Help create a budget for me (Prospect: for rent, how much, home)

[texags02]

Originally Posted by Rudbeckia

He is not "turning his nose up", he is just merely stating that he does not believe he will be sitting at home at night cutting out coupons deciding on whether he can eat or rent a move on 125,000k a year.

Sorry, but I had to laugh. That's just funny. And true. No disrespect intended, Alice-sincerely.

[cjma79]

Here use this excel,
Only input under B column and the C column and total will change automatically

[cjma79]

Sorry here....
http://www.city-data.com/forum/attac...living-nyc.zip

[texags02]

Thanks, cjma.

[Henna]

Agreed. I can't even believe someone suggested he will be "cutting coupons" unless it was a euphemism for having to be a little bit careful with his choices. He's making PLENTY of money, but not the kind that allows for $1,000 dinners every night. But I think he already knows that.

[Viralmd]

You did omit a MAJOR item in your budget: HEALTH INSURANCE....
That's going to put a dent in your take-home dollar amount.

[texags02]

Originally Posted by Henna

He's making PLENTY of money, but not the kind that allows for $1,000 dinners every night. But I think he already knows that.

Of course I know that. Who the heck makes that kind of money anyway? Well, I'm sure some might, but not me. I grew up in a pretty tight household (single mother with 4 kids), so believe me when I say that I'm pretty tight with my wallet.

[Ace Rock]

Don't forget to budget for "six-figure syndrome":

1. Long hours and lack of free time leads to taking cabs instead of the subway, takeout dinners instead of home cooked, laundry service instead of doing it yourself.

2. Long hours and lack of free time also leads to "reward buying". You'll justify your hard work by spending lots of cash on yourself to reward yourself.

3. Peer pressure. The people you work with will have as much or more money than you. They'll have flashy toys, fancy clothes, nice vacations. You'll succumb.

4. Lifestyle upgrades. All of the sudden, that 1 bedroom in the wasteland of LIC doesn't seem nice and the little miss will want a 2 bedroom in the Village. Taco Bell doesn't taste as nice as Le Bernardin. And so on.

Originally Posted by texags02

So here's the deal. I'm moving to the City in mid-August, and think I've found the place I'd like to live to start (in Long Island City). The choice has to do with commute time, rent, them allowing me to bring my dog, etc. Not being from New York City, it's hard for me to know what kind of jack I'll be spending on groceries, etc. My fiancee and I will both be moving there, and will be sharing a 1 bedroom apt. On a salary of $125,000 (hers is $85k), I need to play around with the budget and see what I've got to work with. So here goes:

Take-home pay: $6,300 (just me)
Rent: $1300-$1500 (my portion)
Utils: $150-200 (my share)
Student loans: $1300/month (yeah...OUCH)
Food:
Entertainment:
Metrocard: $80 (? I think this is right)


Help me fill in the blanks. Feel free to add to it, as I know there's things I've l've left out, etc. Let me know if I'm being smart in terms of rent, etc. Thanks guys.

NOTE: She just bought a new car, and thus is making payments. I've heard parking there is pretty decent, so we might not have to pay for a garage spot. She'd like to hold onto the car, but it's not really a requirement. I have heard it's good to have one if you're in Long Island City. Her payments are $350/month, she's a 29 year old female with a clean record, so I have no idea what full coverage insurance will be.

[texags02]

Well Ace, I guess it's a good thing that people's salaries usually increase over time then, huh?

[Viralmd]

Texags, do you know how much your medical/dental insurance is going to be? I don't think you had that in your budget....