I bought all these things adults own. Am I an adult now?

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Business, Finance, and Careers > I bought all these things adults own. Am I an adult now?

FCKGW: May 21, 2006

I feel like you need to get into more specifics where your money is going. Not just food, but groceries vs. eating out. Tell us where your entertainment budget is at and where your household shopping is at, not just fun money.

My suggestion is to hop on mint, pour over the last few months of expenses and spend s couple hours hand categorizing everything. Getting a strong base view of your spending can be a eye opening experience.

# ¿ Jul 19, 2015 18:22

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# ¿ May 10, 2024 18:16

FCKGW: May 21, 2006

signalnoise posted:

I kinda feel like if I go over my previous expenses it's just going to make me feel like it's a good starting point to reduce from. Rather than look at what I've been doing and adjust from that, I think I should budget a reasonable amount to everything and stick to that as a fresh start. Above all else I don't want to dwell on the past. I want to look forward with my budgets where they SHOULD be rather than a marginal difference from where they were.

This is especially because I'm going to have entirely new categories of poo poo to budget for.

Except these just aren't numbers on a graph these are habits. Spending habits. It's not about making a budget one day and then BAM there you are. It's about looking at your habits, knowing what's essential and what can be reduced and THEN making the budget. Not knowing what your habits are will give you little to no clue on how to form out your budget.

# ¿ Jul 20, 2015 06:08

FCKGW: May 21, 2006

KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:

Can you tell us a little bit about the house buying process? If my parents told me to buy a house with a hundred thousand dollars in debt and one of the two potential breadwinners still in school, I would explain to them that I would buy a house after I had paid down my existing bad debt. Was that not an option for some reason?

I'm betting it's the common prodding from boomer relatives that "rent is throwing money away" and the true way to build wealth is real estate so get on that before it's too late!

# ¿ Jul 20, 2015 18:11

FCKGW: May 21, 2006

signalnoise posted:

Fortunately I'm already seeing a mind doctor so I'm good there, though it's pretty expensive!

Diet and exercise is definitely something I'm trying to get into, which will actually be a lot easier with the house. I'll be cooking at the very least. I think that as far as compulsive behaviors are concerned, the best thing I can do is cultivate a habit of doing. I tend to be a planner, not a doer, which is a big source of problems. I'll buy game stuff and not use it, I'll buy exercise equipment and not use it, hell I'll buy cooking poo poo and not use it. The best thing for me to do, on that end, is to actually start doing the things I plan.

But we'll see how this goes. I am accommodating to a fault, so I'm using this thread as a way to be obliged to something. My therapist likes to give me homework, and I do it because I'd rather do it than be nagged. And on that note, I still haven't done the mint poo poo.

So, OK thread, give me a deliverable to do. What exactly do you want out of mint? I also have YNAB already purchased. What do you want me to show you that I've done?

Last 30 days of spending would be a great start. Categories and numbers.

# ¿ Jul 25, 2015 07:19

FCKGW: May 21, 2006

signalnoise posted:

I am adding up the costs of all the poo poo I want to add to the house like shelving and stuff and it definitely makes an impact when you add up all the costs and look at a total.

Home buying is expensive. Home ownership is very expensive. Most people in the Home Ownership thread expect to have several thousands or more of post move-in costs as you start finding everything to fix and furniture to buy.

Just remember that rent is a price ceiling and a mortgage is a price floor. Your monthly mortgage payment is the cheapest your home ownership experience will ever be so you need to remember to budget for that.

# ¿ Jul 27, 2015 17:02

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# ¿ May 10, 2024 18:16

FCKGW: May 21, 2006

Oh cool just make the bill someone else's problem instead.

# ¿ Aug 12, 2015 06:47

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Business, Finance, and Careers > I bought all these things adults own. Am I an adult now?