CEOs who receive billions in subsidies want to keep their subsidies, but cut Social Security and other welfare programs.

[Ben Kenobi]

What are you eating? Chicken pot pies and ramen?

Homemade Chili, homemade tacos, spaghetti, that sort of thing. I buy in bulk. Make a big pot and it lasts 3 days, rinse/repeat. Did the ramen thing earlier this year when things were really tight. Hopefully won't ever go back to that again. That sucked.

Also holy crap Texas rent is cheap. That or you're subletting somewhere in some tiny hovel.

That's with utilities and everything included. Why do you think I moved here? Food is cheap and rent is cheap and work is plentiful. And I'm actually living in one of the higher cost of living areas of Texas right now. I want to save up enough to buy a house for 75k in cash.

[snoopy369]

$500 a month is pretty normal actually. I could live in a one room studio in Chicago for that easily, without even getting into shady areas. You must have internet, Ben, or do you borrow someone else's WiFi?

I will say that I'm impressed by anyone who can stick to a budget that well. I make a lot more than my parents did (Even adjusted for inflation) and I have a hard time seeing how they lived with three of us. Too many opportunities to spend money nowadays...

[Jon Miller]

Snacks and such things really do me in, when I look at what I spent money on for the month.

I even keep from eating out mostly, now, but still have a hard time keeping I and my wife's food budget down.

JM

[Jon Miller]

I think 500 for the US is a pretty nice place in many places (not NY).

JM

[Ben Kenobi]

$500 a month is pretty normal actually. I could live in a one room studio in Chicago for that easily, without even getting into shady areas. You must have internet, Ben, or do you borrow someone else's WiFi?

First month here was Rent + moving expenses + damage deposit, couldn't afford to set up wifi here without dipping into savings, which I refuse to do, given what happened to me in March. Never again. Second month was getting a router/modem bought, set up and paid in advance, and yes, that's why my internet went down when doing the draft. I had to save to the next month when I could get Internet back up again, but after that check I paid everything I didn't need in advance so that my next bill won't be for awhile. Apparently they like getting everything in cash and paid for right away. That was September. October was car insurance. November was visiting Slowwy. It's fun to have money to actually do stuff. Even with Slowwy, I'll still run 350 under for the month. Tomorrow I figure out Christmas budget - want to run in the black in December, so I'll probably stock up for the month with food now and do shopping for certain cool people who know who they are.

I will say that I'm impressed by anyone who can stick to a budget that well. I make a lot more than my parents did (Even adjusted for inflation) and I have a hard time seeing how they lived with three of us. Too many opportunities to spend money nowadays...

My last purchase not food, not gas, not related to my 'monthly treat' by going out to a decent meal was my Texas flag. It was the first discretionary non-food purchase I had made for myself in over three years since my father passed. The one previous was a Chesterton book, that I paid for when I worked at the Health Food store. And before that, was my 'before Texas years'.

Most everything I own has been a gift from someone over the years, and everything I do own fits easily in the trunk of my Civic.

[Ben Kenobi]

Snacks and such things really do me in, when I look at what I spent money on for the month.

I even keep from eating out mostly, now, but still have a hard time keeping I and my wife's food budget down.

I have no advice to offer there. I've only just figured out how to get my own food costs down in a month.

[Pax]

I lived in Corpus Christi and even paying about 660 a month my two bedroom apartment was ****ty. You must also live close to work and drive a very small car. In TX, I lived 30 minutes from work, driving a f150, gas was murder. I really don't see how you can just live off 12k. How much are you making off your neighbors for services rendered.

[giblets]

It's actually about 12k than 10, but I budget 10 so that I err on the good side.

Rent is 500/month. I have no other fixed monthly expenses. I have food stocked up. I spend about 20/wk on food and incidentals and I use up about 3/4. Gas is probably about another 20. Most of this gets defrayed by work I do for my neighbours who don't have cars - picking up groceries and the like.

Most months I spend between 100-200. Since I moved in here, I've been adding to my food stash and putting the rest of it away every month. Saving 300/month, every month really adds up, especially if I can defray all my incidentals outside of rent.

I don't go out to eat more than once a month and I don't go out and spend money on anything else.

Back in Canada I was used to living off about 6.5k a year and anything extra, and I mean everything extra I saved. This feels like heaven.

500/month in rent * 12 months = 6000
15/week on food incidentals * 52 weeks = 780
So you live on >6780 a year? That sounds a lot like living on 6.5k a year in Canada.

[Dinner]

BK, great that you love your job. I applaud you but how do you live off 10k?

Albanian peasants likely make more than Ben. Then again, Albanian peasants are probably worth more than Ben.

[DaShi]

Sickening.

[Dinner]

BTW I don't believe that $50,000 figure at all. I've just seen too many lies by the right wing to believe that nonsense. Anyone remember when they claimed auto workers made $80 per hour when in fact people started at $12? Even with benefits it was only ~$20 but the right wing just makes up **** when ever it feels like it. Show me the welfare person making $50k and then I'll consider changing my opinion.

It honestly sounds a lot like the right wing claims that all welfare people are eating steak & lobster while driving new Cadillac. The claim just doesn't pass the smell test.

[DinoDoc]

BTW I don't believe that $50,000 figure at all.

I believe the figure assumes you simply cut out the middleman and simply issue the poor a check:

[regexcellent]

$500 a month is pretty normal actually. I could live in a one room studio in Chicago for that easily, without even getting into shady areas. You must have internet, Ben, or do you borrow someone else's WiFi?

I will say that I'm impressed by anyone who can stick to a budget that well. I make a lot more than my parents did (Even adjusted for inflation) and I have a hard time seeing how they lived with three of us. Too many opportunities to spend money nowadays...

Truth. For what it's worth, and for all of his faults, it must be said that Ben clearly knows how to manage the money he has. That's something which can't be said for a lot of people.

[Ben Kenobi]

I lived in Corpus Christi and even paying about 660 a month my two bedroom apartment was ****ty. You must also live close to work and drive a very small car.

I'm not as close as I was, I used to be able to walk to work. Now, it's about 15 minutes or so. I drive a Civic that's pretty good on gas, I also don't drive out of my way for stuff, pile up errands together. I've put about 30 thousand kms on it in close to 4 years that I've owned it.

How much are you making off your neighbors for services rendered.

Enough to cover my gas and usually about half my food in a month. It adds up. I like that because then I usually don't have to worry about how much I'm paying in gas.

[Ben Kenobi]

500/month in rent * 12 months = 6000
15/week on food incidentals * 52 weeks = 780
So you live on >6780 a year? That sounds a lot like living on 6.5k a year in Canada.

Except that food is half, and gas is half, and it only costs me half again because of the errands and stuff I do for other people. That's what was kicking my ass in Canada - food was so expensive, gas was so expensive and there weren't many opportunities for work, I was just scraping by. I was trying to build up enough in savings to afford to move. When I left, I didn't really have enough built up as a cushion - but I am finally tackling that now.

Started in a corner from the outset. Kept costs down, waited for my opportunity. I had almost turned a corner in may two years ago, by August had about half what I came down with, a place to stay, low costs etc - but about a year ago things really didn't work out well for me. I was actually in the red all last winter, and managed to run things till March. I was living in too big a place, too far from work and slowly watching things drain away.

In Canada - all I had was the 6.5k or so every year. Here - I have 50 percent more on top of that - so it's a far different situation.

Then I had a landlord walk out on his place (he was bleeding month to month as was I. Too much house, and short a tenant), I got home, found his note, had 3 days to move in the middle of the month and of course, he kept the money that I had paid for first and last. I was out about 700 bucks and at that point didn't have anything whatsoever. Needless to say, this year sucked. Things are better now, though. Got my own place again.