need. It's really nice to be able to make decisions based on what's best for them rather than how much it's gonna cost.
A couple of quick things. Our library system has a subscription to Consumer Reports online that is free to anyone with a library card. You might see if you have something similar there. Also, on your AAA, something to be aware of. The basic service only involves a very low towing distance--like 3 miles. Once we needed towed about 50 miles and it was very expensive.
ReplyDeleteAnd for the cats, I don't even want to know how much we spend because it really adds up. It's a nonnegotiable expense (special foods and litter and vet bills), so we just pay it and move on.
That's fascinating about Consumer Reports at the library. I'll have to check into it - though, in all honesty I don't really mind paying for the subscription since I feel like I'm doing my part to help keep those giant corporations a little more honest.
DeleteAnd I've been on the fence with AAA for years. With the scant amount that I drive it hardly seems worth it - but when the car leaves you stranded it sure is! Recently I've heard that there are some motor clubs that have started to add bicycle coverage as well, so I need to look into that - it would make it sooo much more worthwhile if the cost also included an on-call bike rescue team!
We've been on a journey to leave the rat race and reduce our expenses for the past 25 years. Once we shed the regular paycheck 3 years ago, I started tracking our expenses and looking for ways to cut back. I don't think we can do better than we're doing now. Taxes and insurance are what take a chunk of money. Health care was a huge issue and, since Virginia didn't expand Medicaid, we were cut out of the subsidies. Since we're self-employed, we've found a way to make enough to qualify - hurray! If not for our governor's intervention, our premium was scheduled to jump to over $1K a month, with a $13K deductible; even with his help, our premium was still over $500 with a $10K deductile. Now it's under $30 with a $700 deductible and a much better policy. Now that's affordable healthcare. Thanks for sharing your expenses.
ReplyDeleteI have a senior dog who has started having health problems, plus I had to say goodbye to my 16-yo cat after some health struggles back in Nov., so I know it's hard to predict what your pet expense will be.
Oh man, don't get me started on the states that refused to expand Medicaid. I actually think the piecemeal approach to all this is totally crazy, though I understand the politics behind it. But wouldn't it just make more sense if we had one program that covered everything?
DeleteAnyhow, I'm so sorry about your cat, I know how hard it is when they go - and I'm sending good healthy energy toward your senior dog too.
Love your profile picture BTW! I fear the Green Acres theme song will be stuck in my head for a good ling time!
Sorry about the Green Acres theme song....
DeleteI was fortunate to be able to speak to our governor face to face. He shook his head over the fact that our state delegates chose to not accept the federal funds to expand Medicaid. He said that they told him privately that they were afraid the "tea party" would take their seats if they weren't firm on their position. It's all about keeping power rather than serving citizens. And yes, one program for all - doesn't that make sense for a democracy? Love your blog - keep it up. :)
Thanks for the vote of confidence on the blog - sometimes I wonder why anyone wants to read my ranting and whining, so I'm glad there's something to like about it.
DeleteAnd this line totally sums up politics in this country these days: "It's all about keeping power rather than serving citizens." Actually, I think half of the problem is that "constituent" doesn't refer to human beings anymore, instead they're concerned about pleasing corporations and big donors. Heavy sigh.
Let's see what I can do for your voyeurism. Unfortunately for comparison purposes, I keep track of my expenses in the form of monthly averages.
ReplyDeleteTransportation = 35.47 gas + 81.35 other expenses + 64 saving for my next car = 180.82 x 12 = $2,169.84. I include that $64 as part of the cost of having a lifestyle that involves car ownership; it's comparable to car payments for other people. Insurance was $265 + 297 = 562 but I still have more than just liability since my car is still new enough that I can't yet afford to replace it. I drove plenty, though I don't drive to work. I definitely drive across town to get to some grocery stores, movie theatres, and friend's houses, and it's worth it to me to have a car for that (and for lending to my boyfriend when his is broken down). I get an insurance discount for not driving to work; I think there's such a thing as a low-mileage discount as well--you should ask for it!
Health: 77.67 x 12 = 932.04. That's mostly for a prescription and a bunch of dental work I had done. That doesn't include health insurance or dental insurance, which is paid out of my pay check (see below).
Home: 326.29 property tax + 102.81 homeowner insurance + 29.67 flood insurance + 50.83 other = 509.6 x 12 = $6115.20. My state has very high property taxes (to make up for no income taxes). I have the highest possible deductible on my insurances, and they are low--I forget what, but way lower than $10,000, so I don't know how MMM does that. My wastewater fee is part of my water bill, so it's included in with utilities. We installed an exhaust fan in the bathroom, got rid of as much mildew as possible and repainted. Mildew is still gone. Woo!
Miscellaneous: 25.61 social things (mostly movies) + 24.86 clothing + 6.06 supplies + 6.98 tools + 0.58 decorations + 12.28 media (books, DVDs, CDs) + 5.62 other short-term fun + 78.27 vacations + 5.97 electronics + 165.55 other long-term fun = 331.78 x 12 = $3981.36. No bike stuff, no bank fees, no magazines. I spent more than usual in clothing this year for some reason. Vacations this year were a weekend trip to Waco (100 miles away) and a week long trip to New Orleans (a one-day drive). Other long-term fun was Spanish I and Spanish II for two people.
Utilities: 179.56 electricity/trash/water + 27.27 natural gas + 42.95 phone = 249.78 x 12 = 2997.36. My boyfriend pays for internet. Electricity is high because it's hot here. We keep it as hot as my boyfriend can stand which is 75-77. Natural gas is low because although the water heater, stove/oven, and furnace are on natural gas, it doesn't get very cold here for very long. We keep it as low as I can stand which is 60 (or a little lower for short periods). I normally spend some on a pre-pay cell phone, but I lost it and keep thinking I'll find it. I don't use the landline much and should probably get rid of it. And buy a new cell phone.
Food: 93.49 groceries (food, nutritional supplements, and toiletries) + 88.77 restaurants = 182.26 x 12 = $1287.12. Restaurant spending is over-the-top because I started paying for one outing a week when my boyfriend lost his job (normally he pays). Groceries are low because I do a lot of my own food processing and I don't eat as much as, say, MMM. My goal for groceries has been $100/month; I'm not sure how this is lower.
Cats and booze: $0. I guess I do occasionally buy vodka to make vanilla extract, but not this year.
Charity: $170.58 x 12 = $2047. Normally I get a membership to public TV and radio and the local wildflower center + contribute 10% of my net income to charities that fight poverty, pain, abuse, and earth damage.
Total: 19,529.92. (To be continued.)
(My comment was too long. Here's the rest:
ReplyDeleteLet me look up my insurance. I pay $32.40 for dental insurance. And my health insurance costs $527.40 but my employer pays for half ($263.70) so my cost is $263.70. I also paid a little for long-term disability insurance during the first half of the year. No vision insurance. So that adds up to $296.10 x 12 = 3553.20. I wasn't sure if I was going to get additional work; since I didn't, my insurance was officially not affordable and so I think I could have gotten Obamacare and it would have been a better deal for me.
Real total: $23,083.12
I think the only thing I have you beat on is food, but maybe not because it's just for me. Next year I'll have you beat on health insurance because I'll be retired from a place that gives me free insurance.
Gotta say your grocery bill is totally impressive - seriously, that's below foodstamp levels! Of course eating out more probably helps a bit. I think the thing that blows my budget is all of the organic produce - seriously, I'll spend $10 on a bag of peaches without batting an eye. Perhaps I should look at it as an investment in health!
DeleteI'm also totally impressed by the amount you give to charity. I try to support small local organizations that can really use the help - in fact I was just about to write a check to the Alley Cat Allies - but I fear my "goodness" is not quite as boundless as yours!
When I'm retired (with a higher net income), I will be switching over to more politely grown foods and to slipping more produce into my cooking. (Currently I am a bit polite; shade-grown chocolate, organic grape juice and strawberries, pricy hamburger. But I've recently decided I need to do more.) I don't yet know how much that will cost me. I suspect my costs might double. Or more. We'll see.
DeleteI slowly grew into that 10% charitable contribution rate over time. Part of me wants to hog all my money for myself. Part of me knows it's not really fair that I have all this money compared to other people who do not have my advantages. This is my compromise.
Although the government won't give you a tax break, choosing organic produce helps mother earth, the farm workers, probably the bees, and probably future humanity that relies on their plant foods having seeds (and bees to pollinate), and that's a lot of goodness!
Wait... you're gonna have a HIGHER income once you retire? How does that work?
DeleteI don't eat entirely organic, but I did start buying about half of my produce and all of my meat organic. But I like your idea that this contributes to the general "goodness" - I always like to find the old "win-win" situation where what's good for me is good for others too!
How that works is that I had a job where I finally worked my way up to making more than first year teachers. But I was given way too much work to do, some of which was impossible, and this was leading to stress and then sanity and even health problems so I quit! I scraped together some temporary jobs and then got a permanent job but for only 30 hours a week at a lower hourly pay. And now I have enough service to qualify for the pension.
DeleteThe pension is based on the average of my five highest salaries (from the past)--it's actually about the same gross as my current salary, but part-timers have to pay for half their health insurance and pensioners pay nothing. Also, I no longer will be making contributions to the pension because the money's coming from the pension. So that's how.
Gosh, I didn't know pensions still existed! I've never actually known someone who got one. That's fabulous! I'm so happy for you!
DeleteThanks! State and Federal governments still have them. Mine even seems to be doing well financially, though it's partly because the new people aren't getting as good a deal. I do feel bad about that, but it's not up to me.
DeleteYour breakdown is so impressive, and I think you do a really good job of managing expenses. Do you use a program to track spending, or just do a really good job of keeping track of where each dollar goes? You've inspired me, not only to do a better job of tracking but to take another look at some of my expenses that seem excessively high compared to yours. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI put everything on plastic so it's easy to see where it all went. Some people are better with cash, but for me cash is sorta like Monopoly money - it just tends to disappear. If I have to look at it on the monthly bill it really keeps me honest. So I just printed out the year end summaries for my various cards, and those along with my bank statements (and Amazon purchase history) told me pretty much the whole story.
DeleteWow - so seeing both your spending and MMM's has me feeling rather disappointed and astonished that you can keep expenses so low. I did a quick-ish total spending calculation using my total credit card and check spending and it is eye opening (I rarely use cash). My vet bills alone were more than your total cat spending due to two elderly cats, one with heart disease and one with kidney disease (while both are heartbreaking, heart disease was amazingly costly). So that hurt. We also eat out quite a bit, which I'd like to try and do better on this year. But I really enjoy eating out and dislike cooking so, it's a struggle. My property taxes are outrageous, $2800 for a 750 sq ft house in one of the metro's cheapest areas as opposed to the much pricier suburbs (and we DO have income tax!). About the only place I come in lower is house insurance which increased this year to $560. My utilities for a little house also feel outrageous -- $2150/ gas and electric alone. But it really doesn't feel like we use it wastefully so I'm not sure how much can be saved there. I still save a good bit of my salary, but there's always room for improvement!
ReplyDeleteYou've given me some good food for thought, Cat, thanks for sharing!
Yikes! Those property taxes do sound outrageous. I'm not sure why ours are so low, but every time this topic comes up I'm astonished how much other folks have to pay.
DeleteAnd for some reason it's consoling to hear that I'm not the only person with ridiculous vet bills. But really - there's just not much you can do about it. When Sputty was sick, his medication alone cost $100/month.
Eating out used to be a huge problem for me too - I think it's hard when you're working full time because you want to eat something good, but who has time to cook when you get home exhausted? I finally came to the conclusion that I needed to loosen my grip on what "counted" as cooking - this meant allowing myself to buy some pre-made stuff and treats at the grocery store instead of trying to be super frugal all the time. I just realized that it would cost a lot less to bring home the occasional rotisserie chicken or package of smoked lox than beating a path to the neighborhood Chinese joint.
Of course, that was all before food allergies. These days going out to eat is sort of like: OK - which of these items has the least chance of sending me to the emergency room! It's good for the budget, but not something I'd wish on anyone!
Even with your kitty health care costs, your expenses are really low! We do what we must for our kitties - when I was unemployed, I cut expenses to the bone, but still managed my kitty's meds and tests. I wish I could figure out an annual average of kitty health care so I can estimate how much to save in my FI stash.
ReplyDeleteI paid off my mortgage last year, and decided to indulge in some wants before I got back into frugal mode - I really don't want to know how much I've frittered away, but I should calculate my 2014 expense because I suspect it will be horrible to see, and the shame will compel me to cut way back on the frittering. I look in my closet now and think - OMG what have I done. The MMM family seems to live large on their budget - intentional spending for sure. They don't fritter away their money on stuff they don't care about.
I have been able to find any magazine I want through Denver Public Library. You can access Zinio (they provide digital versions of any magazine) for free through the library.
Zinio sounds fascinating! So can you access it for free online with a library card number, or do you actually have to go to the library?
DeleteI think you hit the personal finance nail on the head with this statement: "They don't fritter away their money on stuff they don't care about." I really think that identifying what we really care about is the first and most important step - because once you do that it's pretty easy not to spend on stuff you know won't bring you joy.
We have Zino at our library and all you have to have is a library card and an electronic device to download it to. You do not have to be in the library.
DeleteHmmmm... research is clearly in order here!
DeleteI think you do very well with your budget, especially with your kitties being so sick this year. We have been lucky with ours, they are young and in good health so the only expense for vet bills is around $350 for their yearly checkup and shots.
ReplyDeleteI have to confess I don't know our actual budget as my husband does it all, but I think we are probably on the lower end compared to the "normal"
Our car expenses are a lot more than yours because in Canada the gas prices are double, we average around $15/ week for gas.
Health fees are only for vitamins and OTC again with the prices ours are probably about $500, but adding in the dental fees and eyeglasses last year another $300.
Your property taxes of $695 are amazing, we pay $2400, that includes all the garbage fees, recycling/yard waste pick up, but still a lot of money
Our food is around $150/week, that includes the cats supplies and there are two of us, we don't eat out nor do we buy alcohol
Our utilities are about the same gas/electric/water $2400. Phone/internet $800, we don't have a cell phone.
Misc.....we spend a lot on our sons, we are trying to help them pay off their mortgage.
My entertainment is my knitting and sewing and that covers some of our clothes and gifts, but I really don't want to know how much I spend in those areas, my head is in the sand when it comes to my fabric stash. My other entertainment is the kitties.
So I feel pretty good about our spending habits, I think it averages out rather frugal
Marieann
Awwww... how wonderful that you're helping your sons pay off their mortgages - that's a true gift. It sounds like all of your expenses are quite reasonable.
DeleteIt totally kills me that our garbage collection is free, but if you want your stuff to be composted rather than put in the landfill, they charge you... it's crazy! But I think maybe it's because Colorado has this crazy thing called "Tax Payers Bill of Rights" or Tabor for short, which says that you can't raise any taxes without a vote, and also requires some taxes to be refunded if tax revenues grow faster than population and inflation. It really hamstrings the services the government can provide, and means there are fees for things that would otherwise be covered by tax revenue. So while low taxes are nice, overall I'm not sure it's such a good thing.
We must be doing something horribly wrong...our property taxes alone are over 4,600./yr! (Los Angeles area), health insur. is $831/mo. for 3 people (yes per MONTH), auto insur. is $390/6 mo., and on and on. And believe me, I shop around for better insurance rates every year. Thank goodness hubby is only 5 min. away from work so there are basically no commuting costs, and our mortgage will be paid off in about 6 months. We have no other debt besides the mortgage, and haven't since we've embraced a more frugal lifestyle since 2005 (thank goodness, better late than never). You and MMM are beyond inspirational.
ReplyDeleteWell, if you want to lower your property taxes, my advice is: Move to the Barrio! Seriously, Denver has low property taxes to begin with, but my house is under 900 square feet in one of Denver's poorest neighborhoods - and it's value is less than most of the surrounding houses, so I'm sure that's partly why it's so low.
DeleteAnd my health insurance used to cost about $300/month just for me - for a plan with a $2500 deductible. I am soooo grateful for Obamacare, because it really helped me out.
Anyhow, I think living a very frugal lifestyle is easier when you're surrounded by other people who live the same way. Most of my friends are artists and musicians - highly educated and completely broke, so "keeping up with the Joneses" is less of an issue for me than for most people.
OK... so I asked some friends who live in a different section of town how much they pay for property taxes. Their house is about 1200 square feet on a tiny lot, but in a nicer neighborhood - it's probably valued at about 2-3 times what mine is, and they paid $1700 last year for property taxes. So, I think my barrio theory holds up!
DeleteHmmm... I beat you in every category.... and I mean I paid more, WAY MORE, in every category. And we're considered very frugal for our neck of the woods (it's very pretentious around here). OK, I'm ready to learn. How did you only spend $123 on clothes? Do you think being able to work from home saves a ton of money in many categories?
ReplyDeleteThat's actually way more than I would usually spend - I splurged on a new pair of "nice" Birkenstocks (which I actually haven't worn yet.) Of course, I did put bike shorts in the bike category rather than clothing - but I think that $123 did include a pair of regular shorts purchased for wearing on my errand bike and a pair of used mountain bike shoes - both purchased at the thrift store.
DeleteBasically, I don't buy anything new except for shoes, socks, underwear & the occasional piece of bike clothing. Everything else comes from the thrift store. Working from home is part of it, but I shun fashion in general so there really isn't much need to buy new things very often. I'll buy a new-to-me pair of jeans every few years when one of my current crop goes out in the knees (and gets converted to shorts). Plus, I mend stuff. If I'm ever feeling like playing dress-up I just put a wanted post for clothes my size on Freecycle and usually end up with so much that I have numerous bags of surplus to get rid of.
Very interesting! I like seeing how much other people spend on stuff and comparing it to my own spending. I think you're doing really well - very low total! I should write a blog post about my spending too (haven't been feeling too motivated to blog recently) . . we'll see.
ReplyDeleteA couple of things though . . I don't spend quite as much as you on my cats - closer to $1500 with three now, but they're all healthy (for the moment) and I know that makes a huge difference. Your car insurance is about what we pay ($1000/year for 2 cars) but we drive way more than you, so you might be able to get a discount there. We also get a discount for paying upfront rather than month by month - you could ask if your company offers one?
I track my electricity and gas usage by units, not cost. My electricity company can raise or lower their prices within a certain margin, so there are months where we use less than the previous month and still pay more, so I've given up trying to beat our last bill and just focus on the kWh. Regardless, it averages about $60 a month on electricity and $30 on gas, about $1100 a year.
Mr. G and I eat pretty well - probably close to 50/50 organic vs. conventional - and we go out once a month for dinner (or we'll skip the restaurant and do 2 nights of takeout). It runs about $350 a month. Plus $30 or so a month for a case of beer (all consumed by Mr. G, haha).
I can only take MMM in small doses - it's like he writes to purposefully irritate people and it comes off as too arrogant for my taste.
Yup, car insurance seems like I should be able to save some there - and I don't know why my grocery bills are soooo high, but produce is probably the biggest expense there - so perhaps I should consider it an investment in my health. And if I remember correctly, you're one of those crazy polar bear types who keeps the thermometer in the 50's! No wonder your utilities are so low! :-)
DeleteI've only been following MMM for a few months and have mixed feelings about it. People seem to worship him and it does seem like he cultivates the whole "guru" persona - which does annoy me a tad bit. But given the fact that so many people think what he's saying is revolutionary I guess there's a need for his message.
He can be quite obnoxious and he tends to make some assumptions like that everyone is healthy, but he really goes into detail on some serious frugality ideas, so it's generally not the same-old, same-old. I like reading his stuff, but then I tend to imagine some of the things in cartoon mode. (I had to do the same thing to get through Don Quixote.)
DeleteHa! I love the idea of "cartoon mode." In general I've found his stuff interesting, though he does make some assumptions that annoy me (like the idea that everybody who works full time brings home a salary in excess of $100K/year and is a complete and total spendthrift) but I suppose we can all fall victim to the whole "everybody's life's challenges look just like mine" trap.
DeleteI am impressed! You've given me new inspiration to keep tightening the budget.
ReplyDeleteWow... I actually inspired someone! Actually I think the sad truth is that I'm just very lazy and would rather do just about ANYTHING else but shop!
DeleteYour heat and electric is very low considering your climate I'm impressed. I will have to wait till I've been here a year to see where mine ends up totaling. Now your cat food costs blow me away. That's more than I spend on food for my house (myself and the kids when they are here). But when you look at it from the point of view that your cats are your children I'd say they are much cheaper to have than children. :-) And look at your bottom line, even with the spending on your cats you still spent way less than the average person does.
ReplyDeleteYup... it's a pretty horrifying number for the cat food, ain't it? Of course I should point out that there are at least 10 cases (probably more) of cat food in the basement at the moment, so I may see some savings over the next year, although I'm sure a bunch of it will end up being donated to charity. Sigh.
DeleteCats are notoriously picky and when they're sick the stakes get higher when it comes to making sure they eat. I'm hopeful that we've hit upon a formula that's working for Princess at the moment, but I'm under no illusion that it will hold. Unfortunately when it comes to prescription and specialty food, often the only option is to order an entire case - then if it turns out that they won't eat it, well... you're sorta stuck. But there are plenty of hungry kitties out there in the world who will be happy to have it, so I can see some trips to the food bank and the Alley Cat Allies in my future!
Thanks to you and MMM, I've raised my homeowner's insurance deductible from 1% ($1297) to my company's maximum, 5% ($6485). This fits better with my philosophy to insure only those things that would break me if I were uninsured. This brings my annual cost for my current policy down from $1293 to $813, the same as you pay. I think you have a lower deductible but Texas has high insurance rates. (Even though I'm just south of the scary tornado alley and just west of the scary hurricane area, mold is a problem. Plus I think insurance companies lump everyone from the same state together in some ways.)
ReplyDeleteEven if a big, expensive thing happens to me soon, making me wish I'd put off this move, I still thank you for alerting me of this possibility. I've decided to make a separate self-insurance fund and funnel some (or all?) of the savings into that.
It is a little disturbing that the pay-back period is almost 11 years, but I feel pretty confident that (on average) self-insurance is cheaper because you're not having to cover as much in employee salaries and profits.
I'll be re-evaluating my dental insurance similarly (probably I should just self-insure all of that).
Interesting... I'm actually happy with my relatively low deductible since I've had several BIG claims on my homeowner's policy due to major hailstorms. I'm pretty sure I've come out ahead, so I'm not sure why my premiums are still so low. Well, now that I think about it, I did get a $300 discount for upgrading my roof to a "hail resistant" one last time I had it replaced - so that may be part of why my premiums are low.
DeleteI'll be curious to hear what you do with your dental insurance - I've never had it so I have no clue what's standard there.
I've decided to keep my dental insurance. My cleanings are costing almost $100 each and they keep making me get three per year instead of two like everyone else. And my insurance is paying for all three now (they used to only pay for two). And my dental insurance costs barely over $300 per year, so even if nothing bad happens I almost come out even.
DeleteAll dental insurance is different though--some pays for almost nothing; mine is definitely above average.
In other news, I added earthquake insurance to my homeowner's insurance and it cost only $3 or $4 per month. (It's hard to tell, but anyway, it's cheap.) Of course Texas doesn't get earthquakes. But then neither does Oklahoma--until recently. An ex-boyfriend of mine learned in one of his classes back in the 1980s that people had tried "deep well injection" as a way to get rid of hazardous waste, but this lead to an increase in earthquakes, so they had to stop. Fracking sounds like the same kind of thing and has also been associated with earthquakes, but this is modern times so fracking continues anyway. And my state is just the kind of state to allow fracking anywhere anytime. So I got insurance.
You get three dental cleanings a year?!? I'm really impressed. I figure I'm doing good if I can drag myself to the dentist once very 2-3 years!
DeleteThe earthquake thing is very interesting. I remember when I was a kid there were a rash of earthquakes here in Denver and I believe it was connected to hazardous waste being injected into the ground. The naivete of people to think that we can do all of these crazy things without having some effect on our environment is sorta mind boggling, isn't it? I think your earthquake insurance is probably a very good move!
Really awesome work here. You have spending dialed down across the board.
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