Just warning you now...it's going to hit you hard! Our budget got REALLY screwed up after we had that first mortage payment.Originally Posted by Tara & Rob
Right now DH and I are lucky - we barely have any bills. Each month we pay ~$85 for cell phones, $87 for car insurance, $74 for the storage unit we'll have until the house is built, and $32 for the cat wellness plan we have (which will go back to $16 since there is only one on it now) We also spend about $150/mo in gas to get to/from work and other travels.
We are about to feel the real strain of bills though, when our house is finished. Our estimated max mortgage payment was guesstimated at $1406/month. We are unsure of the exact payment as of right now, since the house isnt built and the interest rate hasn't been locked in yet. That payment was based on a rate of 6.5%. We do not plan on having landline phones, one less expense. We probably will have a cable tv/internet package, but it is not a necessity. We aren't sure if we will have a water bill yet or not, and we plan to try and minimize our electric bill.
Of course, our situation differs, as we both have well-paying jobs at the moment. But I believe we'll be entering a new world when that mortgage payment lands in our laps every month, and will be feeling the "strain" of not being able to just go out and buy whatever we want all the time (cars, boats, parts, unnecessary stuff, etc).
