Do you make less than $20.10/hour? If you do, you're in trouble...

[bing]

Originally Posted by ZN6

That does seem pretty overly optimistic.

Lowest monthly payment Yaris 5dr hatchback lease for 60 months: $159/month (This is for a family of 4, and both parents better learn how to drive stick because auto is another 13 bucks per month more)
Gas for the month for entire family use: $80/month (Laughable especially with having to freight kids around and gas prices going up)
Insurance: $100/month

At least one transit pass for one parent to get to work: $91 (one-zone) $124 (Two-zone)

Without considering maintenance, parking or bridge tolls, that's pretty dire. at the most conservative it's $430 just to run at the very minimum simple budgetting.

Because being able to lease a new car is so not a luxury (even if its only a Yaris).

[bing]

Originally Posted by Tapioca

If you hope to keep yourself relevant and marketable, it's a good idea to continue to take courses, or get certificates/diplomas. The audience for this report is definitely white-collar, but even if you're not white collar, it's always a good idea to invest in learning, regardless of the form. Maybe you want to learn how to weld? Or maybe you want to take up public speaking? Or maybe you want to learn how to run a business? Or maybe, you want to learn about investing? These things cost money.

If you're poor, being able to take courses to get diplomas/certs is a luxury.

Go to the library or use the Internet = FREE

[underscore]

Originally Posted by multicartual

What the fuck crap food do you eat for $60-80 a week for 2 people?!?!?!

I want to see your average day of meals!!!

Usually we eat bagels or cereal for breakfast, lunches are leftovers + some extra veggies and such, dinners are stuff like pasta w/ various sauces (we'll use a basic sauce and jazz it up at home), chicken/beef stir fry, tacos, steak and potatoes, bbq chicken, fish with rice, burgers, chicken salads, etc etc. If you get seasonings and meat (frozen chicken, burgers, ground beef) in bulk at Costco you can save a tonne, a 30 pack of taco shells there costs the same as an 8 pack at Save On, similar deals with pretty much everything. If you get a whole beef tenderloin and use the Costco cutting guide thing you can get a pile of killer steaks that works out to ~$5-8 per steak (about an inch thick and the size of your hand) with some leftover bits for stir fry. Ground beef is less than half the price of regular stores, I get the stuff already separated into patties and freeze them, I use 2-3 to make tacos and toss one into a pasta sauce for meat sauce.

Originally Posted by Tapioca

<snip>

That's assuming a certain type of job, obviously some jobs require more expensive clothes and such but not all of them do. Unless everyone in Van is rocking a white collar job you can't really call that the average. I'm basically a tradesman from a community college that got lucky as fuck so I'm admittedly not as familiar with the white collar side of the job market. Can you even have a solid white collar job that's not paying above $20/hour? Generally people at the lower end of the wage scale tend to not work white collar jobs.

[ZN6]

Originally Posted by bing

Because being able to lease a new car is so not a luxury (even if its only a Yaris).

Someone in the thread already mentioned it, but it's the issue of buying a used car requiring more frequent maintenance or buying a new car under warranty that doesn't require replacing things like belts and pumps. I'm going on the assumption that a family on a tight budget would like some sort of peace of mind rather than have any unexpected issues of a car out of warranty.

I also hope at $20.10/hour from each parent, a family is able to afford a leased Yaris. I'm merely saying that the transportation budget of $486 is not feasible for a family on a monthly basis. Hell, if it were a need to go to extreme savings, an average family of four should just walk everywhere, because at that point any form of vehicular transportation is a luxury. Where do you draw the line?

[iEatClams]

Originally Posted by Tapioca

Rotisserie chicken is great once in a while, but wonder why Costco's chicken tastes so good? It's loaded with salt.

I think it's important to think of a "balanced" diet. If we really wanted to save money, we can all buy processed food, high in sugars, salt and preservatives, and it will save us a lot of money. Most of that stuff is also very starchy.

I'm at the age where I rarely go out for dinner anymore. We eat out about 1-3 times a week (this include lunches), and it's usually at places where the meal costs less than $40 for the couple.


I think this has become more a thread of what do people typically spend instead of what's the minimum needed to survive thread.

Hopefully users can get some value in terms of info as to how they should or should not be spending their money compared to others on the forum.

[freakshow]

Originally Posted by C5_Ryder

It doesn't make sense to buy a car cash if you can finance for less then 3 percent interest. Your better off taking the cash and investing it. I know someone financing a vw golf at 0 percent.

I hate to break it to you, but in general, if you're paying 0% interest, you're paying more up front, or more per month.

Just know that they aren't actually giving you the same car for the same cash price, but spanning over x years at 0%.

[underscore]

Originally Posted by ZN6

Someone in the thread already mentioned it, but it's the issue of buying a used car requiring more frequent maintenance or buying a new car under warranty that doesn't require replacing things like belts and pumps. I'm going on the assumption that a family on a tight budget would like some sort of peace of mind rather than have any unexpected issues of a car out of warranty.

Why does there have to be a jump from brand new to a 10+ year old car? Get a 2-3 year old off-lease vehicle for a little more than half the price of new and enjoy a car still under warranty for a fraction of the price.

[underscore]

Originally Posted by iEatClams

I think this has become more a thread of what do people typically spend instead of what's the minimum needed to survive thread.

To me this thread basically shows the article is not really about the minimum needed to survive, it's more about the minimum needed to survive if you're not really trying to be budget conscious.

[meme405]

Originally Posted by multicartual

Also when I drink I do it on an empty stomach so I get buzzed harder, faster, and cheaper!!!

Take notes everyone, who needs coupons and BS like that, when you can just save money and get drunk quicker on an empty stomach.

Originally Posted by sdubfid

Cook on weekends. I pre-make meals for 14 days on the weekend.

You could save approx. $4700/year. Considering income tax rates you would need to earn approx. $6000-7000 before tax.

I know you mean well, and this honestly is a great strategy for saving a bit of cash, but there are a few flaws (NOTE:This is not directed specifically at you, but I will address you directly). Instead of filling your free time with ways of saving money, why don't you fill them with methods of making more money?

I can't believe the number of people who take off from work early, or take extra days off, but then they come up to me and start spewing off about how big of a waste of money it is when I go out for lunch every day.

My response is always the same: instead of spending an entire Saturday or Sunday making meals for two weeks I could easily go into work for the day and make enough money for me to buy myself lunch for the week. I also furthur my career greatly and my boss is never upset at my production.

This is not strictly related to food, it relates to everything in life. People seem to have this false idea that uber successful people are always busy, they are always rushing from place to place doing things. So less successful people fill their time with non-sense like laundry, and making meals, and that type of stuff to make themselves feel busy and therefore think they are successful. The truth is filling your time with these types of tasks is hurting your career and growth wise.

Being successful has nothing to do with being busy or not, it has to do with being efficient and understanding how your time is best spent. YOUR TIME IS WORTH MONEY, that's not just some cliche bullshit, its the damn truth.

And don't think for a minute that this goes completely out the window if you are a salary employee, working hard, is an investment in your future, it makes the difference between one day being the boss, and being pigeonholed in some corner to do menial tasks.

TL;DR - People need to work smarter, AND harder.

Spoiler!

And yes I pay someone to do my laundry and havnt made my own lunch in two years.

Also I work 80 hours a week, and out of any given pay period, I will have worked atleast 13 out of the 14 days.

I understand this lifestyle doesn't work for everyone, but for a lot of the members on here you are in the age range where you should be setting up for your future, and you should be willing to work and work HARD.

[westopher]

I always make the same argument for people who commute to "save money." You are paying money to go to work, and wasting your time that is worth XX.00 amount per hour. Lets base it on someone who makes 20.10 an hour like the article says. If you lived 1/2 hour away from work thats 30.30 per day theoretically + what you spend on gas @ 10-15.00. Lets say thats 40 bucks a day, 20 days a month and you are @ $800 of wasted theoretical income. Pay the extra for rent, work more, and enjoy living in a better place. Time IS money. And as you said as well for those that are salary. Spend more time at work, hammer shit out of the park, and you will be rewarded for it. It takes a lot of time sometimes, but hard work is noticed.

[multicartual]

My breakfast today was a bag of kettle chips and 3 PBR after bong rips, that's like a $10 meal

This love ball wasn't cheap either, but I'd like, die, if I didn't buy it

http://imgur.com/N8yMmTT

[IfUCare]

Maybe i've missed out on a lot of the arguments so far and i apologize if i'm repeating points. How hard is it to live within your pay cheque? Can't afford to have kids? don't have have kids. Can't afford a place to live? Then get a housemate and split the cost. These are all personal choice people make or don't make. There's always a cheaper solution. meme405 i totally agree with everything you say, but not everyone values the same thing. I refuse to work 80 hour weeks. Am i lazy, probably? I also value the time i spend with my family a lot more. My parents are getting older, they're health isn't there. Can i afford to get cleaners to do the house work? Probably? However i prefer spending time with my whole family. Cooking individualized meals for them whenever i can, helping them out around the house whenever it's needed. This makes me feel good, now i don't have as much time for as much work. So i decrease my spending to meet that. I don't sit at home and do nothing and complain i have nothing. Not everyone is capable of doing what you're doing. Not everyone is capable of putting their career in front of everything. However, i respect you for being able to do so.

TL;DR Find the life style you like and find a career to match it. Don't try to keep up with the Jones.

[underscore]

^ Agreed. I would hate my life if I worked 80 hr weeks.

[Tapioca]

Originally Posted by westopher

I always make the same argument for people who commute to "save money." You are paying money to go to work, and wasting your time that is worth XX.00 amount per hour. Lets base it on someone who makes 20.10 an hour like the article says. If you lived 1/2 hour away from work thats 30.30 per day theoretically + what you spend on gas @ 10-15.00. Lets say thats 40 bucks a day, 20 days a month and you are @ $800 of wasted theoretical income. Pay the extra for rent, work more, and enjoy living in a better place. Time IS money. And as you said as well for those that are salary. Spend more time at work, hammer shit out of the park, and you will be rewarded for it. It takes a lot of time sometimes, but hard work is noticed.

The law of diminishing returns still applies. I think $40-50/hour is what most people would be satisfied with, even in a city like Vancouver. After that, you're either very good at what you do, or you sacrifice something along the way to make more - whether that's your relationships with family/friends, or your health.

[freakshow]

I agree with most of what westopher said, and the other arguments about family time.

The other caveat would be that most people don't have a job where they can just work extra hours as they please. In some cases, you're already looking for as many hours as you can get, and still get < 40 hours. And depending on the type of scheduling your work does, you would have to find a second job that is perfectly matched to make it work..

[StylinRed]

Originally Posted by rsx

There's tons of cheap food out there so long as you don't eat out.

Hell, I used to buy rotisserie chicken and eat that for 2-3 days.
1st day you eat the best parts
2nd day you strip off the meat and make a sandwich
3rd day, the remaining meat and boil the chicken bones and you make chicken soup. All you need is some daikon, green onions, salt and pepper.
That's pretty much $15 in total for 3 meals.

If you really want to save money, don't be a yaletown baller.

3 meals a day for 7 days = $105 a week = $420 a month for you alone
not including beveragess/veggies/fruits/bread if any

and a partner to your diet thats 840 now add a kid $

[meme405]

Originally Posted by IfUCare

So i decrease my spending to meet that. I don't sit at home and do nothing and complain i have nothing.

This.

I was more targeting those that complain about not having enough money and such. Many people are absolutely fine living within their means, and are comfortable doing so. Nothing wrong with that.

Like I said I completely understand having other priorities and such, especially family.

I by no means am saying everyone should work 80 hours a week.

My point was more so, if you are trying to save as much money as possible, you should focus your attention further on making more money rather than reducing your expenses by clipping coupons and shit.

[Spoon]

Originally Posted by bing

If you're poor, being able to take courses to get diplomas/certs is a luxury.

Go to the library or use the Internet = FREE

For simple things like learning Microsoft Office, sure. But most jobs out there require you to have certification to just get in the door. Telling your employer that you studied in the library isn't gonna cut it.

[Mr.HappySilp]

Originally Posted by sdubfid

Cook on weekends. I pre-make meals for 14 days on the weekend.

You could save approx. $4700/year. Considering income tax rates you would need to earn approx. $6000-7000 before tax.

My co worker use to that too! He would pack each meal in seperate box and put them in the fridge. It sucks and boring but is cheap since he can buy food in bulk. Also he would go to the states go get gas and costco which is cheaper than buying here in Vancouver.

[Ludepower]

no thanks to meal prepping. food taste and look bland.
I take left over dinner to work for lunch.

[MindBomber]

LOL at the posts by clueless RS'ers that will live with their parents into their thirties.

[multicartual]

Originally Posted by MindBomber

LOL at the posts by clueless RS'ers that will live with their parents into their thirties.

Playing it safe?

[sdubfid]

Originally Posted by meme405

I know you mean well, and this honestly is a great strategy for saving a bit of cash, but there are a few flaws (NOTE:This is not directed specifically at you, but I will address you directly). Instead of filling your free time with ways of saving money, why don't you fill them with methods of making more money?

I do this is because my work shift is 14 days straight, gone for 14-15hours a day. Pre-making my own meals allows me to have time to workout everyday instead of cooking, it's not a money issue for me. I am not near civilization to buy food. Even if I were it wouldn't make sense to buy meals. I would have to get 3 meals a day in less than 4min and 30 seconds each to equal my bulk meal prep time.

I can't understand how people think it's their employers fault or the governments fault for their own life decisions. It's much easier to make two kids than to work 2 jobs and go to school or start your own business. There is no difference between having two kids or buying a GTR. They are both luxuries. This is Canada where there are endless opportunities available. Many of the most successful people I know grew up in poverty overseas and came here with the clothes on their back not knowing any English. They didn't blame anyone or ask for handouts, instead they sucked it up/assimilated and put in hard work.

[multicartual]

Ballin' on a budget


30k millionaire club REPRESENT!!!

[rsx]

Originally Posted by StylinRed

3 meals a day for 7 days = $105 a week = $420 a month for you alone
not including beveragess/veggies/fruits/bread if any

and a partner to your diet thats 840 now add a kid $

I was just showing an example of buying a rotiserrie chicken and getting multiple uses out of it. And the $15 is a very rounded up number. I think chickens are around 8.99.