Monday, November 2, 2009

My Wallet Gets Beer Goggles Too.

Fresh out of college I used to blow through $300/mo. on alcohol easily. Living in NYC and going out at least 3 nights a week killed me - and that was WITH all my frugal tricks! I never reached the spending capacity of my friends (who could drop $200 *a night*), but it's safe to say my wallet's in much better shape now.

These days my drinking costs me about $50-$100 a month, and even less if you take out the Mrs. from the equation. We both drink a beer or two a night to relax, sometimes a little wine, but nothing a couple of cases & bottles can't solve every month. It was really the cutting back of the nightlife that curbed our spending. Not that I'm encouraging it or anything (I definitely miss all the adventures!), but just that it was the main factor in our change here.

And I tell you what, people were spending a crap load on Halloween night! My goodness. Either I'm getting old or inflation is really creeping in here. Regardless, there are still a few tricks we can do to cut costs a bit. Here are some that cross the mind:

Drink cheap beer/wine. Beast, Natty Light (if you really don't care about taste), 3 buck chuck.
Stock up in bulk. Your favorite beverage 20%? Buy a few cases now and store it away.
Hit up more happy hours - 1/2 off drinks and appetizers beats full price anytime.
Pre-party at a friend's place before going out! Why spend $10 on a drink when you can get 6 for the same price? Bars and restaurants jack up the prices way too much, might as well enjoy a little before letting them rob you.
Bring a flask with you. I don't know if this is illegal or not (or even all that smart), but it IS cost effective :) Especially if you're a fan of the mixed drinks. $1 Cokes is much cheaper than Jack & Cokes, and it only takes 10 seconds to pour a little in whenever needed.
Drink Coffee/Energy drinks instead. It all depends on the effect you're going for, but coffee and energy drinks get you pretty hyped up at a 3rd of the price. You might look weird drinking it while dancing to the Thong Song, but I swear it works!

I'm sure I'm missing a lot here, but you get my point. No matter how much you're spending on something there's usually a way to cut down. And when your friends are in on it, it's even easier! Not the Joneses, of course, but the ones who actually care about saving their money ;)

So how about you all? Anyone still spending $300+ a month? How about $15 like Well-Heeled?

Labels: money hacks, saving, where our money goes

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

The Cost of Being a Dude.

Shaking The Money Tree had a post on the cost of being a girl, so I thought I'd rebuttal with the cost of being a guy ;) It was a bit tricky to calculate since I share a lot of this stuff with the Mrs., but I tried to be as accurate as possible.

Instead of splitting my costs in half, I calculated what it would cost me if I were out on my own but with the same products (which jacks up the price, mind you, but now I'm addicted to the "better stuff" anyways). I'm sure I'll come across as super metro here, but it's all good I'm not ashamed. I use body wash & hairspray, so what. A guy's gotta look & feel good right? (don't answer that)

The numbers on the left represent Jolie's figures from 2008 - which I chose over '09 since it's juicier & I'd guess closer to the average anyways - and then mine are to the right. They're also pro-rated to show monthly averages, and we're really only talking about bathroom stuff here.

JOLIE:

Bodywash - $2.46
Shampoo - $4.40
Conditioner - $4.40
Blush - $2.41
Eye Shadow - $2.98
Lipstick - $4.23
Toothpaste - $2.08
Fem. Products - $8.96
Deodorant - $5.94
Contact Solution - $8.88
Gel - $9.92
Razors - $5.99
Facewash - $7.11
Foundation - $11.47
Moisturizer - $19.97
Mascara - $7.47

MONTH TOTAL - $98.59

J. MONEY:

Bodywash - $3.00 (Caress)
Shampoo - $3.00 (Garnier)
Puff - $.50 (See, I'm addicted!)
Toothpaste - $2.50 (Crest)
Flossers - $5.50 (Reach)
Deodorant - $2.00 (Degree)
Hairspray - $3.50 (Salon Grafix)
Shaving Gel - $1.00 (Gillette)
Razors - $1.80 (Gillette Excel @ $18 10-pack)
Mouthwash - $4.00 (Act Anticavity)

MONTH TOTAL - $26.80

Would ya look at that! We men sure have it good. This is the first time I've ever seen it broken down before, and it's pretty cool to check out. I know the numbers will fluctuate depending on your own situation (esp for those more rugged men), but it still gives us a good overall picture. It would be cool to see how it compares throughout the rest of our lifestyles too! Like with clothes, food, shopping, etc. I don't know how much more you could break it down, but if anyone did the legwork I'd happily provide my numbers to you.

So there you have it: Beauty vs. The Beast! This doesn't prove anything we didn't already know, but hopefully you enjoyed it as much as I did. And to be fair, Jolie DID actually knock her monthly expenses down this year to $85.95, so we gotta give her mad props for that.

Labels: about j., men vs women, where our money goes

Friday, September 4, 2009

How much have you spent on clothing this year?

I like random questions like this because it gets you to stop and think about your spending habits. It's also fun to see how you compare to your peers :)

I know some who spend $300+ a month, while others have gone an entire YEAR (or three) without wearing anything new. I seriously don't know how they do it. Blogger Mapgirl just just calculated her amounts and she's only spent $373.98 this year! Incredible. I know we all have different shopping goals and all, but she's a GIRL! How could she beat me? haha...

I don't consider myself a hardcore shopper or anything, but I've def. spent more than $370 for the year. I don't have the patience to sort through all my c/c statements and add them all up, but if I had to guess I'd say I've handed over at least $600 this year. And compared to previous years of $1,000-$2,000, I've surely come a long way.

I have a shopping budget of $100 every month, and about $75 of it is set aside for clothes and accessories (man jewelry and all). And to be honest, I really haven't had the desire to go out and really look for stuff since I gave shopping up last year. The only times I end up looking around is if I have time to kill at the mall or I'm perusing some hot sales at Express or TJ Maxx or somewhere. And even then I usually only buy t-shirts since I wear them to work everyday with a pair of jeans. Luckily, spending $10 or $15 here and there will hardly get me into trouble. It's when I start looking for jeans or shoes that I end up dropping more than I'd like.

Since I budget everything though (in categories - "shopping", "food", "mortgages") I always know roughly what I'm spending. And all the money saved UNDER budget makes for some great motivation :) Plus, since any extra is sent directly to my savings account, I can look forward to spending it on something really important down the line.

Are you happy with the amounts you've been spending on clothes?

Labels: budgets, money management, shopping, where our money goes