How do your expenses look? I want to hear about salaries and budgeting. Thanks!!

Background: I went to university for eight years and got a bachelors degree followed by a professional degree, and I'm currently wrapping up my masters degree. My job requires that level of education. I'm thirty and I live in Canada.

My gross monthly pay is $7100. From that, I pay $1325 in taxes and another $1050 in deductions (mostly to a pension plan, but also to the union). I take home $4725. My relatively-fixed monthly expenses are:

  • $1220 mortgage payment (I live alone)
  • $500 condo fees (they were only $350 when I moved in four years ago; they include natural gas heating, water, blizzard-proof underground parking, etc.)
  • $50 electricity
  • $100 basic cable / internet
  • $80 cell phone
  • $30 gym membership (switched gyms in September and saved $65 a month!)

I also have a few fixed annual expenses. Typically I try to put a little bit of extra money aside each month starting in January because these tend to hit hardest in late spring:

  • $1800ish property tax payable in June
  • $1300ish car insurance and registration payable in April
  • $200 community association fee (for the neighborhood, unlike the monthly condo fee)

Where does the rest of my money go?

  • I try to set aside $500-750 each month to a travel fund as I like to take one or two international trips each year
  • Cooking is one of my biggest hobbies and I spent about $80 a week on groceries
  • I subscribe to Ipsy and Birchbox
  • I don't drive often so my average gas expenses are only about $20 a month or so
  • I probably spent $15 a week on coffee (one Starbucks plus a bunch of K-cups for the machine at work)
  • Because I work and go to grad school I don't have THAT much fun, but I probably spend about $100 a month on socializing and entertaining
  • I went grey young and get my roots touched up at the salon. Salons here are expensive and that costs me about $125 every two months
  • Random shit to fill the void in my soul. $$$$$$

As per the last line of your question, I am increasingly dissatisfied with my life, which is basically work-work-work-snow-work-argue with conservatives-snow-work-snow and spend a lot of time dreaming about cashing out (I think I'd come about about $50K ahead if I sold my condo today) and moving to Europe. I've lived in a few different countries and know from experience that what I will lose in income I will gain in lifestyle.

/r/AskWomen Thread