how to manage my finances...
fresh out of college i was making 30k... and my s/o... slightly more... we were living in a one bedroom apartment roughly 600 sq. ft. paying 600 bucks a month... but at the end of each month... we were broke... living paycheck to paycheck... unsettled... even though it was like pulling teeth... i decided to track our incomes and expenses on an excel spreadsheet... fixed cost (rent, car, insurance, etc.) vs. variable cost (food, clothes, etc.)... i was shocked at how much we spent on food eating and going out...
could you blame us or anyone... we went from eating cup-noodles (as college students) to eating prime rib and lobster (as working professionals)... lol! anyhow, we made a conscious effort to minimize our eating and going out habits and within a year... we bought our first home... this by far has been one of the best life lessons learned without having anyone tell me...
what about you...?