Mom's Budget
http://www.LivingOnADime.com/
I have people ask all the time how to make it on Social Security. I used to live on $500 a month before I got married. Mom has lived that way for 18 years. Here is her budget to help those who are in that situation. It is not fun or easy by a long shot but can be done.
Before she got sick she paid off our house so she didn't have a house payment. When she moved and then moved again she lost 25K on the sale of her house and so she had to have a mortgage again. It's around $300 right now. We do help her with that now. We cover the leftover of what she can't.
This is her monthly budget.
Disability Income - $534
---------------------------
Tithe- $50
Food- $89
Gas and Electric - $39
Water- $10
Phone- $10
Car Gas- $20
Car Insurance- $20
Trash- $6
Cable- $40
Thrift Store - $30
Wal-Mart- $30
Haircut - $10
--------------
Total - $355
Gas and Electric- She keeps her heat at 55 in the winter and a/c at 80 in the summer. She only turns on the a/c for 2-3 hours in the afternoon when it just get too hot. She doesn't have a dryer.
Water - She takes 4 minutes showers. Yes, you can shampoo, shave and wash in that amount of time. I have timed it. She doesn't leave the water running when brushing her teeth. Uses the dishwasher sparingly and doesn't water the lawn.
Phone - She gets a discount on her phone because she is disabled. When she needs to call my grandmother long distance she calls, let's it ring once, hangs up and my grandmother who has free calling calls her back. The one ring is a sign that it's mom calling her.
Wal-Mart - This includes toiletries and other misc. items. She uses her toiletries very sparingly. A bottle of shampoo and soap will last several months.
Thrift store - This includes all clothing, Christmas and Birthday gifts for 9 members of her family and all home decorating.
Haircut- She gets it cut every 2 months but when she doesn't have the money it can go 3 or 4 months.
Cable- This is by no means a necessity but she is sick and it does help to get your mind off of feeling bad and pass the time when you're too sick to do anything else.
Car Insurance and Gas- She drives a 15 year old car. She drives only when necessary and when she doesn't have the money she doesn't go anywhere.
Basically when she doesn't have the money she doesn't buy. Period. Other than being on Medicaid for medical she doesn't get any other assistance.
She does take in some ironing and makes gingerbread men at Christmas. (over 500 DOZEN) last year! (They are the best gingerbread you have ever had!) Anyway, that helps her cover extra expenses like car repairs and house repairs.
There are other things that do come and her budget just doesn’t work out paper but somehow God always provides a way for her to pay for it or get it fixed.
Tawra
http://www.LivingOnADime.com/
I have people ask all the time how to make it on Social Security. I used to live on $500 a month before I got married. Mom has lived that way for 18 years. Here is her budget to help those who are in that situation. It is not fun or easy by a long shot but can be done.
Before she got sick she paid off our house so she didn't have a house payment. When she moved and then moved again she lost 25K on the sale of her house and so she had to have a mortgage again. It's around $300 right now. We do help her with that now. We cover the leftover of what she can't.
This is her monthly budget.
Disability Income - $534
---------------------------
Tithe- $50
Food- $89
Gas and Electric - $39
Water- $10
Phone- $10
Car Gas- $20
Car Insurance- $20
Trash- $6
Cable- $40
Thrift Store - $30
Wal-Mart- $30
Haircut - $10
--------------
Total - $355
Gas and Electric- She keeps her heat at 55 in the winter and a/c at 80 in the summer. She only turns on the a/c for 2-3 hours in the afternoon when it just get too hot. She doesn't have a dryer.
Water - She takes 4 minutes showers. Yes, you can shampoo, shave and wash in that amount of time. I have timed it. She doesn't leave the water running when brushing her teeth. Uses the dishwasher sparingly and doesn't water the lawn.
Phone - She gets a discount on her phone because she is disabled. When she needs to call my grandmother long distance she calls, let's it ring once, hangs up and my grandmother who has free calling calls her back. The one ring is a sign that it's mom calling her.
Wal-Mart - This includes toiletries and other misc. items. She uses her toiletries very sparingly. A bottle of shampoo and soap will last several months.
Thrift store - This includes all clothing, Christmas and Birthday gifts for 9 members of her family and all home decorating.
Haircut- She gets it cut every 2 months but when she doesn't have the money it can go 3 or 4 months.
Cable- This is by no means a necessity but she is sick and it does help to get your mind off of feeling bad and pass the time when you're too sick to do anything else.
Car Insurance and Gas- She drives a 15 year old car. She drives only when necessary and when she doesn't have the money she doesn't go anywhere.
Basically when she doesn't have the money she doesn't buy. Period. Other than being on Medicaid for medical she doesn't get any other assistance.
She does take in some ironing and makes gingerbread men at Christmas. (over 500 DOZEN) last year! (They are the best gingerbread you have ever had!) Anyway, that helps her cover extra expenses like car repairs and house repairs.
There are other things that do come and her budget just doesn’t work out paper but somehow God always provides a way for her to pay for it or get it fixed.
Tawra
http://www.LivingOnADime.com/
posted by Tawra Jean at 10:11 AM
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