Family of two.
Total: ~6.5L (roughly 40‑80k per month). We're not living a fancy lifestyle, but I'm not sure how to cut it down much more. I already feel I can't provide my family with basic comforts without worry. With all the layoffs, I'm uncertain about the future.
Books: ~3k – want to spend more now that I've started reading during travel.
Daily travel: ~13k – shared auto, bus, metro, occasional booked auto, cab, bike.
Travel: ~40k – trip to Mysore with family and spouse's hometown visit.
Wearables: ~12k – basic clothing.
Monthly household items + groceries: ~90k (45k + 45k).
Gas: ~4k.
House items: ~70k – we just moved, so this should drop this year.
Rent, water, maintenance: ~2L for a 1.5BHK.
Electric, Internet, Mobile: ~10k, 10k, 12k – mobile recharge could be trimmed a bit.
House help: ~20k.
Outside food, office food: ~17k (could be cut to ~15k).
Medical (OPD, tests, meds): ~45k.
Term/life insurance: ~20k.
Health insurance (us, mother 64+): ~32k, ~34k.
Devotion: ~5k.
Various celebrations: ~5k.
Memberships: ~1k.
Gifts/unavoidable expenses: ~10k.
Others: ~5k.
These are rough yearly figures. I'd love to hear how others manage. Any tips on where we might be overspending? Anyone earning less than 50‑60k per month with a family? How do you cope? Thankfully we've avoided loans so far.
Edit 1: CC usage here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CreditCardsIndia/comments/1sv1k9x/my_cc_usage_in_202526/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
That's impressive. I used to spend around 50k a month back in 2016‑17, staying in a PG in Bengaluru and eating out three times daily. It's good to see two people managing comfortably on the same amount.
Keep doing what you're doing. The only thing I notice is there's no mention of investments or an emergency fund. Ideally the emergency fund should be twice your annual expenses. Also consider diversifying into mutual funds, gold, PPF, NPS.
Reading while travelling can strain your eyes.
Wow, looking at your numbers makes my monthly spend look like your yearly spend. I really need to sort my finances.