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phishyman2 t1_iz13wxt wrote

Amazing how little she spent on food and groceries combined.

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chazwomaq t1_iz1h076 wrote

Interesting - the amount seems very normal if not extravagant to me. Possibly country differences.

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Striking-Tip7504 t1_iz20g4g wrote

I easily spend €250-300 a month on groceries and I often buy things at cheaper supermarkets. So I think €100 in Western Europe would be extremely frugal.

I do eat a high protein and reasonably high vegetables diet. So if I sacrificed my health I could spend less. But it would also be very easy to spend €400 a month if you don’t pay much attention.

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chazwomaq t1_iz26swg wrote

Wow! I spend about £400 a month for a family of four. We eat very well.

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Historical-Jury-3720 t1_iz2orgs wrote

I spend about that as a single male in the US. Before the American stereotypes come in, I’m fit and don’t overeat 😂

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masterdecoy2017 t1_iz3x22n wrote

A healthy diet is usually more expensive, though.

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Historical-Jury-3720 t1_iz4zsdp wrote

Of course. My comment was in jest regarding stereotypes of Americans being overweight.

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masterdecoy2017 t1_iz517mh wrote

I think you meant statistics, not stereotypes.

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Historical-Jury-3720 t1_iz6luyl wrote

No, I meant stereotypes. Stereotypes may be statistically accurate, but not universally valid. In this case you can see how that is true.

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masterdecoy2017 t1_iz8gfmo wrote

Sorry, my comment was supposed to be a jest regarding the statistical accuracy of this stereotype. Hope you keep healthy.

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Fleinsuppe t1_iz5csjh wrote

Yeah 400€ for me also, single male Norway. Skinny healthy eater

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rapidtester t1_iz32vmi wrote

How does one do this... I try to be frugal and spend like twice as much on half the people :/

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IffySaiso t1_iz4au69 wrote

Plan ahead. Spend loads of time on preparation.

Buying for more people means buying in bulk, where you would throw that away with fewer people.

The more thrifty people around us plan out their meals for a month, to make sure they can buy in bulk deals, and freeze meals/products for the end of the month. They will use the ingredients of every dish and combine them into other dishes with different spices/herbs/flavors to create some interest. The variety within the season is sometimes a little lacking, but overall it's still balanced over all the seasons.

Frozen seems to be a good choice left or right. Flash-frozen meats, seafood, fish, fruits, and vegetables are considered close to fresh, but usually cheaper. If you have the space at home to store leftovers, so you can buy in bulk.

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Scuderia_Renault OP t1_iz5auw2 wrote

Haha! It's mostly the fear of not having a backup when something goes wrong, I guess. We would do the same when we were in India, lavishly overspending, knowing we have our parents financially bailing us out whenever needed.

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Scuderia_Renault OP t1_iz5akkk wrote

We are vegetarians. Her Diet is mostly Indian food and vegetables. We sometimes eat a sort of unique grain called millet (cereal crops), a healthier rice substitute and relatively cheaper.

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IffySaiso t1_iz4ajig wrote

Netherlands here. We spend roughly €100 a week (€400 a month), which is considered frugal for a family of four eating mostly vegetables, fruits, and proteins. We could go lower if we had less variety in our diet and buy cheaper meats instead of the organic stock and plant-based substitutes we do now.

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HieronymusGoa t1_iz4by1e wrote

100 € in western europe is laughable for groceries fo a whole month. unless youd eat out a lot.

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seas_the_day214 t1_iz32d15 wrote

She did the majority of her grocery shopping at Penny, which is an extreme discount grocery store in Germany

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shop_snack t1_iz174ou wrote

Reminds me of when i was still studying and lived off of 100 Euros per month for groceries. Luckily food is cheap in Germany.

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Quander22 t1_iz14vdk wrote

She went to France for €300? Does she live there?

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rezdm t1_iz1518g wrote

Looking at some shops names — from Germany.

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Scuderia_Renault OP t1_iz49k7p wrote

She lives and studies in Germany. I live in France. Her costs are primarily her flight tickets.

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zipsdontquit t1_iz1bs7u wrote

She could have taken a train, i know a lot people do that to expend less

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IffySaiso t1_iz4awn9 wrote

Or a bus, to be honest. Bus-fares are really cheap. When I did not have a family, I traveled all over Europe by bus. So cheap.

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Scuderia_Renault OP t1_iz5b448 wrote

Public transport was free for her because of the 9-euro ticket. We have covered the entire bavarian region under 9 euros xD

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zipsdontquit t1_iz5y3g7 wrote

Thats mad! For like 10 dollars you can travel half a continent. Damn! Do tell us more

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futurebigconcept t1_iz3rg2h wrote

Wow, so with a base income of about 15K, she saved almost 4,500, and traveled to Czech and France...fascinating.

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Comedian_Resident t1_iz44sdh wrote

Looking at this I assume that boyfriend pays for quite a lot of her expenses.

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Scuderia_Renault OP t1_iz49qeo wrote

Nope! She's pursuing her master's and is mostly in the university for most of her time. She lives in a student dorm, so her rent is considerably cheaper.

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Dark4stah t1_iz1ee0x wrote

I don't want to sound rude but isn't 15k euro a year too little for Germany

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Scuderia_Renault OP t1_iz49uj7 wrote

Student job. Visa restrictions allows her to work for 20hr/ week.

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FartSwapper t1_iz49ex4 wrote

For a full time job, for sure. Maybe she works part time.

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Finance_Hardo t1_iz3ydhr wrote

I think OP has converted the currency from Indian rupee to USD. I see a few Indian names in the shopping list

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Consistent_Pitch782 t1_iz28gjp wrote

Less than $370 a month on rent? Odds are strong she doesn’t live in America. Also, $3000 in saving? Good for her, I hope that’s true - also another strong sign she doesn’t live in America

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seas_the_day214 t1_iz32jk8 wrote

Look at the store names. 100% lives in Germany

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Translationerr0r t1_iz4hc14 wrote

Elsewhere OP commented she lives in a university dorm. 300EUR/month is cheap everywhere.

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knowknowknow t1_iz17jri wrote

She pays more tax than Trump. SMH

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[deleted] t1_iz1gvy7 wrote

[deleted]

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knowknowknow t1_iz1hqvw wrote

I think it noteworthy that someone on a low income making sacrifices to scrape together paltry savings pays more taxes than some billionaires. Maybe you don't, that's on you.

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zipsdontquit t1_iz1bi74 wrote

Awesome I gotta do that for my income 😑

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Effective_Hope_3071 t1_iz1k0w1 wrote

Is she subsidized by you?

My wife and I spend like 1000 USD on groceries a month hygenics and pet food included.

How do you get by on that little spent on food?

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olli_bombastico t1_iz1r7t1 wrote

Currencies other than dollars exist. 120 euros/month isn't unheard of in Europe.

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CoweringCowboy t1_iz22uvx wrote

Good point! 1200€ (I assume you meant 1200) is $1260. That 60$ makes a HUGE difference.

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olli_bombastico t1_iz24ma3 wrote

No, I meant 120 euros (as in 125 dollars) per month (as in a 30 day period).

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CoweringCowboy t1_iz254ru wrote

120 euros a month, converted to dollars & compared to the US poverty line (which is absurdly low) would be roughly 12% of the poverty line. I have trouble believing anyone could live on $1,500/yr in the US or the EU without significant familial or governmental help.

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olli_bombastico t1_iz26t2d wrote

  1. That's only food expense.
  2. You don't have to believe me and can check this thread. Maximum is about 200€ pppm.
  3. Why are you comparing US and Europe, which have significantly different costs of living?
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CoweringCowboy t1_iz283xl wrote

I thought you meant all expenses, not food. That’s my fault. Was comparing to US poverty line because the US has a defined numerical threshold- the EU does not.

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Scuderia_Renault OP t1_iz4a0v1 wrote

Hahah! No. Sometimes I buy her flowers & food when I get to work extra. Both of us are students and get to work for 20hrs/week.

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Scuderia_Renault OP t1_iz4b8sd wrote

Interestingly, she used to cover my student debt repayment when my expenses overshoot. We lived together for most of the year - so the costs were split. I recently moved to France for work.

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[deleted] t1_iz13yh8 wrote

I swear 20 years later we will pay $50000 for rent. And then we will start living in the office.

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ymaldor t1_iz19q87 wrote

4k4€ rent in a year is not much tho. That's not even 400 a month. I assume that's her half of rent or something so they live in an 8k8€ flat a year which is quite alright for 2 people. They're probably in Germany, that's probably not a big apartment but I'd guess it's not a 1 room either.

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Scuderia_Renault OP t1_iz49w5e wrote

1 room student dorm.

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ymaldor t1_iz4a13t wrote

Oh so she's paying the full amount I hope otherwise that's expensive as fuck man.

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Scuderia_Renault OP t1_iz5cizm wrote

Yes! It's almost 400 now because of Inflation. Her room is approx 25m2.

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[deleted] t1_iz1a303 wrote

I thought it is in a month.

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ymaldor t1_iz1a8fd wrote

Well damn lol I'd spend that much in rent too if I made 15k a month xD

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[deleted] t1_iz1acsv wrote

I still wouldn't :P

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ymaldor t1_iz1ajbe wrote

Well maybe not rent but probably in loan installments to buy a sick house or something

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4thorange t1_iz1rbb5 wrote

Other income is kind of sus, dear OP

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Scuderia_Renault OP t1_iz4a50b wrote

We sold some of our old furniture on eBay. Occasionally, her parents send her some money as festival gifts.

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4thorange t1_iz5ojs1 wrote

makes sense, nice username btw. Thanks for the explanation.

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Westcork1916 t1_iz37pvq wrote

Good practice for "How my wife spent my money 2024"

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IffySaiso t1_iz4az55 wrote

"How my wife managed our money in 2024"

There, I fixed it for ya.

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ChickEnergy t1_iz4ave3 wrote

Standard reply from US americans. Imagine living in an economy where you think women in western countries can't have a good economy without a man providing for her. Get real.

0

pookiedookie232 t1_iz3shys wrote

Damn, budget is so accurate you even realized she lost 8.26 somewhere

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Scuderia_Renault OP t1_iz4agme wrote

Hahah! We have student debts to repay. So we make sure to track every single penny we spend. 8.26 what she lost are the coins she forgets to pick up from the laundry machines that someone flicks up later.

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Incerto9 t1_iz4djg9 wrote

Wow, she's very good at saving money. I study in France and have a similar budget, so, it's nice to see something comparable to look at.

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Scuderia_Renault OP t1_iz5d6ni wrote

That was the whole point of publishing this data. Wanted to check where we are overspending/ understanding.

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peter303_ t1_iz21swy wrote

What part of world? Hard to do in US or Western Europe, unless with parents.

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k_blubb t1_iz4e0os wrote

student in germany, OP mentioned elsewhere. I‘m german. It‘s totally plausible

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DenseLocation t1_iz253gx wrote

Could you explain a bit about how the data was captured? I'd be keen to do one of these for myself.

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Scuderia_Renault OP t1_iz4a7lu wrote

We maintain a personal and a joint budget.

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k_blubb t1_iz4eafb wrote

My gf and me wanted to do the same. What tools do you use foe tracking? And do you have a 3rd bank account?

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Scuderia_Renault OP t1_iz5d082 wrote

The simplest way is a google sheet. I have created a dashboard where we update our expenses daily. We have a joint (3rd bank account) where we club our savings.

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k_blubb t1_iz64gvn wrote

I do have a google acc, but I‘m not a big fan of using it too extensive. The third bank account on the other hand is something I should attempt. Thanks for your answer.

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Cobbdouglas55 t1_iz3zwh0 wrote

She doesn't spend a single euro in going out, bars or restaurants? Is she trapped inside your house?

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Scuderia_Renault OP t1_iz4ara1 wrote

Her uni schedule is pretty jam-packed. She goes to restaurants, which are accounted as food. In terms of going out - most of her travel was relatively free (9 Euro ticket)

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EOwl_24 t1_iz412ke wrote

Where do you pay 4000€ in rent?

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FartSwapper t1_iz49ln3 wrote

Sharing with a partner/someone else and pool together the rent. Or live in the ass end of nowhere, I guess.

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EOwl_24 t1_iz4afkq wrote

I thought it was a lot, didn’t realize it was annual. 350 sounds ok if you live in a wg (shared apartment) or in a small town

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FartSwapper t1_iz4b0zx wrote

Monthly? From slim student life to balling out of control :D

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FartSwapper t1_iz49b4r wrote

Fuck, we spend like 900 euros a month on groceries...

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[deleted] t1_iz4rl01 wrote

[removed]

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FartSwapper t1_iz4u672 wrote

Or maybe we're buying food for more than one person and don't necessarily deal with the same prices as OP's girlfriend? But of course being a cunt to strangers online is more fun :)

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Nilzor t1_iz4aksv wrote

Pedantism: Is "Savings" really spending money?

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Bananapedro t1_iz4nqa0 wrote

So did you get a modelcar for your birthday? If yes, what did you get?

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Scuderia_Renault OP t1_iz5dqfv wrote

Hahaha! Yes. She got me a 2009 WDC-winning Brawn GP scale model (Jensen Buttons) for my birthday and Alonso's 2005 & 2006 Renault as a surprise gift when we met after a couple of months :D

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hazzarae t1_iz5lpih wrote

what did you use to make this?

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treesaresocool t1_iz1pcla wrote

Don’t you mean ex girlfriend, after she sees this shit

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[deleted] t1_iz16szq wrote

[deleted]

−15

knowknowknow t1_iz17c8n wrote

I disagree. On a low salary I think she is doing great to save anything

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Connathon t1_iz1fp3b wrote

Then she needs to dramatically increase the income while not allowing lifestyle creep to kick in.

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Scuderia_Renault OP t1_iz4awpn wrote

She's a working student. Our visa arrangements allow us to work for 20hrs/ week. Given inflation and rising heating costs - I am proud of whatever she is saving.

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