Welcome to YNAB Money Snapshots—where you see a real picture of someone else’s budget and finances. They’re all anonymous, because sharing money is still a squirrelly topic for many, but we think airing them out in the open makes you better with your own money story.
As you read these budgets, keep in mind that some people make lots of money and some people make a little bit of money, but we know it’s what you do with that money and how you feel about that money that means more than any yearly salary.
See how an attorney in Atlanta, Georgia making $50,000 a year spent his money in April.
About
- Name: St. Clair
- Age: 27
- Location: Atlanta, Georgia
- Job: Attorney
- Living situation: I live alone with no pets.
Income: $50,000/year
Savings: $5,500
Debt: $152,300
- Student loans: $148,000
- Credit card debt: $4,300
April Inflows: $4,484
- Stimulus check: $1200 (I’m now a month ahead in my budget!)
- Payroll: $3,284
April Budget
Budget
| Category | What I Spent |
Notes |
| Monthly Bills | ||
Rent/Water/Sewer (1st)  |
$1,247 | Studio apartment in Atlanta city limits |
Patreon (1st)  |
$10 | |
Hulu (3rd)  |
$6 | |
Squaretrade (10th)  |
$9 | |
Phone (14th)  |
$85 | |
Electric (17th)  |
$68 | |
Spotify (23rd)  |
$10 | |
Internet (24th)  |
$60 | |
Health Ins (28th)  |
$18 | Normally $78/month but insurance co. offers rebates for watching videos about health education |
Dental Ins (28th) (MANUAL)  |
$16 | |
NYT News (variable date)  |
$2 | |
| Debt | ||
Discover Card Paydown (28th)  |
$131 | |
Student Loan ($50.76/mo) (28th)  |
$51 | On income-based repayment (flat 10-year plan would be close to $2k/month) |
| True Expenses | ||
Groceries  |
$256 | |
Coffee  |
$25 | Coffee beans subscription as part of Trade Coffee |
Transportation  |
$15 | Gas and light rail card |
Hair  |
$0 | $70 every four months |
| Health |
$59 | Prescriptions are $51.06 every three months |
Clothing  |
$75 | |
Home Maintenance  |
$72 | |
Stuff I Forgot to Budget For  |
$131 | |
| Annual Items | ||
Roll20 (Jun 3)  |
$0 | $50/year |
Nintendo Online (Jul 12)  |
$0 | $35/year |
Prime (Aug 26)  |
$0 | $59/year |
Renter's Ins (Nov???)  |
$0 | $111.36/year |
| AAA (Dec 31) |
$0 | $67/year |
Car Registration (Dec 31)  |
$0 | $70/year |
| DnD Beyond (Jan 14) |
$0 | $55/year |
| NYT Cooking (Jan 17) |
$0 | $40/year |
| YNAB (Apr 17) |
$84 | $83.99/year |
| Zombies, Run! (Apr 22) |
$8 | $7.99/year |
| Savings Goals | ||
| Emergency Fund |
$5 | Currently have $5K stored in high-yield savings |
Auto Insurance  |
$0 | |
Auto Maintenance  |
$0 | |
| Vision |
$0 | |
Vacation  |
$0 | |
| Electronics Replacement |
$0 | |
| Just for Fun | ||
Fun Money  |
$8 | |
Dining Out  |
$18 | |
| Gaming |
$135 | |
Gifts  |
$104 | |
Giving  |
$0 | |
| Music |
$0 | |
| Education |
$0 | |
| Fitness |
$0 | |
| Wish List | ||
| Sewing Kit ($20) |
$0 | |
| Ice Cube Trays ($25) |
$0 | |
| Offset Spatula ($25) |
$0 | |
| Williams-Sonoma 8×8 Pan x2 ($60) |
$0 | |
| Nakiri ($120) |
$0 | |
| Pourover Coffee Setup ($200) |
$0 | |
| Zojirushi ($200) |
$0 | |
| Sewing Machine ($200) |
$0 | |
| Boos Block ($240) |
$0 | |
| Credit Card Payments | ||
| Discover Card (Balance Transfer) |
$0 | |
| Citi Credit (General) |
$9 | |
| USBank Credit (TV Phone & Streaming) |
$6 | |
| USAA Credit (Gas) |
$0 | |
| Chase Credit (Amazon) |
$0 | |
| USBank Old Shitty Card |
$0 | |
| Total Expenses $2,723 | ||
My Savings Categories
Right now my top savings goals are:
- $10,000 emergency fund
- Tackle my credit card debt (currently on a 0% APR balance transfer card)
- Save for a car
My Month
In April, I was definitely less tempted to eat out! I kept it under $20. I’ve been working from home and saved a fair bit on transportation, which I’m just carrying over to future months. My cell phone bill was about $50 cheaper than normal because I used next to no data all month (it’s normally $85, this month was around $30).
I spent way more on video games this month so me and my friends could play together remotely while distancing. The “gifts” was also a piece of this: three of our four-person friend/gaming group split the cost of a Nintendo Switch and the new Animal Crossing game for the fourth person.
Clothing and Home Maintenance aren’t usually as high as they were this month, usually in the $40-$50 range for Home and frequently $0 for clothing. True expenses happen though, ya know?
My Story
When I was in undergrad I lived off of scholarships which were deposited at the start of the semester and were usually gone within two months of receiving them, at which point I would live exclusively off of my pre-paid meal plan and free pizza from college events.
After graduation, I would “rubber band” my spending based on how much was in my checking account—lots of money, lots of spending! I didn’t save for large expenses or anything. It was honestly dumb luck and the occasional “pity-payment” from my mom that kept me afloat.
At the beginning of this year, I was studying for the bar exam, and that’s when I racked up my credit card debt, since I had no income. I became really uncomfortable with the fact that I didn’t know where any of my money was, how much I had, and whether I was spending in line with my means. That stress, combined with my very-long-term aspiration of “I’ll budget when I get a ‘real adult’ job” sealed the deal.
Now I have my regular salaried job and have started budgeting. I tried Mint but hated the UI and the fact that I was advertised to. People on various money-related subreddits recommended YNAB so I gave the free trial a spin. I definitely went through the honeymoon phase of looking at my budget all the time, reading all the old blog posts, watching the videos, etc., so even though I’m new to this, I’ve devoted a lot of time to it.
Now with my steady salary, I have $1,000 direct-deposited into a high-yield savings account for my emergency fund and live off of the rest. My student loans are on an income-dependent plan right now. I’ll look into how best to pay them off once my emergency fund is funded and my credit cards are paid off, but right now, they’re just on life support.
My budget is still evolving! Especially when setting up a budget for the first time, the philosophy of only dealing with the “now” and not trying to forecast, along with a general acceptance to modifying the budget as you go made it easier for me to get started. It let me get going without the pressure of getting it exactly right from the get-go.
My Financial Goals
- Establish my emergency fund ($10K)
- Pay off my credit card
- Start funding an IRA
- Save for a car
I hope to get a raise at the end of the year, which I will use to start funding things like electronics replacements, vacations, and other long-term “nice-to-haves” since my budget is limited to just the essentials right now!
I would rate my current financial situation: 4/5
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The post I’m 27, Live in Atlanta, and Just Became an Attorney appeared first on You Need A Budget.
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