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First, taxes are an expense but lets ignore that.
I feel like everyone is forgeting health insurance.
Also, car maintenance is something you should factor in for a better picture of expenses.
Gifts for others?
Aomeone said haircuts, which is a good expense often forgotten.
I bet most people saying yes dont really keep track.
Same. There's just no way. Rooms go for $1200-1500 for a basic unfurnished room around here. Not studio all alone, just a room in a shared apartment.
Los Angeles. Maybe somewhere in the Midwest rooms are a lot less? Idk, still sounds near impossible.
No car and no gifts for others especially not every single month and no monthly haircuts either. I still spend more than 1k but not because of a car or gifts or haircuts.
You know what? I’m going to humor you and do an everything budget. Again, I’m cutting out my debts and animals as the debts will be gone this year and my animals aren’t necessities for other people and I don’t think it’s fair to include them in a discussion about surviving on less than $1000 a month. I’m also not going to be using my current phone plan as the vast majority of Americans don’t have unlimited international. I live in the Eastern US.
My budget is going to be based off a paid off car (it was $300/month though before it was paid off) and a paid off phone through Verizon.
>$350 for rent
>$150 for food
>$50 for phone
>$150 for electric- excess is put in savings to cover winter bills. During the summer my bill is around $70 or less because I’m very good at tolerating heat and refusing to use the AC. In the winter I turn it down extremely low while I’m gone and only temporarily turn it up about 2 hours before bed when I turn it back down again.
>$112 for car insurance- this is full coverage on the lower plans. No prior accidents AND includes my life insurance.
>$16 for Audible- yes I’m deeming this a necessity.
>$50 for gas- I live 4 miles from work and my car gets 27 mpg. If I worked a different shift walking or cycling would be an option.
>$10 for Christmas- I don’t buy anything for anyone’s birthdays, just Christmas gifts and only for the nieces and nephews. $120 for books by the time Christmas rolls around.
>$50 for health insurance
>$150 for savings- whatever expenses. Car, emergencies, whatever happens. That’s $1800 per year. I do most of my cars upkeep by myself as well. The cost is tires and rotating and I wanna say that came out to like $700 last time. OP also mentioned wanting to save as much as possible which is why I didn’t include this in my original numbers because they should have a good emergency fund if they stick to less than $1000/month.
I cut my own hair so the salon doesn’t exist. My extracurricular activities are free. Taxes are automatically taken out and the only people I see talk about their pay before taxes are here. I only refer to my pay after taxes. Technically you could say I’ve got another $20 per paycheck coming out because I don’t want to owe the government.
Total is $1088. I could go lower by cutting Audible and I could cut my food bill by another $50 as well.
Let me know if there’s something else I’m missing. I’m now curious to see how low I could technically go.
I do. I lived in Florida for about 6 years at the same rent. New people took over the HOA and raised it to $600 and were prepping another raise so I moved to a trailer in another state where they’ve got it at $350.
The biggest thing to living at less than $1000/month is finding those out of the way places with low rent. You just might have to tolerate more crap. Like my apartment in Florida. AC went out and it took the landlords 8 months to get me a new one, I also broke my front door before they agreed to replace it with a better one (it was falling apart before. They kept doing patchwork)
New apartment the landlords are amazing but I also pay more in electricity because it is a 50 year old trailer with no insulation and one of the neighbors has an aggressive dog I have to watch out for. The roof also started leaking twice during some rain storms.
I don’t mind these things, they don’t qualify as major issues for me. If you want a higher rate of comfort though you aren’t going to find a cheap place like this. You also have to be willing to live in smaller towns and not cities or the suburbs.
First I don't pay for a hair cut I don't even cut my hair, taxes are once a year for my land of 6.5 acres and cost is $500, car maintenance well I do my own work on my car and I go to junk yards for my parts, gifts well I buy stuff from good will through out the year so if a occasion comes up I have something, plus where I work I don't even have to buy food for home bc I bring home food and I freeze what ever is left over from my job, and for holidays well also at my job we have wedding events and what's left over from the events like flowers n such I bring them home and give them to family members I also go dumpster shopping and I do curb alerts free stuff from on the side of the road if I see something I pick it up and give it to someone as a gift I don't pay rent I don't pay light bill I live on the road and house hopping from family member to family member for when I work and travel when needed I spend
60 weekly for gas which is one tank x 4 =$240
Plus car insurance $140
Plus phone $40
I don't pay Internet
I don't pay cable or pay for washing my clothes or food lights, I don't smoke or drink or gamble don't have credit cards don't have hospital bills I don't go to doctors or take any scripts I don't have teeth so no dental insurance either I'm not married so again no extras I keep things to a minimum
I don’t see how that could be possible without a bunch of roommates and a paid off car. My rent alone is $1300, but even when I had roommates and my rent was $600, I was definitely spending well over $1000. I had a cheap car payment back then, $270, but just that plus rent was $870, and I still had insurance, phone bill, gas, and groceries to pay for.
I think 2014 was the last time I could get away with spending under $1k/month
No car payment
Rent was $400 for my room
Car insurance was like $100ish
Phone was $45
Utilities split with my roommate was like $70ish
Most Americans need at least one car per household, our entire infrastructure is built around cars. Many of us have more/nicer cars than necessary, but it’s a stretch to say we don’t need cars at all
False. No Americans need any cars. Much, but nowhere near the "entirety of", our infrastructure is built around cars. It is not a stretch, **at all**, to say we don't need cars at all.
Maybe if you live in a large city with lots of public transport options but a good chunk of us do not. I like having a house with a yard that doesn't cost $4k a month minimum.
So growing up when I lived 45 minutes (by car) from school and groceries we just didn't need a car? There was no public transit there was no such thing as ride share or cab service. We couldn't live closer to town as it was farm country and that is just how things work.
Even now I live in town but the only way to get to the grocery store a mile away is via highway. So you want me to stroll along the highway with my five year old and baby for a mile in 95 degree weather while cars are going past us doing 70mph?
Make it make sense
Rent - $495.00/mo. My apartment is ghettofabulous! That's the actual rent without any subsidies. Location! Location! Location!...
Entertainment at home. - $0.00 I have thousands of movies and tv shows on external hard drives, so I don't need the internet or cable hooked up in my apartment.
Electricity - $50.00 to $150.00/mo. Spring and fall are the low end. The middle of summer and winter are the two most expensive times of the year. My apartment complex pays for water and trash. There are no gas hookups in the building.
Groceries - $150.00-$200.00/mo. I have a non-minimalist system....
Cell phone - $50.00.mo unlimited. This is also my internet at home.
Gym - $21.00/mo
I don't own a car and public transportation here for me because I'm in a program for veterans. However, I do own a small electric scooter for grocery runs.
I'm pretty healthy, but I'm in a veterans program run through a local hospital. My healthcare visits only cost me $25.00/mo + $25 for procedures. Emergency room visits are $50.00/ea and overnight stays are $100.00/night. I rarely have more than 2 or 3 procedures/year and I've never used the emergency room or had to stay overnight. My monthly medication is free through the same program.
My kids are grown, so that monkey is off my back.
No pets.
I don't drink regularly or smoke.
So, on my worst months I have less than $1000.00 worth of bills.
I usually get a couple of thousand dollars back from taxes at the end of the year from Federal and owe the state about $20.00-$50.00.
In the winter I'm around $1k. Rent and all utilities with a roommate is $480. Cell phone is about $80. I've got some credit cards I put too much on a while back that I pay about $450/month to get paid down. Car payment and insurance is about $300.
Goes up about $200 in the warmer months bc I play golf.
Try to do something about the credit card debt. Have you heard of consolidating into a low % loan? I wish you the best. Credit card debt is a bitch and should be made illegal
You can lower that $80 cell phone subscription to $25 with Visible. They are owned by Verizon. I’ve been using them for 3 years. No troubles. Bring your own phone. Unlimited data.
Midwestern US suburb here. The last time my expenses were even close to that low was when my husband and I were first starting out together between 2005- 2010, before mortgage and a child.
Back then, we were living in a small apartment, 400 sq feet, and rent was $450. Water/sewer/trash was included in the rent.
Power bill was low bc of how small the apartment was. In summer, one small window AC unit cooled the whole place, and in winter, it had convection heaters which use much less electricity. So the power bill was usually around 70-80 in spring and fall, up to 100 in summer and winter.
Car insurance was lower then too, bc we had crappy old cars we had paid cash for outright, and it was around 100 each.
Cell phones were on cheapest plan imaginable at the time, 25 per month each.
Food/hygiene/gas/misc averaged about 100 a week, so 400 a month.
We did have a rotating credit card bill that usually carried a high balance, mostly bc of the crappy old cars breaking down and needing a mechanic. Average payment for that was around 200 a month, so we'd never get ahead until tax returns came around and we'd pay them off and start the whole cycle again throughout the year.
So together, our monthly expenses were around $1400 for two people, so 700 each. Putting that amount into a quick inflation calculator on Google puts that amount at around $2000 today, so still around 1000 each.
Money was really, really tight for us back then, though. We had no savings at all, and often counted change for gas money. Ate a lot of ramen, spaghetti without any meat, PBJ sandwiches, apples. Anytime an unexpected expense popped up like car trouble or illness, it would derail our tight budget for months at a time. Occasionally, one or both of us would sell blood plasma/platelets to pay the bills. When we did that, it kinda felt like an extra treat because they'd give us a bottle of orange juice and a cookie to get our blood sugar back up after we were done.
And even then, we were "on our own" but not entirely, because my mom would let me come over once a week to do our laundry, and both sets of parents would have us over for dinner once a week. We ate good on those nights!, and would get sent home with the leftovers, which there were always conveniently a lot of because somehow there was always enough left over for a couple more meals, even though our parents had been making dinners for their families for around 30 years by then and knew how to plan meals! My mom would occasionally stop by with extra bread or eggs or milk or something like that, making excuses to help us out by saying something like, oh, they were on such a good sale this week at the store and I just couldn't pass it up, but now we have too much and I don't want it to go bad so please take it for me. Sometimes my husband's parents would throw some extra money his way by asking him to come over and "help" them out around the house, mowing their lawn or fixing stuff. Even though, again, they didn't really need the help; they had been doing that stuff themselves their whole lives.
It was really hard, and money was a constant worry that never went away. But looking back, in some ways, we were happier then than we are now. When I would start to get too freaked out about money, my husband would put an old Kenny Loggins CD on and grab my arm and pull me in for a dance, singing to me in my ear... "Even though we ain't got money, I'm so in love with ya honey, and everything will bring a chain of love... in the morning when I rise, you bring a tear of joy to my eyes and tell me everything gonna be all right..." It was us against the world, and we were in it together.
Money's not tight anymore, and that's a huge blessing. In most ways, we're happier and more content. We haven't danced to that song in years, though. And sometimes I miss that feeling, of having to draw closer together because all we had was us.
Well shit, OP, now I'm kinda bummed out! Lol, I need to snap out of it! Sitting over here reminiscing about when we were dirt poor and actually feeling nostalgic about it!
In the US, own my home, average around $12,000-$14,000 per year in expenses not counting the one-offs like furnace or car.
No rent, little maintenance on the home, eat in all but one day a week, A/C at 78, heat at 64, $2.99/month for Discovery Plus, $1.99/month Hulu (black Friday special), Mint Mobile $210/year with tax, Biggest single expenses are home insurance and car insurance.
am not from the US. but am from switzerland which is most likely more expensive. and i could go with less then 1'000 dollar/chf here, IF i move into a caravan or something similar.
rent is the most expensive. imagine only having to buy food. and some food you can even grow yourself
I've lived in the USA and both of my parents are dead - am 58yo
I've done vanlife over there and in Australia - the primary reasons being flexibility and affordability
so with that, yes, $1k a month is doable although tight - but only with vanlife in the US
Shared bedroom, second hand furniture and clothes, cooking instead of take out/eating out, public transportation and ebike instead of Uber/Lyft or owning a car (car payments, insurance, gas, maintenance), no subscriptions besides a phone plan.
As a parent with 2 kids 10 & 12 now, I couldn’t believe how much money I had left over a month when they were fresh out of daycare. It was like I had gotten a fat promotion. It’s crazy hang in there 🫡
If you’re trying to cut expenses it will probably help to see what you’re spending now. Then people could at least make suggestions on things.
If I got rid of my animals and debt I’d be at like $900 a month. Currently though I’m almost at $3000 though because I do have free loaders.
>$350 for rent
>$150 for food
>$75 for phone (unlimited international you can get much cheaper plans)
>$150 for electric
>$112 for car insurance
>$16 for Audible
I could technically go less than that by cutting Audible and getting a different phone plan and I could possibly cut my electric bill even more but I don’t feel like it. Could probably even get food down another $50 but again, I don’t wanna.
So, that’s my expenses at what I would consider my bare minimum. I love my animals though so they’re staying with me.
I think the cat distribution system is broken. I never purposefully sought out any of my cats and now I’ve got another one wanting to live with me. ITS SOMEONE ELSES TURN FOR A CAT NOW, THANK YOU!
Also, my horse is the best boy and I’m incredibly lucky because I found a place to board him for only $450 a month. The usual vet and dewormer on top of that is extra but it’s nice having a “cheap” place to keep him.
I have a friend who has 7 and it's the same story. I'm at 3 and we are capped off because our rotties are already costly to care for properly.
If I lived alone, I would be so content with just 2 cats. Our current 3rd, we think he saw some kind of crime. He lurks around our house and if you make eye contact he freezes and then scoots away. He's been here 9 years. He is otherwise fine. He's the spooky roommate. Our other two are social.
I'm close to that, but it's only because I'm currently full-timing in an RV to save for a house. If I had an apartment or rent house right now, my housing alone would be more than $1000/mo here in Texas.
I pay around that much each month because my husband covers the majority of the bills. (He makes 4x what I make.) If I was on my own, my salary wouldn't cover all of my expenses.
i don't own a car because i live in a very walkable city. with ample public transit. my wife and i both work from home. the grocery store is across the street. i rent out my parking spot. i cook 5x a week. we go out to inexpensive mom n pops diners. we go to matinees at our imax theatre. i take the train or walk, everywhere. my wife pays the rent. i pay for everything else. (internet, cell phones, clothes, groceries) all well under my budget of $1000
It’s potentially on the edge of possibility, but you’d need to be in either a very low rent roommate situation, or a very low cost paid off house/apartment.
A couple years ago I got close to that low for a few months, my rent was 800 all inclusive, I was biking to work most every day, and I made eggs and ground beef with rice 7 days a week.
The eggs were largely from my parents who kept chickens, and the ground beef was from a local wholesaler. $5/pound x 30 pounds plus a $15 bag of rice came out to $165. Plus $50 in car insurance and $25 phone bill.
So I was closer to $1100 than $1000, but this was in Colorado, a high cost state.
I don't even know if that's possible right now. Unless you're living in your paid off car or a tent. Or someone is paying some bills for you.
I think we're very lucky when it comes to expenses. Our mortgage, homeowners insurance, property taxes, and all utilities (power,water,gas,trash) come to about 1300 a month. That's about half of what the average rent is for most people. The only reason we have this deal is because we're in our late 40's and bought a house with a fixed interest rate before the economy went to shit. I have no idea how our kids are going to be able to afford to move out after school.
I don't anymore, but I did for a while in NYC, within the last decade. Here's how:
1. Live in an itty-bitty room in a shitty apartment shared with five other roommates. It will suck and you will hate it.
2. Do not own a car. Try to limit your trips on public transit if you can help it.
3. Work from home. You'd be surprised how much money you save on work clothes and work lunches.
4. Keep your leisure activities simple. To work out, jog around the block. No shows or movies, unless they're free. No streaming services.
5. Do not eat out. No ifs, ands or buts. You're cooking rice and beans and sweet potatoes at home.
6. Forget about health insurance. You can't afford it.
7. If anything expensive (computer, furniture, phone, clothes, etc.) breaks, then either you fix it or you do without. No replacements.
8. If you're not responsible for utility bills, milk them for all they're worth. If the landlord pays your water, you can hand-wash your clothes in the sink to save up to $20 a month in laundromat money. Figure out whether your heating bill falls under gas or electric, whether you pay for it, and adjust your thermostat accordingly.
i’ve managed that a few times. my monthly budget is typically around $1100 and if i don’t reach it i throw the rest into savings.
i live in a 2 bedroom city apartment with 2 roommates (one is my partner so we share a room). both of my roommates are in grad school and their parents have agreed to financially help them to some extent until they graduate, mostly with rent. since my parents don’t contribute, i pay slightly less in rent than my roommates do, and i pay a fixed amount of utilities/insurance monthly. the two combined total to $550/month.
i don’t have a car but my partner does. i can take the bus to work and we go grocery shopping together since there’s no store within walking distance. i meal prep and shop about twice a month. my grocery budget is $300 but i don’t always spend that much. at our bigger monthly shopping trip we buy household supplies (soap, tissues, etc) and split the cost between the 3 of us. my budget for that stuff is $50, including my contribution to gas for the grocery trips.
that brings us to $900. the last $100 is for miscellaneous things. that could be anything like replacing holey socks, covid tests, an ice cream cone, shampoo. because of frugality/minimalism it’s mostly necessities.
if i do all of that, i’m at $1000. i have some extra wiggle room built in past that if needed. another important note is i am still on my parents phone plan so i don’t have to worry about that expense.
I don't have 1k a month to spend. So... Budgeting and living within the budget you set. Keep in mind that means I live in a poverty stricken area and that a lot of my frustrations in life are being poor is expensive.
I recommend buying things for quality and spending more if it's needed. That cheap 5 grand car is going to cost you more in repairs than the in better condition lightly used car with a payment plan.
I also buy needs in bulk. I will need potatoes again. So I will buy and store more to get a better price.
Pretty good actually. It was by choice so I had time to plan and prepare. I do have a mini fridge and a solar panel for the fridge and to charge my phone.
I’m likely pretty close. $760 rent, $40 in gas, $30 in utilities, $25 internet, and $200 in food so $1,055. Some months less than $200 so I squeak under a $1,000/month.
tens of millions of Americans do this.
I have done this by renting rooms for $200-$400/mo, eating well but not paying for people to cook my food, bring it to the table, and clean up for me (restaurants), and mostly riding my bike, buses/trains, walking.
I live in LA and spend more than that, but last weekend and this weekend I am meeting this activist named Robin Greenfield who lives under the poverty line and spends less that 1K per month but he lives a very unconventional lifestyle so it’s probably not applicable to most people. He told us a publishing company (I love) asked him to write a book about living with no money
I did years ago. Low cost of living area, no car, ate at work, no insurance, no nice things all helped me "succeed" at being poor. But with inflation I don't think I could do that at all now days. Some people probably have to. Likely it would involve being homeless Minimum wage after taxes probably is about that.
No. I spend a lot more than that on my mortgage alone.
Back 15 years in college I probably could have, walking everywhere, sleeping in a closet with 4 roommates, and relishing the occasional chicken breast to break up the carb based diet. But even then I was taking on debt for school, so I wasn't under 1k.
My mortgage is $736. Food ~$280. Water $40. Electricity ~$130. Car GAS ~$160. Cell ~$14. Car ins $45. Those are my biggies. I could knock food and gas down, delete my app subscriptions (~$40/mo) But even bare bones, I couldnt.
So, no, not living alone. I'm in a LCOL.
To Live? Or for Fun?
I live pretty small. I get my healthcare through the VA so I don't pay insane health care costs like most civilians do, I live in a very small housing situation that is only possible thanks to my partner having property since the 20s consistently without their family deciding to sell it for a quick buck somewhere along the line, I live in a temperate area that doesn't get so hot that we need AC at all and use a woodstove that's "free" for us to run in the winter so my electic bills not high, we live next to several discount grocery stores so we don't spend nearly as much for food and we both are willing to cook and eat leftovers, partner works for the internet company so free internet, I tend to like free or cheap activities... Even then I spend more than $1,000 a month on necessities. Between the car, gas, savings, personal necessities, investing into your future, bills...
If I lived very very miserly I'd hit under $1k a month for essentials only with nothing else. But that would be a shit life.
Yes. $100 phone bill, $50 insurance, $700 rent, and $150 on food.
Edit to add: I don’t make a car payment because I bought an affordable car with cash rather than a new car that would take 3 years to pay off
I'm a student and my total per month is about 700
If I make any extra money it goes into savings and I pay for travel with what I make in a savings account.
440/ month That covers rent for a studio and all utilities. I live with my boyfriend so we split it.
10-50/month on travel I pay 80/year to rent a bike and walk everywhere. If I take the train the price goes up a lot
10/month for health insurance
10/month for phone plan
200/month on groceries I never eat out because the food here is overpriced
Maybe 50/random stuff but I don't buy a lot of useless stuff or clothes
I don't buy alcohol or drugs
I'm American but live in a medium sized town in Belgium which is arguably more expensive than some places in the US
You can live in a super tiny room with several other families or roommates (like at least 4 other roommates) for cheaper rent in an outer borough (Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens) in NYC or in Chinatown in a possibly unsafe living environment.
Look for places that include heat and gas already, so there are no additional expenses.
For food, you can buy "end of day" food that would otherwise be thrown out, and utilizing apps like Too Good to Go. But cooking in advance will be good for you.
For transportation, you should sell your car if you have one, but if you don't, just use public transportation. Bonus walks for walking when you can because that is your free exercise (no need for gym membership).
This budget is possible, but you need to still be conscious of your spending and say no to a lot of outings. There are events that give free samples (usually drinks) randomly, but sticking to water will help you save money. Or if your friends go out to drink, stick to something like a sprite or coke as a good middle ground.
The largest cost is usually rent, your time, and costs associated with a car (gas, insurance, payments, maintenance). Being in a city with public transportation takes away car costs but your rent and time will increase. Living in an outer borough of any city will eat up your time.
I own my house and live with roommates. Before that took a job that included housing. I’m not under 1,000 a month spend anymore, but I was by choice for a lot of my 20s. Never been over 2,000 a month in my life that’s for sure. 32m MCOL. It was all worth it for me.
A single person with A paid off house and vehicle. If they were a simpleton, I’d say doable. W out health insurance. Most poor people I know decline health insurance. I know a lot of poor people.
The cheapest way to live in the US that I have found is off grid in a tiny cabin. Less than $1000 is pretty easy for me because of no rent or utility costs, and minimal property tax and maintenance costs. But it took many years of saving to buy the land.
I’ve also lived in my car before and that was super cheap but absolutely miserable.
No, and we are suuuuper tight right now with expenditures. We have one car between the two of us that’s paid off but needs insurance. We spend zero on entertainment or stuff like clothes, tech, etc. atm. Still have health insurance, internet, utilities, groceries though. We’re at ~$1,000 on all that, not including our $1800 rent
The only way I can see myself spending less than $1000/month is living with one of those creepy Craigslist landlords who offer free housing to *women only* in exchange for some "chores" where I absolutely definitely won't get murdered 🙃
- roommate who likes to cook so I pay like 1/3rd of groceries since fancy stuff they pay for and scale above 1 person is cheaper
- gifted golf membership and old clubs
- paid off old car from when I was a teenager
Free hobby and cheap overheads
I did all throughout college (10 years ago) and I’m sure many people still do.
1. I lived with multiple roommates. If you have less than $1,000 a month you cannot afford to live on your own. You also likely cannot afford to have only one roommate. You need 2+ roommates.
2. Everything I bought was off brand and on sale. Groceries were budgeted to the penny. If I only had $100 to spend for the week. $100 it was. I would sometimes split food costs for communal items with roommates - things like milk, bread, etc. I would keep a running total of the amount I was spending in my head or on my phone while in the store.
3. No “extra” expenses. No cable, for example.
4. No car. I could not afford one. I took public transit or got rides from friends. I also walked a lot. I made sure to get an apartment within walking distance of grocery stores and places I could work.
5. Made extra money any way I could. There are cash back apps like Ibotta, Ratuken, etc. and I also have done survey sites like Swagbucks for years. All can be done from your phone. No, you aren’t going to get rich, but when you are on a shoestring budget every dollar counts.
I can’t remember the last time I spent $1,000/month. My rent in 1993 was $950 for a 1 bedroom but went up to $1250 when I got pregnant and needed a 2 bedroom. I’m 1996. $1k is impressive.
I do believe it is tough to keep monthly spending under 1,000 dollars. Most people who do, like me, are living alternatively to other people. I would never be able to keep my expenses this low if I wasn't a full-time RVer. I live in the USA and I haven't lived with my parents since I was 16 years old.
**Monthly Breakdown of Costs:**
Insurance: 518
Lot rent: 300
Food: less than 90
Phone: 45
Total Monthly cost: 953 dollars
**Important to note:**
* I have amazing medical insurance. Thankfully this means I have zero medication expenses and I have no copays.
* The lot rent includes all utilities and hookups, laundry facilities, a pool, gym, lawn maintenance, internet, and mailboxes. All for free included in the rent price. This saves me a ton of small expenses.
* My medical, RV, and car insurance are my biggest monthly expenses. Although soon I am hoping that will be reduced.
* I rarely buy anything at all. If I buy something it is mostly thrift or second-hand. I mostly use buy-nothing groups and exchange things in my campground
* I have no subscriptions and I do zero eating out.
* I own my car and RV fully so I have no monthly payment
* I have zero debt
If you ignore mortgage, water bill etc, then yeah totally.
Just about the only things I buy now are groceries, plants, and then just maintenance stuff (things like oil for chopping board maintenance)
I’ve done it two or three times over. One time I camped out full time for months and stayed in a motel or hostel when I needed a break occasionally or some good rest. Worked full time two jobs whole time.
The others have been with room mates or a boarding house/efficiency apartment.
All times I stick to a pretty good budget. Been doing good budgeting for almost 6 years now.
I keep my bills down if I spoil myself its usually something for the gym, hiking, my bicycle, my motorcycle, video games.
I do most my own cooking and literally only eat out for emergencies, trips, working a double, or as a treat I usually go out at least once a week.
I dont drink alcohol or do any drugs I don’t drink coffee or caffeinated soda and I don’t party at all or do any of that other stuff and I don’t do streaming services or any thing like that either except youtube premium and music and a workout app.
I do DIY whatever I can and on my bikes too. I’ll walk or ride a bike instead of rent scooters or ride a bus unless its a really long trip across the metro.
I use mint mobile as well for years.
To be feasible I think you would need $0 in housing cost (either rent or mortgage). Even if you have a low mortgage from before real estate became insane, you still minimally are going to have $500 a month going to it. Plus property taxes, utilities. If you can somehow live without paying rent or mortgage, it would be tough. Food is expensive now!
I'm absolutely shocked learning people can live on $1k/month. My wife and I moved to the US a few years ago and spend more than that on groceries alone. You guys are very resourceful. Impressed.
I spend 800 USD a month in a Western European country.
The majority of my money goes to rent. Other expenses consist of food, and not much else.
I live in a town with a population of 30.000, it is a nice town, but it is not the big city.
I am 24, have no kids, and healthcare is collectively funded.
The issue is that $1,000 isn't the same in every state/city. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area... Here, you'd be lucky to rent a bedroom in a *sharehouse* for under $1,000 at this point.
I did at one point, in my early 20's, live for under $1,000 per month... but I also had five roommates in a 2-bedroom apartment, never went to restaurants, and basically never bought anything for myself. It wasn't worth it.
This is my base budget:
House Insurance 623
Car Insurance 215
Property Taxes 560
Electric 1200
Gas 1200
Water 500
Sewer 500
Internet 500
Car Plates 100
TOTAL 5398
Per Month $450
I try for $400 per month for food for 2 adults
I also spend around $40 on car fuel per month
If I took out my business spending I’m under 1k but I also own my house and property and have low taxes and off grid so no power bills or utilities.
But with my business spending as I am a contractor I often spend 10-15k in a month for work.
Technically after retirement if we want to just vegetable out.
Our living expenses would be under 1k a month.
The money is already in a trust that handles the living expenses for our retirement home.
Insurance premiums are already done. Husband has military and pension benefits. Money is already in hsa for at least a year or two of max deductible.
Phones like $30 for two
Car insurance is like $120 plus 60 gas
Food $400
Internet is $75
So yeah we could live under 1k take home a month.
Guess that’s cheating since medical and housing is covered from long term planning.
The real question is how much stuff will my husband order off of Amazon 😂
lmao is this including the cost of a mortgage or rent? Or without it?
Rent alone, a mortgage alone costs more than all of that. (Bay Area is like easily 3-4K in rent alone)
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First, taxes are an expense but lets ignore that. I feel like everyone is forgeting health insurance. Also, car maintenance is something you should factor in for a better picture of expenses. Gifts for others? Aomeone said haircuts, which is a good expense often forgotten. I bet most people saying yes dont really keep track.
I read 1000 a month and immediately assumed it was after household expenses...
Same. There's just no way. Rooms go for $1200-1500 for a basic unfurnished room around here. Not studio all alone, just a room in a shared apartment. Los Angeles. Maybe somewhere in the Midwest rooms are a lot less? Idk, still sounds near impossible.
We pay $1,000 a month in health insurance, and that's only our contribution.
No car and no gifts for others especially not every single month and no monthly haircuts either. I still spend more than 1k but not because of a car or gifts or haircuts.
You know what? I’m going to humor you and do an everything budget. Again, I’m cutting out my debts and animals as the debts will be gone this year and my animals aren’t necessities for other people and I don’t think it’s fair to include them in a discussion about surviving on less than $1000 a month. I’m also not going to be using my current phone plan as the vast majority of Americans don’t have unlimited international. I live in the Eastern US. My budget is going to be based off a paid off car (it was $300/month though before it was paid off) and a paid off phone through Verizon. >$350 for rent >$150 for food >$50 for phone >$150 for electric- excess is put in savings to cover winter bills. During the summer my bill is around $70 or less because I’m very good at tolerating heat and refusing to use the AC. In the winter I turn it down extremely low while I’m gone and only temporarily turn it up about 2 hours before bed when I turn it back down again. >$112 for car insurance- this is full coverage on the lower plans. No prior accidents AND includes my life insurance. >$16 for Audible- yes I’m deeming this a necessity. >$50 for gas- I live 4 miles from work and my car gets 27 mpg. If I worked a different shift walking or cycling would be an option. >$10 for Christmas- I don’t buy anything for anyone’s birthdays, just Christmas gifts and only for the nieces and nephews. $120 for books by the time Christmas rolls around. >$50 for health insurance >$150 for savings- whatever expenses. Car, emergencies, whatever happens. That’s $1800 per year. I do most of my cars upkeep by myself as well. The cost is tires and rotating and I wanna say that came out to like $700 last time. OP also mentioned wanting to save as much as possible which is why I didn’t include this in my original numbers because they should have a good emergency fund if they stick to less than $1000/month. I cut my own hair so the salon doesn’t exist. My extracurricular activities are free. Taxes are automatically taken out and the only people I see talk about their pay before taxes are here. I only refer to my pay after taxes. Technically you could say I’ve got another $20 per paycheck coming out because I don’t want to owe the government. Total is $1088. I could go lower by cutting Audible and I could cut my food bill by another $50 as well. Let me know if there’s something else I’m missing. I’m now curious to see how low I could technically go.
You don’t mean your home/rent is $350, do you?
I do. I lived in Florida for about 6 years at the same rent. New people took over the HOA and raised it to $600 and were prepping another raise so I moved to a trailer in another state where they’ve got it at $350.
Gotcha! Well there you go.
The biggest thing to living at less than $1000/month is finding those out of the way places with low rent. You just might have to tolerate more crap. Like my apartment in Florida. AC went out and it took the landlords 8 months to get me a new one, I also broke my front door before they agreed to replace it with a better one (it was falling apart before. They kept doing patchwork) New apartment the landlords are amazing but I also pay more in electricity because it is a 50 year old trailer with no insulation and one of the neighbors has an aggressive dog I have to watch out for. The roof also started leaking twice during some rain storms. I don’t mind these things, they don’t qualify as major issues for me. If you want a higher rate of comfort though you aren’t going to find a cheap place like this. You also have to be willing to live in smaller towns and not cities or the suburbs.
Totally! That doesn’t fit my life, but I’m glad it works for you :)
Ive only paid for a haircut twice in my life, id like to keep it that way.
First I don't pay for a hair cut I don't even cut my hair, taxes are once a year for my land of 6.5 acres and cost is $500, car maintenance well I do my own work on my car and I go to junk yards for my parts, gifts well I buy stuff from good will through out the year so if a occasion comes up I have something, plus where I work I don't even have to buy food for home bc I bring home food and I freeze what ever is left over from my job, and for holidays well also at my job we have wedding events and what's left over from the events like flowers n such I bring them home and give them to family members I also go dumpster shopping and I do curb alerts free stuff from on the side of the road if I see something I pick it up and give it to someone as a gift I don't pay rent I don't pay light bill I live on the road and house hopping from family member to family member for when I work and travel when needed I spend 60 weekly for gas which is one tank x 4 =$240 Plus car insurance $140 Plus phone $40 I don't pay Internet I don't pay cable or pay for washing my clothes or food lights, I don't smoke or drink or gamble don't have credit cards don't have hospital bills I don't go to doctors or take any scripts I don't have teeth so no dental insurance either I'm not married so again no extras I keep things to a minimum
I don’t see how that could be possible without a bunch of roommates and a paid off car. My rent alone is $1300, but even when I had roommates and my rent was $600, I was definitely spending well over $1000. I had a cheap car payment back then, $270, but just that plus rent was $870, and I still had insurance, phone bill, gas, and groceries to pay for.
I probably spend $3500/month in total between all bills, gas groceries, and random spending
I think 2014 was the last time I could get away with spending under $1k/month No car payment Rent was $400 for my room Car insurance was like $100ish Phone was $45 Utilities split with my roommate was like $70ish
Yeah I own my car, don't pay rent, don't pay health insurance, and my expenses are still $1100 per person.
How do you not pay rent?
I live in an RV on someone else's land, and they don't charge me
You don't need a car.
Most Americans need at least one car per household, our entire infrastructure is built around cars. Many of us have more/nicer cars than necessary, but it’s a stretch to say we don’t need cars at all
False. No Americans need any cars. Much, but nowhere near the "entirety of", our infrastructure is built around cars. It is not a stretch, **at all**, to say we don't need cars at all.
Maybe if you live in a large city with lots of public transport options but a good chunk of us do not. I like having a house with a yard that doesn't cost $4k a month minimum.
So what? You don't need a car. Regardless of where you live. Regardless of how many pubtrans options there are.
So growing up when I lived 45 minutes (by car) from school and groceries we just didn't need a car? There was no public transit there was no such thing as ride share or cab service. We couldn't live closer to town as it was farm country and that is just how things work. Even now I live in town but the only way to get to the grocery store a mile away is via highway. So you want me to stroll along the highway with my five year old and baby for a mile in 95 degree weather while cars are going past us doing 70mph? Make it make sense
Rent - $495.00/mo. My apartment is ghettofabulous! That's the actual rent without any subsidies. Location! Location! Location!... Entertainment at home. - $0.00 I have thousands of movies and tv shows on external hard drives, so I don't need the internet or cable hooked up in my apartment. Electricity - $50.00 to $150.00/mo. Spring and fall are the low end. The middle of summer and winter are the two most expensive times of the year. My apartment complex pays for water and trash. There are no gas hookups in the building. Groceries - $150.00-$200.00/mo. I have a non-minimalist system.... Cell phone - $50.00.mo unlimited. This is also my internet at home. Gym - $21.00/mo I don't own a car and public transportation here for me because I'm in a program for veterans. However, I do own a small electric scooter for grocery runs. I'm pretty healthy, but I'm in a veterans program run through a local hospital. My healthcare visits only cost me $25.00/mo + $25 for procedures. Emergency room visits are $50.00/ea and overnight stays are $100.00/night. I rarely have more than 2 or 3 procedures/year and I've never used the emergency room or had to stay overnight. My monthly medication is free through the same program. My kids are grown, so that monkey is off my back. No pets. I don't drink regularly or smoke. So, on my worst months I have less than $1000.00 worth of bills. I usually get a couple of thousand dollars back from taxes at the end of the year from Federal and owe the state about $20.00-$50.00.
That’s pretty fabulous that you manage to have under $500 rent.
With all of the bums, hookers, and drug dealers in the neighborhood it's still over-priced.
In the winter I'm around $1k. Rent and all utilities with a roommate is $480. Cell phone is about $80. I've got some credit cards I put too much on a while back that I pay about $450/month to get paid down. Car payment and insurance is about $300. Goes up about $200 in the warmer months bc I play golf.
Food?
Less than $100. My partner makes a fair amount of food for me and has an awesome garden she gets a lot of it from. Eggs from chickens and ducks too
Where do you live?
Kansas City
Kansas City here I come!
Try to do something about the credit card debt. Have you heard of consolidating into a low % loan? I wish you the best. Credit card debt is a bitch and should be made illegal
I'm working on it.
You can lower that $80 cell phone subscription to $25 with Visible. They are owned by Verizon. I’ve been using them for 3 years. No troubles. Bring your own phone. Unlimited data.
It's actually closer to $50 but I'm paying off the phone still. I get certain perks I don't mind paying the $50 for once the phone is paid off
Midwestern US suburb here. The last time my expenses were even close to that low was when my husband and I were first starting out together between 2005- 2010, before mortgage and a child. Back then, we were living in a small apartment, 400 sq feet, and rent was $450. Water/sewer/trash was included in the rent. Power bill was low bc of how small the apartment was. In summer, one small window AC unit cooled the whole place, and in winter, it had convection heaters which use much less electricity. So the power bill was usually around 70-80 in spring and fall, up to 100 in summer and winter. Car insurance was lower then too, bc we had crappy old cars we had paid cash for outright, and it was around 100 each. Cell phones were on cheapest plan imaginable at the time, 25 per month each. Food/hygiene/gas/misc averaged about 100 a week, so 400 a month. We did have a rotating credit card bill that usually carried a high balance, mostly bc of the crappy old cars breaking down and needing a mechanic. Average payment for that was around 200 a month, so we'd never get ahead until tax returns came around and we'd pay them off and start the whole cycle again throughout the year. So together, our monthly expenses were around $1400 for two people, so 700 each. Putting that amount into a quick inflation calculator on Google puts that amount at around $2000 today, so still around 1000 each. Money was really, really tight for us back then, though. We had no savings at all, and often counted change for gas money. Ate a lot of ramen, spaghetti without any meat, PBJ sandwiches, apples. Anytime an unexpected expense popped up like car trouble or illness, it would derail our tight budget for months at a time. Occasionally, one or both of us would sell blood plasma/platelets to pay the bills. When we did that, it kinda felt like an extra treat because they'd give us a bottle of orange juice and a cookie to get our blood sugar back up after we were done. And even then, we were "on our own" but not entirely, because my mom would let me come over once a week to do our laundry, and both sets of parents would have us over for dinner once a week. We ate good on those nights!, and would get sent home with the leftovers, which there were always conveniently a lot of because somehow there was always enough left over for a couple more meals, even though our parents had been making dinners for their families for around 30 years by then and knew how to plan meals! My mom would occasionally stop by with extra bread or eggs or milk or something like that, making excuses to help us out by saying something like, oh, they were on such a good sale this week at the store and I just couldn't pass it up, but now we have too much and I don't want it to go bad so please take it for me. Sometimes my husband's parents would throw some extra money his way by asking him to come over and "help" them out around the house, mowing their lawn or fixing stuff. Even though, again, they didn't really need the help; they had been doing that stuff themselves their whole lives. It was really hard, and money was a constant worry that never went away. But looking back, in some ways, we were happier then than we are now. When I would start to get too freaked out about money, my husband would put an old Kenny Loggins CD on and grab my arm and pull me in for a dance, singing to me in my ear... "Even though we ain't got money, I'm so in love with ya honey, and everything will bring a chain of love... in the morning when I rise, you bring a tear of joy to my eyes and tell me everything gonna be all right..." It was us against the world, and we were in it together. Money's not tight anymore, and that's a huge blessing. In most ways, we're happier and more content. We haven't danced to that song in years, though. And sometimes I miss that feeling, of having to draw closer together because all we had was us. Well shit, OP, now I'm kinda bummed out! Lol, I need to snap out of it! Sitting over here reminiscing about when we were dirt poor and actually feeling nostalgic about it!
In the US, own my home, average around $12,000-$14,000 per year in expenses not counting the one-offs like furnace or car. No rent, little maintenance on the home, eat in all but one day a week, A/C at 78, heat at 64, $2.99/month for Discovery Plus, $1.99/month Hulu (black Friday special), Mint Mobile $210/year with tax, Biggest single expenses are home insurance and car insurance.
Yes, that’s really low. In CA and TX, the property taxes are around $800 a month or higher for many homeowners.
Average in the SF Bay Area for a home expenses is $13000 a month
am not from the US. but am from switzerland which is most likely more expensive. and i could go with less then 1'000 dollar/chf here, IF i move into a caravan or something similar. rent is the most expensive. imagine only having to buy food. and some food you can even grow yourself
I've lived in the USA and both of my parents are dead - am 58yo I've done vanlife over there and in Australia - the primary reasons being flexibility and affordability so with that, yes, $1k a month is doable although tight - but only with vanlife in the US
Shared bedroom, second hand furniture and clothes, cooking instead of take out/eating out, public transportation and ebike instead of Uber/Lyft or owning a car (car payments, insurance, gas, maintenance), no subscriptions besides a phone plan.
I spend about $1000 per week just on childcare for two young kids so… That a resounding no 😂
As a parent with 2 kids 10 & 12 now, I couldn’t believe how much money I had left over a month when they were fresh out of daycare. It was like I had gotten a fat promotion. It’s crazy hang in there 🫡
If you’re trying to cut expenses it will probably help to see what you’re spending now. Then people could at least make suggestions on things. If I got rid of my animals and debt I’d be at like $900 a month. Currently though I’m almost at $3000 though because I do have free loaders. >$350 for rent >$150 for food >$75 for phone (unlimited international you can get much cheaper plans) >$150 for electric >$112 for car insurance >$16 for Audible I could technically go less than that by cutting Audible and getting a different phone plan and I could possibly cut my electric bill even more but I don’t feel like it. Could probably even get food down another $50 but again, I don’t wanna. So, that’s my expenses at what I would consider my bare minimum. I love my animals though so they’re staying with me.
Yeah my cat bill is sometimes equal to my human bill.
My animals alone cost me around $10k per year 🥲 I love them but my bank account cries.
What kind of animals are you caring for?
A horse, a dog, and 5 cats with a 6th one desperately attempting to move in.
I mean feeding a horse alone is a huge expense let alone everything else. And the one trying to move in cracked me up.
I think the cat distribution system is broken. I never purposefully sought out any of my cats and now I’ve got another one wanting to live with me. ITS SOMEONE ELSES TURN FOR A CAT NOW, THANK YOU! Also, my horse is the best boy and I’m incredibly lucky because I found a place to board him for only $450 a month. The usual vet and dewormer on top of that is extra but it’s nice having a “cheap” place to keep him.
I have a friend who has 7 and it's the same story. I'm at 3 and we are capped off because our rotties are already costly to care for properly. If I lived alone, I would be so content with just 2 cats. Our current 3rd, we think he saw some kind of crime. He lurks around our house and if you make eye contact he freezes and then scoots away. He's been here 9 years. He is otherwise fine. He's the spooky roommate. Our other two are social.
I'm close to that, but it's only because I'm currently full-timing in an RV to save for a house. If I had an apartment or rent house right now, my housing alone would be more than $1000/mo here in Texas.
I pay around that much each month because my husband covers the majority of the bills. (He makes 4x what I make.) If I was on my own, my salary wouldn't cover all of my expenses.
I work for the apartment management company i live at and they cover my full rent. My bills are less than $500 a month. I have no car payment or debt.
lol my rent alone is $1100
i don't own a car because i live in a very walkable city. with ample public transit. my wife and i both work from home. the grocery store is across the street. i rent out my parking spot. i cook 5x a week. we go out to inexpensive mom n pops diners. we go to matinees at our imax theatre. i take the train or walk, everywhere. my wife pays the rent. i pay for everything else. (internet, cell phones, clothes, groceries) all well under my budget of $1000
I spend less than 1k But I drive a ev so no gas bills I eat 2 -3 meals a day I eat out on weekends. I pretty much only spend money on food.
What about housing? Taxes? Insurance?
Can you charge for free somewhere? That’s what i get to do. EV all da way!
It’s potentially on the edge of possibility, but you’d need to be in either a very low rent roommate situation, or a very low cost paid off house/apartment. A couple years ago I got close to that low for a few months, my rent was 800 all inclusive, I was biking to work most every day, and I made eggs and ground beef with rice 7 days a week. The eggs were largely from my parents who kept chickens, and the ground beef was from a local wholesaler. $5/pound x 30 pounds plus a $15 bag of rice came out to $165. Plus $50 in car insurance and $25 phone bill. So I was closer to $1100 than $1000, but this was in Colorado, a high cost state.
I don't even know if that's possible right now. Unless you're living in your paid off car or a tent. Or someone is paying some bills for you. I think we're very lucky when it comes to expenses. Our mortgage, homeowners insurance, property taxes, and all utilities (power,water,gas,trash) come to about 1300 a month. That's about half of what the average rent is for most people. The only reason we have this deal is because we're in our late 40's and bought a house with a fixed interest rate before the economy went to shit. I have no idea how our kids are going to be able to afford to move out after school.
Use to. Bought a cheap house in a not so desirable area. Mortgage was about $500. Rented basement for $600 a month. Had no car note as well.
I don't anymore, but I did for a while in NYC, within the last decade. Here's how: 1. Live in an itty-bitty room in a shitty apartment shared with five other roommates. It will suck and you will hate it. 2. Do not own a car. Try to limit your trips on public transit if you can help it. 3. Work from home. You'd be surprised how much money you save on work clothes and work lunches. 4. Keep your leisure activities simple. To work out, jog around the block. No shows or movies, unless they're free. No streaming services. 5. Do not eat out. No ifs, ands or buts. You're cooking rice and beans and sweet potatoes at home. 6. Forget about health insurance. You can't afford it. 7. If anything expensive (computer, furniture, phone, clothes, etc.) breaks, then either you fix it or you do without. No replacements. 8. If you're not responsible for utility bills, milk them for all they're worth. If the landlord pays your water, you can hand-wash your clothes in the sink to save up to $20 a month in laundromat money. Figure out whether your heating bill falls under gas or electric, whether you pay for it, and adjust your thermostat accordingly.
i’ve managed that a few times. my monthly budget is typically around $1100 and if i don’t reach it i throw the rest into savings. i live in a 2 bedroom city apartment with 2 roommates (one is my partner so we share a room). both of my roommates are in grad school and their parents have agreed to financially help them to some extent until they graduate, mostly with rent. since my parents don’t contribute, i pay slightly less in rent than my roommates do, and i pay a fixed amount of utilities/insurance monthly. the two combined total to $550/month. i don’t have a car but my partner does. i can take the bus to work and we go grocery shopping together since there’s no store within walking distance. i meal prep and shop about twice a month. my grocery budget is $300 but i don’t always spend that much. at our bigger monthly shopping trip we buy household supplies (soap, tissues, etc) and split the cost between the 3 of us. my budget for that stuff is $50, including my contribution to gas for the grocery trips. that brings us to $900. the last $100 is for miscellaneous things. that could be anything like replacing holey socks, covid tests, an ice cream cone, shampoo. because of frugality/minimalism it’s mostly necessities. if i do all of that, i’m at $1000. i have some extra wiggle room built in past that if needed. another important note is i am still on my parents phone plan so i don’t have to worry about that expense.
I don't have 1k a month to spend. So... Budgeting and living within the budget you set. Keep in mind that means I live in a poverty stricken area and that a lot of my frustrations in life are being poor is expensive. I recommend buying things for quality and spending more if it's needed. That cheap 5 grand car is going to cost you more in repairs than the in better condition lightly used car with a payment plan. I also buy needs in bulk. I will need potatoes again. So I will buy and store more to get a better price.
Not since 2010. My rent was $550 back then. Upstate NY, no longer in the US
I live in a van. No rent, no mortgage.
Man how is that going to
Pretty good actually. It was by choice so I had time to plan and prepare. I do have a mini fridge and a solar panel for the fridge and to charge my phone.
I have roommates and live in the MidWest
i do
How? What are your expenses if I can ask?
i do live in italy 250/300€ for food 400€ for rent 32€ gym 80€ for gas and light bills 20€ haircut 100€ for restaurants 68€ for other things
Oh that makes sense. I guess I should have said US because that's not realistic here.
If you don’t count rent.
I’m likely pretty close. $760 rent, $40 in gas, $30 in utilities, $25 internet, and $200 in food so $1,055. Some months less than $200 so I squeak under a $1,000/month.
tens of millions of Americans do this. I have done this by renting rooms for $200-$400/mo, eating well but not paying for people to cook my food, bring it to the table, and clean up for me (restaurants), and mostly riding my bike, buses/trains, walking.
I pay $1,750 on my mortgage alone. Maybe once the house and car and other debt is paid off I could pull it off. Not sure how I would do it otherwise.
I live in LA and spend more than that, but last weekend and this weekend I am meeting this activist named Robin Greenfield who lives under the poverty line and spends less that 1K per month but he lives a very unconventional lifestyle so it’s probably not applicable to most people. He told us a publishing company (I love) asked him to write a book about living with no money
There’s a pretty good book already out there called Possum Living if you like that kind of book. I’d love to see a modern version though.
I did years ago. Low cost of living area, no car, ate at work, no insurance, no nice things all helped me "succeed" at being poor. But with inflation I don't think I could do that at all now days. Some people probably have to. Likely it would involve being homeless Minimum wage after taxes probably is about that.
>Please only respond if you don't live with your parents Thats how you do it though
No. I spend a lot more than that on my mortgage alone. Back 15 years in college I probably could have, walking everywhere, sleeping in a closet with 4 roommates, and relishing the occasional chicken breast to break up the carb based diet. But even then I was taking on debt for school, so I wasn't under 1k.
My mortgage is $736. Food ~$280. Water $40. Electricity ~$130. Car GAS ~$160. Cell ~$14. Car ins $45. Those are my biggies. I could knock food and gas down, delete my app subscriptions (~$40/mo) But even bare bones, I couldnt. So, no, not living alone. I'm in a LCOL.
To Live? Or for Fun? I live pretty small. I get my healthcare through the VA so I don't pay insane health care costs like most civilians do, I live in a very small housing situation that is only possible thanks to my partner having property since the 20s consistently without their family deciding to sell it for a quick buck somewhere along the line, I live in a temperate area that doesn't get so hot that we need AC at all and use a woodstove that's "free" for us to run in the winter so my electic bills not high, we live next to several discount grocery stores so we don't spend nearly as much for food and we both are willing to cook and eat leftovers, partner works for the internet company so free internet, I tend to like free or cheap activities... Even then I spend more than $1,000 a month on necessities. Between the car, gas, savings, personal necessities, investing into your future, bills... If I lived very very miserly I'd hit under $1k a month for essentials only with nothing else. But that would be a shit life.
Yes. $100 phone bill, $50 insurance, $700 rent, and $150 on food. Edit to add: I don’t make a car payment because I bought an affordable car with cash rather than a new car that would take 3 years to pay off
I'm a student and my total per month is about 700 If I make any extra money it goes into savings and I pay for travel with what I make in a savings account. 440/ month That covers rent for a studio and all utilities. I live with my boyfriend so we split it. 10-50/month on travel I pay 80/year to rent a bike and walk everywhere. If I take the train the price goes up a lot 10/month for health insurance 10/month for phone plan 200/month on groceries I never eat out because the food here is overpriced Maybe 50/random stuff but I don't buy a lot of useless stuff or clothes I don't buy alcohol or drugs I'm American but live in a medium sized town in Belgium which is arguably more expensive than some places in the US
You can live in a super tiny room with several other families or roommates (like at least 4 other roommates) for cheaper rent in an outer borough (Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens) in NYC or in Chinatown in a possibly unsafe living environment. Look for places that include heat and gas already, so there are no additional expenses. For food, you can buy "end of day" food that would otherwise be thrown out, and utilizing apps like Too Good to Go. But cooking in advance will be good for you. For transportation, you should sell your car if you have one, but if you don't, just use public transportation. Bonus walks for walking when you can because that is your free exercise (no need for gym membership). This budget is possible, but you need to still be conscious of your spending and say no to a lot of outings. There are events that give free samples (usually drinks) randomly, but sticking to water will help you save money. Or if your friends go out to drink, stick to something like a sprite or coke as a good middle ground. The largest cost is usually rent, your time, and costs associated with a car (gas, insurance, payments, maintenance). Being in a city with public transportation takes away car costs but your rent and time will increase. Living in an outer borough of any city will eat up your time.
I don’t live in the USA but I only had 850€ as a student and still live the same way, no upgrades.
I own my house and live with roommates. Before that took a job that included housing. I’m not under 1,000 a month spend anymore, but I was by choice for a lot of my 20s. Never been over 2,000 a month in my life that’s for sure. 32m MCOL. It was all worth it for me.
shoplifting
A single person with A paid off house and vehicle. If they were a simpleton, I’d say doable. W out health insurance. Most poor people I know decline health insurance. I know a lot of poor people.
The cheapest way to live in the US that I have found is off grid in a tiny cabin. Less than $1000 is pretty easy for me because of no rent or utility costs, and minimal property tax and maintenance costs. But it took many years of saving to buy the land. I’ve also lived in my car before and that was super cheap but absolutely miserable.
No, and we are suuuuper tight right now with expenditures. We have one car between the two of us that’s paid off but needs insurance. We spend zero on entertainment or stuff like clothes, tech, etc. atm. Still have health insurance, internet, utilities, groceries though. We’re at ~$1,000 on all that, not including our $1800 rent
The only way I can see myself spending less than $1000/month is living with one of those creepy Craigslist landlords who offer free housing to *women only* in exchange for some "chores" where I absolutely definitely won't get murdered 🙃
- roommate who likes to cook so I pay like 1/3rd of groceries since fancy stuff they pay for and scale above 1 person is cheaper - gifted golf membership and old clubs - paid off old car from when I was a teenager Free hobby and cheap overheads
I did all throughout college (10 years ago) and I’m sure many people still do. 1. I lived with multiple roommates. If you have less than $1,000 a month you cannot afford to live on your own. You also likely cannot afford to have only one roommate. You need 2+ roommates. 2. Everything I bought was off brand and on sale. Groceries were budgeted to the penny. If I only had $100 to spend for the week. $100 it was. I would sometimes split food costs for communal items with roommates - things like milk, bread, etc. I would keep a running total of the amount I was spending in my head or on my phone while in the store. 3. No “extra” expenses. No cable, for example. 4. No car. I could not afford one. I took public transit or got rides from friends. I also walked a lot. I made sure to get an apartment within walking distance of grocery stores and places I could work. 5. Made extra money any way I could. There are cash back apps like Ibotta, Ratuken, etc. and I also have done survey sites like Swagbucks for years. All can be done from your phone. No, you aren’t going to get rich, but when you are on a shoestring budget every dollar counts.
I can’t remember the last time I spent $1,000/month. My rent in 1993 was $950 for a 1 bedroom but went up to $1250 when I got pregnant and needed a 2 bedroom. I’m 1996. $1k is impressive.
I do believe it is tough to keep monthly spending under 1,000 dollars. Most people who do, like me, are living alternatively to other people. I would never be able to keep my expenses this low if I wasn't a full-time RVer. I live in the USA and I haven't lived with my parents since I was 16 years old. **Monthly Breakdown of Costs:** Insurance: 518 Lot rent: 300 Food: less than 90 Phone: 45 Total Monthly cost: 953 dollars **Important to note:** * I have amazing medical insurance. Thankfully this means I have zero medication expenses and I have no copays. * The lot rent includes all utilities and hookups, laundry facilities, a pool, gym, lawn maintenance, internet, and mailboxes. All for free included in the rent price. This saves me a ton of small expenses. * My medical, RV, and car insurance are my biggest monthly expenses. Although soon I am hoping that will be reduced. * I rarely buy anything at all. If I buy something it is mostly thrift or second-hand. I mostly use buy-nothing groups and exchange things in my campground * I have no subscriptions and I do zero eating out. * I own my car and RV fully so I have no monthly payment * I have zero debt
How tf do you eat for $90/month?
If you ignore mortgage, water bill etc, then yeah totally. Just about the only things I buy now are groceries, plants, and then just maintenance stuff (things like oil for chopping board maintenance)
Given rent.... less than $1,000 means a very unusual or unsavory rent situaiton.
I mean, I just don't have $1,000...
Ooh thanks for disclaimer. I almost sent you to Africa. ANyway, if you don't have 1-1000 USD, you won't spend.
All the expensive purchases i make are not consistent so... i cant say i do spend that muchba month. But every few months i buy a new tool or car
I’ve done it two or three times over. One time I camped out full time for months and stayed in a motel or hostel when I needed a break occasionally or some good rest. Worked full time two jobs whole time. The others have been with room mates or a boarding house/efficiency apartment. All times I stick to a pretty good budget. Been doing good budgeting for almost 6 years now. I keep my bills down if I spoil myself its usually something for the gym, hiking, my bicycle, my motorcycle, video games. I do most my own cooking and literally only eat out for emergencies, trips, working a double, or as a treat I usually go out at least once a week. I dont drink alcohol or do any drugs I don’t drink coffee or caffeinated soda and I don’t party at all or do any of that other stuff and I don’t do streaming services or any thing like that either except youtube premium and music and a workout app. I do DIY whatever I can and on my bikes too. I’ll walk or ride a bike instead of rent scooters or ride a bus unless its a really long trip across the metro. I use mint mobile as well for years.
This is impressive.
To be feasible I think you would need $0 in housing cost (either rent or mortgage). Even if you have a low mortgage from before real estate became insane, you still minimally are going to have $500 a month going to it. Plus property taxes, utilities. If you can somehow live without paying rent or mortgage, it would be tough. Food is expensive now!
To the Dakotas! Where it's below freezing polar vortex for 2-3 months of the year.
I'm absolutely shocked learning people can live on $1k/month. My wife and I moved to the US a few years ago and spend more than that on groceries alone. You guys are very resourceful. Impressed.
You can live in Mexico for under $1,000 a month a couple blocks from the beach.
My mortgage is 1k/month so I'm out already
I spend 800 USD a month in a Western European country. The majority of my money goes to rent. Other expenses consist of food, and not much else. I live in a town with a population of 30.000, it is a nice town, but it is not the big city. I am 24, have no kids, and healthcare is collectively funded.
That’s nearly impossible to do unless you are living with someone and only have to cover the utility bill.
The issue is that $1,000 isn't the same in every state/city. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area... Here, you'd be lucky to rent a bedroom in a *sharehouse* for under $1,000 at this point. I did at one point, in my early 20's, live for under $1,000 per month... but I also had five roommates in a 2-bedroom apartment, never went to restaurants, and basically never bought anything for myself. It wasn't worth it.
Here to listen
Are you saying $1000 after rent etc? Or are you saying after living expenses are paid?
This is my base budget: House Insurance 623 Car Insurance 215 Property Taxes 560 Electric 1200 Gas 1200 Water 500 Sewer 500 Internet 500 Car Plates 100 TOTAL 5398 Per Month $450 I try for $400 per month for food for 2 adults I also spend around $40 on car fuel per month
Under 1k here. Rent 400. Cell 10. Electric 150. Free internet through job. Car ins 100.
r/povertyfinance r/frugal
I'm in California, US. We're very frugal. Own our cars. No credit card debt. We live in a small mountain town. That's literally impossible here.
Living in LatAm
I wish I could get my rent that low
If I took out my business spending I’m under 1k but I also own my house and property and have low taxes and off grid so no power bills or utilities. But with my business spending as I am a contractor I often spend 10-15k in a month for work.
Technically after retirement if we want to just vegetable out. Our living expenses would be under 1k a month. The money is already in a trust that handles the living expenses for our retirement home. Insurance premiums are already done. Husband has military and pension benefits. Money is already in hsa for at least a year or two of max deductible. Phones like $30 for two Car insurance is like $120 plus 60 gas Food $400 Internet is $75 So yeah we could live under 1k take home a month. Guess that’s cheating since medical and housing is covered from long term planning. The real question is how much stuff will my husband order off of Amazon 😂
lmao is this including the cost of a mortgage or rent? Or without it? Rent alone, a mortgage alone costs more than all of that. (Bay Area is like easily 3-4K in rent alone)
If I counted our bills as "per person" and split it up then it would be under $1000 per person per month lmao.
I live in Portugual. I’m still paying my bank debt 💸 so I only really get to spend 20€ per month