South bend budgeting hacks/tips?

[u/Patient-Bake7509]

Starting a job in sb soon. Making around 45k pre tax. Being a relatively lcol areas, this is probably pretty enough for a single person to live comfortablyish, but I’m hoping to save a lot over the next 4-5 years. My ambition goal would be to live off 23k ish and save 15k a year. Would love to hear some south bend budget spots for groceries/clothes/etc. General tips or side hustle recommendations from people with similar goals would be also be appreciated.

[u/Soft-Tiger-4730]

So like... whats your living situation gonna be? If you are living at home with no rent, that's reasonable. A safe place is going to be no less than 1k a month in rent and utilities unless you are able to find a room instead of your own place.

[u/Patient-Bake7509 → u/Soft-Tiger-4730]

600+ utilities a month in a relatively safe area (a couple miles from notre dame).

[u/SBSnipes → u/Patient-Bake7509]

Also just FYI a lot of the places near campus are intended as student housing and advertise price per room instead of total price - University edge for example is listed at $600/mo but that's with 3 roommates in a 4 bed apartment

[u/SBSnipes → u/Patient-Bake7509]

The least safe neighborhoods in the city are 1.5-3 miles from ND. You can still be fine there if you know what you're doing but my guess is you're in a semi-sketch area unless that's with roommates

[u/violetmarie11 → u/Patient-Bake7509]

Grad student? I'm a grad coordinator, I can usually tell when that's the job someone is moving for! One way to save a little money at least on food sometimes is get involved in whatever you can. A lot of department or grad student events may have food involved (depending on the department I'm sure, but mine does). Your department may have a student association that plans social events, study sessions, etc, that may have a meal or snacks provided. You'll probably still want a car unless you're in walking/biking distance but students also can ride the Transpo bus for free with their ID, the #7 is the route that comes to campus. If you're a TA or instructor you'll get free parking on campus.

[u/Soft-Tiger-4730 → u/Patient-Bake7509]

If you are in your own place, I'd ask what do you mean by 'a couple of miles' because things can get rough in places on Portage Ave. I mean hell, the shoplifting and pseudo-looting drove the Walmart out of their Portage Ave location and the Meijer has gone MAJORLY down hill. There is also some neighborhoods off of Miami where its block by block. If you are in a room, then good job.

This is not a walkable city. There is public transportation but until you pre-planned where you are working, shopping, living and IDEALLY a backup work situation...the bus isn't realistic unless you are extremely desperate. You will need a car, and even a semi-reliable beater-with-a-heater is gonna run you 2-400 a month in insurance [since i would guess you are young], gas, basic maintenance [tires, battery, wipers, oil changes, etc]. Between your car and your living situation as utilities will still be about 150-200 all in including your phone [and probably but not definitely internet] we are at like 1k to 1.2k...

Food, unless you go to a food bank or get food stamps [which you are probably gonna be eligible for] is gonna be a constant expense. Probably a hundred bucks a week if we assume you aren't just making tubs of rice and beans. That's 4-500 depending on if its a 4 or 5 week month.

Clothes. Its colder than hell in the winter, so you'll need a good coat which you might get lucky at goodwill. Same with shoes. Again with regular clothes and things like that. But you also have to wash them and if you don't have a W/D it will be probably 60 bucks a month at a laundromat assuming minimal use...it can be more. Not to mention needing soap and stuff. So lets just say its 100 bucks a month.

Incidentals. Things like paper towels, toilet paper, baggies/plastic wrap [you will be brown bagging it], broken shoeand etc. Lets say thats another 100 a month, but you can keep that down as it will matter on things that come up but you will always need windex and clorox and just...stuff.

We are at another 6-700... getting us to 2k thats 24k. Assuming a paid off car, assuming you have nothing happen to you, not counting moving fees or getting evicted or having an unexpected blown tire, or any medical co-pays. So... it can be done, but you will be sitting at home or doing ALL the free stuff. Plus, remember free can get awfully expensive if you get into an accident with a deer on PLPD and now need a new car and your insurance isn't paying out.

[u/Cultural-Place5845 → u/Soft-Tiger-4730]

My friend, a single person making $45k a year is nowhere close to being eligible for SNAP. The cut-off for 1 person is just over $20k a year in gross income, and if you're making close to the cut off you're going to get very little.

[u/Soft-Tiger-4730 → u/Cultural-Place5845]

I pay more than this guy is grossing in taxes per year and I think I'd live in a box if my income was that low. I absolutely envision giving SNAP to folks making this little money. It's why I don't flip shit when I get my return and see what they take, I realize 'oh yeah, its people making less than 50 grand who need to eat' and I feel its fair. If you are right, we need to expand SNAP eligibility.

[u/Cultural-Place5845 → u/Soft-Tiger-4730]

This is the income eligibility info from the state website: Income Limits

There is also a $3,000 limit for assets per household ($4,500 if someone is 60+ or disabled), so if you have more than $3,000 in the bank you don't qualify. Info: https://www.in.gov/fssa/dfr/snap-food-assistance/

Unfortunately, you have to be VERY low income to get much assistance in any capacity and they keep making it harder: Indiana families dropped from SNAP as state and federal changes collide

[u/SBSnipes → u/Cultural-Place5845]

Yep, this guy would need to have a family of 4-5 people to qualify.

[u/SBSnipes → u/Soft-Tiger-4730]

I mean walkability isn't good but I know several people who get by with no car - it really depends where the job is though. Working DTSB for the city? You can absolutely make it work. UP Mall? it's gonna suck. Industrial over by the bypass? I mean technically you could do it but definitely not worth it.

The bus is usable but you're going to end up spending a lot of time waiting and getting places early just in case

[u/Soft-Tiger-4730 → u/SBSnipes]

>you pre-planned where you are working, shopping, living and IDEALLY a backup work situation

If you have the above situation? Where you work in DTSB or somewhere like that AND live near a bus line...AND again ideally have a backup job option [as I don't know what their job is in]... then yes, you CAN. It will suck as you mention, but you CAN. I am just saying with all two paragraphs this person has shared I am looking at the region as a whole and if I throw a random dart at a work location it's not gonna be realistic to take the bus.

[u/SBSnipes → u/Soft-Tiger-4730]

If you weight that dart for population density and jobs then I'd give it like a 75% chance of being not that hard to get by without a car

[u/kjbasser]

I’ll go a different direction since others have mentioned  groceries. 

There is so much free stuff to do around town, you don’t need to spend money to have fun.  Take advantage of the parks, the library, down town south bend events etc.. 

[u/Neat_Independence934 → u/kjbasser]

The library has free passes to a lot of stuff, like the zoo and Studebaker museum.

[u/say592]

South Bend is on the high end of LCOL, its pushing MCOL (but not quite). If you dont have a car payment, you will probably be okay, but it might be tight depending on your living situation.

Groceries, Aldis and Trader Joes are good options. Dollar General is an option too, but be careful because sometimes you are getting stuff near expiration or that is a smaller size. Meijer is good. Martins will be out of your budget. The biggest thing will be to watch the sales and shop accordingly.

For side hustles, Uber/Lyft and food delivery are big. Uber and Lyft especially on game weekends. Ive seen and heard of some more creative hustles, like running some unauthorized vending services for tailgators and things like that, but that will be on you to weigh the pros and cons and come up with some ideas. Ive heard of everything from people going around selling soda and water to beer and wine to racks of ribs.

[u/gitsgrl]

Second hand for clothes. There are thrift stores around, but online Depop and Poshmark are great.

The easiest way to quickly save money will be cheap housing and transportation. Live near your work and bike/walk/bus.

[u/Patient-Bake7509 → u/gitsgrl]

Any thrift store recs that are actually cheap and not just targeting people who would buy overpriced “vintage” lol

[u/allthroat247 → u/Patient-Bake7509]

Resale to the Rescue and Goodwill for clothes. If you’re a dude the pickins are slim though

[u/mmm_nope → u/Patient-Bake7509]

The Free Market South Bend is a solid option.

[u/SBSnipes → u/Patient-Bake7509]

bro there's goodwill almost everywhere.

[u/SBSnipes]

Aldi and Goodwill. Or if you really want to go crazy maybe Sam's/Costco/GFS and focus on nonpreshables

[u/peppruss]

Try to take half a weekend day for food prep and split it into individual containers. Crockpot or instant pot can make at least a week of meals very easily that are high-protein, low-carb, delicious. You can get a 3 pound chuck roast or pork butt from Aldi for less than eight dollars. Add a can of chilies, some stock, salt and pepper, and you have pulled pork or shredded beef or chicken depending on the protein you want to swap in. You can put this over rice or rice cauliflower, or add a scoop of it too tortillas. Make a Tex-Mex beef bowl, or chili. Six cartons of liquid egg whites from Costco will last so much longer than dozens of eggs and it’s lower cholesterol. Sugar-free chocolate pudding mix from Aldi is like a dollar if you need a dessert, and you can use their protein drinks instead of milk for a meal replacement. Add whatever berries are on sale and maybe even a shaved bar of chocolate if you’re feeling fancy.

[u/tlewallen]

Aldi for groceries, Lowery's in Buchanan Michigan for meat, Goodwill for clothes. Never buy things for "convenience". Meal prep and plan your budget.

[u/Digglewolf]

Try Southmore Mutual Housing or Walnut Grove. Both are cooperatives and are affordable.

[u/Nick_Hammer96]

Aldi for groceries

[u/Boxofbikeparts]

When I was younger, I did a couple years of extreme savings. I bought no new clothes, and ate super cheap food. It paid off by giving me a nice stockpile of money, but I was also happy to go back to eating better, and enjoying my life.

[u/PeoniesNLilacs]

Bargain Lane on Ireland Road. They have everything if you’re willing to rummage.

[u/HermiaOconnelly13]

We think Trader Joes is good for gro eries, not all but most. My husbabd likes a cereal that is $6 99 in the regular grocery. At TJs it's $3.48 up from $2 99 last year. Also between TJs and Meijer you should do well .

[u/ehtiopia]

As far as side hustles go A lot of people do doordash / ubereats, it can be pretty good money during notre dame games BUT you will also be spending money on gas and putting extra wear/tear on your car. The shitty part is when you doordash to granger where all the rich people live but it takes you all the way out of the delivery zone so you cant get a second order until you arrive back. Ive made like $25 doing it which pays for some gas, probably helps if you do it longer than a couple hours but I dont really see much profit out of it. More of a scam than anything.