Financial advice for a single woman
October 24, 2016 3:26 PM Subscribe
I'm in need of some basic financial advice and tips of general personal money management, on things like how to keep tabs on my spending, how to control/set budgets for some areas and how to set good savings targets. More inside.
I am a mid-30s woman living on my own in South America, have been separated for over a year and a half and need to get my finances in order ahead of my divorce and get some basic tips on how to manage my monthly spending, save money etc.
Previously, when married and living with two salaries, I had a fairly relaxed approach to spending, so as a couple we would take lots of holidays and eat out and etc etc because we knew we were earning way more than we needed in order to live. I was never a big spender in terms of Louis Vuitton handbags (I would never spend that type of money on a handbag!), I am more of a Converse-wearing type of person who likes to travel and stay at nice places, eat and drink quality stuff and generally have a good living standard.
But now I am about to be on my own income (approx 23k in local currency, which is still a fairly good wage, more than the vast majority of my friends earn) and need to get more organized and set some limits as to what I can spend each month. After keeping pretty much every single receipt of what I spent for three months I have figured that my average monthly spending is at about 12k.
Over these three months and after seeing my spending in the first month of this experiment I have reduced spending considerably in areas like clothing (about 90%), things like manicures and visits to the hairdressers as I am doing most of that myself.
Spending areas that keep going up: fuel (about 600 a month as I am traveling quite a bit), hotels (I took at least one break somewhere nearby in the last three months and I tend to go for the more mid-range type of place).
I am a vegetarian, so while you would have thought that I would seriously reduce my spending by being on my own, it ends up increasing because I do like to buy organic items, extra virgin olive oil, and so on. And I have been really trying hard to reduce that bill but it remains one of my biggest expenses after rent (about 800 on average). So I would need some tips on reducing my food bill too. What do you do in order to control yourself when going to the supermarket?
Eating out is my third biggest expense (about 600 a month). I have been going out with friends a lot and while I have an income that is decent enough to eat out, but not all the time. How do you manage the way you eat out during the week and on weekends with friends etc without spending too much?
Also is the best way to use a credit card? I have two, but really would like to keep just one for emergencies, things like flights and hotels if I need it and so on. I have a bit of a balance to clear on both cards (about 3k in total) but would like to pay that off and only really use it when I need it. How do you use it?
One-off spending items like emergency repairs and moving costs have also contributed to increasing my overall monthly spend. How do I plan for those? I want to save money and I think I really am in a position of saving pretty much half of my income or even more if I get organized.
I know the above may seem a bit all over the place but I am trying to get my affairs into a better sort of order... I guess it all boils down to how to manage money effectively, live a reasonably comfortable life, organize for any unforeseen circumstances and save as much as I can for the future.
I also have no idea of the types of investments I should be looking at, but I think I would like to keep it low-risk and possibly buy some property after all my divorce settlement business is over and done with.
Any tips from the hive mind on the points I mentioned, plus any apps/tools and relatively simple spreadsheet models that I can use, or anything I might have forgotten would be very much appreciated. Thanks so much!
I am a mid-30s woman living on my own in South America, have been separated for over a year and a half and need to get my finances in order ahead of my divorce and get some basic tips on how to manage my monthly spending, save money etc.
Previously, when married and living with two salaries, I had a fairly relaxed approach to spending, so as a couple we would take lots of holidays and eat out and etc etc because we knew we were earning way more than we needed in order to live. I was never a big spender in terms of Louis Vuitton handbags (I would never spend that type of money on a handbag!), I am more of a Converse-wearing type of person who likes to travel and stay at nice places, eat and drink quality stuff and generally have a good living standard.
But now I am about to be on my own income (approx 23k in local currency, which is still a fairly good wage, more than the vast majority of my friends earn) and need to get more organized and set some limits as to what I can spend each month. After keeping pretty much every single receipt of what I spent for three months I have figured that my average monthly spending is at about 12k.
Over these three months and after seeing my spending in the first month of this experiment I have reduced spending considerably in areas like clothing (about 90%), things like manicures and visits to the hairdressers as I am doing most of that myself.
Spending areas that keep going up: fuel (about 600 a month as I am traveling quite a bit), hotels (I took at least one break somewhere nearby in the last three months and I tend to go for the more mid-range type of place).
I am a vegetarian, so while you would have thought that I would seriously reduce my spending by being on my own, it ends up increasing because I do like to buy organic items, extra virgin olive oil, and so on. And I have been really trying hard to reduce that bill but it remains one of my biggest expenses after rent (about 800 on average). So I would need some tips on reducing my food bill too. What do you do in order to control yourself when going to the supermarket?
Eating out is my third biggest expense (about 600 a month). I have been going out with friends a lot and while I have an income that is decent enough to eat out, but not all the time. How do you manage the way you eat out during the week and on weekends with friends etc without spending too much?
Also is the best way to use a credit card? I have two, but really would like to keep just one for emergencies, things like flights and hotels if I need it and so on. I have a bit of a balance to clear on both cards (about 3k in total) but would like to pay that off and only really use it when I need it. How do you use it?
One-off spending items like emergency repairs and moving costs have also contributed to increasing my overall monthly spend. How do I plan for those? I want to save money and I think I really am in a position of saving pretty much half of my income or even more if I get organized.
I know the above may seem a bit all over the place but I am trying to get my affairs into a better sort of order... I guess it all boils down to how to manage money effectively, live a reasonably comfortable life, organize for any unforeseen circumstances and save as much as I can for the future.
I also have no idea of the types of investments I should be looking at, but I think I would like to keep it low-risk and possibly buy some property after all my divorce settlement business is over and done with.
Any tips from the hive mind on the points I mentioned, plus any apps/tools and relatively simple spreadsheet models that I can use, or anything I might have forgotten would be very much appreciated. Thanks so much!
I hate to make assumptions about other countries economies. When Brazil had crazy high inflation, none of the US "common-sense" advice about how to save or how to use credit cards would have made much sense. Advice about budgeting and spending is pretty universal, but I think we should all be really cautious not to give US-centric advice on investing, and to recommend apps and spreadsheets that are known to work in a variety of currencies.
posted by aimedwander at 3:48 PM on October 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by aimedwander at 3:48 PM on October 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
A great rule of thumb is to spend no more than 50% of your income on necessities (rent/mortgage/utilities, basic transport, basic food), no more than 30% on "wants," and save the remaining 20% (or more).
posted by mskyle at 4:36 PM on October 24, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by mskyle at 4:36 PM on October 24, 2016 [2 favorites]
Regarding credit cards, I've always used mine as a convenient way to pay for things, rather than as a source of extra money. I usually carry very little cash on me, pay for everything that I can with a credit card, and pay the balance off in full every month. I don't know what kind of cards are available in your country, but I've always gotten some kind of rewards from mine. I know a lot of people who have cards that give them points that can be redeemed toward flights and hotel rooms. If those types of cards are available to you, they might be good options to help make travel cheaper for you.
I recently started a new job, after too many years of being a student, and one of the things that has made me feel better about my budget is figuring out specific savings goals and putting specific numbers on them. I have a target amount and a target date for each one, and that helps me figure out how much I should be saving toward that goal each month (actually, YNAB, which was mentioned above, calculates that automatically for me). Then, I know that even if I'm splurging on some things and perhaps not saving the maximum amount of money I could save, I will reach my savings goals and be able to afford the big things that are important to me. I also buy a lot of organic food and spend a lot on grocery shopping, but it's ok because I've planned for it and know that it won't stop me from achieving my financial goals. In your case, you might think about how many trips you'd like to take per year and how much you'd like to spend on each one and take a look at how much the properties you're interested in will cost. Then, you can back out how much you need to put away each month toward these goals.
posted by capsizing at 5:34 PM on October 24, 2016
I recently started a new job, after too many years of being a student, and one of the things that has made me feel better about my budget is figuring out specific savings goals and putting specific numbers on them. I have a target amount and a target date for each one, and that helps me figure out how much I should be saving toward that goal each month (actually, YNAB, which was mentioned above, calculates that automatically for me). Then, I know that even if I'm splurging on some things and perhaps not saving the maximum amount of money I could save, I will reach my savings goals and be able to afford the big things that are important to me. I also buy a lot of organic food and spend a lot on grocery shopping, but it's ok because I've planned for it and know that it won't stop me from achieving my financial goals. In your case, you might think about how many trips you'd like to take per year and how much you'd like to spend on each one and take a look at how much the properties you're interested in will cost. Then, you can back out how much you need to put away each month toward these goals.
posted by capsizing at 5:34 PM on October 24, 2016
Only one small piece of the puzzle, but the way I address the grocery store spending is to focus on not throwing away food. I don't feel bad about buying good stuff if I know we're going to eat it all. Eating well, for me, also means going for fresh foods more than packaged or pre-made, which also cuts costs.
I try to pack my own lunch to take to work as much as I can get it together to do. My co-workers tend to gather in our lounge/lunchroom so I still get the social fix without having to blow $7-10 a day on lunch (it's healthier too).
posted by heatherlogan at 6:09 PM on October 24, 2016
I try to pack my own lunch to take to work as much as I can get it together to do. My co-workers tend to gather in our lounge/lunchroom so I still get the social fix without having to blow $7-10 a day on lunch (it's healthier too).
posted by heatherlogan at 6:09 PM on October 24, 2016
I say this to everyone: (Senator) Elizabeth Warren and Amelia Tyagi's All Your Worth: The Ultimate Lifetime Money Plan.
This is where the Balanced Money Formula comes from: 50% on Needs, 30% on Wants and 20% on Savings (or paying down debt).
Good basic book about financial planning for the average person.
posted by moiraine at 4:08 AM on October 25, 2016
This is where the Balanced Money Formula comes from: 50% on Needs, 30% on Wants and 20% on Savings (or paying down debt).
Good basic book about financial planning for the average person.
posted by moiraine at 4:08 AM on October 25, 2016
Regarding your current food spending - if you eat all the food you buy the question is more are there any more affordable choices you could make based on season and local availability. No summer fruit and veg in winter for example and so on.
If you don't eat all the food you buy you need to become more diligent about your shopping and eating out habits, e.g. if food you have bought goes to waste when you decide to meet up with your friends after all. If you eat out a lot and that kind of thing happens you may want to start to just have non perishable staples at home and then only buy the fresh ingredients you need for the next meal. I travel a lot and work in other locales a lot (read, leave early, get back home late) so I'll eat out even if I am technically at home. If I buy food in weeks where I work in the next city I know it goes to waste.
As a general point, if your current savings rate is as high as 50% you probably would benefit from getting some sound investment and tax advice relevant for your jurisdiction and economic environment.
Putting money in a savings account may be futile in high inflation environments. You may be better off buying things that will hold their value over years.
posted by koahiatamadl at 5:25 AM on October 25, 2016
If you don't eat all the food you buy you need to become more diligent about your shopping and eating out habits, e.g. if food you have bought goes to waste when you decide to meet up with your friends after all. If you eat out a lot and that kind of thing happens you may want to start to just have non perishable staples at home and then only buy the fresh ingredients you need for the next meal. I travel a lot and work in other locales a lot (read, leave early, get back home late) so I'll eat out even if I am technically at home. If I buy food in weeks where I work in the next city I know it goes to waste.
As a general point, if your current savings rate is as high as 50% you probably would benefit from getting some sound investment and tax advice relevant for your jurisdiction and economic environment.
Putting money in a savings account may be futile in high inflation environments. You may be better off buying things that will hold their value over years.
posted by koahiatamadl at 5:25 AM on October 25, 2016
This thread is closed to new comments.
YNAB aka You Need A Budget -- it's a tool AND a philosophy for budgeting that is slightly different and, for us, is a lot easier to stick to than a more traditional budget system. For us it's worth the cost. Even if you don't want to use their tool, I think that you'll get a lot out of their introductory website pages and blog posts, which offer up ideas about how to control spending in various areas, how to save for emergencies, how to deal with credit cards and paying off balances, etc - which I think will be relevant to the questions you ask in your post.
Mr Money Mustache -- it's a financial advice blog so, like any advice, you should take it with a grain of salt but I appreciate his philosophy and it has helped each of us in various ways with re-assessing some aspects of our relationship to money and the impact that it has on our lives.
I think it's very admirable that you're tackling this head on and working on making what amount to some pretty big and, in some ways, uncomfortable changes in your life. It will be WELL worth it! We have been working at it consistently for about 6-12 months now and we're in a much better place already - loans being paid off strategically, emergency funds now exist and are growing, and we know where our money is going each month and feel more in control of it.
Keep up the good work and good luck finding what works for you! Habits are hard and we are still working on improving ours. (Probably always will be.) I will be watching this thread to see what other advice is shared as I think we'll be able to use it too!
posted by inatizzy at 3:44 PM on October 24, 2016