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Traveling can be expensive. Dating can be expensive. Grabbing drinks on a Saturday night can be expensive.
Is it possible to live on 44k a year in LA? (The LA THREAD!...City Living, Girls and Social Scene).
- Thread in 'General' Thread starter Started by humblemelord,
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Traveling can be expensive. Dating can be expensive. Grabbing drinks on a Saturday night can be expensive.
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Exactly what I'm doing while putting my saved money into my business. But I'm in sunny san diego and will be moving to LA once I accomplish these goals.
I also spend well over a $1000/month on food and just as much on entertainment. Given my situation and my distinct tastes, I got no advice for nobody.
Definitely an interesting thread to see all of these different perspectives.
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Also, for what it's worth. I did the Hollywood thing and for super cheap as mentioned earlier in this thread. It's way too much for me. The money I saved was wasted in time finding parking and annoyances from tourist and the crazy Hollywood locals. Imjusssayin.
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I know families that live off of less than 44K in NYC so a man whose only responsibility is himself not being able to live with 44K sounds iffy especially with no car note
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Let's do a simple breakdown. $44,000 a year comes out to $3,666 a month. Your monthly expenses are as follows (following a pretty frugal lifestyle):
$1300 for rent
$400 for your car payment (this is for a pretty basic vehicle) + insurance
$200 for gas (assuming one fill-up a week, which is really conservative for someone in LA. For comparison, I fill up twice a week and I don't even think I drive that much compared to avg Angeleno)
$100 for utilities/trash service/etc
$100 for phone/cable/internet
$80 for cellphone
$300 for groceries (spit-balling this figure because I usually eat out)
That's $2480, leaving you with $1186 every month to spend on things you want but don't need. Clothes, entertainment, eating out, getting drinks with your friends, Starbucks, and whatever else, will absolutely DRAIN that every month. The problem with most Americans is they highly underestimate how much they can spend in these categories when they THINK they're spending a trivial amount.
And then what are you left to save with? And what happens when something comes along that you don't expect that requires financial attention? You might end up using your credit card, and we all know how that usually ends.
Comfortable, to me, is fulfilling basic needs, enjoying the social opportunities that your city offers, and SAVING for a financial cushion. That's probably the most important thing. Knowing you are saving money for the future is such a great feeling. With 44k, it is my opinion that you won't live a comfortable life.
$1300 for rent
$400 for your car payment (this is for a pretty basic vehicle) + insurance
$200 for gas (assuming one fill-up a week, which is really conservative for someone in LA. For comparison, I fill up twice a week and I don't even think I drive that much compared to avg Angeleno)
$100 for utilities/trash service/etc
$100 for phone/cable/internet
$80 for cellphone
$300 for groceries (spit-balling this figure because I usually eat out)
That's $2480, leaving you with $1186 every month to spend on things you want but don't need. Clothes, entertainment, eating out, getting drinks with your friends, Starbucks, and whatever else, will absolutely DRAIN that every month. The problem with most Americans is they highly underestimate how much they can spend in these categories when they THINK they're spending a trivial amount.
And then what are you left to save with? And what happens when something comes along that you don't expect that requires financial attention? You might end up using your credit card, and we all know how that usually ends.
Comfortable, to me, is fulfilling basic needs, enjoying the social opportunities that your city offers, and SAVING for a financial cushion. That's probably the most important thing. Knowing you are saving money for the future is such a great feeling. With 44k, it is my opinion that you won't live a comfortable life.
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Please elaborate because I don't think that family is living comfortably.
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I didn't say comfortably, I meant that they make ends meet. Meaning rent is paid, heat and electric, cable, and the rest going to food. They probably don't have any money to have fun with though. I said all that to say if a single parent can take care of themselves plus a kid then there's no way a single person with no kids can't live with 44K. All that frugal spending you discussed in your breakdown isn't important to me honestly because you learn to live within your means. All it takes is one month for you to realize, "ok I can only go out two weekends this month instead of three". Does it mean you're not making enough money if you have a budget? You have to pick what's more important, living in your own space or having all the money to buy clothes/kicks/drinks but coming back to your mom's house.
There's a difference between not having any money at the end of the month because you don't make enough to support yourself and not having any money at the end of the month because you spent it carelessly.
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Its fair to say that Saving money on 44k is out of the option.
LA will get you.
2 Movie tickets, popcorn and some drinks will run you about 60+ And thats what i call a cheap date.
Factor in Medical Benefits, thats another 400-800 a month on Herb.
LA will get you.
2 Movie tickets, popcorn and some drinks will run you about 60+ And thats what i call a cheap date.
Factor in Medical Benefits, thats another 400-800 a month on Herb.
So OP doesn't pay taxes? That $2480 is most likely what OP is pulling in a month after taxes.
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lol man taxes alone especially in Cali will break that "3666" to like 2.5k
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If a single man cannot live off 44k in Los Angeles, you're either dumb, spoiled, or not from L.A. to begin with.
Some of you guys need to learn how to budget.
You don't need cable, you dont need to go out drinking every night, etc. etc.
You can either a. go to hollywood and spend $100 plus for a night or b. go downtown and chill for $50 or less with a better crowd IMO.
You can either a. go to X bar during peak hours and spend $10 a drink or B. go during happy hour and pay $5, get 2 for 1 deals, etc.
Hollywood is nothing but an "allure" of how you "should" want to live. The girls that go there are broke and looking for financial aid. The dudes who frequent there are aspiring actors and "ballers" who still live at home with their parents. The streets aint paved in gold, and the dream their selling is just that...A DREAM.
The southbay has great atmosphere, DTLA has a great atmosphere.
OP. Find a place that's no more than 15 miles from your job. Find that place, and start looking.
Some of you guys need to learn how to budget.
You don't need cable, you dont need to go out drinking every night, etc. etc.
You can either a. go to hollywood and spend $100 plus for a night or b. go downtown and chill for $50 or less with a better crowd IMO.
You can either a. go to X bar during peak hours and spend $10 a drink or B. go during happy hour and pay $5, get 2 for 1 deals, etc.
Hollywood is nothing but an "allure" of how you "should" want to live. The girls that go there are broke and looking for financial aid. The dudes who frequent there are aspiring actors and "ballers" who still live at home with their parents. The streets aint paved in gold, and the dream their selling is just that...A DREAM.
The southbay has great atmosphere, DTLA has a great atmosphere.
OP. Find a place that's no more than 15 miles from your job. Find that place, and start looking.
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if its 44k before Taxes
He wont have enough to even think about budgeting Cable, and Night Life.
He wont have enough to even think about budgeting Cable, and Night Life.
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Look at what I posted and then talk to me about a budget.
I covered the essentials (we can take out the cable) and you're already coming up to how much he's pulling in every month. And I didn't even include other costs of living on your own, such as purchasing stuff for the house, disposables, etc.
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You said he will run out of $1186 after he covers his essentials and you can add on $300 because he doesn't have a car note. So basically he can't survive with a $1400 budget a month to spend on whatever?
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Well, that extra $300 helps a lot because then it means even if you go through the $1186, you have $300 to save. I'm really big on saving, and yeah I get the whole "spend it while you're young" bit. I believe you gotta balance it because believe it or not, you still need money when you're older, just for different things.
Like some people mentioned, I didn't even factor in taxes. So if the 44K is pre-tax income, then there goes some more of that extra $.
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Exactly. You can tell which NTers still live at home or get help if they're living alone.
Your mindset changes when you pay for everything yourself.
If you can't survive on $1400 after bills something is wrong with YOU
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if u factor in Taxes he wont have 1400 to budget with. and How many guys under 25 have 100$ car insurance?
but, but, but how will he pay for his vacation to saint Tropez? He needs to make at least $90k minimum before he thinks about living on his own
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That's that spoiled kid mentality
I enjoy my life and I bring home 3k after taxes on an educators salary.
If I wanna go on a trip I get online and visit cheap Caribbean and other cheap ticket sites and chose accordingly.
If I wanna go eat out on the weekend, I bag my lunch for the week and eat at home. If friends want to go out during the week, WE all agree to hit a happy hour or come to one of our houses to save money. The only friend we have that's not on the same page...is still living off moms.
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No one is saying he can't survive with $1400 a month after taxes.
I'm only saying that he's going to be using every single cent of that $1400 on other things that he's not prepared for. And honestly, I went extremely conservative on my budget. $200 for gas a month is seriously close to impossible in LA, and $300 on groceries is pretty low too.
I'm pretty frugal, and I still spend $800-1000 on misc expenses. A cup of coffee here, some snacks there, a movie and dinner once in awhile, a new pair of pants, visit to the dentist, treating your family out to dinner, that **** adds up guys.
I guess if you want to stay in your home all day and watch Netflix, $1400 is do-able.
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That's that spoiled kid mentality
I enjoy my life and I bring home 3k after taxes on an educators salary.
If I wanna go on a trip I get online and visit cheap Caribbean and other cheap ticket sites and chose accordingly.
If I wanna go eat out on the weekend, I bag my lunch for the week and eat at home. If friends want to go out during the week, WE all agree to hit a happy hour or come to one of our houses to save money. The only friend we have that's not on the same page...is still living off moms.
44k equals about 1250 every 2 weeks after taxes. The guy who did that breakdown didnt factor in taxes.
People can SURVIVE on that amount but you really cant LIVE. Most folks dont wanna eat a damn homemade sandwich Mon - Fri and then hope ALL thier broke *** friends have enough to do a happy hour a couple days out of a month. Not everyone wants to spend hours searching for cut rate deals on hotel and air fare while saving for months just to go to a 3 star resort. What if OP wants to cop that 50" inch TV or wants buy some Lebron's or take a lady out on a nice date to a place not named applebee's? I doubt he'd be able to do that comfortably without penny penching every single thing he does like he's a lil kid saving his lunch money for some kicks that come out 3 months from now.
I am by no means ballin but I make enough to have a nice apartment, a decent car and the ability to treat myself how I want to be treated.
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$2800 take home.
-$1000 rent (he doesn't want to go past this) that includes utilities in most place except for electricity.
-50 for power
-400 for groceries and essentials. A man doesn't need more than shaving cream, tooth paste and toilet paper.
-He has an altima. $40 bucks to fill up..depending on this commute $100 a month, but I'll give you $200.
He has $1200 of disposable income! If you can't go out and live then YOU'RE the problem, not the income.
Again, somethings wrong with YOU. Does he need a 50"? Let's say he does...he can buy a cheap one, on sale for $500. He still has $700 of free income to do as he pleases. So he eats out everyday that frees up $400 in groceries and if he does eat out everyday thats $600 a month...he's still up $500 and he's "living" by your standards.
Quit trying to live a champagne life on a beer budget and you will "LIVE" comfortably.
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If your salary is 44K and you spend more than $1400 a month on unnecessary things that doesn't mean you can't LIVE with that salary that means you're trying to live BEYOND your means
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We already figured out they wont have 1400 to spend regardless.
2500 after tax
rent - 1k
Insurance- 150-200
util/cell- 150
Food- 500
thats almost 2k
2500 after tax
rent - 1k
Insurance- 150-200
util/cell- 150
Food- 500
thats almost 2k