Young Married College Couple Without Children Living On $30,000? How Easy/Possible is It?

I'm 22 (even though my profile says I'm 30; that was an accident), and my wife is turning 21 soon. I may be getting an office position at a county that pays between 30,000 and 45,000, and I'll be under the assumption that I'm getting 30,000. We live Minnesota (not Guam). My wife goes to school full time, whereas I go to school part time. I do want to occasionally take her on dates and do things with her and eat food that isn't terribly unhealthy. We plan on living in a cheap apartment (probably won't get under $800, however). I know people who live off of 18,000- 20,000 and have children, but me and wife's budgets wouldn't allow that small of a salary. My wife also works and makes around 9,000-10,000. We're obviously going to save up substantially before moving and will purchase out furniture and electronics before we move in while we save up because we know it'll be harder to buy those things after we move than before we move. Internet is necessary because we're college students and we would strongly prefer to have Netflix. We also want to save up enough to pay for one semester next year during the Fall to avoid racking up debt, so it may be a while before we head out out of my parents' house. Will this be a struggle? Will this be intermediately difficult, or will this be easy?

The two are directly related. You're assuming an income of $30,000 per year but don't indicate what your assumed outgoing is. You also don't indicate what is included in your budget. Have you budgeted for the college savings? Entertainment?


Obviously we can't answer your question but judging from my own experience, I would expect it to be be at least intermediately difficult.

I can't remember my wife's budget, but it came out to about 3,000 per month.


This was my budget on the other hand:

900 Rent
210 Gas and electricity
100 Internet
(Optional) 8 Netflix
(Optional) 120 Dates
420 (Ironic choice of number) Food
200 Gas (Car)
(Strongly Desired) 300-600 Saving for emergencies/car repairs
100 Psychologist appointments

She added some things that I failed to consider, I think. Although, mine is close, so I think we're on a similar page. I don't know how much car insurance is yet and I have no idea whether or not my mom will continue to pay for that or car payments. I assume we'd be able to stay afloat as long as my wife is helping with all of her income, but she may spend a lot of her income on helping her family.

Hmmm...this doesn't sound too promising...

Wife's budget: $3,000 per month * 12 months per year = $36,000 per year

Your budget: $2300-2600 per month * 12 months per year = $27,600 - 31,200.

You've got a decent amount put towards savings so you'd have a little bit of wiggle room. I'm a little confused on the issue since you have "your budget" "wife's budget" "your income" and "wife's income."

Are you sharing expenditures but not income? Or are the expenditures separate too?

We generally share income, but she makes it sound like if I make enough money for us not to be stressed, she's going to spend large amounts of her income on her family and may prioritize it above living without my parents.

Also, I differentiated our budgets because the math came out different (however, more similar than I remember).

Still confused (and aware that it's really none of my business) but she's basically saying, "If you can make enough money by yourself to support us, I'm going to support my (other) family instead, even if it means we have to live with your parents?"




Okay, just making sure that it wasn't that you'll spend $2,300 and she'll spend $3,000.

Kind of. She worries about her family's well-being (which is understandable considering how hard her mom's life is). She pretty much wants to help them no matter what, and I don't know how much she wants to give them monthly and for how long. When I have this job, I'll be making more than what her family makes total, and she already gives her family money when we're tight. She's also more willing to give things up for her family than a typical American in part because she comes from a collectivist culture and that's somewhat expected. I largely want to move out because my psychologist recommended it, but I originally wanted to move out to make her happier.

My "concern" wasn't so much that she wants to take care of her family (that's an admirable trait) or whether or not she's willing to give things up.

The part that had jumped out at me was the part about moving out of your parent's. You want her to be happier and your psychologist recommended it. The way that you phrased it makes it sound like your wife does not care whether you live with your parents are not. While that sounds nice like, "Oh, I don't mind if we have to live with your parents as long as I get to be with you..." this sounds more like, "I am going to do this and I don't care if we have to live with your parents (even though it's better for you, husband, if you don't ) because the rest of my family means more to me than you do."

I'm relatively sure I'm just reading that into your text and you didn't really say that or mean that...it's just what occurred to me.

Either way, it doesn't really matter because you're here for money questions, not relationship questions.

Just make sure you're absolutely in agreement about whose money goes where and why. Put it in writing.

A while ago, she used to talk about not being happy with living with my parents to my older sister time to time. The relationship aspect of it is somewhat important and the state of her mom is also important because it will determine a lot of our behavior. There's no doubt that we love each other, but it's a matter of how we will behave with our money int he near future. I support her decision to help her mom, and if we can't move out, I'll help her too. But everything complicates it more.

That is absolutely true. Everything will complicated it.

When you get married, you purposely "leave" the family you were born into and you make a new family with the one you chose. Above all, no matter what else you decide to do with your lives and your money, remember this.

My wife also just texted me that she could find a better paying job and make it work. I don't know if she meant to say that she was trying to for me, or that she had actually found one. Either way, I have faith in her.

Either way, thank you for your help.

I'm from Russia. I'm work in the Bank. I'm twenty-eight and pulling 11 000 per year (916 per month). I have a daugter - 3 years.
It's not as bad as you think.

You know, there are so many different ways that this could unfold. I know people who have a family, small children at home. and live on a lot less money than you are saying. I also know of families who made a small fortune of money every month, and ended up bankrupt and lost their homes. So it really depends on how you do it. Why don't you give it a try and see how you do. You will probably do better than you think, and learn a lot.

Corey.