Читать книгу Home Buying Kit For Dummies - Eric Tyson - Страница 33

One of the single most important things that you can and should do before you head out to purchase a home is to examine where (and on what) you’re currently spending your money. Completing these financial calisthenics enables you to see what portion of your current income you’re saving. Having a handle on your current budget also enables you to see how a given home purchase will fit within the budget or destroy it!

Review your spending data from at least a three-month span to determine how much you spend in a typical month on various things — such as rent, clothing, income taxes, haircuts, cellphone and streaming plans, and everything else (see Table 2-1; you can access Table 2-1 online at www.dummies.com/go/homebuyingkit7e). If your spending fluctuates greatly throughout the year, you may need to analyze and average for 6 (or even 12) months to get an accurate sense of your spending behavior.

TABLE 2-1 Your Spending, Now and After Purchasing a Home

Item	Current Monthly Average ($)	Expected Monthly Average with Home Purchase ($)
Income	__________	__________
Taxes
Social Security	__________	__________
Federal	__________	__________
State and local	__________	__________
Housing Expenses
Rent	__________	n/a
Mortgage	n/a	__________
Property taxes	n/a	__________
Homeowners/renters insurance	__________	__________
Gas/electric/oil	__________	__________
Water/garbage	__________	__________
Phone/cellphone	__________	__________
Cable/satellite TV/streaming plans	__________	__________
Furniture/appliances	__________	__________
Maintenance/repairs	__________	__________
Food and Eating
Supermarket	__________	__________
Restaurants and takeout	__________	__________
Transportation
Gasoline	__________	__________
Maintenance/repairs	__________	__________
State registration fees	__________	__________
Tolls and parking	__________	__________
Bus or subway fares	__________	__________
Appearance
Clothing	__________	__________
Shoes	__________	__________
Jewelry (watches, earrings)	__________	__________
Dry cleaning	__________	__________
Haircuts	__________	__________
Makeup	_________	__________
Other	__________	__________
Debt Repayments
Credit/charge cards	__________	__________
Auto loans	__________	__________
Student loans	__________	__________
Other	__________	__________
Fun Stuff
Entertainment (movies, concerts)	__________	__________
Vacation and travel	__________	__________
Gifts	__________	__________
Hobbies	__________	__________
Pets	__________	__________
Health club or gym	__________	__________
Other	__________	__________
Advisors
Accountant	__________	__________
Attorney	__________	__________
Financial advisor	__________	__________
Healthcare
Physicians and hospitals	__________	__________
Drugs	__________	__________
Dental and vision	__________	__________
Therapy	__________	__________
Insurance
Auto	__________	__________
Health	__________	__________
Life	__________	__________
Disability	__________	__________
Educational Expenses
Courses	__________	__________
Books	__________	__________
Supplies	__________	__________
Kids
Day care	__________	__________
Toys	__________	__________
Child support	__________	__________
Charitable Donations/Offerings	__________	__________
Other
_____________________	__________	__________
_____________________	__________	__________
_____________________	__________	__________
_____________________	__________	__________
_____________________	__________	__________
Total Spending	__________	__________
Amount Saved	__________	__________

(subtract from income at the beginning of this table)