Quote:
Originally Posted by Isaac Zackary
What an average family of 4 would spend per month with a single used car and a 2 bedroom apartment: - Average cost of 2 bedroom apt: $1,180
- Average cost of healthcare for 4 people (premiums, plus deductions, copays, etc.): $2,347
- For a single, 5 year old, Toyota Camry (payments, maintenance, repairs, insurance, fuel, etc.) at 15,000 miles per year if you keep it for 5 more years (could be cheaper if you keep it for more years or drive it fewer miles per year): $533
- Clothing: $150
- 2 Cellphones $100
- Tax: At least $503
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That might be the average, but there is certainly tons of room for improvement for the frugal.
Most people concentrate their thinking almost entirely on the income side to deal with their financial problems, and give little thought to the expense side of the equation.
I don't spend $150 on clothes for myself in a year. If you're poor, you buy your clothes at Goodwill anyhow. Heck, if you're wealthy there's no reason not to buy clothes from Goodwill. I basically get all mine via gifts. This year I asked for white undershirts for Christmas. That will last me a decade.
I've bought brand new smartphones for as little as $10, and had plans for as little as $0/mo (Freedompop). My wife has a $200 previously used Nexus phone and $20/mo Google Fi service.
Tons of ways to save on housing. When I was single I bought a 4 bedroom house and rented out 2 rooms, which covered the mortgage.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ME_Andy
I don't think the American dream is dead, either. You just have to work relatively hard and always look for opportunities to improve your situation. For example, a lot of people pay $100/mo for cell service. A tiny bit of shopping will get that down to $50/mo.
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Delayed gratification. That's probably the #1 predictor of financial success. If you can deny yourself something you want temporarily, the savings compound and greatly reward you later on.