And this DUmmie would presume to tell you how you are not voting for your best interest. 
You bet they would. Also, notice how the (D)Ummie mentions nothing of its discretionary spending. 1100 a month is 13200 a year. If one plans, investigates, analyzes, calculates, recalculates, replans, and put ones self in a position where one can buy the non-discretionary things in life on ones own terms, money
can go a long long ways. Nickel and dime life instead of letting it nickel and dime them. Pay attention when shopping, ten cents difference here and there adds up. Lead from ahead, rather than leading from behind like obozo.
It is stupidly simple:
Starting on the first of the month, make a simple ledger in a notebook. Record every transaction you made, with no exceptions. At the end of the month, go over the list and break them into discretionary and non-discretional spending, and make *gasp* cuts. Buy some tools, a repair manual, and read and research on the internet how to fix and maintain things yourself, and save yourself the funds. Eliminate "I can't" from the lexicon. Maybe its just me, but I feel GREAT when I fix or maintain something that a professional would charge 200-500$ for, just for the "I win" factor alone. I feel even better when that savings leads to a nice vacation to the Black Hills or Pikes Peak.
The wife myself and a bunch of pets survive on only slightly more than this (D)Ummie, and quite comfortably. Ribeye/new york strip at least once a week
comfortably . And we can still afford to travel and camp a number of times every year. It can be done, but one has to have the will, and the discipline, to make it happen. This (D)Ummie simply needs to take ownership of their own life, a prospect terrifying to all (D)Ummies. Learning to live within ones means is probably next to impossible for those who believe in government which can not live within its means, though.
CMD
