Living Budget Forum

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justhockey31

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Re: Living Budget

Post by justhockey31 » Wed Jun 29, 2011 11:36 pm

sarahlawg wrote:
justhockey31 wrote:$200 for food, $100 for drinking...2:1 ratio seems fair right?
you must be male
Haha my drinks and drinks for girls are not that cheap!

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cinephile

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Re: Living Budget

Post by cinephile » Wed Jun 29, 2011 11:39 pm

pattonthicke wrote:
cinephile wrote:
pattonthicke wrote:As someone who cooks often and only eats out a little, $250 is tcr and you can still get fruit and veggies. For veggies just buy them frozen, its cheaper. For fruits, dont buy oranges,apples, grapes. Stick to stawberries and bannanas and youre golden. And always keep your drinking budget separate from food.
Why? I've found that buying a bag of apples or a box of clementines (arguably, not oranges) are the cheapest fruits I can get. Or are you talking nutrition?
Maybe its just my local walmart, but they sell strawberries for $1.00/1.50 a carton while apples and oranges are like $5. Maybe in my new location they will be cheaper.
A container of strawberries is cheaper for me too, but it also weighs less than a bag of apples and they're less filling. Probably need a bit of both in your life.

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pattonthicke

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Re: Living Budget

Post by pattonthicke » Wed Jun 29, 2011 11:40 pm

justhockey31 wrote:
sarahlawg wrote:
justhockey31 wrote:$200 for food, $100 for drinking...2:1 ratio seems fair right?
you must be male
Haha my drinks and drinks for girls are not that cheap!
This is where you are going wrong. Sometimes you have to accomplish your goals without spending extra $$$$.

justhockey31

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Re: Living Budget

Post by justhockey31 » Wed Jun 29, 2011 11:42 pm

pattonthicke wrote:
justhockey31 wrote:
sarahlawg wrote:
justhockey31 wrote:$200 for food, $100 for drinking...2:1 ratio seems fair right?
you must be male
Haha my drinks and drinks for girls are not that cheap!
This is where you are going wrong. Sometimes you have to accomplish your goals without spending extra $$$$.
Well now that I am on a budget I will have to change my tactics! Better luck and saved money? Sounds like winning to me

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Intraining

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Re: Living Budget

Post by Intraining » Thu Jun 30, 2011 1:55 am

I'm budgeting 150 a month for food and around 180 for booze. I don't see how that's not do-able if I buy in bulk, canned vegitables etc. Not having Aldi in south Florida is going to kill me though.

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fatduck

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Re: Living Budget

Post by fatduck » Thu Jun 30, 2011 2:28 am

cinephile wrote:
pattonthicke wrote:As someone who cooks often and only eats out a little, $250 is tcr and you can still get fruit and veggies. For veggies just buy them frozen, its cheaper. For fruits, dont buy oranges,apples, grapes. Stick to stawberries and bannanas and youre golden. And always keep your drinking budget separate from food.
Why? I've found that buying a bag of apples or a box of clementines (arguably, not oranges) are the cheapest fruits I can get. Or are you talking nutrition?
i'm pretty sure most grocery stores will pay you to take bananas

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eandy

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Re: Living Budget

Post by eandy » Thu Jun 30, 2011 2:38 am

fatduck wrote:
cinephile wrote:
pattonthicke wrote:As someone who cooks often and only eats out a little, $250 is tcr and you can still get fruit and veggies. For veggies just buy them frozen, its cheaper. For fruits, dont buy oranges,apples, grapes. Stick to stawberries and bannanas and youre golden. And always keep your drinking budget separate from food.
Why? I've found that buying a bag of apples or a box of clementines (arguably, not oranges) are the cheapest fruits I can get. Or are you talking nutrition?
i'm pretty sure most grocery stores will pay you to take bananas
I don't know if they have Bi-Lo in South Florida, but if so, you can get a HUGE bag of all the orphaned bananas for like a dollar there.

justhockey31

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Re: Living Budget

Post by justhockey31 » Thu Jun 30, 2011 12:30 pm

I have never shopped at Aldis but I am pretty sure I saw one up here...where I shop for groceries wont really matter to me since there is no Wegmans here and everything that isnt a Wegmans is TTTT

sarahlawg

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Re: Living Budget

Post by sarahlawg » Thu Jun 30, 2011 1:07 pm

justhockey31 wrote:I have never shopped at Aldis but I am pretty sure I saw one up here...where I shop for groceries wont really matter to me since there is no Wegmans here and everything that isnt a Wegmans is TTTT
Oh my gosh, if you're used to Wegmans, just prepare for complete disappointment in selection, prices, quality, etc. Are you a New Yorker? I miss Wegmans so much and wish they had one in Boston.

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pjo

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Re: Living Budget

Post by pjo » Thu Jun 30, 2011 1:21 pm

justhockey31 wrote:I have never shopped at Aldis but I am pretty sure I saw one up here...where I shop for groceries wont really matter to me since there is no Wegmans here and everything that isnt a Wegmans is TTTT
If there's an Aldi's near you definitely shop there. I cut my food bill by 40% by shopping there. Just stay away from their meat though, and their fresh fruit is so-so.

justhockey31

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Re: Living Budget

Post by justhockey31 » Thu Jun 30, 2011 11:37 pm

scratch the budget...i got an apartment for half the cost of the other one so I will be able to make it rain on fresh fruit and steaks!

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AreJay711

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Re: Living Budget

Post by AreJay711 » Thu Jun 30, 2011 11:41 pm

justhockey31 wrote:scratch the budget...i got an apartment for half the cost of the other one so I will be able to make it rain on fresh fruit and steaks!
Nah, save that money for alcohol. $100 is on the low end IMO

TheFutureLawyer

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Re: Living Budget

Post by TheFutureLawyer » Thu Jun 30, 2011 11:43 pm

justhockey31 wrote:scratch the budget...i got an apartment for half the cost of the other one so I will be able to make it rain on fresh fruit and steaks!
living in the ghetto has its own prices you know

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MTal

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Re: Living Budget

Post by MTal » Thu Jun 30, 2011 11:46 pm

justhockey31 wrote:Hey I was trying to put together a budget for my 1L year and was wondering how much money per month someone would really need for food if they planned on cooking most of the time at home and buying in bulk/cheaper grocery stores. Does $300 a month sound accurate or is it possible to do it for less like $200 or even $150?? Sorry if it is naive but I just lived off of meal swipes during UG. Thanks for any advice!
More expensive than the alternative, i.e., dropping out, getting a job, and not taking out over 100k in student loans.

justhockey31

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Re: Living Budget

Post by justhockey31 » Thu Jun 30, 2011 11:52 pm

Yes I am from NY and we have the "flagship" wegmans which means its pretty much AMAZING! When I was in UG the grocery store was what I missed most :(


Luckily I am not in the ghetto! I got lucky and found pretty much the perfect place


MTal...not going to have 100k in loans, thanks for ur world-shattering input

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mattviphky

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Re: Living Budget

Post by mattviphky » Fri Jul 01, 2011 3:54 pm

I dwell in the meat aisle, but i probably spend a lotta money on food each month. i have a girlfriend with severe buyers remorse about everything. if she buys her meal when we eat out i get to hear about how terrible of a decision it was. so most times we eat out i pay double. ten bucks is better than saying stfu i wanna break up. anyways back to the post, i probably spend right at 300 a month...although that isn't including beer, so add in a another 50...and protein, add in another 50...nor coffee, fuck. take this as a cautionary tale, don't take up weightlifting or dating girls

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zonto

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Re: Living Budget

Post by zonto » Sat Jul 02, 2011 6:18 pm

My wife and I spend about $50 a week on food for the both of us. Fruit for breakfast, sometimes yogurt and granola. Lunches are sandwiches (peanut butter/honey/jam, tuna fish), salads, more fruit, crackers, etc. Dinners are easy if you buy a bag of frozen chicken breasts, rice, frozen veggies, and then keep a supply of other stuff like oil, soy sauce, spices, etc. Red meat is expensive, and I've found that I like the taste of ground turkey more than ground beef anyway. A steak every couple months.

Definitely doable.

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TheFutureLawyer

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Re: Living Budget

Post by TheFutureLawyer » Sat Jul 02, 2011 7:09 pm

zonto wrote:A steak every couple months.
fuck that shit

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dailygrind

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Re: Living Budget

Post by dailygrind » Sat Jul 02, 2011 8:01 pm

I lived pretty cheap for a while in LS and it's definitely doable. Black beans and bacon over rice is delicious, cheap, and cookable in bulk. That said, every time you cook and clean, you're using up time that could be used for relaxing or studying. Given how much money you can make if you graduate LS and hit big law, spending a few extra bucks to make that goal more likely (or spending a few extra bucks to enhance your quality of life once you've got big law in the bag, because what's a few grand when you'll be making 160?) kinda makes good sense.

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Re: Living Budget

Post by justhockey31 » Sat Jul 02, 2011 8:41 pm

dailygrind wrote:I lived pretty cheap for a while in LS and it's definitely doable. Black beans and bacon over rice is delicious, cheap, and cookable in bulk. That said, every time you cook and clean, you're using up time that could be used for relaxing or studying. Given how much money you can make if you graduate LS and hit big law, spending a few extra bucks to make that goal more likely (or spending a few extra bucks to enhance your quality of life once you've got big law in the bag, because what's a few grand when you'll be making 160?) kinda makes good sense.
I can see this reasoning but I actually really like cooking and would find having some tv on while making a decent dinner to be quite relaxing


Also, a steak every few months is not acceptable!

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Re: Living Budget

Post by dailygrind » Sat Jul 02, 2011 8:55 pm

justhockey31 wrote:
dailygrind wrote:I lived pretty cheap for a while in LS and it's definitely doable. Black beans and bacon over rice is delicious, cheap, and cookable in bulk. That said, every time you cook and clean, you're using up time that could be used for relaxing or studying. Given how much money you can make if you graduate LS and hit big law, spending a few extra bucks to make that goal more likely (or spending a few extra bucks to enhance your quality of life once you've got big law in the bag, because what's a few grand when you'll be making 160?) kinda makes good sense.
I can see this reasoning but I actually really like cooking and would find having some tv on while making a decent dinner to be quite relaxing


Also, a steak every few months is not acceptable!
I like cooking, but there's a lot of support stuff that goes into it that I don't like. I like shopping at farmers markets when I get to get inventive with what I make - but shopping at Sam's Club for bulk beans, bulk ground beef, bulk rice, etc? Snoozefest. Cleaning? Worst thing in the world, and unavoidable if you cook. Bagging ground beef into manageable amounts to put into the freezer (I buy 10 lb increments to keep it cheap)? Boring. Getting Chipotle, and a beer and chilling with some friends? Much more relaxing. And in the marathon that is law school, scheduling in relaxation can get to be pretty important. Just things to think about.

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justhockey31

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Re: Living Budget

Post by justhockey31 » Sat Jul 02, 2011 9:01 pm

very wise dailygrind, very wise...

Someone earlier in this thread mentioned making a large meal on Sunday and having the left overs last the week or at least a few days and I think this would be a great combination of saving $$ while also leaving relaxation time. The way I see it, I could make a big meal on Sunday and eat this for about 4 days while sprinkling in Chipotle, Jimmy Johns (favorite by far), etc. I'm feeling good about all of this!

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dailygrind

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Re: Living Budget

Post by dailygrind » Sat Jul 02, 2011 9:28 pm

justhockey31 wrote:very wise dailygrind, very wise...

Someone earlier in this thread mentioned making a large meal on Sunday and having the left overs last the week or at least a few days and I think this would be a great combination of saving $$ while also leaving relaxation time. The way I see it, I could make a big meal on Sunday and eat this for about 4 days while sprinkling in Chipotle, Jimmy Johns (favorite by far), etc. I'm feeling good about all of this!
I did this a lot. My trick is to make two big dishes on Saturday (I eat a lot). One is lasagna that I don't cook - I leave it in the fridge for a day or so (noodles uncooked) and cook it the next day. The other is whatever I feel like making that week. I eat the first big dish for a day, the second day I bake the lasagna and eat that, and alternating between the two for the rest of the week prevents me from getting bored with what I eat. Obviously, do whatever works for you, I'm just throwing ideas out there.

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rinkrat19

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Re: Living Budget

Post by rinkrat19 » Sat Jul 02, 2011 11:44 pm

dailygrind wrote:
justhockey31 wrote:very wise dailygrind, very wise...

Someone earlier in this thread mentioned making a large meal on Sunday and having the left overs last the week or at least a few days and I think this would be a great combination of saving $$ while also leaving relaxation time. The way I see it, I could make a big meal on Sunday and eat this for about 4 days while sprinkling in Chipotle, Jimmy Johns (favorite by far), etc. I'm feeling good about all of this!
I did this a lot. My trick is to make two big dishes on Saturday (I eat a lot). One is lasagna that I don't cook - I leave it in the fridge for a day or so (noodles uncooked) and cook it the next day. The other is whatever I feel like making that week. I eat the first big dish for a day, the second day I bake the lasagna and eat that, and alternating between the two for the rest of the week prevents me from getting bored with what I eat. Obviously, do whatever works for you, I'm just throwing ideas out there.
I'm not in LS yet, but I do this as a single working person. A lot of casseroles, big pots of soup/stew, crock pot recipes, stir fry, etc. Make two different things on the weekend, and divide them up into single-serving containers (I have to do this or I'll overeat and stuff down half a casserole in one sitting) that will feed you all week, for lunches and/or dinners.

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Re: Living Budget

Post by starchinkilt » Sun Jul 03, 2011 2:21 pm

rinkrat19 wrote: I'm not in LS yet, but I do this as a single working person. A lot of casseroles, big pots of soup/stew, crock pot recipes, stir fry, etc. Make two different things on the weekend, and divide them up into single-serving containers (I have to do this or I'll overeat and stuff down half a casserole in one sitting) that will feed you all week, for lunches and/or dinners.
Glad I'm not the only one who has to do this.

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