Wedding Budget: Managing Finances with a $65,340 Income

Welcome to YNAB Money Snapshots—where you see a real picture of someone else’s budget and finances. They’re all anonymous, because sharing money is still a squirrelly topic for many, but we think airing them out in the open makes you better with your own money story. 

As you read these budgets, keep in mind that some people make lots of money and some people make a little bit of money, but we know it’s what you do with that money and how you feel about that money means more than any yearly salary. 

See how a recently engaged supply chain manager in Missouri making $65,340 a year spent her money in May.

About

• Name: Samantha
• Age: 29
• Location: Missouri 
• Job: Supply Chain Manager
• Living situation: I’m recently engaged! I’m also partially supporting a disabled parent.

Income: $65,340

Savings: $78,207

• Savings: $4,000 
• 401K: $37,857 in 401k accounts
• Employee Stock Ownership Program: $36,350

Debt: $25,800 

• Student loans in my name: $7,000
• I’m also paying a parent loan on my mom’s behalf: $18,800

May Inflows: $5,589

• Federal assistance: $2,592
• Payroll take home:  $2,997

May Budget

Budget

Catego­ry	Target Amount	Notes
Monthly Bills
Internet	$24
Rent	$200
Insurance	$71
Water	$27
Electric	$47
Bank Fee	$9
Software Subscriptions	$159	Google Play, Prime, Audible, Kombucha Brewing App, and some fitness apps
Cellphone	$58
Netflix	$13
Monthly Expenses
Dining Out – Running Late	$21
Groceries	$468
Transportation	$58	This is usually closer to $120
Medical	$0
Household Goods	$88
Charity	$0
NPR	$20
Stupid Tax	$0	When I feel dumb about something (speeding ticket, extended warranty I didn’t need) I stick it here and review how much money I spent that I shouldn't have had to if I had been more careful
General Expense
Home Improvement	$996
Utilities Pass Through	$0
Auto Maintenance	$0	$42 saved
Rent Pass Through	$0
Basil & Bourbon	$0
B	$480
Christmas	$0
Clothing	$45
Gifts	$32
Hair Appointment	$0	Usually go to 5 appts/year at $175/appt.
Health & Beauty	$48
Home Repair	$648
Mom	$0
Postage	$0
Taxes	$0
Work	$0
Debt Payments
Credit Cards	$0
Student Loan Saving	$0
Student Loan	$0
Quality of Life Goals
Savings	$0	$4K saved
Fitness – $36	$65
Mini-Game Challenge	$0
Just for Fun
Decor for Parties (that I own)	$0
Friend / Family Events	$0
Plants	$268
Books	$0
Framing	$0
Movies	$40
Crafting	$0
Vacation	$0
Concerts	$0
Date Night	$0
Dining Out	$41
Board Games	$0
Fun Money	$117
Animal Care
Indoor Cat Food	$124
Outdoor Kitty Food	$0
Pet Care Items	$51
Litter	$0
Pet Toys	$0
Vet – Django	$0
Vet – Milo	$0
Vet – Outdoor Kitties	$248
Wedding
Invites	$65
Photography	$0	$1,500 total, next payment due in July
Food	$0
Venue	$0	Need to save $1,220 (plus extra for damage deposit)
Clothing	$0
Misc	$153
Total Needed $4,684

My Savings Categories

Well, really saving for a rainy day currently. My salary has been reduced with our company going on work share (and this will continue through the end of July when the federal assistance ends). Our company’s current financial projections have us doing work share through the end of the year, so we’re trying to save more in anticipation for a 20-40% wage cut for the last six months of the year. 

If things pick up, we will shift our savings to wedding planning. 

How We’re Handling Our Wedding Costs

We are splitting the cost of the wedding according to our portion of take-home pay, so I am paying 61% of the cost. We’re paying for the whole thing ourselves and hoping for a small quaker-style wedding. We’re hoping to pull it all off for $11,000 and to pay it in cash. All of our vendors have been amazing in creating super flexible payment plans for us so we could reach the goal of being debt-free before the wedding. 

I’ve been dubbed the CFO of the relationship and have created payment schedules for us to follow. We alternate who makes what payment each month up to our allotted $ amount.

My Month

May was good to us after we rallied behind a savings plan. I have $4k in Savings but my fiancé is closer to $6k. I did the math and even if there is a 40% cut to our salaries, we could nearly break even with federal assistance if we didn’t spend it all. 

We did end up doing some home improvements with being home all the time and bought dirt, planters, patio furniture, and string lights. 

My Story

I found YNAB when I was making roughly $30k a year and had $60k in debt to pay off. I had come from a family living paycheck-to-paycheck and whose budgeting plan looked more like a shell game.

It was like a bolt of lighting of realization and stress in 2014 when it hit me that my debt, in theory, could be called in at any time and I would not be able to repay it. After a solid panic, I started to create a plan to pay off the phone, credit cards, and multiple student loans. I’ve been doing just that slowly since 2014 through an MBA, two moves and promotions. 

I’ve both relaxed and tightened my spending at various points throughout this process. Despite how much debt I’ve paid off, I am a spender at heart. It has been a process to rewire my brain to get as much enjoyment sending money to debt as, say, on the aforementioned patio furniture. 

When I started getting out of debt, I even cut internet out of my budget and definitely didn’t have any subscriptions. Now I allow a couple concerts and some larger purchases not driven by debt. In between the start of debt payoff and now, I’ve bounced to austerity and back depending on how I felt like I was doing on the larger goal.

I am so close I can taste it! 

My Financial Goals

2020 is about paying off the last of the student loans in my name, cash-flowing a wedding with my partner, and saving up 3-month emergency fund with our current work situations.

I would rate my current financial situation: 5/5

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