Smoking Bill

I just thought of another bill that I often overlook. Smoking has been a pass time of mine since I was 18 and wanted to impress a girl. I now smoke about a pack a day at 4.50$ a pack. Over the span on a month I smoke 135$ worth of my worth. In a year I will smoke 1620$ of my income and that’s pretty big chunk now that I am a full time student. If we add up my last 12 years of smoking that brings us to a total of roughly 29000 dollars! I had to do the math twice on that one. 29k seems astronomical, what I wouldn’t give to still have all that money.

So in an effort to have no more bills I will have to quit smoking. The benefits to this obviously outweigh the small joy I get from the visceral experience of smoking.

Wish me luck…

Break it Down

Ever since I was little there have been bills to pay and my folks did a pretty good job of keeping on them. However I do recall my dad would get a few shades red every time a new bill came along. Now that I am all growens up I have bills of my own. So let’s break it down. First we have the basics then it  gets a little more complex.

Rent                                    $500 a month

Electric                                $60 a month

Internet                                $70 a month using Verizon air card

Netflix                                 $9 month, can’t say was that one is really necessary

Groceries                            $200 a month is a rough estimate

 I have never kept track of it. That is a goal for the month of Feb to watch my grocery bills. I think this will be the easiest place to save money.

Propane                             $500 every few months.

Gas                                    $80 on the truck

                                          $70 on the car

Car Payment                      $250 a month

Furniture payment              $80 a month

Credit Card                       $100 a month

Student Loan                     $100 a month

I know I am forgetting something. Well this is where I am at and I only get about $1200 a month from the Government to go to school. Then I work as much as possible but if we can cut some of these things and keep a high quality of life, I am all for it.

Looking at this list it seems like a daunting task to eliminate all these things. I mean I need a place to live, shelter is a basic human need. I have to have power to run all my toys. Internet is a great tool that I use daily. Netflix can go away easily as I was running out of good movies to rent anyways. Groceries are food that fuels my body. I need gas to get me to and fro work and heat my house as its winter. These are all things I think I need in my life… except Netflix. Now let’s look at what I don’t need.

The last three bills I hate to pay more than any are my bad debt bills. I have them do to stupidity and every time I pay them I feel like I am being ripped off. I bought furniture when I first got married and now two years later we still pay on it. The Credit Card got maxed out from me thinking I would have a windfall to pay it off. As soon as it is paid off I will be cutting it. Last but not least in any respect is the Student Loan from the first time I went to college, this one I have been paying on for over ten years now.

Ok so you know the goal; eliminate all bills in one year. This does not mean ignore them. I will find a way to pay them off or not require their services any longer. This is will be interesting.

"First Time"

This is the beginning of what I hope becomes a fruitful venture. My goal is to be free of bills with in this next year. I currently have debt from college, cars and furniture. I will be learning and becoming more frugal, all the while you watch me. I hope you learn too, a little frugality can go a long way. We all know how hard it can be to keep on top of bills. Some bills are necessary, or seem to be, while others are vices and can be cut with a little effort. Each post will bring new tips and tricks to save money or will just be updates of my goals and realities.

Life is hard enough as it is without others bilking you for all you’re worth. I am going to find ways to save you money, time and stress.

The count begins now! In one year I will be bill free.

Next post will breakdown my bills and from there we will start whittling it all down.