If you earned $ 2000 a month what should be your % total of Bills ?

[Pitt Chick]

Originally Posted by gman6974

We live in the same country but we live in two completely different worlds .

Seriously!

My son just got married and bought a small house (900 sq ft).
Mortgage, prop tax and insurance cost them $625/month.

[Sairento]

$2000 a month after taxes (and I am assuming the TC is discussing net pay) is about $40k annually -- about the median salary. Many people raise families on much less.

I made almost exactly $2000 a month last year after taxes, and while it wasn't glorious it was manageable.

Rent - 600
Utilities - 150
Car Insurance - 60
Student Loans - 280

That leaves about 900 a month for food, gas, discretionary spending, and savings. Saving was tough, but I did manage to save a little bit.

[Rhenzanite]

Originally Posted by Pitt Chick

Seriously!

My son just got married and bought a small house (900 sq ft).
Mortgage, prop tax and insurance cost them $625/month.

My rent is twice that for about the same size house. No utilities included and I had to pay nearly $1000 extra for my security deposit for my dogs. Bah. Sometimes I think it's not worth it to live here... but on the flip side I love it here. Unfortunately, so does everyone else which jacks up housing prices. My county was the #3 most expensive place to live right behind San Francisco and NYC...and I can bet most people haven't even heard of it.

[charolastra00]

Originally Posted by gman6974

I live in Eastern, NC and my one bedroom apt is $405 a month. The walls had fresh paint, the floor had brand new carpet and also had a brand new oven/stove.

And I thought I did really well getting a room in a 3 bedroom apartment with a 20 year old kitchen! Only $600 a month in the suburbs of Boston, plus $100-$150 a month in utilities. And I really do mean "only". They aren't even charging me one of the ludicrous $30-50 a month surcharges for my cat that seem so common in Massachusetts.

I've seen even room-shares (as in 2 people to a room) go for $800+ in the city. A studio in the working class suburb I will be living and working in is at LEAST $800- and that's for the cheap, never renovated, original 1960s kitchen. Then you're on your own trying to pay for oil heat for $200+ a month through the winter. If you want a one bedroom, you're looking at $1100 bare minimum.

On the plus side, a car is a want rather than a need for many people in higher-rent areas of the country. I'm saving myself $400 or so a month in car payments, gas, and insurance simply by walking or getting a bus pass. I will eventually get a car, but that will be solely a luxury and convenience purchase. Most of my friends who live a little closer to Boston and pay a little more in rent would find a car more of an inconvenience even.

Yes, you can live cheaply in some parts of the country, but the job opportunities aren't always there- particularly if you are trying to relocate. The transportation factor is a big issue as well.

[WannaliveinGreenville]

Originally Posted by GregW

Rent at $500? $500 a week, maybe. $500 a month - no place. Even the cheap places, three deck city apartments, around here rent for $900 to $1200 a month. If you are stuck with a $24,000 a year job move in with somebody with a better job and combine your incomes.

I looked at teaching as a profession four decades ago. It looked like a ticket to near poverty then and has only gotten worse. Unfortunately it has also gotten worse for computer programmers etc and much worse for blue collar trades.

pssst....Greg....under $ 500 a month is possible if you live in the South. And the neighborhoods are safe and very very little crime. And my place is very nice !

To give you an idea. I went on Crime Reports ( I think that's the name ) and put in my town. It said : 1 stolen bicycle.

If I put in the town of _____ (big city in Florida) , it says 350 crimes reported that day .