#budgetfriendly

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✅ I CAN DRAW: Humans, anthro, animals, OCs, fandoms, OC x canon

❌ I WON'T DRAW: Highly detailed mecha, pedo, zoo, incest, overly complex backgrounds, NSFW

📍TERMS Since I’m still learning, I haven’t developed a consistent style yet, so the final result may vary stylistically from the examples (while maintaining the overall quality). Work starts after full payment. I may decline requests I'm uncomfortable with. 2 free revisions after sketch; only minor tweaks after final. (extra +$5 each) Price may vary for very complex characters. Delivery: 5–15 days from payment.

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If you have any info on setting one, I'd be greatly interested!

Right now I budget $50/week but that's an arbitrary number I pulled from the air. Do I include my morning gas station coffee in that? What about the vending machines at my college? What even is a budget?

I, despite being an accounting major, am vexed by money!!

Great questions! 

What is a budget?

A budget is a comparison between income and expenditures.  When I write out a budget, I start with what we earn after taxes.  Then I list and subtract all of our non-negotiable, unchangeable expenses- rent or mortgage, flat rate utilities (water/sewer/trash for us), flat rate phone bill, insurance, utilities that we have a little influence over like electric.  Then I list and subtract approximate numbers for expenses that are essential but that we have an influence over- electric, groceries, and gasoline.  After I’ve subtracted all those, I have an idea of how much I have left over for savings and nonessentials, like entertainment, eating out, and holiday present savings.  Let’s do an example budget based on my own one income household:

Income: 3,450 per month

Unchangeable Expenses:

Rent: -1,400

Electric: -100

Water/Sewer/Trash: -90

Health Insurance: - 650

Gas: -120

Prescriptions and Appointments: -100

Laundry: - 25

Changeable Expenses: 

Grocery and Household: - 400

Savings: - 375

Entertainment: - 100

Eating Out: - 30

Pocket Money: -60 (30 each)

And that (I hope) all adds up to 0. The “changeable expenses” part is based largely on what you want- do you want to put those dollars into savings or entertainment?  No moral judgement here.  Humans need enrichment.  For us, our hobbies are all pretty cheap and savings is very important because of my lack of income potential and my husband’s mental health potentially causing gaps or dips in employment.  This section can also include something specific you’re saving up for, like a car, or that $200 vibrator.  Our entertainment section is for stuff we do together, like a comic con, and the pocket money is for stuff we do separately, like buying sweets or dice for d&d. 

So let’s say the budget is tighter.  We’ll start with zero savings and a lower income- two people working full time at average US minimum wage, which is $9.30/hr.

Income: 2,418 per month

Unchangeable Expenses:

Rent: - 1,000

Electric: -90

Water/Sewer/Trash: -90

Health Insurance: - 650

Gas: -120

Prescriptions and Appointments: -100

Laundry: - 25

Changeable Expenses: 

Grocery and Household: - 250

Savings: - 50

Entertainment: - 43

Eating Out: 0

Pocket Money: 0

But why even have a budget when you just spend whatever you have left on groceries and entertainment and then what’s left from that goes straight to savings?  

The first reason is that with a budget, you know how much you can spend on the changeable expenses.  If you’re regularly sticking to that $250 on groceries, you can be sure you’re ok to buy movie tickets and popcorn and still put a bit into savings.  

The second reason is less obvious. What happens if we have an unexpected $400 expense?  Where is that money going to come from?  The answer is the reason why I talk about cooking and grocery budgets and homemaking so much.  We want to do as much as we possibly can to avoid a payment plan, since those many times include interest.  $50 can come from savings, $43 from entertainment.  We might be able to reduce gas a little, but most of that is for getting to and from a job.  Let’s say we can squeeze $15 out of gas.  That leaves us owing $292.  The first thing to do is cut that grocery budget as close to 0 as you possibly can by temporarily utilizing a food bank if it’s available.  If you know how to cook, you can get so much more out of your food bank than if you’re relying on it for premade foods.  The second thing to do, for that last $42, is cut elsewhere- those “unchangeable” expenses.  Electric?  Turn off the a/c or turn down the heat, or use it only in one room.  Use your microwave to cook everything you can.  Turn off lights, even if it only saves you pennies.  Let’s say we can get the electric bill down to $70, saving us $20.  The last $22 is going to come from somewhere you might not expect- laundry.  For this month, we’re going to be doing laundry in the bathtub and hanging your clothes all over our apartment to dry.

All of that takes skill- homemaking skill.  Nobody is born knowing how to cook from scratch and do laundry by hand, and this is no longer knowledge passed down from our parents.

If you can't/don't want to grow your own produce at the moment, discount produce boxes are FANTASTIC. Not only are you saving produce from inevitably being thrown away, the money you can save is... amazing. Also did I mention they deliver to your home? No more grocery store hell!!!

The concept is fantastic: these companies take all the produce from stores that won't sell (usually due to size or shape, not quality) and resell it in produce boxes for a super discounted price! I've also seen organic options as well:)

This pendant is completely handmade in silver using traditional techniques the texture, the shape, every small detail is done by hand, which is what makes each piece feel a little different and more personal.

The Moldavite in the center is natural, formed from a meteorite impact, which is why it has that raw, otherworldly feel to it

I really love how this one turned out. It feels a little celestial but still grounded

There’s only one piece available You can take a closer look here: Handmade Moldavite Moon & Pentagram Pendant