Apartment Expenses How much can he afford to spend on an apartment? It's generally accepted that 30 to 35% is about right for housing expenses. That would include rent, plus utilities, any maintenance and decorating.
Cashless Envelope Sys. There are variations, but in the basic envelope system Lisa would cash her paycheck. She would have a number of envelopes for the different categories of spending: rent, food, transportation and so on. Cash from her paycheck would be divided into the various envelopes based on how much she felt she needed in that category.
Pay Off Holiday Debt Depending on which poll you use, Americans spent somewhere between $700 and $1,100 on Christmas gifts last year. For a good many shoppers, most of that spending went on their credit cards. And, if history is any indicator, those bills won't be paid off until May or June.
Reducing Spending Realistically you can cut about 10% of many monthly bills. If you try real hard you'll reduce 15%. But, unless you just waste money at every turn, it's very hard to save more than that without changing your lifestyle.
Spendaholic My Dad used to call it 'letting money burn a hole in your pocket'. Call it what you will, but it's a serious problem for some people. If you regularly spend all the money you have, you'll always be broke.
Young Couple Many young families make the mistake of spending everything they make. That might seem like fun now, but they'll find that it's hard making a downward adjustment in lifestyle later. Remember that a house and baby will increase family expenses. And the baby could also decrease family income.
