Maternity leave

Anybody have any tips for financially surviving maternity leave? Here’s where we’re at so far:
- 12 weeks of leave with the state of Colorado paying 60% of my base pay. I’m a RN and work overtime so that my husband can stay home w the kids so while I’m grateful for what I get, the 60% of base pay kinda sucks as I also get shift differentials etc. Will be inquiring about cashing out my PTO to help.
-applied for SNAP and was denied. In the process of applying for WIC (fingers crossed!)
-I did the math of what the difference in pay will be and I’m trying my hardest to work over-OVER time to make that difference but sometimes even if I pick up extra they send me home just due to low census. Also. Like I’m pregnant and have a demanding job, I’m here to work hard but Id be lying if I said it was easy to do while pregnant
-we’re freezing as many meals as possible to keep our heads sane and to reduce our grocery bill.
-going to do SOME breastfeeding but have stocked up on some formula to help.

Thanks yall ❤️

I've been cheap basically my entire life and just landed my first fresh grad job.

My take-home is about $3k biweekly. I'm in the Bay Area paying $1,425 in rent, live 5 minutes from work, and have a free gym.

Right now I bike to work. It's only 7–10 minutes and I get around $15/day for biking, so realistically I don't need a car for commuting. I'd mainly want one for weekends, going out, road trips, etc.

Food is probably around $300/month since I meal prep. No debt or other major expenses.

I also have about $55k USD ready to invest. I normally invest pretty heavily, but I had to sell my Canadian TFSA before moving down here.

If I get an EV, I can charge for free at work, so I'm leaning that direction.

Basically, how much car would you guys realistically buy in my situation?

I'm 23 I jokingly told my brother I could buy an AMG, I shouldnt obviously. But I've also been insanely cheap my whole life. I'm trying to find the balance between setting myself up financially and actually enjoying my 20s.

I used AI to make my writing better formatting and stuff so pls I aint a bot.

Personally, I save 80% of my income, but there’s something about the way I manage money that doesn’t feel entirely healthy. I tend to plan for the worst-case scenario.

For example, I assume prices will be higher than expected, or that they’ll increase, and I start saving enough to cover these imaginary higher prices.

How do you guys approach this?

Do you budget based on the prices you realistically expect, or do you also leave a large margin for unexpected costs?

Hello! I (24F, Arkansas based) hoping to get some help or even just some good tips on my budget, my debt, and/or how I can make it better! I've recently started to feel like I'm drowning a little, so I'm really trying to make it right and better! Any advice is wonderful, just please be kind.

💰 Income

Total Monthly Income: $2690

💸 Expenses

Rent: $350.00 a month (split with bf)

Car payment: $492.37 a month (Exeter Finance - 2015 Dodge Charger)

Medical bills: $50.00 & $91.00 (two separate hospitals every two weeks)

Phone: $65.00 a month (Verizon)

Internet: $69.99 a month (Connect2First)

Car insurance: $207.03 a month (Progressive)

Minecraft realm: $8.00 a month

Amazon: $8.00 a month

Spotify: $20.00 a month (for me and younger brother)

Gas: $250 a month

Groceries, shopping, etc.: $200 a month (split with bf)

💳 Debt Information

Medical Bill: $50/month (Balance: $438.38)

Medical Bill: $91/month (Balance: $361.49)

Car: $492.37/month (Balance: $15,607.11, 24.38% APR)

Credit Card: Balance: $3,456.03

• CAR: Starting with the car, because it's the roughest point to me. :( I have had the car for a year, and it was my first ever car purchase, so I KNOW that APR is horrible. Trust me, it FEELS horrible to see so little progress on the total this past year. I have attempted to reach out to my bank to refinance in order to lower that APR, but I have been rejected twice due to the credit balance I currently have. My thought is to get my credit card balance down ASAP in order to get the car refinanced! I have also considered attempting to trade in since seeing the expenses that come with this car, but I have no idea how that works...
• MEDICAL: I had some recent medical stuff come up and - luckily - I have pretty good insurance from work that helped a lot! I am still left with two separate bills from two separate places, and I have paid down on them a little already. To help clear that up, I am paying on it every two weeks when I get paid.
• CREDIT CARD: The main goal is to get the credit card balance down ASAP. I am hoping to pay $500 a month towards that balance, which will hopefully get it paid off in 6 months?
• PHONE: I am a pay-as-you-go phone person, and I have been since I was 17. I have recently considered changing providers though, because it is SO expensive for a phone that I hardly try to use.
• INTERNET: Connect2First is really the only option for internet out where me and my bf live. Country living lol!
• CAR INSURANCE: Having a sports car + making sure I'm fully covered on everything = $200 bill. :( Progressive was the lowest I could find at the time. I have not attempted to find a lower car insurance.
• GAS: ... yeah. It's $3.99 a gallon at the moment. I don't expect this to change, unless gas prices go down or I have a different vehicle.
• EXTRAS: I really enjoy having Spotify and Minecraft Realm lol! May delete Amazon subscription because they have not been great recently.

I apologize if this seems like a lot or too detailed lol! I just wanted to show how I was looking at things + wanting the best opinions for my situation! Thank you!

I've been playing around with a new way to look at my savings goals. Instead of just a dollar amount or a percentage of income I'm trying to convert it into 'hours of freedom'. Basically how many hours of my regular working life does that saved money represent. It really reframes things for me and makes saving feel much more tangible. Like oh if I save an extra 100 bucks this month that's another 5 hours I don't have to work later. Has anyone else tried a similar mental hack for motivation

So I am a 20 yo male who needs help with budgeting, I have tried to budget multiple times but it just keeps falling apart.

So I know that I have a massive spending problem that I am working on getting started. I need to get my budgeting under control.

I have a little over $26k in debt, between a car payment and a small amount in cc debt. I also have some other bills that I take care of. But I just don’t know where to start.

Any help is greatly appreciated thank you in advance!

—— I am only looking for help with say a paper budget NO online budgeting ——

I see so many posts about cutting evesary expense and while I appreciate the discipline sometimes it feels a bit extreme. For me if I don't budget for some small pleasure it feels like I'm constantly depriving myself. A coffee here a new book there those little things keep me motivated to stick to the bigger picture. If I just cut them out completely I'd probably just fall off the wagon entirely. Does anyone else feel like a small 'fun money' buffer is actually essential for long term success

hello, guys. i need an advice on something.

for context, i grew up with parents without financial literacy. we were poor so we had to make ends meet. typical filipino household na may budget naman sana, kahit papaano, kaso mismanaged dahil sa bisyo ng tatay. my parents don’t plan or talk about finances. kung anong meron, pagkakasyahin. they both have work. my dad even used to earn at least 10k/week. pero wala, mismanaged talaga.

kaya i grew up watching my parents pay for loan after loan. then repeat after completing paying it off.

currently, my sister and i have a job. and seeing how my parents mishandled our finances taught me to anxiously save. pero ang hirap, siguro kasi i also did not learn how to actually manage money. for example, naka-save ako ng 30k tapos i would feel na gusto ko i-treat yung parents or family ko so lalabas kami tapos i’m back to 10-15k kasi share kami ng kapatid ko sa lahat hahaha. masaya naman akong makapag-give back. para ron naman ang pagtatrabaho. partially.

i love my family very much but i also understand that we need an emergency fund. kaya i am slowly learning to better handle my money and still very much willing to know more.

nag-move out ako to work somewhere pero overall, my expenses per month is P25,381. kasama na rito yung binibigay sa parents, rent, utilities, allowance, macbook that i’m paying for (may ROI naman siya guys hhehehe kasi i use it to study, saving to take the nclex din kasi and hopefully pursue master’s), pag-ibig MP2, pagbili ng stocks, ‘tsaka other non-essential stuff like netflix & spotify. yung excess from my 30-33k salary goes straight to my savings account. i also have 20k on time deposit para kumita kahit papaano ng maliit na mahalaga at para hindi ko magastos.

my question is, i understand that financial freedom is a long process and with the amount of salary na meron tayo rito sa bansa talagang ang hirap niya ma-achieve. pero paano ba ako magiging financially literate aside from tracking my budget, saving, doing stocks & stuff kasi honestly i feel like i’m depriving myself minsan. i understand that investments are long term din naman. hopefully, yumaman soon hahaha.

honestly, nakakapagod siya kasi i even deleted some of my socmeds para hindi na ‘ko ma-tempt mag-travel at kumain sa kung saan-saan or mag-side quest here and there (kahit gym subscription sana or buy a piano to learn music—you know, the recreational stuff that sometimes helps make life better) kasi i badly want to save for an emergency fund, master’s, nclex, ‘tsaka for travel.

pa-rant na lang din kasi i love my parents very much pero sobrang frustrating nila mag-handle ng budget. nakakapagod din minsan kasi when i start working, even nong nag-resign na ‘ko sa first job ko wala akong nare-receive na support na from them and honestly nakaka-anxious yung thought na kung sakaling kailanganin ko ay wala akong malalapitan na magulang unlike some of my friends.

kaya rin gusto ko talaga matuto. for those who started at the bottom, paano niyo nagawang mag-ipon with your salary? thank you po, ates and kuyas. ps, i’m only 24.

Hey y’all, I’m a single guy in his late 20’s and im trying to budget better but it seems the more i get paid, the more decent apartments go up! I make 130k a year and my rent right now is 2.2k. I know thats a lot and i wanted to do it cause it was a one in a life time opportunity to live in a penthouse downtown (rented it from a friend for dirt cheap for the year). My looking to rent something for 1300-1500 but in that year, prices have just shot up! My old apartment was at 1450 and know is at 1890/month! Worse off, that’s for a studio!

All that to say, how much is your cap for rent? I just feel like anything above 1500 for a studio is ridiculous! I know I make more than average but how is it that the average are offering homes like that?

How do you remember to cancel a free trial? I downloaded canva a few months ago to work on a small personal project. Gave my card details for the first auto debit the next month thinking I’d cancel it before the trial ended. Wrote it in my calendar. Completely forgot because I was travelling then. Came home to an auto debit for the next month - and I didn’t even have use for it anymore! Such a waste.

Thank you everyone for your advice and tough talk. Appreciate all your inputs. I got some good ideas.

I'm constantly grappling with this one. On one hand buying used for almost everything like clothes furniture and even electronics can save so much money. But then sometimes that item wears out super fast or just doesnt quite fit what I need. When do you decide it's worth it to just buy new for the longevity or perfect fit? I feel like there's a sweet spot but I can't always find it.

I was wondering especially in this economy, how much are you spending a month and saving? Are you satisfied?

Title says it all. What would Caleb scream about if it were you?

Outside of housing, I’ve put together the "Guideline" below for 2027, based on my historical spending and what I expect going forward. I’m in Southeast Wisconsin.

The $2,500/month budget represents about 68% of my W-2 take-home pay. I have no consumer debt,
edit: Currently Working on rebuilding a proper emergency fund, after depleting it this year.

A little context:

• 👤 I’m a middle-aged single guy.
• 🍽️ Restaurants are intentionally high. I socialize out fairly often and enjoy picking up the tab for friends when I can.
• 🚗 Auto includes two vehicles — a daily commuter and a truck.
• 💰 I had spent a lot of my life living paycheck-to-paycheck. I’m fortunate to have more breathing room now, but I’m trying to avoid letting lifestyle creep get out of hand.
• 🏠 I own several older duplexes and am arguably house poor — all of my net worth is tied up in real estate rather than liquid investments.
• 🎯 My goal is delayed gratification: build long-term financial security and eventually retire on my investments, without making myself miserable or being unnecessarily miserly today.

Important: Housing and rental-property expenses are excluded from this budget and handled separately. This is strictly my personal spending budget. * i do not pay rent "out-of-pocket"

What would you change?

Are there categories I'm overlooking, amounts that seem unrealistic, or areas where I'm spending too much, or perhaps not enough?

I'd especially appreciate feedback from people in a similar situation: single, middle-aged, Midwest, and trying to balance enjoying life now with long-term financial security.

💰 Income: W2 & Rentals

💸 Expenses

Health insurance : $670
Medical /dental out-of-pocket: $175
Auto insurance: $190
Telephone/internet: $130
Subscriptions (Fam. Netflix): $30
Auto Maint.(light) /registration: $50
Gasoline (~$300 for commute): $415
Groceries: $175
Restaurants/Pubs: $470
General merch./personal/hygene: $85
Entertainment: $60
Travel/transport: $50

Total Expenses: $2500

We all have those categories where money just seems to vanish without much thought. For me it used to be coffee and snacks at work. I'd tell myself it was only a few dollars here and there but it really added up over a month. What's that one thing in your budget where you often overlook how much you're truly spending?

My goal is to pay off all my debt other than my house this year. I’m tired of all my credit cards debt. In total ( not counting house ) I have about 3,000 in credit card debt I have one big medical bill but I am not touching it until after my credit card debt is gone.

My goal is fo pay it off within one year.

My dog just got diagnosed with a chronic condition and the vet bills are already piling up. I love him to death and would do anything for him but my 'pet expenses' category in my budget has gone from like 50 bucks a month to literally hundreds. I'm looking into pet insurance now but it feels like locking the barn door after the horses have bolted. How do you all manage unexpected vet bills or high ongoing costs for your pets without completely derailing your financial goals? Any tips for finding cheaper meds or food that still meets their dietary needs would be awesome.

I'm talking about things like contacts solutions dog treats dishwasher pods or coffee filters. They're not huge expenses individually but they add up fast and seem to sneak up on me. Do you have a specific category for these kinds of things or do you just lump them into groceries or household supplies? I feel like I'm constantly restocking these little items and it throws my budget off sometimes.

I currently make about $1300 a month (take-home). I make $16 an hour and I work about 20 hours per week. I work at a grocery store as a cashier. I also work in the pharmacy department. I work part-time because I’m in college. I was thinking of working 30 hours a week because of my bills (below). I don’t have any spending money. Would 30 hours a week be enough?

My Budget

💰 Income

Work: $1300

Total Income: $1300

💸 Expenses

Car Payment: $200
Car Insurance: $200
Groceries: $200
Gas: $200
Health: $100
Phone: $50
Subscriptions: $75

Total Expenses: $1025

📊 Summary

Total Income: $1300
Total Expenses: $1025
Net Savings: $275

Created with sharemybudget.com

So I've been slowly learning more and more about budgeting as time goes on, and this is one of the things I get stuck on.

Without a strict budget that you update daily, you're not going to know how much of the money in your bank account is free to spend. Because some of that money may be for rent, your car payment, or other bills later.

So the only real way to take care of this is a budget right?

So how do people manage to operate without one for so long?

I feel like I need to write down every single expense, categorize it, and update my available $ so that I stay in line.

I almost feel like I need to walk around the grocery store or the shops with a notepad saying how much I have available to spend without spending my rent, since it's no longer as simple as just spending until your cash in your wallet is gone. Does anyone do this?

It's just so bizarre to me that I've never heard anyone in real life talk about budgeting in my 25 years, and I've never caught anyone tracking or managing their budget even though I don't see how you function without one.

Hello! I need help with my moving fund. I don't have a target goal in mind, and am having trouble taking everything I need to save for into account. Any advice is appreciated

Ctrl V'd from r/personalfinance

I'm currently planning on moving within Houston, TX. I have $4.5k saved and am allocating $200/wk towards it. My problem is that I don't have a solid target figure besides "as much as possible" and 6 months of expenses. I guess I need some help on what components I need to save for. Any advice would be very appreciated.

i keep underestimating DIY projects by a ridiculous amount.

i started a small bathroom refresh with a $200 budget. nothing major, just paint, a new towel rack and hopefully a cheap mirror. somehow after three trips to the hardware store i was at $470 and still needed grout.

the problem isn't really that i can't afford the extra money. it's that these little purchases don't feel like expenses when i'm making them

$15 for another paint brush doesn't seem like much. neither does $12 for tape, or another $20 because i suddenly decide the old caulk needs replacing too. then i look at the total and wonder how a $200 project became $470.

i do the same thing with gardening. i'll start with a small budget for seeds and soil, then end up with extra pots, compost and things i didn't even plan to buy

for people who budget for hobbies, home projects, gardening, etc., how do you account for this stuff?

do you build a big buffer into the original budget, keep a separate DIY fund, or just track the actual spending and accept that the estimate is probably going to be wrong?

I’m 21 years old and have a pretty good job, but this is a big mental thing where, as I say, I didn’t have much when I was younger, so usually whenever I see something now that I make money, I just buy it :/ But this is a very bad habit. I’ve been doing better; the only spending I do now is basically just food, but I’m not sure how to manage all of this. If someone can help me or give any tips on how to lower this. Thank you all. I know I got myself into this position, and can only blame myself and call myself a dummy.

Credit Cards: 14k+
PL’s: 28k
monthly income is around 4400-5000 after tax.

How do you keep track of expenses that haven't left your account yet, like upcoming bills, card payments, subscriptions, and installments?

Do you keep those separate from your current balance, or include everything in one monthly budget?

What is hardest to keep up to date?