Budget Breakdown (Ep. 13) Low Income Family, High Cost of Living | FrugalFitMom Podcast
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- čas přidán 26. 06. 2023
- In this week's episode of Budget Breakdown, Christine and Dave dig into the spending habits of a low income family living in a high cost of living area. They urge the family to more effectively align their expenses with their limited income to achieve their goals of building their savings, adding to their retirement funds, and moving out of their tiny home.
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I would like to see an episode where Christine lets Hailey do shopping for a one person week, and see how an actual young person, starting-their-life would shop.
I LOVE THIS!
Oh yes, that would be interesting
Ooo fun. I bet her thinking process and commentary in the store would be great. 😂
As a side hustle could they rent out a portion of their land for other people to have a garden to help with their costs?
I think that part of the food budget issue is no place to store cold foods. If they don't have the storage for a week of cold foods they're always shopping for food . And that is probably causing lots of impulse purchases.
Good point. Wonder if they could put a fridge/freezer in a storage shed? Long term, a solution for food storage might help. With a garden, there would be a lot of preservation too which would require storage.
Maybe doing Walmart grocery pickup instead of browsing the aisles could cut down on impulse spending in that scenario.
In the past we have had a small freezer outside. No shed just out the back door. Freezer we got for free when neighbor put outside with the trash.
That could very well be true about lack of cold storage. You can pick up a small chest freezer for about $150.00. Or maybe an extra small frig with a small freezer. If one is organized cold food can be organized in a small refrigerator freezer combo.
I live in a tiny house and have plenty of freezer space, at least a month's worth
I teach produce hacks here in the PNW and had a tedtalk on food waste. Living in the Seattle area that has one of the highest grocery costs of the US I am still able to do a grocery budget of $135/person per month for an organic allergy family.
OMG I love how he is talking to/about you and how he's looking at you Christine. That man is in awe and respects you so much! Keep up the great work you too :)
I really, really appreciate that Dave brought up how hard it can be to learn to shop for real food and food deals, teach yourself to meal plan and cook - I didn't have any of those skills until four years ago when I started watching Christine's main channel. It's taken four years for me to feel even a little bit proficient at any of those things. My folks didn't do food that way and so it was all brand new. Even a little bit at a time, even as I have learned to do those things imperfectly, I've seen results in our nutrition and in our budget. It was/is so worth it. Thanks for all of your work and education, Christine - literally one of the best teachers I've had.
I grew up not knowing how to cook despite my mom being an excellent and frugal home chef. After having my own family, I had to learn how to cook and there was absolutely a learning curve for every element: planning, budgeting accurately, shopping efficiently, cooking well, even proper storage. If it takes chefs months of concerted effort in formal school, why would anyone be able to do this well right away? It took about 2-3 years of cooking for me to pull off delicious meals easily. Now I can whip up lots of dishes without trying because I have foundational skills, but I had to learn them as an adult! Absolutely agree that many people who already have these skills underestimate how long it takes to actually build them up.
Good for you! The longer you cook, and the more ingredients you use, you'll become even better! But, I'm sure you're a better cook than you give yourself credit for!
I've been cooking for 50 years and I still have "oopsies!" ... don't concern yourself with that because even chefs don't always perform to their own expectations.
I didn't know how to cook when I left home at 20. I taught myself to cook using a Betty Crocker cookbook ... one of those that uses cream of anything soups and boxed food items. I learned what dishes were supposed to look and taste like, how to put ingredients together, and mainly how to cook. I eventually was able to learn to to scratch cook and bake, which I really enjoy. Now I cook foods specific to different countries ... all with a grocery budget, of course.
On my next grocery trip I'm going to imagine Christine is walking beside me and watching me! Let's see how different things will be!
I wish there was a conversation with the budgeters prior to the video. Having so many questions leads to way too much guessing.
After living in the PNW, their grocery budget is only slightly higher than average I’d say. Also, consider if they have any food allergies. Food allergies cost more money; typically because you’re buying alternatives or higher quality ingredients. As a food allergy sufferer, I either go without (not always great if you’re already limited on your ability to eat certain things) or pay more for the few things I can eat. We used to spend 800+ while living there.
One of my favorite budget date nights is a picnic at a local park! Sometimes we sit there and listen to or watch something on one of our phones, too. Still get date night with a budget that's the same as just eating at home!
I was going to suggest that for this couple. A nice park with barbecue facilities in a nice setting. Just having some alone time is the goal.
I totally agree, I bet a large part of the food budget is storage. At 250 sq ft, you have no room to store anything. And Im surprised that they are gardeners; usually food storage is high on the list, like canning, fermenting, dehydrating, freeze drying,etc. I also believe the entertainment budget is so high because there is no space for activities at home, so its just easier to go out. Invest in a few games, puzzles or outdoor activities.
Would love to learn shopping tips if you want to stick to organic, non toxic foods. They’re very pricey but I’m not willing to compromise health.
I live in Salem, Oregon and I followed Jordan Page's grocery budget and including inflation, for a family of 4 just meal planning and buying sale items, you can easily budget $125 to $150 per person/per month. So around, $500 a month for a family of 4 can eat well!
I live in Corvallis, Oregon and I agree with you. By the way, Idaho is considered part of the PNW! Our grocery prices are still about the same as yours, Christine. Great video!
Single mom of three in Portland that's about how much I spend on our groceries a month.
So for some of us our food budget is like your Pelaton/exercise/hiking/biking budget. Once you eat grass fed beef and organic chicken one time, you will never go back to the conventional sale meat at your local grocery! It's spongy and gross IMO. That's prob not where their money is going but just in general after watching a lot of your videos and you stating that conventional food is the same I can tell you 100% it isn't. Conventional bananas make me very ill. Organic bananas don't make me feel that way. There is a def difference in quality and my health. I've seen many comments on some of your videos where people said they were allergic to what is put on conventional produce. Having said all that my food budget isn't actually that much higher than it used to be and I'm very willing to cut in other areas of my life. We don't do any streaming services and we drive extremely old cars with almost 300,000 miles. We keep our bills as low as possible and we have no debt. House has been paid off for years. ❤❤❤
Definitely recommend talking to friends about jobs. Our daughter was looking for a job and no one had any availability where she looked. We happened to be casually talking about it with friends and one of them said, hey, we need hostesses at our restaurant. We stopped by the next day and got her paperwork rolling. Then another friend said hey, come work with me selling ice cream so she was able to grab a few more hours. Also, a family friend asked her to pick up her younger kids from school after she started driving and take them home for a snack and homework. These would have never happened otherwise.
As a person who’s lived in her 21’ travel trailer for the better part of the last 5 years, I am not shocked a lot of these families are realizing that living tiny is very hard when you have littles. Me and my partner are looking at buying one of these ill fated RV’s or tiny homes from someone who didn’t know what they were really getting into. Best of luck to them, truly!
66yf gas seeds u opp?🎉🎉
I live in Washington near Seattle. Very expensive. Food is usually about $900 a month for a family of five. $130 eating out equals about once or twice a month.
Another possible hit to the food budget would be organic foods, as a potential homesteading family I'm sure they are prolly looking to be more organic, which costs $$.
If one of them works in a grocery store, they can easily get stuff on clearance. I know just from working in retail as soon as something goes on clearance everybody knows about it. And that's when you want to go punch out for lunch and get it off the clock. We always knew what is going on clearance.
I live in PNW, specifically western Washington. (Eastern wa is cheaper). $900 for 4 people is only slightly high. I budget diligently with $500 a month for food (no junk, all ingredients, cook from home constantly) and we are a 3 person fam. EVERYTHING here involving kids is expensive. Basic activities, clothes, school, childcare... and we buy second hand a lot for a minimalist amount of clothes and toys. Paying only $1050 for land is very cheap. Apartments in the area with only double the sqft of their tiny home is around $2000.
I purchased a van that had a little less than 100,000 miles on her when I pregnant with my now 13 year old child. My van now has over 250,000 miles on her and is running strong. Maintenance to the vehicle is the key.
Exactly! We just fix whatever breaks and we don't sweat it. It's pretty much always going to be cheaper than a monthly payment
I actually like the 'gift' budgeting because of birthday parties that the kids would probably be invited to. But if it's 80 a month, it has the opportunity to be adjusted.
I want to say thank you to you and your family. It took a lot of discipline and I have saved so much I have actually cut my food bill for a family of 4 in the PNW to 400 a month from 1000. It really does take disapline. ❤
It would really helpful if you had a 30 minute conversation with family to get answers to the questions you bring up. The advice would be more helpful too.
My brother lives in Washington state and I know when I visited him about 5 years ago the prices in the stores were about 3 times more expensive than here in Ohio. So I do know that all things in that area very expensive.
My husband and I have been looking for a pickup for $20,000 for a few years. Around here they have 300,000 miles on them for that price. $35,000- $40,000 minimum for 100,000 miles
This video is great...so many ideas to cut specific areas of a budget. And I see a nod to my favorite series, Stranger Things!
Dave does have a point!! Minute 16 when is says you have the discipline to do it. Some people are really out there and now not is hard.
Your videos on your budget meals is what has helped me and my family the most! We try not to go to the grocery store every day and we have saved some serious money shopping at our local krogers! I have a deep freeze and I use it to freeze everything possible! I have 4 kids I don't have time to be wasting food! We have spent the last year and a half getting better on our grocery shopping, planning and budgeting and I'm still learning and trying to cut cost!
Pick me pick me! Im in Northern Utah, an hour south of the Idaho border and would love to have you teach me how to make better choices at the grocery store. We are a family of 5 with a 14 yo, a 10yo and a 2yo.
I live in Nevada and using some of your tips and tricks Christine I have been able to cut our food budget down from 800$ to $600 a month going with your $150 a person for a family of 4. Your advise has been so helpful . Thanks Christine
In 2012, i had a job that paid so little that i had $20/month + $12 EBT grocery budget. Turns out, i like simple foods and i didnt go hungry. Due to health issues, my food requirements are more expensive now, but my monthly budget is about $170. Cutting the food bill can totally be done.
I would earn extra money on the homestead by renting out some of the land for other tiny houses or RVs. You would need to figure out the electrical situation but if you add two or three other families (and it can be away from your section of the land) you can easily add $600-750 each rental. I would also side hustle something either from the homestead (like a flower garden or goat soap), or get a second job. I work at a gym for $11 an hour (super low, I know) and take home an extra $800 a month. All goes towards my extra car payment. With two of them side hustling, they can make extra money to find those goals. Short term sacrifices.
Love these breakdowns and genuine advice that you both give. As you guys have many requests, is there a chance to have 2 Budget Breakdowns in a week??!! Thanks for all you do.
I don't know the laws of the area, but wonder if they could rent out some of their land to another tiny house owner.
I was wondering the same
Or as a camp ground
I wonder how much of the food and eating out budget is because they are working too many hours and don't have time or bandwidth to cook from scratch. Working less hours might actually save them money.
They would qualify for food stamps.
@@berrypatch5583they would not qualify for food stamps with the amount of money they are making. She keeps saying it's not much money. It actually is. I've been married 31 years and we have never made that much.
I would totally let you follow me around while I grocery shop!!! And I’m so intrigued by this no snack lifestyle! I have been watching your frugal fit mom videos and wondered where your snacks were and this totally explains it!!! I told my kids TODAY, “no more snacks!” I am nervous and excited to learn from you!! I may have to send my budget in! This is awesome!!!
Gifts might be for their kids to take to parties. Victoria Island is the Arctic.... you mean Vancouver Island. Which BTW is a place your family would absolutely love! Beach, mountains, surfing, trails- it is heaven.
I always grocery shop with a budget, a food list, and calculator. I can’t go over my budget and watching the Calculator add up you actually see where you’re spending the most money. It helps open your eyes vs just grab and go grocery shopping.
I also have gifts and birthdays separate on my budget. ‘Gifts’ are for people outside my immediate family. This includes weddings and baby showers for me.
Love this. So interesting to listen to. I was raised by a smart, frugal, budgeting set of parents, which I am so grateful for. But this made me want to see where we can cut things even more.
I love that you are always real. Christine, you are awesome at what you do. Hubs and I raised 3 good humans on 1 income and it was a blast. Our best work ever.
Fun compensates for the tiny house. You need a relief valve
If they live in the PNW, shop at Winco!
I live in Portland Oregon and shop almost exclusively there. It’s employee owned and generally their prices can’t be beat
I so hope this family as well as others are open and receive the knowledge you are sharing and apply it to their lives !
You should link that video you did about all the tips to have the lowest grocery bills. I know you talk about it a lot, but there was one FFM video that really encapsulated it all. Best i've ever seen.
In my brain I see Christine slapping my hand as I reach for the reese! That would be so fun to have her shop with me... too bad I live up in Canada.
I spend approx $400 a month for a family of 4 (kids 11 and 13) on groceries and household items in IL, I looked up Walmart prices in Seattle and basics were the same exact price as mine. I shop once a month, mostly Walmart pickup, some from Sam’s Club and a small amount from Aldi. We do get some convenience food and snacks. On our extra check months we spend about $100 more on meat to freeze.
I'll throw a point out because I'm a homesteader. Homesteaders lean towards very natural foods. Grass fed beef, locally sourced meat, organic everything. The price tag is much higher to eat this way. I grow my own pork and chicken and it's way more expensive. I live in Oregon so I get it. Also they lack potentially storage for bulk shopping or stacking up. I cook all our meals from scratch and with my family of 7 our budget is significantly higher than there's.
That was my assumption, too. Their problem is, they have a money problem, as in, not enough to sustain that lifestyle and to save to build. Some things need to change so they can reach their goals.
Christine you and I think alike. Love this new channel.
So excited for a new budget breakdown!!! Thanks Christine!
Great video you guys! I found it very helpful to see your process, thank you 😊
Love these budget videos! Another great one here!
The Stranger Things drawing is the best…couldn’t help but catch that in the background! 😊
Maybe they can build a shed (insulated) to put a washer and dryer in so they're not taking laundry out? And put a small freezer in there.
You are AMAZING! I live for your grocery haul and budget videos!
I was thinking the same thing as another poster about renting their land to others with tiny homes. Also in the summer possibly either growing a larger garden and selling at a Farmer's Market or renting out land for others to garden that can't because they live in an apartment, etc. Another idea would be to pay more each month for their land to save on interest and pay the loan off sooner.
My grocery and household budget when we first were married was &20-$25 a week and every week I knew that I would but the pack of toilet paper for $1.00. I had no clue what I was doing and had to walk around the store with a calculator. This was in 2008 btw!!!
We live in oregon and things are outrageous compared to where family lives in Missouri. We pay triple here in Oregon.
great idea for Christine to shop and help people learn new ways to shop!!! i would love watching that to learn from her!!!!!!
I am from Australia even though there are big differences between how we do retirement we call it Superannuation paid by our employer and college(University) funding is kind of similar but we get loans to study from the Government your ideas about handling debt and living within your means are very helpful. I love the advice you give it helps me as a viewer too. Thankyou.
I think if you don't shop with me, breaking down budgets is great. You let them know the cold-hearted facts and set things straight. We often lie to our selves
I have always shopped the sales and made meals accordingly. I had a friend who made her meal planning and the shopped… her bill was astronomical. She just would not change her ways and they had such difficulty making ends meet. We ate well meal planning and sales. Getting up early to hit those mark down sales was fun by we were able to eat well for so much less money
Come down to my place and shop with me!!! I shop a half an hour from St. George in Nevada. Spent $178 at Walmart yesterday and about fainted!!! Probably will last for two weeks. Only “luxury” items were seltzer water and gluten free cookies for my daughter. Love your videos!!!
What even is allowance/spending when there are already other categories like eating out, entertainment, subscriptions, household misc, gaming, two gift lines, vacation, etc.? Perhaps cash that wasn’t tracked?
If they already own a substantial amount of land and live in a tiny home friendly area they could rent a portion of it to someone else with a tiny home and depending on market rates that rent could easily be 50 to 100% of their housing costs. Because they own the land and live on it themselves, they can hand pick the people so they know they are compatible and share values. Just make sure to check code and write a solid rental agreement and plan for the temporary loss of income when people inevitably move.
You guys are so great!
I love these!!
Born and raised in Washington. Family of 3 and Fred’s was the place I shopped. There and winco. $200 a month easily.
I just fugured out my 3 month grocery average including meat stockup that will last months and its $360 for 2 adults 1 teen. USDA says that's thrifty, lowest category. I see Dave's point that some people are just used to putting in the work to save money. I just made 8 breakfast burritos for half the cost (and triple the protein) than premade ones. This week I'll be making more frozen pizzas, again, half the cost or more.
Great information! ❤️
Put REFLECTIX on interior of exterior walls snd ceilings. Warmer n winter n cooler n hot weather. Put BUBBLE WRAP on inside of windows. Tougher n can be reused for years cuts heat bill.
We spend more on food for seven people a month than anything else in our budget. We eat all organic real whole food. This is a priority to us so we budget accordingly.
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Cut gifts, birthdays, Xmas, allowance/spending in half and cut groceries by $200. This frees up a good chunk for retirement.
Dedicating a bin in the refrigerator to foods that need to be eaten/close to date really helps with meal prep and cuts down on food waste.
If I had a large tract of land, the reason would be for enjoyment, so yes, less entertainment and fun would help.
❤ from Iowa… where the neighbor has 2 acre building site lots for sale for $200K
A house solution could be to buy a single wide trailer home and sell their tiny home. This could give them more space in the short term until they can build their home.
Things to consider with a side job: does income justify childcare, time, added gas/expenses/on the go food.
Love this, you are a great team #thinkingcap ❤
If I spent only $75 a month on groceries here in Pennsylvania, even with a garden, I would be starving. I feel lucky when my grocery bill is less than $100 per week (and I follow a strict meal plan and shop sales). Groceries where you live are ridiculously cheap. Also bear in mind that someone living in a 250-square-foot home cannot have a chest freezer or huge pantry.
I love this video! Gifts other than birthday or Christmas = graduation, memorial, anniversary, GoFundMe,
$5800 a month. I’d like to be “low” income
High Cost Of Living location.
I know what you mean however, this is 2 incomes and that is on the lower end.
I understand, my husband makes $2,200 a month and we are a family of 4 with no government help and we eat well sticking to a budget. I stay home and work hard so I can homeschool my kids, we live in Salem, Oregon and we make it work!
We would always do state campgrounds and long road trips as a kid. I remember we would pass KOAs and beg to go there. It was the epitome of luxury as a kid. I think we only went there one time and my dad wasn't happy about it. 😂
My parents live across the country and they have visited us exactly 0 times in the last 10 years.
I purchase healthy snacks for my family at a local discount grocery store saving 75% off retail
I live in Washington near Bellingham area.We have a family of 5, 3 boys, the youngest being 16 years old. We spent 1200 on groceries last month, that does include dog food and paper products. We do shop Fred Meyer sales and some Costco products that we also look for sales in. It is an expensive area, but beautiful.
I live in Oregon. $915/mo for groceries is very high. They may be buying all organic products, which is going to have to change. I would say, $500/mo would require careful shopping but more than beans and rice every day.
😆 I will volunteer my husband to go shopping with Christine. He always comes home with convenience foods and snacks. AND I would be embarrassed if Christine had to knock Dr Pepper out of my hands. However, we live in the salt lake valley. We are tentatively planning a visit to Idaho and Yellowstone in July, but that would be vacation shopping…hm. We buy a lot of snacks and convenience on vacations.
Your not alone ,, I can't shop with mine ,, I go alone
I love these, but i wish you asked them more details before breaking it down. Like, what does electronics mean? Could you ask that before the podcast?
That income isn't low at all. We have like 1/3 of that. That food budget is INSANE, especially with 20% off everything!! I don't live in the pacific northeast but my food budget is $375 for 5. Also an insanely expensive piece of property, could have gotten something either smaller and cheaper or not as nice and cheaper. Shoot, their "fun" stuff is almost my entire budget!
❤ hi guys 😊 you are awesome thanks for your content and experience ❤😊
If they have the space, i wonder if they could invest a little money on a high month into increasing their jncome /lowering their food bill in the long term. Like buying chickens or rabbits to raise for meat/to sell, or invest in extra job training to get a higher income. Also maybe transfer jobs and move to a lower cost of living area with a longer growing season to be more self sustainable.
I agree
a) cut gifts save $81/ month
b) food to $415 save $500
c) eating out to $ 65 save $ 68
d) vacation cut to $200 save $153
e) clothing cut to $100 save $16
f) turn off television unless special show and cuts electric bill.
g) home maintenance cut to $160 save $84
h) cut allowances to $40 save $59
i) laundry check into setting up a washer and a clothesline to dry overtime they will save $
Save $961+ / month. ♥ this series Really makes me think
New Subscriber here. You have an awesome channel. Thank you for sharing.
Christine, I know you are debt free/mortgage free.....I'm 32yr old female. I would love to see a video about what to do once you are completely debt free. I feel lost now that I've just recently paid off my home. What do I do with my freed up income without wasting/blowing it??
Audio is on point!
Here in Louisiana, prices have never been higher. Our electricity has doubled, homeowners, taxes and health insurance is through the roof. We don't even come close to making what these people make. My husband works 7 days a week. Most of our income goes to insurances, taxes, medical bills and medicine. Not to mention pet expenses and everything else.
CAN YOU DO A VIDEO WITH SCENARIOS FOR IRAs???!!! That would help to understand how to start one, how much to put in them, only put I. A small amount etc! I’ve listened to other channels, read books. I really need to ask but I don’t even know where to start with that!
1. Figure out if you want a Roth (no tax savings now but tax free taking out) or traditional (tax break now). 2. Go to a low cost brokerage (Vanguard or Fidelity). 3. Set up an account ( this will be like having your shopping cart)4. Then figure out what to put in there. There are tons of choices from mutual funds to individual stocks.
Im not sure what kids you raised haha but ours are 8-10-12 and man it is pricy lol
The sports alone in our house for 3 kids is prob close to 7000 a year. We prioritize this and have the money for it but it is far from cheap
Honestly, yes combine all fun into one category. Bills all into one. Shop around for the BEST deal for internet etc. Cable, honestly just cut out completely and only stick with like streamline. My husband and I do that. We don't have expensive bills. Just literally disciplining ourselves off single income. When we splurge we regret. But we were able to refinance our home and save approximately $300/month. Honestly I see them calling around and making those bills cheaper by a good $500 at least
I live in the PNW-While expenses can be higher income is also higher. They need better jobs for certain and they need to rework their budget immediately. With what they are paying for food and dinning out I could feed 10 people for the month, and remember I live here.