Budgeting Anime...

[Talyn]

I'm relatively new here. I was curious if there is anyone out there like me who is stuck on a super tight budget from the significant other, parents, or whomever is delivering the restrictions? Also, how do you get around it?

Me personally, I'm on a $20 / a month budget, plus whatever I can get off ebay auctions from the non-anime section of my dvd collection and video games. This only really gets me one extra dvd if I'm lucky. However, since it is the holiday season I have been "sneaking" a title here and there into orders and such...

Please let me know, I'm not alone in this, whether it is as strict as mine or not. Also, for back story, before I met my wife, I had a much higher budget for my anime collection... I end up having to be super picky about what I get. So my top priorities right now Trinity Blood, Voltron, and Hellsing Ultimate... I've been saving my pennies big time...

[The Great Bear]

Well, Trinity Blood and Voltron are currently being broadcast (on Cartoon Network) at the moment, so you could watch those for free for the time being. So, you should probably concentrate on Hellsing, as that is unlikely (though not impossible, Encore was showing the original version not too long ago) to get a broadcast.

Otherwise, drive less? At today's prices, a few weeks worth of gasoline is probably the price of a DVD.

[Sandrylina]

Uh yeah...I'm a college student, so definitely on a very tight budget. Add that to anime competing with lots of other things, both wants/needs, my anime buying is way way down. Mostly though, I just concentrate on a series or two at a time, and at the moment have stopped myself from buying any new series until I finish the onnes I've started. And for series that don't make my small "to buy list" that I'd still like to watch, I can usually find other options such as borrowing from a friend, from the library, or when at home, using my parents online Blockbuster service.

-Sandrylina-

[christianlf]

I haven't had an imposed budget since the days where I was still getting an allowance. I've got that, "It's my money and I'll spend it how I please!" attitude. :smile:

But I have restricted myself to a very tight budget of late, and it will drop to nil in January because I'm returning to the ranks of the poor college students. It's still kinda hard to stop myself sometimes (I've ordered and canceled more than once), but I'm doing pretty well just thinking about future DDD sales where I'll be going to town. It helps that my GA membership ran out a few months ago, too.

[Dagger]

$20 a month sounds perfect for using Netflix...

Even if you prefer to own anime, you can think of it as a cheap way to preview everything you might want. Then you can splurge on box sets (which will be cheaper, anyway) for holidays and so forth. :)

[something]

Me personally, I'm on a $20 / a month budget, plus whatever I can get off ebay auctions from the non-anime section of my dvd collection and video games.
If I were you I'd stick to cheap collections: ADV Thinpaks, Media Blasters Econo Boxsets, Bandai's Anime Legends line, cheap CPM stuff.

$20/month isn't really enough to get you anywhere in a newly released show. You'd get far more for your money from those sets... and you'd get some amazing anime with it!

I also hope you buy online, where that $20 goes about as far as $35 in "real" stores. Become a regular of the Retail forum here, and soon you'll be getting so much more bang for your buck.

[something]

Otherwise, drive less? At today's prices, a few weeks worth of gasoline is probably the price of a DVD.
Heh, few weeks? More like a DVD's worth every 2.5-3 days for me :sd: Too bad all my driving is essential driving... I go NOWHERE but school or work anymore >_<

[Talyn]

Oh yeah, I watch Adult Swim every Saturday night. It's my "me time" where the wife and kids head to bed and the tv is mine free of distractions. I do have Netflix as well that's how I get my fill for most shows not on tv. I have this crazy formula and Excel spreadsheet at work, I get bored easy, that I chart the things I want , release, how much and constantly update the prices I find online. The only place I shop... Pre-order whenever possible, and make that little extra on ebay to get those extra couple bucks to cover one thing, while saving some for upcoming titles. I love shopping online, and have already discovered the joy of Deep Discount DVD thanks to this place. I intend on being a regular in the retail forum and around here anyways. Everyone is super cool around here and I haven't seen much fighting. It's nice to find a home again... It's been a long time...

Focused on Hellsing Ultimate OVA, Trinity Blood Volume 3 Ltd. Ed. and Voltron Volume 2. I've saved my money wisely. I believe in January things will change, the wife and I have kinda discussed a new idea for budgeting..

[Vicserr]

I intend on being a regular in the retail forum and around here anyways. Everyone is super cool around here and I haven't seen much fighting. It's nice to find a home again... It's been a long time...


Welcome to AOD, hope you survive the experience. ;) As long as you keep away from the DBZ remaster thread, you shouldn't see much fighting here :P

[Talyn]

I intend on being a regular in the retail forum and around here anyways. Everyone is super cool around here and I haven't seen much fighting. It's nice to find a home again... It's been a long time...


Welcome to AOD, hope you survive the experience. ;) As long as you keep away from the DBZ remaster thread, you shouldn't see much fighting here :P


lol... thanks for the advice. I have no problem staying away from the DBZ thread, that's usually a passionate discussion where ever you may go. I'll survive here, provided old friends don't track me down. They shouldn't as I got into anime after I left that community. I must say, otaku are friendlier and more fun than most of the straight up sci-fi geeks, especially ones who think all anime is hentai... Don't ask, I get into this discussion once a week. Anywho, sorry about heading off-topic... :)

[Oniko]

Well, some of the suggestions already made are good ones. Renting is one way to see shows you don't really want to pay for; borrowing from friends is another way as well. And shopping for good deals is another way to stretch your money.

Otherwise, the best thing I can suggest is actually be active with your wife when it comes to the bills and budget. Just going to her and complaining you don't get enough free money really doesn't fly with anyone who has to handle the bills exclusively. I should know, my Hubby does this from time to time when I say no to something he wants to purchase when he has no interest in the monthly budgeting and bills. It's best to find out what she budgets the money towards (and at least in my perspective, children do come first over anything else other than bills) and see what you can work out as far as an entertainment budget. Also, when you see those prices for your kids clothing etc, don't blow a gasket. That stuff is expensive, but at least personally, I would say that that pair of designer blue jeans for a teenager is a silly investment. Target sells jeans that are the exact same thing for a quarter of the price- and yes, most times those desinger jeans are made in the exact same factory as the lower cost ones.

[Talyn]

Well, some of the suggestions already made are good ones. Renting is one way to see shows you don't really want to pay for; borrowing from friends is another way as well. And shopping for good deals is another way to stretch your money.

Otherwise, the best thing I can suggest is actually be active with your wife when it comes to the bills and budget. Just going to her and complaining you don't get enough free money really doesn't fly with anyone who has to handle the bills exclusively. I should know, my Hubby does this from time to time when I say no to something he wants to purchase when he has no interest in the monthly budgeting and bills. It's best to find out what she budgets the money towards (and at least in my perspective, children do come first over anything else other than bills) and see what you can work out as far as an entertainment budget. Also, when you see those prices for your kids clothing etc, don't blow a gasket. That stuff is expensive, but at least personally, I would say that that pair of designer blue jeans for a teenager is a silly investment. Target sells jeans that are the exact same thing for a quarter of the price- and yes, most times those desinger jeans are made in the exact same factory as the lower cost ones.

Oh, I am the one paying the bills and budgeting for everything. I always make sure the little ones get everything they need, and I don't exactly go the cheap route for them. I'm by no means complaining to the wife, but she doesn't take much interest in the budget unless it affects her nails, her cravings for eating out, and her internet usage... lol

I more often than not pass on dvd's and manga to make sure she get her nails done... That's beside the point though, I just keep trying to get something a little more fair for the both of us... You'd cringe at her expense habits... I know I do...lol Atleast I try and take it all in stride and go with the flow, and when it permits I go for a little something extra for me when a great deal hits and I can make it work. It doesn't make sense to get upset over it, but I though it would make for interesting dicussions on how to budget and who else is in the same boat. :)

[something]

Oh, I am the one paying the bills and budgeting for everything. I always make sure the little ones get everything they need, and I don't exactly go the cheap route for them. I'm by no means complaining to the wife, but she doesn't take much interest in the budget unless it affects her nails, her cravings for eating out, and her internet usage... lol
Sell the kids and get your wife a job and you're SET FOR LIFE!

[Oniko]

Oh, I am the one paying the bills and budgeting for everything. I always make sure the little ones get everything they need, and I don't exactly go the cheap route for them. I'm by no means complaining to the wife, but she doesn't take much interest in the budget unless it affects her nails, her cravings for eating out, and her internet usage... lol

I more often than not pass on dvd's and manga to make sure she get her nails done... That's beside the point though, I just keep trying to get something a little more fair for the both of us... You'd cringe at her expense habits... I know I do...lol Atleast I try and take it all in stride and go with the flow, and when it permits I go for a little something extra for me when a great deal hits and I can make it work. It doesn't make sense to get upset over it, but I though it would make for interesting dicussions on how to budget and who else is in the same boat. :)

Ugg, that would drive me insane and make me cringe as well. Heh, and sorry about the mentioning of taking an interest in the budget; I'm so used to the female in the relationship handling the budget/ bills.

I pretty much go through a practice of making an entertainment budget that goes towards dvds, manga and us comics, RPG books, and the rare video game. I try to save some money for just in case as well, but that doesn't always happen like I'd prefer.

Personally, I use Right Stuf a great deal via their Studio Sales and Got Anime card almost exclusively for anime and manga I'm collecting. My Hubby's US comics I purchase through Dreamland Comics (http://www.dreamlandcomics.com/) via their subscription list- I get 35% off everything plus I sometimes get 50% off certain titles. You can have manga on your subs as well which gets you 30% off the list price.

Besides keeping an eye on the Retail forum here, I would also suggest watching over the Dvd Talk Forum's DVD Bargains Forum (http://forum.dvdtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1) They sometimes list prices not found here as well as focus on not just anime and manga.

[mighty_vespa]

How many folks have suggested renting, so far? Well, count me in as another.

At $20 a month, you can probably give NetFlix a try. I have the two 'at-a-time' plan (@ $16 or so per month) and it's just right for me. I'm too busy, after work, to watch much of anything; maybe one or two hours of TV a day. Yet, I can find the time to watch two anime DVDs across five to seven days.

Lately, renting has really helped me decide what titles to buy (Fantastic Children and Genshiken), and what to pass up on (SEED Destiny, GunXSword and Samurai 7).

Also, most of the time, the anime you really, REALLY want to see will not be within your budget. That, or you can't justify spending the money on it (a good thing!). Over the years, I've discovered that it pays to wait. The anime you want today could be tomorrow's closeout-priced, thinpack. I've saved hundreds because I waited years to pick up a series, either as used singles or as a boxset.

[Steve_the_Talking_Pie]

Right Stuf Weekly Specials and Bargain Bin has worked for me. Quite nicely. :)

[Kikaroo]

When I had little to no money a month for anime, I just stopped buying completely. Took a couple years off from collecting in fact. In some ways, I wish I could have kept buying - perhaps I wouldn't be spending like I am now! But I had other distractions at the time (namely, EQ and the guild I ran) in addition to monetary restraints (financial life is so much easier when you finally get a house :roll: ).

For me, it was easier for me to "not" buy anything at all than try to buy stuff on a thin budget. I'm somewhat obsessive and a completest though - I must have the boxes and once I start a series, I have to finish buying it. X_X Anyway...

Now though, I'm pretty lucky - my hubby and I keep separate accounts. Every month, he transfers me half of the money for the few bills we have and I take care of them when they come due (since everything was in my name before we met). Then, the rest of our pay checks we both are free to use as we see fit. For me, that means pet stuff, anime, and school stuff (random night classes, I have no goal in life)! For him, that means video games, movies, and taking me out for food. So it all works out okay and we generally don't worry about how the other spends.

I'm sure when we have kids things will change, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. :nervous:

Of course, none of that really helps you I suppose. :blush: Like mentioned above, the bin at TRSI is a good cheap place to find things.

[demonix00]

I'm not tied down by anyone but I do keep to a budget of at least £100 or if I'm not getting anything else that could go as high as £150 and that does leave me with a lot of room although it's rare for me to get any box sets but with most being cheaper then a full set of singles I'm starting to ditch most of my purchases and going for the more newer stuff and ordering the box sets when I can put them in (but I could do 2 sets a month depending on the cost and the budget)

[Talyn]

Yeah, I'm beginning to believe the initial idea of combining accounts wasn't such a hot one. It was a good idea back in the beginning, but nowadays it's rough.

I constantly roam the internet for great deals, and stick to just a couple series at a time. Currently my focus is on Trinity Blood and Voltron. Since the kids and the wife get a kick out of Voltron we pass it off, should it go over my budget like the delay for this month. With the money I get from ebay auctions (I do not part with my anime collection at all), I pick up straggling series like Avenger in the Tin (which I just got yesterday from DDD), and try and finish off series like Stellvia and Wolf's Rain. I figure at some point Desert Punk will hit a lower level for price, I love the show the 2 volumes I have, but to me I'm waiting for a sale since there were not special edition releases. I'm just glad I got to a point where I have priority series and limit myself. If I only had a little more I could try and acquire a new box or finish off series a little quicker. I desperately want to get the last 3 volumes of Stellvia from RightStuf... I think I have a little time while it's at the cheap price... *crosses fingers*

BTW, I had no idea how many people would take a gander at this thread and offer suggestions. Thank you everyone, I appreciate all the suggestions (I don't know how much I'd get for the wife, lol j/k), all the fellow budgeters I can relate to, and the votes of confidence... If anyone is interested in chatting with me in YIM, please buzz me. :)

[Chacranajxy]

Me personally, I'm on a $20 / a month budget, plus whatever I can get off ebay auctions from the non-anime section of my dvd collection and video games.
If I were you I'd stick to cheap collections: ADV Thinpaks, Media Blasters Econo Boxsets, Bandai's Anime Legends line, cheap CPM stuff.

$20/month isn't really enough to get you anywhere in a newly released show. You'd get far more for your money from those sets... and you'd get some amazing anime with it!

I also hope you buy online, where that $20 goes about as far as $35 in "real" stores. Become a regular of the Retail forum here, and soon you'll be getting so much more bang for your buck.


I agree with all of this. There's quite a few cheap collections out for fantastic shows and some of these can be had for as little as $30.

I'd also strongly recommend that you take a look at Rightstuf's specials and bargain bin in particular. They recently (well, sorta recently) threw a ton of good stuff in the bargain bin and it's all dirt cheap (we're talking like $5 per disc.) I thought it was too good to be true when I ordered all Chrono Crusade and New FOTNS for like 1/6 of what it'd cost me otherwise but... it's Rightstuf so they delivered.

[Collectonian]

For anime, I don't even do a monthly budget since I prefer box sets. I just rent from Netflix to check out series I haven't seen. The ones I like, I put on my buy list, then I budget $100-200 every six months and hit the DDD 20% sales. Its also usually when I pick up TV sets. Sometimes I'll pick up something at a RightStuf sale (like when they had those insane prices on the Gungrave set). That can be a good way to get some stuff for a pretty affordable price.

Now manga on the other hand... :blush:

[Foxfossil]

I try to buy only during the good deals. I really have not ever had a set bugdet. But my Savings got drained during that 25 for 100.00 Geneon Deal at Rightstuf. But I have to agree with all the others who say rent with Netflix they have saved me from some series I might have bought that would be collecting dust on a shelf.

[Sheena]

On $20/month, I'd also go with renting. You could keep up with maybe 1 new release but that's it so if you want to watch a bit more anime, renting sounds better.

Your budget is so tight that you can't really afford to make blind or even semi-blind purchases IMO. Renting can help you sort out stuff you want to buy/keep vs stuff you only care about watching once.

You could do one-at-a-time renting to leave you with some for the stuff you want to buy ultimately. I'd also recommend making lists of those and wait for DDD 20% sales or specials like like month special $100/20 DVD at TRSI.


That aside and without really wanting to meddle with you and your wife's budgetting, I think it could be worth giving it a review for fairness.

Husband is a computer geek so his "allowance" for personal spending counts those purchases (hardware and games outside of pure replacement of stuff that brakes). Hardware upgrades and software (aside from yearly tax ones) are hobby money. Same with his D&D hobby. It's stuff he likes, he pays for it with his allowance. Same for movies which he likes way more than I do.

Getting back to your wife and I, I'd recommend including her in the budgetting process as far as showing her the cost of some of the things she enjoys and could be considered discretionary.

I'd love to have my own nails or hair done more often or not having to cook every night after my day at work. BUT all that costs extra.

Dining out is a luxury. Friends of ours dine out 4-5 times/week compared to us taking out pizza/chinese once a week and cooking the rest of the time. Groceries + dining costs them over $500 more than us per month. I know some of this is enjoyed by the whole family but if some of those expenses are driven by mostly one person, that person should at least see the cost and consider it for setting a fair allowance for your own hobby.

Anyway, that's how we worked it out between us. I cook lunch and dinner to save money, I clip coupons and shop for deals and have a very small ebay business and I get some of it as allowance for buying more anime. Seems only fair to me but I just mentioned it as food for thought when talking about budgetting for anime.

[mighty_vespa]

But I have to agree with all the others who say rent with Netflix they have saved me from some series I might have bought that would be collecting dust on a shelf.

This reminds me of something I forgot to share earlier:

Just because a boxset or bundle is being sold for as little as $30, $18 or $8 doesn't mean I have to get it. If it's a series I feel I've done enough research on (or maybe even rented) and concluded that it wasn't something I was interested in, then I'm not going to spend a single dime on it. I don't care how cheap it is. Less than ten bucks? Still not happening. That's ten bucks I can use to buying a something I REALLY want to own instead.

I'm just not in the business of buying DVDs that I'm not itching to watch, that will take up space, collect dust or double as emergency bookends. I buy to watch, not buy just to, well, buy... if that makes any sense.*








*is there a scratching head smiley out there somewhere?

[Talyn]

Oh yeah... I thank god for two things during this time. A common ground of having Netflix, I get 1 anime, kids get 1 movie, wife gets 1 disc. The second is Dish Network, I got to burn Samurai 7 from IFC, Basilisk is next, and burning Bleach from Adult Swim. It's cheap and I get to make my own packaging.

On the wife note, I have pointed out when budgeting with her where the money is going. I only get a couple responses. "Nails are for me to spoil myself a little bit," "Scype isn't the issue, but I'm not making these phone calls to Belgium, so let's pay it and deal with next months phone bill then." "If the internet gets disconnected... (I don't think I'm gonna finish that sentence, fill in the blanks and you'll get the picture). It also doesn't help she's taking a $1,400 trip to Belgium for a week around New Years, rendering me being left alone. Nor the $400 we plunked on getting a new computer two months ago... Compare that to $130 I've spent, keeping in mind I make a little side money off ebay as well.... Yeah... it's a little one sided, but after the New Year, I'm clamping down and making us find a common ground. Until then... waiting patiently for Hellsing Ultimate SE and Voltron Volume 2 tin.... Anywho, I've talked enough about her. I'm more interested in making friends around here than complaining about the wife.

[Vicserr]

and Voltron Volume 2 tin.... Anywho, I've talked enough about her. I'm more interested in making friends around here than complaining about the wife.

Yeah, the wife can be a PITA but life goes on...

And I would recommend checking out your local Suncoast, as they seem to have gotten the Voltron DOTU 2 Tin this week (I picked mine up Tuesday - $24.99, $22.49 with backstage pass) :bignosebleed:

[Sheena]

Forgot to mention but some communities have public libraries that are starting to put anime (and especially manga) on their shelves.

Ours is getting a decent amount of anime and they don't shoot down systematically requests for purchase of new ones if those are in line with what they're willing to get. That's my Netflix-lite 5-at-a-time source. I ran out of most series they've got but I request stuff (latest one they agreed on was Kaleido Star 2 seasons). And you can't beat the price of that.

Not really a strategy for buying anime but worth a shot.

[Genesis]

I'm a college student and I have no part time job so I'm really tight on budget. So basically, I try to look for DVDs on eBay first for great deals and only buy what I really want to watch. I really haven't bought many DVDs recently... I just gotta wait until I work again during summer. :)

[Ty]

I implemented a simple "5 queue" system for controlling my purchases last year. Meaning I allow myself to be in-progress on collecting a maximum of 5 series at any given time. This usually works out to 30-45 dollars per month since the staggered releases results in alternating between buying 2 discs then 3 every other month. If I'm at my max of 5 and want something I'm now forcing myself to wait until one series completes, something I never did before.

[Talyn]

I implemented a simple "5 queue" system for controlling my purchases last year. Meaning I allow myself to be in-progress on collecting a maximum of 5 series at any given time. This usually works out to 30-45 dollars per month since the staggered releases results in alternating between buying 2 discs then 3 every other month. If I'm at my max of 5 and want something I'm now forcing myself to wait until one series completes, something I never did before.


Yeah I've found myself heading down this path myself. Back in the day, I used to have as many as 9 series in progress. Nowadays it's 2, and maybe if it can squeezed with a great deal like the geneon TRSI sale I pick up some Stellvia. Other than Trinity Blood and Voltron, I won't allow my self to start a new show until I finish one of them, and two old boxes I've had sitting since I met my wife...Stellvia and Wolf's Rain...lol I don't mind the priority cause it means the two shows I want the most I complete quicker than I used to...Just wanna get another show in the loop...

*edit* Oh I forgot to mention... the Suncoast we had went under about a year ago. It's broke my heart, cause it was my fav place to pick up snacks and ramune soda and chat for an hour with the clerk about which anime was hot that month... I used to get awesome deals because he and the manager loved me... *sigh*

[Reinhardt]

I agree with Sheena, dining out is a luxury. I used to eat out for lunch every day and out to diner 3-4 times a week, which quickly adds up. I know it is a pain, but share in making the kids and yourselves lunches and only go out to dinner on either Friday or Saturday - you will free up a significant amount of money to spend elsewhere (probably to your wife's nails and spa days, heh).

I used to be able to "throw" away money eating out and could still buy alot of anime because I didn't have any car payment. Now that I have an expensive car payment (sometimes I wish I bought a hyundai or corolla instead of a G35 ;p), I have to strictly budget anime - pre-G35 was around $200-250 a month, now it is down to around $100-125 and eventually I am aiming for about 3 discs per month (not too many series in 2007 I am interested in thank goodness).... I had a lot of catching up to do since I stopped collecting DVDs for about 4 years.

As other people suggested, try collecting complete box sets and thinpack collections instead of individual discs. Forgo spending the $20 some months so you can buy the more expensive boxsets every once in a while. Maybe between Ebay selling and eating out less you can increase the budget to $50 :). For ebay, you can try catching hot deals on fatwallet.com and reselling on ebay or sell hot items like the Nintendo Wii and Wii remotes (although the Nintendo "fanboy" in me can't condone such activity). Finally, try to only buy discs via Rightstuf studio sales/weekly specials or DDD 20% off sale so you can collect more for your buck.

[vtr9kvictor]

Well, my budgeting for anime for a month is probably fairly typical - pay rent, pay car note, pay phone/internet bill, have 100 bucks for gas and about 150 - 200 for food - the rest of my money IS FOR ANIME!!!! AND MANGA!!!! AND ART BOOKS!!!! AND SOUNDTRACKS!!!! AND FIGURES!!!!!

[Talyn]

Yeah for the last few months I had spaced on the deals and bargain bin at TRSI. After the huge Geneon sale I focused on just the two shows... In the last couple weeks since I started posting, I have learned a great deal about deals and great buys all over. This month is my biggest month of the year so far...Hellsing Ltd. Ed., Voltron Vol. 2, Trinity Blood Ltd. Ed #3... and then I get a little spending money when the wife heads to Europe for her New years party. I will not be eating out at all while she's gone so I can do a little holiday shopping for me... :) I've been living off ramen, michellina frozen entres, and canned soup for the last two weeks... I don't mind cheap lunches, it's hard for breakfast not to hit up McDonald's though... We're trying to avoid eating out, but sometimes it just isn't feasible to wait an hour and a half before eating vs. Arby's 4 for $5 deal...lol

[Ty]

Well, my budgeting for anime for a month is probably fairly typical - pay rent, pay car note, pay phone/internet bill, have 100 bucks for gas and about 150 - 200 for food - the rest of my money IS FOR ANIME!!!! AND MANGA!!!! AND ART BOOKS!!!! AND SOUNDTRACKS!!!! AND FIGURES!!!!!
What about BILLS and CAR PAYMENTS and MORTGAGES and CREDIT CARDS and LOANS and MORE BILLS and CITY SERVICES!!?? :P Heh, you've got some of those in there, but I just couldn't resist. It stinks to get old and watch all of your fun money get funneled into stuff like this. :)

[Talyn]

Well, my budgeting for anime for a month is probably fairly typical - pay rent, pay car note, pay phone/internet bill, have 100 bucks for gas and about 150 - 200 for food - the rest of my money IS FOR ANIME!!!! AND MANGA!!!! AND ART BOOKS!!!! AND SOUNDTRACKS!!!! AND FIGURES!!!!!
What about BILLS and CAR PAYMENTS and MORTGAGES and CREDIT CARDS and LOANS and MORE BILLS and CITY SERVICES!!?? :P Heh, you've got some of those in there, but I just couldn't resist. It stinks to get old and watch all of your fun money get funneled into stuff like this. :)

Oh dear god do I hear that... Mortgage, Credit Cards, phone bills, utilities, gas (don't get me started on this issue... lol), old student loans, etc... I miss my old fun budget of $250.... I feel so weak and feable, and restricted on $20 / month. Luckily I'm getting a boost come the new year, $50 a month but not a penny more... $25 a pay check, which I can work with... *whew* just need to tell the wife now...lol

[Kellory]

Is catching the bus or carpooling once or twice a week an option? Gas is a killer and even foregoing the car for a day or two can add up.

For myself, I planned ahead and got an apartment about 100 feet from work. It would be about 10 feet if I wanted to repel down the hill/cliff. Which I keep meaning to try one day. But yeah. I can walk everywhere I want to go and call it exercise. And I easily save a few hundred dollars a month in gas over my friends. It more than made up for the somewhat more expensive apartment since it is in a fairly nice area.

Even if you can only save $5.00 a week on gas that would add up to your entire monthly budget for a month. Also cutting down on the stuff like McDonalds helps a lot. I also bring my own lunch generally. Well, when I bother to eat lunch. It takes only a few minutes to make a couple of sandwhiches, drop a soda in a bag, and cut up an apple.

Even the small things can save a lot of money. Like buying soda by the case and taking it into work instead of buying it at the soda machine every day. I drink a lot of soda as I dont drink coffee. I used to buy 1 liter bottles at the store for about $1.25 a day. Now I just buy a 2 liter bottle for $1.15 and fill up two 1 liter bottles and I have twice the soda for the same price. Since I'll drink that in 2 days, it doesnt have time to go flat. And I save about $3.00 a week in soda. Even a couple of dollars a week will add up. It probably isnt going to take you to $100+ a month, but you might be able to squeeze out another $10-20. And these are mostly strictly "you" things so just because its saved money doesnt mean the wife would get it. It comes out of your budget, not her's.

[Talyn]

Kellory, you're like a budgeting genius to me... :) The wife and I carpool, since we work at the same place and my SHO only gets 27 miles to the gallon on highway driving. We live in small town about 20-25 minutes from work, and it avoids internal city driving. Except for when I pick up Rose from school at 3 Tuesday-Friday.

Breakfast is hard since I love to sleep in as much as possible. lol Sometimes I don't eat breakfast, but I'm trying to figure something out on a more regular basis. Lunches are easy for me, ramen, soup, and a variety of $1 frozen meals. I can mix it up fairly easy to not get sick of the stuff. The soda machines here are really bad so I avoid it and drink water or coffee when I need caffine. It's nasty but it works and keeps me from tanking up on caffine too bad. Thus keeping the weight down... lol We'll figure out something decent, but I'm getting my budget up after the New Year once the wife gets back from her trip. We've spent a bunch on her, ($2k in the last 3 months!!!) and I'm asking for a $30 bump...

[Ty]

27 highway is nothing to scoff at really, plus it's a SHO. :) Compared to all the guzzlers out there, and even some of the cars don't do so heat these days.

[Talyn]

27 highway is nothing to scoff at really, plus it's a SHO. :) Compared to all the guzzlers out there, and even some of the cars don't do so heat these days.


You mean to tell me, you know what I mean when I say SHO? That's awesome, I mostly get looks from non-ford people. Handmade engine, stick shift, goes like a son of a ... when you hit the gas. I love the thing but such high maintenance... It's beginning to rust again though... Anyway back to topic, it likes the premium gas and that's pricey...lol

[Ty]

27 highway is nothing to scoff at really, plus it's a SHO. :) Compared to all the guzzlers out there, and even some of the cars don't do so heat these days.


You mean to tell me, you know what I mean when I say SHO? That's awesome, I mostly get looks from non-ford people. Handmade engine, stick shift, goes like a son of a ... when you hit the gas. I love the thing but such high maintenance... It's beginning to rust again though... Anyway back to topic, it likes the premium gas and that's pricey...lol
There are a number of people here who'd pick up on it right away. I almost ended up with one and probably would still have it if that had happened. I've been flat out called a liar before for telling somebody that there once existed a Ford Taurus with a manual transmission and a Yamaha built engine. :)

[Talyn]

27 highway is nothing to scoff at really, plus it's a SHO. :) Compared to all the guzzlers out there, and even some of the cars don't do so heat these days.


You mean to tell me, you know what I mean when I say SHO? That's awesome, I mostly get looks from non-ford people. Handmade engine, stick shift, goes like a son of a ... when you hit the gas. I love the thing but such high maintenance... It's beginning to rust again though... Anyway back to topic, it likes the premium gas and that's pricey...lol
There are a number of people here who'd pick up on it right away. I almost ended up with one and probably would still have it if that had happened. I've been flat out called a liar before for telling somebody that there once existed a Ford Taurus with a manual transmission and a Yamaha built engine. :)

Really? I normally get the strange looks from people at work, until I pop the hood and show them the actual engine. It's a great car, just super high maintenance. For all I've spent on keeping the car running, I should just get a BMW M3...lol