Monthly Budget STX

Here's an earlier thread on the subject: https://www.vimovingcenter.com/talk/read.php?4,195801

Let us know if it leaves anything unanswered.

rent 700-? depends on many things, location , bedrooms, pool, etc.
transportation-gas for vehicle is currently 3.99
healthcare-if you do not have or get health insurance from an employer-you will not get it. premiums are high, almost half my paycheck-for me and hubby
groceries-at least 1/3 or more than what you are probably used to
tuition-private school-maybe 12,000 to 15,000 per year
internet 50, cell-you should be able to keep your cell phone.

Thanks for the link to the older post. Sometimes it is hard to know what word to search for. Other times it seems I've read a million things and forgotten!
A question brought up: Water costs....does the cistern usually cut it, or do you have to buy from WAPA?

depends of the amount of rain you get. some places on island get more rain than others.

So if I happened to be on the driest spot of the island, how much would my monthly water bill be? I'm preparing for the worst, so I don't have to go dirty and thirsty....

thats a question for someone who pays, they will chime in and tell you

Even if you're on the driest side of the island, buying water wouldn't be a regular occurrence unless you picked a place to live which had a leaking cistern or one way too small for the number of units it's servicing. If you live in a condo most units are individually metered and you pay per gallon of usage per month. You should be more concerned about your electric bill than your water bill. Look at what you're paying right now per kWh; our current rate is 0.50/kWh ...

STX east end is drier than the rest of the island, and you'd probably buy a bit of water. If you use 50 gallons per person per day at 7 cents per gallon (delivered by truck), then water will be around $105/month per person, in dry months.

I was told by someone that you could make it in STX on a budget of $4,000 a month if you plan right.

When myself any my 19 year old move there, we figured if we pooled our resources, we could get by on $6,000 an month combined.

That monthly budget sounds fine, but you'll have big start-up costs (car, rent + deposits, etc.), and no guarantee of jobs right away.

Don't forget that car insurance is paid a year in advance!

Start-up costs can be considerable.

For a $1000 a month rental - $3,000 (first last and security)
Utility deposits (WAPA, cable, internet, etc) - figure $300, easily
Vehicle, bought or brought - $2,000 up
Vehicle insurance - annual payment up-front - figure $1,000

Thats $6,500 MINIMUM and you haven't gotten any start-up groceries or bought a broom or a bathmat.

@speedy and OP
Private schools-$4k-$15k
There are a couple.of good parochial schools that are not as pricey as country day, good hope and a-z academy.

sheiba, i was just going on the two main private schools those are the only ones i did know about-good to know
car insurance-i make 6 payments after a down payment

Depending on if you have lawn service, expect to pay plenty or your start-up costs of a mower, trimmer and blower! Just moved back here after being gone for a few years this past November and I've blown well over 30k just getting vehicles down, deposits, setting up house and living here! Money goes very fast here from groceries, eating out or having fun, it slips away! For us, we have budgeted for over 50k annually! But, we are not dependent on the economy or season. Husband works 6 months in states, I'm retired, with income. Dipped deeply into savings to actually move here. This is just my situation and won't apply to everyone.

I was told by someone that you could make it in STX on a budget of $4,000 a month if you plan right.

When myself any my 19 year old move there, we figured if we pooled our resources, we could get by on $6,000 an month combined.

my family (extended, my mom is here too) of 7 total live on around 5,000 a month or less. ( it would be 4k if I didn't have toys)

It's posts like this that gives me hope! lol

I was told by someone that you could make it in STX on a budget of $4,000 a month if you plan right.

When myself any my 19 year old move there, we figured if we pooled our resources, we could get by on $6,000 an month combined.

my family (extended, my mom is here too) of 7 total live on around 5,000 a month or less. ( it would be 4k if I didn't have toys)

My husband and I are public school teachers. Our combined take home income is LESS THAN $4000/month and I think we're doing OK. We drive "island cars", cook once-a-month, and spend LOTS of our personal money on our students. Your budget is going to be based on your expected style of living.

The additional thing you may want to factor in is trips off the island. We try to save up $$ and go to Puerto Rico once a year to shop, eat and just see something different.

Cook once a month? how does that work, you just cook everything up and freeze and reheat it? does the taste stay the same as fresh cooked? i have seen those programs before and have found them interesting

We started doing freezer crock pot meals. Most of what we found was on Pintrest, and 95% have turned out great! We don't do a whole months worth, more like 7-10 days. But it has helped cut out food bill by 20% I'd say. Especially if you find a cheaper cut of meat on sale. We buy little more on those trips, but it saves us on the back end of the month.

i have found some good recipes on pinterest. how long does it take to prep for those meals?

When we go to Costco once a month we pick up a large piece of tenderloin, and when we get home we cut it up and use a Foodsaver vacuum sealing machine for individual steaks. It works well.

We spend about half a day cooking everything for the month. Some people think it's just casseroles, etc. that you can make ahead of time, but if you look at your recipes, most of the cooking is prep time. That's what we're doing - and saving lots of money! We cut up all the onions, veggies, meat, etc. and put everything together in zip lock bags and freeze the items together. While everything isn't completely made ahead of time, it forces us to EAT IN vs. coming home and saying "what do you want to eat", then deciding to go out or order a pizza - and spending money that we don't need to. Yes, we eat out, but we "schedule" these days into our monthly meal planning. It gives us something to look forward to.

that sounds nice, what type of meals do you make