Telling yourself no is hard, but worth it. Living in San Francisco, the most expensive city in the US, it’s a necessity.

I’ve been using Dave Ramsey’s budgeting tool and made some interesting discoveries over the last two months. I’ve always been frugal, (some would call it cheap) but keeping track of the money I spend has opened my eyes.

In two months here, I’ve spent less than $900 on “just for fun” activities, which includes transportation
($5 a day for the train) and groceries (my biggest “for fun” expense).

When it comes down to it, I’ve spent $451 in the last two months on the things that are actually fun: Golf, uber, clothing, and restaurants…  So, where does it all go? Glad you asked.

Rent: Housing is insane in San Francisco. I’m paying well over $1700 a month for the privilege of living in a “safe” neighborhood, more than most people’s mortgages.

And taxes: A quarter of my pay goes toward living in this wonderful state. Where the people are so accepting of everyone’s views…unless you don’t share those views.

Change is coming soon….