Cutting Costs - When There's Nothing Left

I've been really hard on myself lately about my PF progress. I spent the last year as a spendthrift, after all. Even though I'm back to my more frugal ways, after reading and taking to heart a lot of what Jacob at Early Retirement Extreme has to say, I'm even more determined to squirrel away more of my income. So I took to my budget, red pen in-hand, desperately trying to find an opportunity to cut back on something.

Our largest expense is rent. The number ($850/person) is a true horror to behold, especially since not 2 years ago I used to spend only $500/month when I had more roommates. Meanwhile, my income is holding steady at $45k gross, which yields a little over $33k net (after federal and state taxes and a meager 3% 401k contribution), so I'm not getting any richer with this setup. We live in a 2-bedroom apartment now, when all we really need is less than or equal to 1 bedroom, so I perused craigslist with visions of a relatively inexpensive studio apartment in or near the city. I couldn't find anything at a reasonable price point that didn't require 2 additional roommates, or a 30 minute trip by car. Turns out our insanely expensive unit is actually quite a steal in this part of town. Until I can live the dream in a Tiny Tumbleweed house, looks like I'll have to make do with this place.

So I moved onward, looking for some other fixed cost to cut, but besides the Netflix subscription we just signed up for (it's winter in MA - I'm sure I'll get my money's worth), I couldn't find anything. Here's a list of things we already do without:

1. Car (and therefore, no car insurance, gas, etc.);
2. Cable television;
3. Cable internet (we use dryloop DSL);
4. Landline phone;
5. Gym membership; and
6. Haircuts, apparently - similarly, I do all my own bodily upkeep, including my nails.

The fees I do pay monthly are (i) an unlimited train/bus pass, which is less than $60/month and (ii) my cell phone, which is $45. No, there's no extraneous monthly fee to cut (except Netflix, but we just signed up, and already we've watched probably over 20 DVDs). Looks like I just have to track every penny to lessen my OTHER spending. I'm not shopping anymore, but I do spend $2 or $5 here and there for a coffee or a sandwich sometimes, and it really, really adds up. Groceries are also very expensive (duh), and we do shop sales, clip coupons, and eat a lot of lentils and tuna fish.

Maybe I'm missing something. Maybe I really do just need more of an influx of cash. Anyone else out there in a similar situation or want to share some "necessities" you do without?

I could sleep when I lived alone

This move is draining my purse. Life is draining my purse.

Life is change. I know it. I've accepted it, and maybe I even embrace it a little [begrudgingly]. But this is kind of unacceptable that all these huge expenses are coalescing into a trinity of awful:

• We just bought a mattress for about $750.
• My weight-loss program will cost almost $700 for just 8 weeks, which, as you now know, is almost the price of a mattress.*
• My rent is about to increase $300 per month.

Seriously, I've got to seriously think about getting a part-time job...seriously.

On a completely unrelated note, how does everyone feel about bridge (the card game)? I know it's screams "grandma" in a huge way, but don't you think it's about time for a come-back?

*I lost 4.5 lbs this week.

Sleep Accessories

I went mattress shopping this past weekend and felt overwhelmed by my ignorance. I realize that I have no idea what a good price looks like for a mattress. I found one that was comfortable enough, but it was $600.00 (just for the mattress!).

Could anyone fling any mattress-pricing-related advice in my direction?

Furniture shopping!

As I scour my Domino magazine back-issues, I realize how expensive furniture is. No one ever told me that a nice chair can cost a few hundred dollars.

($700.00 chair from IKEA!)

Anyway, I was looking at Victorian-era furniture at the antique market, and I found a few pieces with beautiful bones, but awful upholstery. I found a stained "couch" for $125, and a regal chair (with dark green velvet) for $150.00. I'm not really into velvet, but if I was a whiz at upholstery, I'd have swooped up those items in a heart beat.

Has anyone ever completed such an undertaking?

Where does the good go

As I am in the market for any household-goods frugal finds, I decided to stop by my local antique market to browse. There was a lot of framed work, which I would've loved to get, had it not been so ugly. There was one nice piece, but it was $995. No thanks! I did find some sheet music that I thought would look nice matted and framed, though that might get expensive. These range in date from 1918 to 1933, and they were each between 4 and 10 dollars. Thoughts?

For a couple dollars, I founds these photos at a small antique store last year (plus a ring and a necklace). It's sort of weird displaying family photos that aren't your own, and I'm not sure how to do it. Does anyone have any suggestions?




Also, I really like jadeite and milk glass, but I couldn't find anything in good condition. I think it had all been picked through. I got these clear green glasses with opaque tops at Anthropologie for $12.00 each. Decidedly not frugal, but they're beautiful, and I'll be using them on my future vanity.

Decorating Dilemma

Has anyone been able to successfully reconcile the drive to beautify your new apartment with precious goods (like that $300.00 tufted ottoman) with the drive to beg, borrow, and steal (don't steal!) by taking the lime green table and chair that someone put out for the garbage collector, for instance? I'm so conflicted!

My parents are giving us some things, but we don't even have a couch. I'm going to try to rely heavily on craigslist, of course, but even refurbishing gets expensive (e.g. these examples in Sunset Magazine). This one really cuts deep, because nothing gets me going like mirrored side-tables (see before and after below).




I've been scouring decorating-porn for ideas, and frankly, I think it's becoming a problem.

Just about a moonlight mile on down the road...

I currently share an apartment with 2 other girls in a really nice neighborhood. Because this apartment hasn't been renovated in quite some time, and my room is very small, my rent swallows up only about 14% of my gross income.

However, I've decided it's now time to start livin' in sin. In fact, my boyfriend and I just signed an application for an apartment about a mile and a half from my current place, which would be almost 23% of my gross income (and something like 31% of my net income) just for my half of the rent.

The flurry of activity in my checking account is making me so uncomfortable. I can see all my hard-earned money slipping through my fingers as I type this. We decided on this apartment because all the other ones we saw were more expensive and smaller. Living like sardines doesn't appeal to us, but it's not like I'm looking for luxury. I don't get how anyone affords to live in this city.

Taxes

I finally filed my taxes on Saturday.

Rather, I paid TurboTax the $30 to file for me. And you know what? It was worth it. The little refund-counter in the upperleft corner scrolling up through the numbers made it feel like I was winning the lottery.

I got a $402 federal refund and a $126 state refund. Add that to my projected $600 tax rebate, and I've got $1128 to put toward moving expenses. And since I could be moving earlier than expected, it could not have come at a better time.

Which reminds me...

Right now, about 20% of my take-home pay goes toward my rent. When I move, I'm probably looking at a huge rent increase (to about 30-37% of my take-home pay, and that's only if I don't change jobs). How am I supposed to be able to absorb that? I guess it's my fault for choosing to live in this city!

Flight of Fancy

When I was younger, I think I thought this is what my 20s would look like.

Now, I start fires, but not deliberately. I don't even own an apron. I rarely harness a stool's bongo-like qualities for an impromptu drum circle, and I definitely can't sing and serve at the same time. The kitchen in the apartment I rent is an eighth the size of that one. And there is for sure no dancing.

Maybe someday I'll find myself cooking in a good sized kitchen, cranking out some crunchy grooves, but for now, it's just me and the microwave.