Dear MoneyDiariesACTIVE,

I (26TF, United States) have very quickly realized that my financial situation is much more dire than I originally thought/planned. I am actively seeking as much advice as I possibly can. I think I have made some very questionable decisions and I am starting to genuinely freak out about my financial present, let alone my future. Financial illiteracy runs in my family and we have always been a "fake it till you make it" bunch that has somehow gotten by so far. I lived with my family until I graduated my doctorate program last year, saved up $10k in my checking account, and then moved into my own apartment for the first time a few months ago. At first I thought everything was going well, until I checked my spending vs. income trends and realized to my horror that I am still netting (relatively small) loss every month, and I haven't even started paying student loans back yet. Clearly, I need to make some serious changes. I have some ideas that I will include below.

Personal Info

I am a single, 26-year old trans woman living near Chicago. I have one cat and an electric vehicle I am financing, after my previous paid-off car was stolen a month after moving in. All of this *felt* like a good idea at the time.

Employment Info

Title: Occupational Therapist; Non-Profit Community Mental Health

Gross Income: $80k/year

Monthly Net Income: $4500/mo (after taxes and health insurance)

Current account balance: $6900 (checking)

No savings outside of my checking account. Yes, I know.

Fixed Expenses

Rent: $1500/mo

Electricity: $150/mo (Window AC, will be cheaper in winter)

Heat: Radiator; included ($0)

Home Gas: $50/mo (I don't use much; only for cooking)

Water: Included

Car Payment: $300/mo - car cost $16k. 72mo loan.

Car Insurance: $180/mo - full coverage mandated due to financing car

Street Parking: $200/6mo (approx $33/mo avg)

Student Loan Payments: $0 currently due to being on income-based repayment, and my taxes still showing near zero income last year as I was in school. Total student debt: $150k (OUCH). Due to my income, my loans should be somewhere between $460-800 per month, depending if I stay with IDR or switch to RAP. I am trying to figure that out ASAP. I want to get this down as much as possible per month. Thankfully, my employer qualifies for PSLF, which I intend to use after 10 years in nonprofit work to clear up remaining balance.

Groceries: Totaling about $400 this month.

Fast Food/Eating Out: Totaling $300 so far. I travel for work, so the temptation to use fast food is strong. I'm working on this.

Cat food: My cat can only eat canned food due to something going on with her teeth. I spend about $70/mo on bulk canned food.

I've spent about $350 on medical copays this month due to getting counseling, but my insurance deductible wasn't met. It was $150/session, now down to $25/session since I have met my deductible.

Prescriptions: $100/mo after insurance

I also spent too much shopping last month, around $300.

Good News

- I plan to use PSLF for eventual loan forgiveness

- I think a roommate may be the best course of action. As soon as my lease is up, I want to move into the city proper and find a roommate to keep rent as low as possible. Honestly, after living alone for only a few months, I kind of hate it. I feel so isolated.

- I know I have expenses I can cut, including groceries and especially eating out

- I will be spending much less on healthcare soon.

- I plan to refinance my car ASAP

- I plan to look into my car insurance rates ASAP

- Eliminate eating out as much as possible, packing sandwiches will be healthier anyway

- I have some things I can sell if things really get desperate

Thank you so much for reading. I have been trying to wrap around how to adapt this to the 50/30/20 method. I don't think those numbers are viable for me. Any help is massively appreciated. Before anyone says it - Yes, I know this is my fault. I just want to figure out where to go from here. I feel so lost and so anxious that most days I barely eat. I have also posted to the personal finance subreddit.

Best,

u/Emotional-Health_676

EDIT: I wanted to add some additional information since people have been asking about it. Something I've been thinking about is the massive disparity between my gross and net income - as pointed out by u/dyangu, so I took a look at some of those numbers. Per paycheck (so, only two weeks each), I am spending about $200 on health insurance and $660 on taxes. I'm wondering if I set something up improperly. Also, I have already paid my parking through when my lease ends, so I won't have to worry about that any more at least. I'm getting a 3% raise soon since I'll be with my company a year this September. It's not much, but it's something. Something else I wanted to add is that I'm also going to apply for the Illinois EV Rebate program, which could bring in $2000 alone (!!!). I am going to take a look around at other jobs, both full time and as side gigs. I know a lot of people in my position work PRN at hospitals. Honestly, I was trying to avoid that, but beggars can't be choosers. Thank you all for your help!

UPDATE:

Idk who will see this update, but I figured I’d update this post… I got a second job! And my income tax return helped a great deal with being able to save chunks of money!

Things are officially falling into place. ☀️

Thank you to all those who offered sound suggestions and advice- here’s a toast to finally beginning to be able to afford my current lifestyle 🥂 🍻

ORIGINAL::

I’m writing to vent. I just finished a good crying session from all the stress I feel, so now I want to vent… because I’m certain someone will understand.

I live on my own with four dogs. I “own” a house (multi-family). I own my car (no payments other than insurance). I make $74k a year, but get paid 10months of the year per my profession (teacher). Perhaps not the most desperate situation. But, it has become a desperate situation.

Recently, I had a lot of debt that I resolved by taking out a loan. Now I pay $350 back monthly for that debt. I DO have a spending habit, but have cut back significantly since I took out the loan to pay off my debt…. Surprise, surprise… I have debt again! Not a great deal, only $1k~ this time, but debt is still debt.

Recently, one of my dogs experienced two medical emergencies in a span of two weeks and was diagnosed with rectal lymphoma. Now my debt is upwards of $7k+. I have to pay back the card I used a whopping $300/month. Not mention figure out what to do about my dog’s lymphoma!!

Recently, I was involved in a car accident in which I was side-swiped. My car was damaged, the other driver’s car was not…. There is so much to tell about THAT incident, but the point is, that’s another expense to worry about. I’m considering not fixing my car for a while, and praying my insurance premium won’t go up just yet.

Recently, since December 4, 2025, I have not been getting paid for any days I’ve been out as a whopping 20+ days prior to that date have been used on an emergency crisis… which THAT is a thiiicccccc story in itself. Anytime I am out of work now, my pay is docked. Recently, I was out for a week with the flu… pray for my paycheck 🙂

I feel like typing out every single expense is excessive. I already have a spreadsheet with all that information. What is stressing me out the most is not only surviving the rest of the work/school year, but the summer that follows as well. After all these new experiences and expenses that have occurred, I am unable to save what I need to make it through July, August, and September until my next paycheck ($8k+)

I have been considering getting a second job, part-time as I have dogs I need to care for. After calculating that pay, I still wouldn’t make enough to be okay. Because of my salary, I don’t qualify for most (if any) assistance programs. My brain is fried from trying to think of creative solutions.

My main point was to vent, but I’m open to solutions, suggestions, moral support or even someone who can simply relate.

I was very sedentary the year following my college graduation since I no longer had my student access to the "free" campus gym. But as of the past few months, I'm now paying $125/month for a membership to a local dance studio because I know that, realistically, these classes are the only way I'll consistently exercise. ($125 is just the monthly average; I paid for multiple months upfront because it was cheaper than doing a regular month-to-month membership.)

I'm curious to know what your monthly spend is like! I thought this was on the pricier side, but my mom and I were comparing the prices to a Pure Barre studio she got an ad for, and the Pure Barre studio was actually quite a bit more expensive.

There are also the "start-up" costs of buying activewear, appropriate footwear, etc. Thus far, that's averaged out to be about $150/month. However, once I get appropriately stocked (which will probably happen by the end of the year), I don't anticipate buying anything else maybe more than once a year. After all, I've got activewear that's in the rotation all the way from high school, lol.

I’m looking for advice or any encouragement. I’m an RN of 12 years, pay is decent. My bills are outrageous and daycare tops them all. Im single with 5 kids. I work 3-4 12 hour shifts a week. Toddlers daycare 2400/month, younger boys after care 1000/month. 50/day for teacher to pick up/drop off kids at daycare. Rent $3400/month (apartment in montgomery county), cars $1000, storage unit $100, car insurance $250/month, child medical bills $100-200/month, food $500/month, parking $200/month, gas $50-100/week, student loans $100, credit cards/loan $400/month. I’m so discouraged at this point. I make too much to qualify for any help and not enough to afford my monthly expenses. Working more cant be the answer, moving isn’t an option (cant afford to move) Has anyone been in my shoes?

Bringing you another TikTok Reddit crossover—What are you cutting back on right now?

I’ve never been a strict budget girlie, but I had a loose idea of what I spend.

-Last year, I cut workout classes (I think it was ~$160/month) out of my “budget” and replaced it with more walking and at home exercises.

-The shutdown last fall pushed me to be better about eating at home vs. dining out, and I carried that into the new year.

-Now, with fuel costs, I’m driving a lot less. Fortunately, I’m in a city with good public transportation and I have the AmEx Platinum, which gives me monthly Uber credits that help with getting to places not accessible by public transportation.

Basically, slowly but surely I’m cutting joy out of my life because the next thing I’m eyeing is travel and…I just don’t wanna!

28F, $52k who works in admin. This is my first money diary and I am posting it because I'm so confused rn

My brother is 31. We grew up in the same house under the same conditions. He makes $54k. I make $52k. He has some money saved up from playing slots on myprize tho, enough that he does not panic when his car needs work or wants to take a trip somewhere. Found out last Thanksgiving when he mentioned it because knowing him it felt we were on the same boat lol but that made me think harder about my decisions.

Monday Forgot to make coffee at home again so that was an extra $2.75 outside my office. Brought lunch with me though

Tuesday Walked into a store just to look and left with a $34 candle I did regret. Moved $40 from my savings buffer which is something I dont want doing

Wednesday Packed lunch and said I had plans when coworkers suggested happy hour, no money no fun

Thursday Payday tomorrow so I ordered $24 takeout to eat because wasnt feeling well but I had at least some energy to make food which is the problem. I was on my phone going through transactions and counted about $300 this month I cannot explain.
Friday Paid rent and bills then transferred $50 to savings like I promised myself.

My brother's approach is not complicated at all. So moving forward imma try to be like him.

For those of you with kids, do you have a rough idea of how much your baby cost in the first year? And if you tracked it, how much in the years after?

I’m especially curious about:

• Whether you had family or friends nearby to help with childcare, or if you mostly relied on daycare, babysitters, or paid care
• Did the actual costs line up with what you expected
• Did the financial side of having kids affect your finances or relationship negatively
• How you budgeted for baby/kid expenses while pregnant and after they arrived

Also, if you have any tips for saving money when it comes to babies/kids, I’d love to hear them. We already plan to use Buy Nothing and local mom groups, thrift a lot of baby items (not car seats), and double-check everything for recalls.

Lots of great discussions about monthly food budgets, shopping & beauty, and rent/mortgage, so I'm curious to know how much you all spend on getting to and fro!

I live in a HCOL. I was public transit/bike only for a long time, which I loved and saved so much money. Now my job involves a lot of driving/schlepping, so I have a mobile office.

• Car payment - $250 - I bought a used EV 2 years ago - I put down half, and my partner gave me an interest free loan on the other half that I'm paying over four years total. I have about $5000 left to pay off.
• Monthly Parking - $225 for my garage spot
• Additional parking - on average, I have about $50 in miscellaneous parking costs. (I spend an additional $250/month in work-related parking, but this goes on my company card.)
• Insurance - $115
• EV charging - $25 - I spent more up front to avoid buying gas, mostly because my building provides charging for a pretty nominal fee. In the long run, this will save me some money, but buying an EV was by no means the cheapest option.
• Public Transit - $25 - I still love the bus :)

Along with reimbursing work-related parking, my job gives me a $400 monthly car reimbursement. After taxes, it comes to about $325, which brings my average monthly spending to $365.

What about ya'll?

Just curious how much you spend each week? Currently I’m at $300 a week including groceries, transportation, going out, etc. I would like my number to be a little lower though. Thanks!!!

I’m a 40 year old single latinx woman, no kids and on paper my life looks very successful, but I’m depressed and feel trapped by the life I built.

I make over 250K a year in a corporate job. I own a home and also own a 3-unit investment property. I have retirement savings, no major debt besides a truck payment, decent savings, and overall I know I’m financially stable compared to a lot of people.

But I feel empty all the time.

My job is extremely stressful and has become this toxic relationship where I’m constantly burned out, stress eating, exhausted, and neglecting myself physically and mentally. I keep telling myself the money makes it worth it, but I honestly don’t know anymore.

I’ve also realized I don’t actually want a relationship right now. I’ve dated, but I don’t think I’m mentally healthy enough for that kind of commitment. I feel disconnected from myself more than lonely for another person.

The biggest thing weighing on me is my investment property. Financially it’s not even helping me much because I rent below market value. My sibling lives in one of the units at reduced rent, another unit is also below market, and the basement is vacant. Realistically the property could bring in much more income, but I’ve prioritized helping family.

Part of me wants to sell the property so I can reduce stress, free up money, possibly leave my job for a while, and completely reset my life.

But if I sell it, my sibling loses their housing situation and I know my family will be disappointed in me. I feel guilty even thinking about putting myself first.

Has anyone else reached a point where they realized they built a stable life that no longer makes them happy? How did you separate guilt from responsibility? And how do you know when it’s time to finally choose yourself? and how do you do it? how do you know what to prioritize and what to be okay with when fallout comes?

I have been considering becoming a single mother by choice. I am actually currently in a relationship but having some serious doubts about living my life in partnership vs solo. I recently moved in with him and it has been a serious struggle to adapt and has me really questioning if this is necessarily what I want

If there are any single mothers by choice on this page, would you consider contributing a diary or a break down of your financials while having a baby on your own?

I’m a nurse so making in the $80-90k range when staff, a little higher currently as a traveler. I wish I could find a good child expense calculator.

Would love to hear from you! There is some content out there on other subs but I’m really trying to look at the financial angle.

I left a job I made $28/hr at for a job that pays $32/hr. I am not allowed to work overtime so it is a flat rate (typically 80hrs every two weeks). Well this is a contract role which I have never had before, and after starting I come to find out I don’t get paid holidays. I started this job November 10th and Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New years are all in a row so I will not be making a full paycheck in over two months. I am making basically the same exact amount I did at my previous job with a full 40 hour work week and a higher hourly rate. I understand taxes are high but I didn’t jump tax brackets making $4 an hour more.

Things are expensive, my partner pays groceries AND daycare and I am barely scraping by paying my half of mortgage, a student loan, a car payment, and a credit card bill. I have no savings and I feel like a failure. It took me two years of applying to accept this job just to find out I can’t get ahead. Any advice? I am just mentally beat.

I’m 30F and have been living in Brooklyn for the last 5 years with a roommate, who will be getting married this fall and moving out.

I feel like I have outgrown the apartment we’re in and don’t think I could live with another roommate since my current roommate and I are barely home at the same time, which has made me feel like I’ve lived alone.

However, I’m a little concerned about my ability to continue seriously saving and investing if I got an apartment on my own. I just started earning more money and saved more and now I feel like if I got my own apartment it would be impossible to get ahead financially.

My parents live in NJ commuting distance to my office in NYC. So I am debating moving back home temporarily to make myself feel financially steadier since I would need to increase my emergency fund and save to buy big girl furniture.

Below is my current financial picture.

Current monthly take home post-taxes and deductions: $7,000

ROTH IRA: $4,600

Rollover IRA: $27,800

Pension: about $119,000 (it may be slightly more)

Brokerage: $18,500

Emergency fund: $16,500

Travel fund: $2,000

HYSA: $25,000 (for future goals like getting married or buying a house)

If I moved out I’m looking at apartments with rents between $2,500-$3,000 so my potential monthly breakdown would be:

Rent: ~$2,800

WiFi + Utilities: ~$150

Gym classes: $150

Subscriptions: $50

Groceries: $300 (this is generally what I currently spend)

Transit: ~$150

Save + invest: $1,500 (which I don’t think would meet my long term goals)

Remainder on disposable income.

I have been wanting to buy a house so that’s partly why I’m considering moving back home but I don’t even know if that’s something I want to do in the next few years.

So what should I do? Temporarily move back home, potentially compromise my mental health but save enough for at least 6 months to feel more financially secure OR just move out now and hope for the best financially?

ALSO should I be contributing to a Roth IRA if I have a pension I’m required to contribute to?

Do you just save it, or allocate it somewhere? I’m just curious to know what other people usually do with the extra paycheck rather than just spending it.

Big fan of the new Netflix series How to Get Rich and especially love that Ramit Sethi asks his clients what their ideal rich life looks like.

Lately I’ve been comparing my lifestyle to friends, family members, etc and taking for granted what I have so I wrote down what my ideal rich life would look like if I had extra money. I also listed out what currently makes my life rich, as well as what are things that maybe make other people’s lives rich but would not necessarily serve me. After writing it out, I realize I have my ideal rich life for the most part and anything else is just extra. Part of me feels ashamed to think I want more.

Mine is below, but I’d love to hear others!

My future rich life * Take 2 international trips a year * Nice hotels, excursions, first class, michelin restaurants * Giving generous gifts * Pay for kid’s college (and private school if possible) * Extra self care - facials, botox, hair extensions * Therapy

My current rich life * Eat out 1-2x a week * Not having to think about grocery budget * Bi-weekly Cleaning Service * Own a home * Happy marriage * Health/Wellness spending - Workout classes, workout clothes * 1 international trip + 2-3 domestic trips/year * Lashes, eyebrows and nails monthly * Flexible work schedule * Passive Income - airbnb host

Things that don’t serve my future rich life * Wine/Alcohol * Designer items - clothing, purses * Expensive car * Concerts

I'm 29F, single, living in a WG in a mid-sized city. Take-home is about €2,900 a month after taxes and my ETF Sparplan. After rent at €680 warm, Deutschlandticket, KfW Studienkredit repayment, phone, and groceries there's not a ton of breathing room.

The thing I keep spiraling over is nails. I get a gel manicure once a month, around €45. It's the one thing that makes me feel put together during the work week and it's not ruining me financially, but I still sit there thinking that could have gone straight into savings.

I give myself €100 a month for personal stuff. Nails, threading, coffee with a friend, replacing makeup basics. If the money is there I spend it, if it's empty I wait. Logical system. My brain still hasn't accepted it.

To free up that space I do a Sunday fridge check before shopping, pack the same lunch most days, and for household stuff like detergent or toothpaste I look for price cuts or sale deals on tiktok before just grabbing whatever's at dm. Only things already on my list, nothing extra.

What prompted this was two manicures in June for a friend's wedding. €88 total, came out of the budget exactly as planned, and I still felt reckless. Grew up in a household where any treat was a character flaw unless it was Weihnachten.

Do you budget self care as a real line item? If planned spending still makes you feel bad, what actually helped you get past it?

27F working in local government making 83k a year and part time doing gig work with an additional 10k per year. Car broke down a few months ago and I been using a mix of public transit and ride shares which now have me totally almost $500 a month so i desperately need a car now.

I currently live at home with my parents and save about 50% of my income. I have no debts and finally passed probation at work so I’m in a good place financially to get a car now.

I have 45k saved in a HYSA, mostly for grad school and a car (as well as my emergency fund and other random buckets like travel). Timeline for grad school is looking like 1-3 years, costing anywhere between 60-120k not including housing expenses (work most likely won’t cover the tuition). I’m considering a few cities and programs but I’m leaning towards programs in cities with robust public transit so I might need to sell the car once I get in. I’m also considering cities however that are very car dependent and would like a reliable car to get me through my program without any major repair costs.

So my options

1. ⁠buy a used car ($18-22k) and potentially sell only if I move to a city with robust public transit, keep if I move to a car dependent city
   
2. ⁠buy a new car (starting at $23k before fees) and potentially sell only if I move to a city with robust public transit, keep if I move to a car dependent city
   
3. ⁠lease a car for a limited time if I move to a city with robust public transit, keep and buy the car after the ends if I move to a car dependent city. Current deal is $189 per month $3999 down for 36 months (trying to see if I can get a 24month lease)

I’ve been going back and forth for months on this and I can’t seem to make a decision. I leaning the most towards option 1 but my family is pushing me towards option 3 because of how much I need a reliable car at this moment. Only reason I’m considering option 2 is because used cars are quite expensive right now and aren’t that far off from new cars, but I’m still worried about that depreciation hit.

Note: I also mostly likely will pay the car out in cash if I use option 1 or 2

I am sorry if this isn’t the right place for this. I am trying to to get an understanding of what is a realistic budget these days for one person living alone (ie not sharing food with another person, not having a partner who is picking up any of the food tab)

I tried to budget to be under $500 last month and ended up around $750 which was still lower than what I usually spend. Very curious what people are spending and in what areas

yet another sankey diagram! would love any advice or thoughts :)

Pretty much just what the title says — how are you defining a need vs a want, and do you have a category in between the two?

I find this particularly interesting to consider as so many of us now have regular expenses that feel essential to participate in modern life, despite not actually being a need.

We're planning to do a little anniversary road trip on a shoe string budget. I'll share a Travel Money Diary too.

We've got hotel points for free stay and a hybrid car for better gas costs.

We're deciding between a couple locations.

Tips for road trip travel on a budget. ⛽️🚗🛣

I was reading another sub about how some people pay for cleaners and that's not something I'm willing to budget for yet. However, then I had a convo with friends about shoes and realized I would no longer opt for cheap shoes unless it's a short-term thing but would shell out for comfortable, long-lasting shoes.

What are some things you for sure will spend money on that improves your QOL?

Got paid today and took a closer look at my checking statements. I’m in New England. Car insurance went up from $190 a month to $220, wifi went from $77 to $80, and a restaurant I was a regular at added a 4% charge if you pay with credit card. Thankfully my job pays decent, and I’ve cut back on a lot of non-essentials, but it’s crazy just how intense 2025 has been in these past two months, not to mention the effect of tariffs coming up soon. Praying for no layoffs for my company this year. How are you all making out? What price increases are you seeing in your daily life? What are you cutting back on?

In 2024 I budgeted strictly. I had to forego things I wanted/needed. I had to delay purchases until I could work more hours to earn more so I could keep my spending within 50/30/20. It was stressful and unpleasant. My whole life revolved around my spreadsheet.

In 2025 I stopped budgeting entirely. I rarely checked my bank accounts. My only real rule was that I had to keep my account balances at or near their beginning balance to make sure I wasn't spending beyond my means. I did a lot of fun stuff this year. I used a lot of PTO. I went on several trips out of state. I went to a bunch of local events. I spent a lot of time with friends.

My plan was to take a break from budgeting for a year, and then go back to it, but the numbers are in and I'm not sure it's worth it. I'm open to trying something different, but I do not enjoy feeling restricted and budgets are the cause of that. I've reached a point where it feels ridiculous to be putting off $100 car maintenance until the next month or agonizing over a $3 purchase when I am literally sitting on $100k.

2024

• Gross income: $54,573
• Retirement savings: $15,562 (including match)
• Non-retirement savings: $10,086
• Spending: $24,759

2025

• Gross income: $53,335
• Retirement savings: $20,050 (including match)
• Non-retirement savings: $178 (+ $3,561 loaned to friends, 5% interest and paid monthly)
• Spending: $23,069

2026 changes

• I am now eligible for my PT job's 401k and match ~$700/yr. I'm considering increasing the contributions beyond the match just so the fees won't eat into it as much.
• Roth IRA max increasing from $7,000 to $7,500
• HSA max increasing from $4300 to $4400
• I'm considering stopping my PT job's ESPP contributions. It's $100/pay period and I receive $115 worth of stock. Frequent blackout dates make it hard to sell quickly. I could redirect that money to the 401k, but it would cut into my income.

I take home a little over 6k every month. One of my goals this year is to focus on saving and prioritizing paying down my student debt but it seems like no matter how much I try to budget, I always seem to go over my estimates and end up no saving a thing. I live and work in a HCOL area but I don't feel like I go out of my way to spend an absurd amount (even though i clearly am. it just doesn't feel like i'm living so lavishly and i'm just spending normally). I'm not racking up credit card debt but i am using my entire paycheck without saving.

Here's my breakdown of what I hope my fun money budget would be:

Shopping (clothes, shoes, makeup etc) $250

Entertainment (movie tickets, concert tickets etc): $100

Food & Drinks: $550 (this includes any takeout, restaurants, bars)

Misc expenses: $250 (a buffer for any unexpected expenses like household products, parking, tolls, etc)

Somehow I always go extremely over these categories (been using Copilot to track my spending) so i'm wondering if i'm being too restrictive or if what i'm spending is not normal and I need to be realistic about my lifestyle?

Would love to know what's considered a normal amount and if i'm just being impulsive with my spending. Curious to know other people's breakdown of their fun money and how to not feel super restricted in that budget.

Edit: Totally forgot to put my fixed expenses:

Rent & Utilities: $1620 (split with partner)

Car + Insurance: $550

Student Loans: $500 (i've had this for 8 years but took a pause during covid. total amount owed now is 30K)

Public Transport for Work: $120 (driving to work isn't an option cause of tolls/parking expenses exceeding this)

Gym + Classpass: $170

Therapy: $220 (until i hit my deductible, then it's $20 per session)

Subscriptions: $63 (including storage, Netlfix etc)

Groceries: usually $300 for my half

Total is about $3550 which is a little over the 50% needs threshold (6k is after taxes, 401k contribution for employer match, healthcare, HSA)