My brain doesn’t usually work in numbers, but when you’re on a tight budget, the brain’s forced to work in numbers somewhat.
I’m on an hourly wage. I started thinking about how many hours each month were spent on each expense. The following is based on a 35-hour week, 140 hours per month. Here’s roughly what I spend:
Gas = 8 hrs
Food = 13 hrs
Booze = 8 hrs
Rent = 64 hrs
Medicine = 4 hours
Electric = 2 – 7 hrs, depending on the season
Cable + Internet = 11 hrs
Cat food/litter = 2 hours
Entertainment (movies, restaurants, pub nights, concerts, etc.) = 6 hours
Phone = 6 hours
Car insurance = 4 hours
Cigarettes = 6 hours
Sundries = 6 hours
Which leaves me approximately 1 hour to put into savings. Yeah, right. I’m throwin’ that in the booze category for an extra twelve-pack.