Ever since I’ve graduated college in 2008 I’ve made it a point to continue to live like a college student as much as possible. I explore free hobbies, live in a small house, partake in minimalism and am price conscious whenever I need to purchase something. I never pay full price and negotiate on purchases whenever possible.
On an average month my living expenses are as follows:
My Monthly Expenses
| Internet | $37 | 25 MBPS through Spectrum |
| Health Insurance | $290 | Health Insurance Marketplace |
| Car Payment | 0 | Paid off used car I've owned since 2007. |
| Car Insurance | $22 | Only liability coverage needed. |
| Food | $185 | See my daily and monthly food budget here. |
| Utilities | $100 | I live in a cold climate so it's higher for heat in the winter, but summer I don't run the A/C. |
| Phone | $50 | Family plan older smartphone with 4gb data with US Cellular. |
| Gas | $100 | This varies, but is usually around $100. I get 25 mpg. With gas at about $2.50 that means I can get 1,000 miles / month for $100. |
| Fun / Entertainment | $150 | A few beers, dinner once or twice a month, and any events. Most of my hobbies are free. |
| Mortgage & Escrow | $402 | $53,000 mortgage 3.85% amortized over 30 years with taxes and insurance paid in escrow. |
| Monthly Total | $1,336 | $16,032 Annually or $308 / week. |
These are just my personal expenses and have been my baseline ever since I graduated college. As my income has gone up, however, my health insurance has gone up as well, which adds a couple thousand more to my basic expenses due to not getting subsidies. When I graduated college before Obamacare I simply had a $50 / month high deductible plan, but currently don’t get coverage through work and have to buy full price in the marketplace.
