In a around a month or two i'm going to be moving into an apartment or duplex?

Question

This is my first time living on my "own(away from parents)" and I'm trying to figure out how much money i'm going to be spending a month so i decided to come here and ask how much you guys spend. Technically i'll be living with my boyfrined so i know that will change the costs, but single, couple, family, whatever your current situation If you could break it down by how much you pay for power, electricity, groceries, car insurance, the works, break it all down and put the total at the bottom so i can make my own budget it would be SUCH a big help.

Answer 1

If the two of you aren't married, then you shouldn't be paying each other's bills.  Ownership of some of the stuff gets really complicated if you break up and one of you moves out.  You should keep your budgets separate, as if the two of you were roommates.

I have a one bedroom apartment, living single, in suburban KC.

Here's my budget:

$3350 Income/month

$200 food

$550 rent

$10 renter's insurance (saved up to pay $120/yr)

$20 clothes  (yes that's a little cheap, but I only buy new clothes when old clothes get ripped & torn)

$140 Gasoline (I drive a company car, so they pay the gas for the commute)

$10 Oil Change

$10 Car tags ($100 once a year, in Kansas, this includes property taxes on your car, and I have a '98 truck)

$80 Car Maintenance (something's broken every year, and it 's several hundred bucks to get it fixed.)

$50 Car Insurance (a $300 check every 6 months)

$-0- Car replacement (You'll see why later)

$40 Electric bill

$30 Water bill

$70 Gas bill

$105 Cable/Internet/Phone bill

$30 household stuff

$10 haircut (A $20 haircut once/two months)

$1900 Visa (which is why I can't save for a car right now)

$95 entertainment

Answer 2

Having us tell you what we spend probably won't bring you much value because it varies a great deal depending on where you live and what your particular situation is.  

I would suggest talking to the landlord about things like utilities, cable, and phone.  They will probably be able to give you a good idea what their other tenants are paying.

You should also strongly consider getting renter's insurance if you can.  It protects your stuff in case it ever gets stolen or the apartment burns down or something.  This will probably be a few hundred dollars a year.

If you are just looking for categories of expenses, meaning expenses you might have that you might not be thinking about, let me know and I'll add more info.