Monthly Expenses

[Anony-mousse]

You have to adjust your lifestyle according to your salary, not the other way around. You should certainly be able to live off 10k including rent. If it's not enough you will have to cut down on entertainment costs. calculate your basic needs and then see how much is left.

Basics:

rent+electricity
healthcare
food

You are a young and healthy person. You don't need a domestic worker.

If you don't earn enough for what you are used to then you can't spend R500 on cell phone and 1k on internet. Life's a bitch boy, you should face the fact that the most comfortable time is over once you graduated ;-)

You remind me on my little brother who's also studying. He will soon face the seriousness of life once he has to provide for himself.

 

[hawker]

You don't need a domestic worker. I am student and I stay in a flat, I do all my own washing, cleaning, vacumming, dishes,ironing etc.

 

[DerpiesFreud]

cut healthcare i havent been to the hospital in 8 years
and last time i was sick it cost me R400 which was a few months ago
dont smoke dont drink dont eat cholestrol stuff
gym regulalry

and ul save alot of money

 

[DJ...]

cut healthcare i havent been to the hospital in 8 years
and last time i was sick it cost me R400 which was a few months ago
dont smoke dont drink dont eat cholestrol stuff
gym regulalry

and ul save alot of money

Good luck when you find yourself in a car accident, or diagnosed with an actual illness. Not wishing this on you, I'm just pointing out that your argument is a little childish. You should at the very least have a hospital plan.

@the student - I don't see an allocation for savings? Seriously, get into the habit of budgeting for this from a young age. It will stand you in good stead later in life. And R600 for water and waste removal is ridiculous. Your entertainment budget is a little low for a student...

 

[killadoob]

Fairly simply ask daddy for a 500k loan until you land a good paying job.

Sorted out.

You should have hospital plan as bare minimum, you can chance your luck but i am not certain how good these government hospitals are.

 

[StellenboschStudent]

I will just try and get an extra bursary, then everything is settled. If all goes well I can end up with R11000 per month, and from all the posts, it sould be more than enough. I should just realise that I am a student and cut a few of the expensive stuff then I should be fine.
It is just going to be a big change in life style. Kind of long forward to it!

 

[FuNkEr]

Dude, try the NRF (National Research Foundation) for bursaries. I got a R30k bursary from them for this year (post-grad only) and it's a here's-the-cash-no-strings-attached type of bursary. Just mentioning it, for what it's worth.

 

[Stefanmuller]

Dude, you are a student....budgeting R10 000 per month worth of expenses is at least double a student should be able to even afford. And that is without rent! We are two people and although I am still studying we both work full time. Even with rent we don't come near R10k!. Asking advice on your first Budget as a student and casually budgeting R10k makes me feel a bit ashamed....and I'm working full time!!

 

[HavocXphere]

Insurance (Car + Home) - R800

Sounds low for a young person. R1500 would be more appropriate.

Healthcare (comprehensive) - R1200

For comprehensive that sounds a hint low. Consider rolling with just a hospital plan for first year or two.

Cellphone - R500
Internet - R1000

Substantial room to cut there, but that a matter of preference.

DSTV - R600 (Can maybe skip this and watch everything on the net, but most proper tv sites aren't free)

Waste of money. Rather put that into internet.

Petrol - R500 (only live 5km away from varsity)

Way too high imo. I'm like 15k from Uni and I'm nowhere close to R500pm. R300 - R400 is more like it, excl long range trips.

Domestic worker - R500

Why? Are you moving into a 4 bedroom place or something? Domestics work slowly & inefficiently. If its a small place then rather invest an hour or 2 every week.

 

[koffiejunkie]

My goodness, how times have changed. When I was a student (late 90s), I worked two jobs (no parental contributions) and earned R400 between the two.

 

[Sting]

I have been lucky enough to not having to pay for my insurance, healthcare and that stuff, that is up until now (yes, daddy payed for everything)...
Anyway, so the problem is, I don't know what is monthly expenses? How musch does one need to earn to be able to pay all the bills?
Here is what I got so far:

Insurance (Car + Home) - R800
Healthcare (comprehensive) - R1200
Electricity - R600
Water + Watse removal - R600 (don't know why, but Stellenbosch is expensive, maybe private contarctors)
Property tax - R300 (I have no idea how much this is)
Cellphone - R500
Internet - R1000
DSTV - R600 (Can maybe skip this and watch everything on the net, but most proper tv sites aren't free)
Petrol - R500 (only live 5km away from varsity)
Domestic worker - R500
Groceries - R2000 (can get away for cheaper)

Totals to R8000

+ normal expenses (movie, party ....)

R9000

Then you want to buy some clothes, service your car and things like that that doesnt happen every month, but once a year, so put away R1000 per month.

R10 000 per month. What am I missing? Don't have to pay of car or house, that is done.

My bond repayment is more than that!!

 

[TheShadow]

Those numbers are a bit steep. Maybe the ffg.:
Med Aid - R770 (momentum custom) - a good hospital plan, out-of-hospital you should pay yourself to take advantage of cash discounts.
Electricity - R400 max - thats my electric bill in the middle of winter
Cellphone seems fair if you don't have a landline, but since you do it should be lower.

Is uncapped 4meg really necessary?

DSTV is out.... possibly switch to Compact.

 

[EchoZA]

R500 for cell phone is also steep. Get a R200 contract - should be more than enough.

I wish my bill was R500 a month, I am currently on +-R2000 a month.

 

[CrazYmonkeY159]

Well for what its worth im a 3rd year student at UCT, I live near a shuttle stop where busses take me to campus (covered in my varsity fees)

so heres my budget keep in mind i stay with 3 other students so general costs like internet and electricity are shared

Rent - 2750 (waste removal and water is included)
Internet - 200
Groceries - 1300
Maid - 120
Electricity - 250
Cell - 185
Recreation - 1500

Total : 6305

skipped on DSTV

 

[Freeusnow]

I want uncapped internet, have it at the moment, the Mweb all-inclusive, and that is R1000/month.
I get a domestic worker once a week, pay R100-R120 per week.
I do agree, DTSV is not a necessity, will give that a skip.

Still a student yes, PhD. Starting to work at the varsity next semester.

PhD ?? You have studied for how many years and you are still asking what an expense is? Grrrrah! I hope you are very good to your benfactors one day when you qualify and get a real job.

 

[DJ...]

PhD ?? You have studied for how many years and you are still asking what an expense is?

Stop being such a complete moron. He's asking what expenses he can expect in the real world and it's actually a rather mature question. Fsck sakes this place is inundated with inebriates every single time the schools go on holiday...

 

[proxilin]

You are going to spend R10 000 a month without paying for a flat or car? That's incredible. I got a bachelors degree (a decent one) and started working beginning of last year. I got just over R11 000 a month out (after Med Scheme deducted), which is more than most other uni bachelor graduates I know. My expense breakdown was roughly:

R4000 - Car & Insurance
R3500 - Flat (Electricity and all services included)
R2000 - Food
R400 - Internet
R500 - Petrol
R50 - Cellphone (I'm on Prepaid and mostly use email, chat and skype for communication)
R500 - Going out, going away for weekends, buying odds and ends

That's my R11 000 gone, without any unnecessary spending. I think you are very used to a certain luxury and comfort level and you think you can't do without it, but you really can. I'd like DSTV but once you are without it you'll realise you don't HAVE to watch that rugby game. Also it really doesn't take much effort to clean your own flat. It won't be spotless but it'll be fine. Women generally don't like slobs, so start getting into the cleaning habit now before you move in with one

 

[Freeusnow]

@ DJ Just to refresh your memory.... here is the pertinent section of the OP.....and I am probably old enough to be you granny... so an apology is expected. BTW It is a sign of immaturity to play the man and not the ball.

I have been lucky enough to not having to pay for my insurance, healthcare and that stuff, that is up until now (yes, daddy payed for everything)...
Anyway, so the problem is, I don't know what is monthly expenses? How musch does one need to earn to be able to pay all the bills?
Here is what I got so far:
......

 

[Voicy]

Clean myself? Not going to happen, to lasy, and not enough time, I can make a mess if I want to...
I have the iphone talk 120s thingy from vodacom, still under cotract, so can't change that

Spoiled little brat. Not enough time, yet you want DSTV and Partying money. Grow a pair already.

Fairly simply ask daddy for a 500k loan until you land a good paying job.

Sorted out.

You should have hospital plan as bare minimum, you can chance your luck but i am not certain how good these government hospitals are.

What Killa said.

Dude, you are a student....budgeting R10 000 per month worth of expenses is at least double a student should be able to even afford. And that is without rent! We are two people and although I am still studying we both work full time. Even with rent we don't come near R10k!. Asking advice on your first Budget as a student and casually budgeting R10k makes me feel a bit ashamed....and I'm working full time!!

Same.

Must be awesome living the good life. I was working 5pm-3am to make ends meat and when I wasn't I had ZERO time for anything other than my studies.

Then again the stellenbosch graduate "electrical engineer" working at our firm has no idea how to even work a multimeter or test a fuse, so I'm not surprised.

 

[DJ...]

@ DJ Just to refresh your memory.... here is the pertinent section of the OP.....and I am probably old enough to be you granny... so an apology is expected. BTW It is a sign of immaturity to play the man and not the ball.

Read it within the context of the rest of the post, and the subsequent thread. It was a case of poor grammar on the OP's part and this was quite evident. And I couldn't give a schit how old you claim to be, you come across in most threads as rather immature. Take your apology and shove it.

And your nonsense about me being immature for calling you out on your lack of comprehension skills (or at least your inability to put two and two together) is bloody pathetic. Especially considering that using that logic, your post about his PhD was a dig at the OP too, and had nothing to do with the thread itself. Bloody hypocrites abound these days here. Take your self righteous, indignant attitude elsewhere please - especially from PD where this BS of yours started...