Living in this area, how much do you spend per month...

easy solution


STOP eating out. It's a killer.

If you eat out even twice a month AND if you are paying for a gf, thats easily $150+ you could be saving.

sounds like scholarship envy.

Wow, so many people think it takes $1k a month for a single person to pay bills? I just finished full-time schooling (living near that neighborhood) and was able to get by on a lot less than that.

"Entertainment" is one obvious potential money sink here. When I was a broke student, I rarely did recreational things that involved much money. Sure - a meal out here, some drinks at a bar there, but nothing too elaborate/extravagant. A six pack at home and some netflix or a poker night worked just as well for us. Perhaps set a budget for this area and keep it firm.

Eating delivery even 2x a week can really impact the pocket. It is totally not that hard to eat "healthy" on a budget, in fact, it is many of the pre-packaged foods that are both pricey and high-calorie. The most important trick to cooking for one on a budget is minimizing food waste. If you make a huge amount of something, freeze the rest for later. Even baked goods - make a huge batch of muffins, individually wrap and freeze them, and take them out one at a time for weekday breakfasts (saves a huge amount of money over buying that muffin at a deli every morning). If you use just half a can of something one night, think of something you can make the next night that uses the other half. Start from scratch where you can - compare the cost of a jar of quality spaghetti sauce ($5?) to the cost of a can of tomatoes ($1.50), fresh onion/garlic ($0.50), and a splash of olive oil and a few pinches of herbs from your stash. I used to view cooking like a game - I'd inventory my fridge, then search the internet to see what I could put together using what I had on hand. Made a lot of interesting recipe discoveries that way and learned enough about cooking that I now consider it my "hobby."

Oh yeah, and shop the sales at your local grocery store. You'll start to notice trends after a while, like I know every few weeks butter will be on sale for $2/lb, so I stock up then. Compare store prices and buy what is cheaper in each store. Join the food coop if you're willing to make the trek & workslot - it has helped me save a bunch on the higher priced "healthy" items I use a lot like cage free eggs tofu/tempeh, produce, olive oil, and quality cheese (okay, that's not so healthy but love love cheese!).

And make your own coffee. Even if you buy a fancy pants coffeemaker you'll save money with just a month of two of usage. And pack your lunch as often as you can.

If you pay for your own heat, you'll also want to make sure to check your apartment for sources of air leaks. Take your A/C out of your window and buy one of those window insulating kits that cover the whole window like plastic shrink wrap.

Another thing that always shot my budget was toiletries. I'd forget just how quickly those soaps, lotions, toothpaste, stupid expensive razor blades, etc. run out.

And clothes - don't forget to budget clothes.

Good luck! I'm doing a bit of budget reevaluation right now myself...

when i was a poor poor student I subsisted on barely $500 per month.

there are ways, you just have to sacrifice...