Sorry if this is too personal, but honestly

Are you struggling each month to pay your bills or do you have enough to be comfortable?
Between your salaries...and you dont have to answer but how much do you and your DH bring home in salaries per month?
I just want to see if this is going to be affordable for us. the more i think about it, we could probably do it, but wouldnt have money left over for anything.

Re: Sorry if this is too personal, but honestly

it was harder when we first bought but since we've seen our salaries increase it has become very easy. in our next purchase i see myself worrying about the bills each month already but know that it will work out like it did before. we really know our budget well so that is a comfort, plus we can stay within our budget and have debt only from the mortgage, car loan, and student loans.

Re: Sorry if this is too personal, but honestly

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Posted by raken40

Are you struggling each month to pay your bills or do you have enough to be comfortable?
Between your salaries...and you dont have to answer but how much do you and your DH bring home in salaries per month?
I just want to see if this is going to be affordable for us. the more i think about it, we could probably do it, but wouldnt have money left over for anything.

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I feel the same way.

Re: Sorry if this is too personal, but honestly

We will be struggling but we feel it is so worth it

Re: Sorry if this is too personal, but honestly

Raken I know how you feel. Like most people we were approved for way more than we would feel comfortable spending.

We are also not used to living on a strict budget. We like to travel, like to eat out, like to buy books. We don't have fancy cars and I am not a jewelry person but still, we can spend a lot on non-essentials.

When we buy a home this year we will have to give up the trips to Europe, the Barnes and Noble sprees, the thrice-weekly eating out. It is a sacrifice we are willing to make, but I want us to have a middle ground where maybe we can go to Europe every other year, or eat out twice per month.

I can't see myself living on a super-tight budget. I'd be miserable. So we will probbaly buy a house that will allow us to still do some things we like to do.

I think it depends on the priorities. For us, it is important to buy a house, but we'd rather rent an apartment than give up the rest of our life. For others, the house is all-important.

Re: Sorry if this is too personal, but honestly

We are in the middle of buying a house now and I think the first 6 months will be more of a struggle but after that I think we will have a good grasp on where and what to spend and budget on. Or at least I hope so!

GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF US!!!!!!!

Re: Sorry if this is too personal, but honestly

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Posted by cluelessbride


We are also not used to living on a strict budget. We like to travel, like to eat out, like to buy books. We don't have fancy cars and I am not a jewelry person but still, we can spend a lot on non-essentials.

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This sounds like us too- we found that we were going through a lot of money on dinners out, books, etc.

We are going to have to be more careful with our money, but I don't think it will be that bad. We also chose to leave LI to move to Brewster (Putnam Co.) so we were able to get more house for the money.

I'd look at what you spend your money now and see if some of those expenses will continue to exist when you are in a house. For example, DH and I now live in Queens but I commute to the Bronx and he commutes to Westchester. We spend $300 a month on tolls, more or less. We spend well over $100 a month on a storage unit. We pay city tax (I forget the amounts but it's probably at least a couple hundred). Our car insurance is nuts because we live in Queens and park in the street. When we move we'll spend more on gas but I know we won't go out to eat so much- in Whitestone we have lots of places but up there, not so much. So when you look at your budget you never know what you might find. DH and I thought it would be much tighter that it will be. And the house is also providing us with a nice tax write-off for next year.