Budgeting / Couponing

What is realistic for a family to spend? Aside from ones mortgage, car insurance, childcare , I am talking about the actual spending aside from the typical household bills (which of course vary on the household such as cable, electric, etc.)

And for those who coupon, do you go to the extreme or just here and there?

Re: Budgeting / Couponing

Do you mean groceries, clothing, "fun", gifts etc.

I don't know if there is an average per family for other things. I know what my monthly fixed expenses are, then I have automatic savings deducted.

The rest stays in checking. I use my credit card a lot and pay it off monthly so I know what is a good or bad month for spending.

I probably spend 1k on myself for clothes and shoes per year (I wear suits to work). Just a guess. I have no clue what I spend on my kids.

I don't coupon for groceries because I try to stay away from packaged foods and my cleaning products are at a minimum and I just buy store brand. I do know that my grocery bill has definitely increased based on my kids getting older and prices going up.

Message edited 5/24/2016 5:36:45 PM.

Budgeting / Couponing

I don't think there is an average. It would depend on your family size and your income and bills.

I don't keep track of that type of thing. I just know what I have in my account and the minimum I absolutely have to have in it so I never go below.

Re: Budgeting / Couponing

Re: Budgeting / Couponing

the answer is "it depends."

* how many people in the home?
* ages of those people... a teenage boy will eat a mountain of food and look at you wanting seconds.
* clothing may depend on type of work... a lawyer is going to need a suit and tie where a plumber might use a uniform supplied by his employer.
* how big is the extended family. do you buy a lot of christmas and birthday gifts. do you exchange gifts at all.
* as far as cable is concerned, a lot of people have cut the cable. netflix is only $9/month

as far as couponing... i used to coupon back when i lived in NJ and was feeding an army of teenage boys. i find that it's not longer worth the work for me... in CA... no stores double coupons they way they do back east.

there are a lot of ways to cut costs without it hurting... shop around for better rates on larger expenses like insurance and mortgage rates. cut your cable/cell phone package. give your house an energy audit and reduce the cost of heating/cooling. diy as much as you feel comfortable doing. buy less.

is there a specific aspect of your household where you would like to save money?

Re: Budgeting / Couponing

There are some great apps that i use a lot helps out at christmas time! Lol

I use many different apps and all legit money goes into my paypal..

Find & save
I use Find&Save to get cash back when I shop and you should too! Please use my code CCQG when you first open the app. http://fns.co/ZYcc/EAN508y13s

Ibotta

Check out Ibotta to get cash back! Use my referral code, uqlcgis, and you can earn an extra $10. Sign up at https://ibotta.com/r/uqlcgis

Checkout51
Savingstar
RecieptPal
Receipt hog
Mobisave

Budgeting / Couponing

I coupon and use all the apps listed above as well. I don't know if I'm an extreme couponer, but I have walked out of stores with free items by utilizing both manufacturers coupons and digital coupons (depending on the store). I'd be happy to give some tips if you'd like. Feel free to PM me.

Re: Budgeting / Couponing

You can use this Link to find out how much people spend on average by household size and location all across the US.

Re: Budgeting / Couponing

Message edited 5/25/2016 1:28:40 PM.