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This one is tough, really really tough, so I'll throw out a couple things and you do what you want, though this point should stick. You being bad with money has lead to this situation. Just get that, then we can talk strat, but please really let that part sink in as a motivator to do better. From a BFC perspective, I only recommend taking on debt if it either directly affects your health, or gives you an opportunity to increase your earnings and in this case it doesn't fit. I find moving to be a poor BFC decision. If you want to talk E/N I'd be glad to take it to PMs or something, but I'm not sure this thread is the place for it. Sorry for everything that's happening, and if you really want to talk about it I promise I will, please PM Me.
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Oct 14, 2014 06:05
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I'm going to not say yes or no at the moment. I would like to see a "state of the budget" post, which includes: How much you have in your savings accounts, and how much of that is already allocated to other things How you will cover moving expenses & fees for transferring services If there'll be a charge for breaking your lease, and if so, how much EXACTLY how much the "+pet" charge is, and if you're certain it'll cover five pets (still too many) If you have any information on the cost of utilities in the house Are there laundry facilities or will you still need to pay for laundry You say there's no yard maintenance, is there a yard? If not, where are kids/dogs going to hang out? How much is renters insurance going to go up for you if you move? If your wife ends up not working after the baby is born, can you still afford the house? You're talking about contributing for therapy for your mom, how much will that cost? Have you looked into any other resources to get her help? It sounds like a good deal in some ways, you'll be closer to your mom & to work, you've been wanting to move out of the apartment, it's within the updated house-renting budget we've all been kicking around, but the WORST time to make important decisions is when you are in crisis, and right now, your whole family is definitely in a crisis situation. So you need to sit down, and really try to sort out all of the potential money issues (I've thought of a few above, I'm sure there are dozens more I've missed) regarding the move. Try to give it at least a couple of weeks for things to calm down. The other issue, your mom's well-being, is obviously not going to be fixed by a budget, but you need to weigh it as well. It's great that you want to be there for your mom, but when you and your wife have a newborn, is it going to be too much to also have your mom and sister right there all the time? I know the knee-jerk reaction is "It's my mom, I love her, I want to be there for her and help her out", but you also have to consider the well-being of your wife and baby right now. Situations like this can turn toxic, even with the best of intentions and 99% cooperation of all parties. And if your monthly bills go up and your savings go down, your options for getting away from it if you need to dry up fast.
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Oct 14, 2014 14:08
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Sounds like a difficult situation... I am sorry first and foremost for you and your family. The really tough thing is that your mother is in a tough place with depression and it is hard to know from the outside looking in what (if any) positive effect you being closer will have. Your sister is already living with your mother so she has a support network there already, but that assumes their relationship is good. From personal experience, sometimes a loved one does not want help or support and would be more comfortable being miserable and lashing out to those around then instead of getting help. If I were you, I would have a sit down with your mom and ask her if you being closer and spending more time with her is what she wants... If she says yes, and you feel that it will help her recovery then you should definitely consider it. If she refuses help, lashes out, wants to be alone etc. Then all your moving will accomplish is more stress in you, your wife, and your mother in which everyone lives close together and everyone is miserable.
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Oct 14, 2014 14:38
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Hawkgirl posted:I'm sure you'll get a few people who think you should commit to your budget but...gently caress it. You've only got one mom. There's definitely a danger here of always finding emergencies that justify you breaking your budget, but I feel like if they're all as serious as this one, you just weren't meant to be financially solvent. It's definitely frustrating right now, because we've been doing so well with the budget this month. Didn't expect this kind of brick, for sure. I'd hate to resign myself to a fate of being perpetually broke. Agreed on that last part. I've had that phrase directed at me a few times in the past few days. I should probably listen. n8r posted:I think it's a fine idea to move, but you should figure out a way to carve out $300 from your budget and live like you are still paying $800/month and treat the $300 a month as an additional income source. That way if costs come up related to your mom you'll have a $300/month buffer to help pay for those things. Time to cut that fun budget down and start eating beans! Spoke to the wife, and she agreed about cutting our groceries by $100, and our discretionary categories by $100/ea if we moved. I actually misposted our grocery budget a few posts up; we've got $311 remaining for the month, and we started with an empty fridge and pantry. We can definitely make it on less. If nothing else this reaffirms that "stuff" isn't the key to happiness. Veskit posted:This one is tough, really really tough, so I'll throw out a couple things and you do what you want, though this point should stick. You being bad with money has lead to this situation. Just get that, then we can talk strat, but please really let that part sink in as a motivator to do better. From a BFC perspective, I only recommend taking on debt if it either directly affects your health, or gives you an opportunity to increase your earnings and in this case it doesn't fit. I find moving to be a poor BFC decision. Well I'll readily admit that if we hadn't spent all of our savings back in February/bought the car/other poor choices then we'd be in a much better place. Our poor financial planning certainly makes this a harder decision than I'd like it to be. It'd be really great if it was the last factor to be considered, instead of near the top. I really wish we'd just moved into a similarly priced house in the first place. I think there are arguably some health benefits to moving, but probably not enough to make that a main justification. Also thanks man. I agree this isn't the place for e/n. Gotta stay on topic and on track. April posted:... Alright I'll find out some more information on the property and then try to answer your questions after I get off work. I think you're right that we shouldn't rush into things. I was thinking maybe we could move out December 1st, and just try to stretch our October remaining discretionary so we could save all November's (plus some grocery). Really my 3 biggest concerns are (assuming we trim $300 in fat in the budget to make up for the cost): 1) Breaking the lease. This carries a forfeiture of deposit, so money totally lost. 2) Paying for the new rental. Assuming at least $1,500 here with another moving truck. That really sucks as that puts us back about a month and as you said we have a baby on the way. Mostly a deposit but it might as well be money spent. I'll do my best to address your points though after work. SpclKen posted:Sounds like a difficult situation... I am sorry first and foremost for you and your family. (without trying to get too e/n here) Thank you. It's definitely been a tough couple of days. As it sounds like you know, it's frustrating seeing someone struggle with this. I did speak with my mom about moving before posting yesterday, and she did say how it'd be great if we lived closer. Anyway to try to get back to a positive note: didn't spend any discretionary again yesterday, and we've been tearing into some awesome slow cooker meals almost every day. It's really great not having to worry about cooking during the week. If you're reading this and you spend too much on restaurants, I recommend giving it a shot. Plus it's almost definitely healthier for you than going out to eat. Knyteguy fucked around with this message at 18:27 on Oct 14, 2014 |
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Oct 14, 2014 17:56
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Knyteguy posted:Really my 3 biggest concerns are (assuming we trim $300 in fat in the budget to make up for the cost): Any chance you can sublet the place you are living in now to avoid taking that penalty. Say, perhaps, to a certain sister of yours who sounds desperate to live somewhere other than where she is now?
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Oct 14, 2014 18:19
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I agree, putting out feelers for a subletter is probably a good idea if your sister isn't interested.
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Oct 14, 2014 18:37
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Good idea on subletting. I'm not certain if my sister could afford the place, but I know her sporadic nannying job is right in the area. Anyway I just found out that every house in the neighborhoods we're looking in and in our price range of <= $1,200 is rented out already, or has multiple pending applications. I don't know if we'll find another house for $1,095. That was a bargain for the area. Probably will be closer to $1,195. That's OK. We'll continue as planned, and perhaps if we see the right rental house for the right price then we'll be in a position to jump on it. And if not, well then there's not much we can do. It wouldn't do anyone in the family any good if we got in a house we couldn't afford, especially with a baby on the way. Would this be affordable if I sacrifice all but $50 of my discretionary?:  or maybe this:  No? just throwing it out there.  P.S.: April I'll still get back to you on the questions that I'm still able to answer.
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Oct 14, 2014 20:38
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Knyteguy posted:Good idea on subletting. I'm not certain if my sister could afford the place, but I know her sporadic nannying job is right in the area. If you're comfortable breaking the lease and handing over whatever fee there is to do that, you could discount the sublet rent by a prorated amount to give her a bit of a financial break. It probably isn't that last $40 or whatever that makes it unaffordable for her, but you seem to be interested in doing a solid for some family members so it is something to keep in mind.
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Oct 14, 2014 22:49
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Antifreeze Head posted:If you're comfortable breaking the lease and handing over whatever fee there is to do that, you could discount the sublet rent by a prorated amount to give her a bit of a financial break. It probably isn't that last $40 or whatever that makes it unaffordable for her, but you seem to be interested in doing a solid for some family members so it is something to keep in mind. Yea I'd be willing to do that for sure. I'll speak to my sister and see what her situation is exactly, and see if that's something she'd want to do. April posted:How much you have in your savings accounts, and how much of that is already allocated to other things Hey and just want to say genuinely thanks again everyone. I'm thankful my family has all of you to help us. 
Knyteguy fucked around with this message at 01:01 on Oct 15, 2014 |
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Oct 15, 2014 00:57
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I don't think you know what a plan is. You move into a new smaller place to save money. The whole time you either know you are pregnant or trying to get it. Now the place is too small. You clean the place up and are good to go. Now your place is too dangerous to live in so you need to move and break the lease. (BTW your place was dangerous before you moved in, even if it is dangerous) I mean come on man. This is all in about 3 months or so? You like to spend money and you like to make snap decisions. You basically have $2000 and your wife is going to stop working and you are going to have a kid (with a $19 baby fund....$19...). Your whole situation is dire and you are just going to foolishly spend money at the problem.
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Oct 15, 2014 01:28
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I'm on my phone and don't want to type a lot. Pets: If you have a shrink, an Emotional Support Animal waives both deposits and quantity requirements. Super simple. I can provide a letter template via email if you need it, and I have the code sections which support this on my computer. Google does too. HSA: You must make sure you have a health plan that supports HSA's throughout 2015, otherwise you may face penalty for fully funding in 2014 but not being eligible for the HSA for all of 2014. The IRS has info on this, but basically make sure to pick a high deductible plan if your wife leaves JCP. Lease break fee: Jealous. I pay 1.5mo plus deposit to break my lease...
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Oct 15, 2014 01:31
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spwrozek posted:I don't think you know what a plan is. OK I had a lot posted here, but spwrozek I feel like you're missing a lot here. My wife will probably go back to work. If she doesn't then we'll save 250 minutes a week of city driving in traffic in gasoline, plus all that time I could be spending on the business. The $300 there will be nearly a wash. We'll have $7,500 in the bank when I get paid, and we're a whole month ahead. We're making a plan right now. We're not finalized on moving. Not even close; that's why I'm asking for input here. And actually a lot of people are recommending a move which actually surprised me. If you missed my big post last page please go see it, as our motivations for moving are far more than just my grandma and wife being afraid to go out alone at night. SiGmA_X posted:I'm on my phone and don't want to type a lot. I don't personally have a shrink any more, but I'll definitely take a template for my mom if you have it handy. My username at gmail.com if you wouldn't mind because that sounds great.
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Oct 15, 2014 02:30
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Move. Yesterday. Stop obsessing quite so much over your budget and start obsessing on making more money.
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Oct 15, 2014 06:47
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imabanana posted:Move. Yesterday. Business: I've been putting in a lot of time. I think I can run with my idea and go somewhere with it. I'm expecting to be ready to launch by December or January. If you missed it I already have the homepage of the website designed, implemented into css/html, and even partially programmed. Moving: OK before my wife and I make a final decision about whether we're going to move or stay, we just need to catch our bearings a little bit like others have mentioned. As you said I may be obsessing over the budget. However it is important that we stay on track. If I had practiced and refined these skills before I got my new job, we would have nearly no debt. We went from my income being < $10,000/yr for years to having a $60,000 a year salary, and we still struggled with money at points throughout the month. If our business takes off it won't help if we go get right back into debt with simply more expensive things. Even through all the poo poo lately I'm showing control and discipline, and I want to continue doing that. I almost snap changed the budget values yesterday, but I refrained from doing that for example. At this point I do think the pros of moving outweigh the cons of moving. That's kind of hard to admit, because I really thought we made a good choice moving where we did. If we do decide to move though we're still probably looking at a time frame of a couple months, since there aren't many properties available where we need to live. That'll give us a chance to stock pile some money to help pay for it all at least. SiGmA_X posted:I'm on my phone and don't want to type a lot. Sigma I checked out your form/the links you emailed me, and I think this is a great idea, and I get now how this can save us some money if we move. Thanks a lot man I may schedule a psych session to get this filled out. Our animals aren't destructive at all (never had a claim against our deposit in the years I've been renting, and if they were destructive some how I'd pay to fix it while we were still living there), so I wouldn't feel too guilty about that.
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Oct 15, 2014 19:59
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OK I appreciate everyone's input on the move. After careful consideration of everyone's opinions, we've decided we're going to move. I've expanded the neighborhoods we're looking at. We're going to keep it < 5 miles away from my work, <= $1250/mo, and I'm going to start commuting by bicycle daily. I can manage that rain or snow. I need to lose weight anyhow, and I'll probably be a more productive worker from the daily morning exercise. This'll be my last post for awhile. I appreciate the help since we've made a lot of progress, but I think people are getting a way wrong idea about me. It's frustrating and kind of degrading. I was talking to a fellow BFCer, and I wanted to post my motivations that I was talking with them about. (BFC poster I was talking to: if you're reading this, I'm not upset or anything, so no worries thanks for the convo )(Not totally verbatim) quote:Moving And also the internet sucks at home. It usually takes a modem reset if we watch a YouTube video. I've already talked with our cable company about it multiple times (hence the recent credit shown in our budget update). And then another blurb from that conversation (mostly E/N), but now I'm thinking everyone thinks I'm all hosed up or something, so I wanted to post this too: quote:General progress So thanks Goons for providing us the tools to grow. I'm not going to say I'm finished with the thread, but I do feel like we're in a position to start to take control of our finances without consulting every decision. I "get" budgeting now, and we're definitely staying on track. I'm 100% confident we'll make it to the end of the month on budget. I'm confident we'll make it next month too, even if we drop our grocery/discretionary funding to afford a new rental. If I want something well I'll just have to save up my discretionary, and I think that's about the biggest problem I had with our finances. If you all aren't getting tired of the thread, then I think I'll come back to post monthly or bi-weekly budget updates, as well as important updates like the baby being born. Less updates will take the focus away from my personal life a lot, and that's a good thing. It's not that I can't take criticism, it's just that I feel the criticism is misplaced a whole hell of a lot, and again I feel like people are getting the wrong idea. That's OK - no harm no foul, but it tells me I'm communicating poorly I guess. I'll still do my best to answer any questions, but ultimately we need to be accountable for our own finances and our own decisions. I owe you people a hell of a lot. Many of you have been incredibly helpful (like almost everyone in here). I've met some people I now consider friends due to this thread, and I've also found some mentors and people who have really motivated me to better myself and my family. The lessons that we've picked up here will be lessons that I will instill in my own children as they grow; I'll be thankful I'm more qualified to give them the financial lessons I wish I had been able to learn growing up. Anyway I felt I owed you guys a heads up instead of letting the thread silently fade into obscurity as before. There's probably some more people reading in here that need help with their financial decisions way more than I do now, so this'll help free up some valuable BFC resources too. Have some faith that we'll absolutely continue to make strides going forward. This isn't the end, or a failure or anything like that; it's more of a beginning. In fact I'm going to switch gears and start to focus my effort on fitness. I feel like I'm ready to do that without sacrificing our financial focus. I'm thinking of putting my discretionary in a jar and giving myself $20 of it to use for every lb I lose or something. Or hell maybe I'll take $20/lb lost away from my discretionary and put it in a new wardrobe fund. Thanks again Goons. Much love!
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Oct 16, 2014 19:06
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Good luck man, I hope things work out well for you. Here's a stellar podcast about money matters that you may not have bumped into: https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/the-dave-ramsey-show/id77001367 Listen to a few of the shows and you'll get the basic idea of his program and philosphy on getting and staying out of debt. It's pretty inspiring stuff.
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Oct 16, 2014 19:25
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I hope you check in once a month at least to post a graph of the black line going up and the red line going down. I certainly enjoy watching you make progress, and don't forget you can always just put people on ignore if they are particularly ignorant/annoying 
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Oct 16, 2014 20:05
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Why do you keep saying your wife is going to go back to work and thus that will solve the problem? You still haven't guaranteed you have a place for the kid to go during that time. Your sister is going to be extremely busy with her own child. You really need to not take her watching your kid for free every day as a sure thing, *even* if you talk to her and she agrees to do it. I suspect you haven't gotten such an agreement, please do that at the bare minimum before you move. Even then, you need a contingency plan for if she backs out. I wish you best of luck whether or not you respond here, but leaving the accountability that this thread enforces behind certainly makes me uneasy for your sake.
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Oct 16, 2014 20:29
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This thread really provides an ongoing string of comedy that I can't believe Knyteguy sees. You 'get' budgeting for all of maybe a month or two a best? You drop a 20k medical bill bomb on the thread with no clear plan on how to handle it. You have no real post birth plan for how you will either pay for childcare, or how you will handle your finances if your wife doesn't return to work. Have you run the numbers of covering your wife/baby on your healthcare plan? You're really reducing your options by upping your fixed costs every month by increasing your rent. I think the point where you 'get' budgeting is where you've got a pretty clear plan on how you are going to handle your debts (all of them) and how you are going to handle your upcoming costs for a relatively short period of time. If you think you can run a business that should/will require projecting a budget for a year+ in advance why can't you do this for your personal life?
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Oct 19, 2014 23:15
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Come back to the thread when things have settled down and your housing situation is stable. When you come back reassess where you are financially and bring a budget as well. I know it's probably tough but things will seem better in a few months.
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Oct 20, 2014 00:24
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OK I said I'd do my best to answer questions: CuddleChunks / My Rhythmic Crotch: thanks. I'll continue to post updates. Just not quite so often. Jeffrey posted:Why do you keep saying your wife is going to go back to work and thus that will solve the problem? You still haven't guaranteed you have a place for the kid to go during that time. Your sister is going to be extremely busy with her own child. You really need to not take her watching your kid for free every day as a sure thing, *even* if you talk to her and she agrees to do it. I suspect you haven't gotten such an agreement, please do that at the bare minimum before you move. Even then, you need a contingency plan for if she backs out. I wish you best of luck whether or not you respond here, but leaving the accountability that this thread enforces behind certainly makes me uneasy for your sake. I've spoken with my sister multiple times. It's pretty much guaranteed she'll watch our kid for a year, but it's not free she quoted us $300/mo. Backup is the daycare down the street from my work/our new home. We've got this pretty well planned. Thanks for the well wishes, but I'm not leaving the thread behind permanently; I just want to make fewer updates. Keeping up with what I've been doing is too stressful. n8r posted:This thread really provides an ongoing string of comedy that I can't believe Knyteguy sees. You 'get' budgeting for all of maybe a month or two a best? You drop a 20k medical bill bomb on the thread with no clear plan on how to handle it. You have no real post birth plan for how you will either pay for childcare, or how you will handle your finances if your wife doesn't return to work. Have you run the numbers of covering your wife/baby on your healthcare plan? You're really reducing your options by upping your fixed costs every month by increasing your rent. A lot of fallacies/assumptions here n8r. I've only recently made it to the point that I "get" budgeting. I've never understood it in the past, as evidenced by my posts in this very thread talking about buying stuff (and just adding a line item to the budget). I have run the numbers if my wife doesn't go back to work. It's tight, but we're definitely still net positive and saving/paying off debt. That's with assumed new baby expenses and insurance. But she is going back to work unless there's some complications. We have a contingency plan in place. We do have a plan how we will pay for childcare, even if the budget isn't set in stone. Projecting our personal finances with our budget is too difficult at this point in time. I have no idea what a baby, and more importantly OUR baby, will cost. I'm shooting what I think is way high and estimating $500/mo in baby expenses. Devian666 posted:Come back to the thread when things have settled down and your housing situation is stable. When you come back reassess where you are financially and bring a budget as well. I know it's probably tough but things will seem better in a few months. Yea things have calmed down a lot. We also made an offer on a rental house, and it was accepted. House is 3br/2ba 1,300 sqft, has a 2 car garage PLUS a 3-4 car detached garage (our new place to jam on our instruments and play dominoes/darts), and requires no appliance purchases. 0.39 acre lot so loooots of room for the dogs. Original price was $1,300/mo but we got them down to $1,100/mo!  http://www.rentometer.com Best part? We don't have to cannibalize our savings very much. Our moving fund will have enough to cover the the move and the deposit when we move in. We'll have to double dip on rent a little bit in November, but we also cut some discretionary categories to help cover that. The house is far enough from family to have boundaries, but close enough to visit with a 5 minute car ride. Fuuck I wish we had made this decision in the first place. This is a decision of moderation, instead of one of feast (previous place) or famine (current place). See everyone in a week or so if there are any posts, else end of the month I'll post October's budget update. Edit: and of course there's a chance we don't get this house after applying or something. We have a few more pending offers if that's the case. If those fall through also we'll need to wait until December. Knyteguy fucked around with this message at 20:53 on Oct 21, 2014 |
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Oct 21, 2014 20:51
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I haven't been following this thread with as much detail as I used to, but this seems like typical Knyteguy. "Understand budgeting"/"buckles down"/"can be disciplined when he needs to" for 4-6 weeks and then "SOMETHING DRAMATIC" which leads to "SPEND ALL THE MONEY". If you look back at his past thread or even this thread which dates back about a year now this has pretty much been the cycle. Good luck dude. Looking forward to the post in 2-3 years: "Knyteguy's Finance Thread - Second Baby on the Way, Help me save up $20k for a house! Grandma said she'll match!". For your sake I hope I'm wrong.
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Oct 21, 2014 21:43
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Bugamol posted:I haven't been following this thread with as much detail as I used to, but this seems like typical Knyteguy. "Understand budgeting"/"buckles down"/"can be disciplined when he needs to" for 4-6 weeks and then "SOMETHING DRAMATIC" which leads to "SPEND ALL THE MONEY". To give Knyte credit, he gets things way easier, and isn't nearly as clueless as he once was. He now has all the tools, and has demonstrated he knows how to use them. The issue is nobody knows if he can consistently do it. He's never proven that. At least the rent isnt' astronomical, so good call on that. Hopefully a 250 dollar per month quality of life change for the house, REALLY reflects what 250 dollars is worth in comparison to some dumb toy.
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Oct 21, 2014 22:03
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Veskit posted:To give Knyte credit, he gets things way easier, and isn't nearly as clueless as he once was. He now has all the tools, and has demonstrated he knows how to use them. I think I've said it before, maybe not, but the only thing that separates Knyteguy and Slow Motion is that Knyteguy comes back here bashful and claims "I'll do better! I can do better! I get it now! Words!" whereas Slow Motion basically flips off the thread and laughs. And yet Slow Motion is more on track to getting out of debt than Knyteguy is. The true test for both of them will be 2015. Will Slow Motion continue the trend of September and go back into debt? Will Knyteguy be able to mange his finances for more than 1-2 months without going into desperate "buy buy buy buy buy buy" mode? EDIT: Again I hope the absolute best for Knyteguy and have since last year. It's just. He's been all talk for basically 3 years now with no actual long term results. Just napkin math about where he's going to be in 6 months if he can control his impulse control. He has continued to show (time and time again) that he has bursts of extremely strong self control. Which he normally vaporizes by a handful of impulse purchases. I'm even for him moving. I just think him stepping away from the thread because he's "on the right track" is a bad idea. Bugamol fucked around with this message at 23:10 on Oct 21, 2014 |
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Oct 21, 2014 23:05
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Bugamol posted:And yet Slow Motion is more on track to getting out of debt than Knyteguy is. The true test for both of them will be 2015. I'm kind of annoyed by people who keep trotting this out. It's not just you, Bugamol, sorry to single you out. Slow Motion makes 4 times more per person than Knyteguy and his wife does. I'm sorry but the cost in living difference does not translate to cover this much of a gap especially when a large portion of money is going towards savings and debt repayment - saving a dollar in Seattle isn't suddenly more expensive than anywhere else, same with paying down a dollar in debt and interest rates. Slow Motion has less temptation staring at him in his bank account with his bonus accrual, has done mediocre at his career with his exam retakes and billing under requisite hours, has refused to make much of any sacrifices. Knyteguy has gotten a better job and shown initiative in building a business, he's been willing to sacrifice to the extreme, although it has backfired like this house. But he's learning from that. They are in very different circumstances. I'm not saying Knyte isn't doing this: Bugamol posted:this seems like typical Knyteguy. "Understand budgeting"/"buckles down"/"can be disciplined when he needs to" for 4-6 weeks and then "SOMETHING DRAMATIC" which leads to "SPEND ALL THE MONEY" because, it does kind of feel like he is. But give credit where it's due. It does nothing to take away the small victories he has achieved from him just to keep beating him down. Rurutia fucked around with this message at 23:32 on Oct 21, 2014 |
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Oct 21, 2014 23:30
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I'm 100% not trying to beat him down. I'm 100% hopeful that he can make it 3 full months staying on track. Concerns: I find it pretty shocking that the only cost to break his lease is his deposit forfeiture. That's pretty much unheard of because the deposit is supposed to cover damage you do not breaking the lease early. Usually this cost is at least one month's rent if not more. ($500-$1000) I don't see anywhere that he called out what the deposit will be on his new place. Usually houses require a full months rent + an additional pet deposit as a deposit. ($1000-$2000) Needs a washer/dryer. ($200-$1000) Christmas is just around the corner. ($$$$?) That alone would pretty much wipe out his savings.
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Oct 21, 2014 23:59
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Thanks Rurutia / Veskit. Bug just to answer your questions: Bugamol posted:I'm 100% not trying to beat him down. I'm 100% hopeful that he can make it 3 full months staying on track. Lease Break: My wife was incorrect with the amount of the lease break (I wasn't there for the lease signing explanation). Lease break is 1.5 months rent, but deposit is not forfeited. Deposit is $550 so it's about $70 more than I expected. We should get most of our deposit back. I've actually never lost anything beyond a mandatory cleaning fee on a deposit. Rental house deposit: Deposit: $1,100. Pet Deposit: $500 Washer/Dryer: Don't need washer/dryer unit has both. Holidays: Christmas will come from our holiday savings fund and discretionary only. We also don't need to pay a full month's rent in our apartment for November - they'll prorate. So we'll pay half a month of our apartment, half a month of the rental house. No double dipping. We have $1950 saved in our moving fund. That'll cover the deposits on the new place, and leave us $350 for the rest of the move. Again while still meeting the rest of our savings goals. Moving forward we'll no longer need a moving category so everything we've been allotting there can go into our other savings goals.
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Oct 24, 2014 17:10
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Post the october budget and show us what's happening for November. You can then promptly walk away while the in fighting/agreeing happens.
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Oct 24, 2014 17:25
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Sucks to blow ~$1200 on breaking a lease. (I think your rent was around $800...) I am pretty skeptical that was the best use of your money.
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Oct 24, 2014 17:33
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Knyteguy posted:I've actually never lost anything beyond a mandatory cleaning fee on a deposit. Of course, for all I know you've looked into it already and it happens to be legal where you live. But I figure it's better to bring it up and possibly help you save some money.
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Oct 24, 2014 17:49
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Veskit posted:Post the october budget and show us what's happening for November. You can then promptly walk away while the in fighting/agreeing happens. Agreed.
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Oct 24, 2014 17:54
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Veskit posted:Post the october budget and show us what's happening for November. You can then promptly walk away while the in fighting/agreeing happens. OK short on time so I can't explain a bunch. pre:October: Savings: Emergency Fund: 846/500 Moving Fund: 500/400 House Down Payment: 100/100 Prego Bills: 100/100 Holiday/Giving: 45/50 Babe Fund: 19/50 (bought a nursery thing) Vet Bills: 50/50 Car Repairs: 45/45 Car Registration: 30/30 Clothing: 50/50 Vanguard Initial Buy-in: 20/20 Spent/Budgeted Variable Expenses: Groceries: 381/500 (put $100 into savings though, so really like $19 left) Fuel: 113/130 (full tank last night) Pets: 150/150 His Discretionary: 189/200 ($50 rollover) Her Discretionary: 179/200 ($50 into emergency fund) Fixed Bills/Debt: Fixed so everything is the same Note: Plus all of November's expenses and savings already accounted for pre:November: Budget Adjustments: Groceries: 400 (-100) Discretionary: 125/person (-75/person) likely temporary I don't have time to break down the numbers but here's where the money went: Savings: Emergency Fund: 603/500 Moving Fund: 1460/400 House Down Payment: 0/100 Pregnancy Bills: 100/100 Holiday: 50/50 ... etc everything else accounted for as expected spwrozek posted:Sucks to blow ~$1200 on breaking a lease. (I think your rent was around $800...) Totally. I almost dropped the idea of moving because of the price, but my wife really wants to move (and I do too). We haven't gotten around to selling the TV, and we have a violin that was bought a few years ago, so the deal we made with ourselves was we only move if we sell those (going to put them on Craigslist this weekend). That should help cover some of the costs. Haifisch: Yes it only happened once, but I was really annoyed because we left the place absolutely spotless - they probably pocketed the money. I think it is illegal here, but I'll double check. Rental house deposit: I asked and it's all fully refundable unless there's damage.
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Oct 24, 2014 18:01
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I recommend with an increase in rent you decrease your discretionary. Maybe not dollar for dollar, but you should feel the move some, so scratch that temporary thing. Also what is the goal for holiday spending? I honestly think 500 holiday is fair for both christmas and thanksgiving.
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Oct 24, 2014 22:37
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Knyteguy posted:Thanks Rurutia / Veskit. $500 pet deposit seems really low. Are you sure that's not per pet up to a maximum? The place we moved into was $500 per pet up to $1500 maximum. It does not even remotely surprise me that you are continuing to miscalculate how much things are going to cost, and something you obviously still need to put in a lot of work on. Did you get approved for this house yet?
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Oct 25, 2014 17:00
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I'm kind of surprised a landlord would be ok with 5 pets. I had a hard time with 3.
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Oct 25, 2014 17:29
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RheaConfused posted:I'm kind of surprised a landlord would be ok with 5 pets. I had a hard time with 3. It's regional for sure.
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Oct 25, 2014 20:35
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How much do you have saved for the baby?
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Oct 25, 2014 20:45
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Bugamol posted:$500 pet deposit seems really low. Are you sure that's not per pet up to a maximum? The place we moved into was $500 per pet up to $1500 maximum. This is extremely variable depending on where you live. My current place was only a $200 pet deposit, but I've seen $500 plus $20 a month in other places. $500 is totally feasible.
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Oct 25, 2014 20:59
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Quantum Finger posted:How much do you have saved for the baby? It depends, can you treat a baby like a pet for budgeting purposes? Give mom dog food for maximum economy until the baby is born and weaned, then switch him to puppy chow. It's really a foolproof plan, and frugal at that.
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Oct 26, 2014 02:46
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Bugamol posted:$500 pet deposit seems really low. Are you sure that's not per pet up to a maximum? The place we moved into was $500 per pet up to $1500 maximum. Pet deposit is $500 total yes; I called them and confirmed all of the deposits before putting the app in. A lot of people in this suburb area rent because of pets, I think. Most rentals in the area have dog doors or "dog runs" (kennel areas). Not approved yet - we'll find out early next week they said. I think approval chances are looking good since we probably come off as pretty responsible considering this rental house is only about 15% of our gross income, so that'll be in our favor. Veskit posted:I recommend with an increase in rent you decrease your discretionary. Maybe not dollar for dollar, but you should feel the move some, so scratch that temporary thing. Holiday spending maybe $200? $500 I think a little more than we need, since we already have the reputation of being the bad gifters, so one more year probably won't hurt. Next year though I could totally see something like $500 being a good goal. I don't want to be the cheap assholes in the family forever. Quantum Finger posted:How much do you have saved for the baby? $70 (laughably low). But uh that number is pretty low because we already have so much baby stuff. We have an 8ft bookshelf filled to the brim with newborn clothes, baby toys, etc. That's before the baby shower and my boss saying he's giving us a "garage full" of boy's stuff (clothes, toys, etc). Got a nice car seat already (gift from mom). We're fortunate to have lots of hand-me-downs; my sister in law has 3 boys growing fast.
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Oct 26, 2014 18:08
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