Things feel too tight. Seeking advice
I've never done a serious budget before because of financial anxiety, but I've really had to buckle down this year as my post grad-school job does not pay what I was hoping I would. My partner and I are DINK with fairly good jobs but it still feels like we have nothing leftover once the basics are taken care of. Need advice on if there is something obvious on here I'm missing that we need to cut back on or any other things I can do. I also have about $800 of credit card debt I'm working through paying off that isn't accounted for here, I've just been scraping anything left over at the end of a pay period and sending it to the credit card. 28 years old living in Utah. Income is after taxes, benefits, and retirement savings. My partners and I's contributions to the joint account are proportionally based on our income less personal debts/bills.
| Section | Category | Item | Amount | Running Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| My Personal | Income | Paycheck | $3,450.64 | $3,450.64 |
| My Personal | Debts/bills | Car Payment | ($400.00) | $3,050.64 |
| My Personal | Debts/bills | Student Loan | ($269.21) | $2,781.43 |
| My Personal | Debts/bills | Medical | ($100.00) | $2,681.43 |
| My Personal | Debts/bills | Car Insurance | ($108.00) | $2,573.43 |
| My Personal | Debts/bills | Phone hardware | ($50.00) | $2,523.43 |
| My Personal | Joint Contribution | Joint Contribution | ($1,680.14) | $843.29 |
| My Personal | Savings | Savings | ($345.06) | $498.22 |
| My Personal | Regular Expenses | Dog Daycare | ($100.00) | $398.22 |
| My Personal | Regular Expenses | Dog Food/treats | ($75.00) | $323.22 |
| My Personal | Regular Expenses | Gas | ($100.00) | $223.22 |
| My Personal | Regular Expenses | Buffer | ($50.00) | $173.22 |
| My Personal | Regular Expenses | Medication | ($50.00) | $123.22 |
| Partner Personal | Income | Paycheck | $2,849.08 | $2,849.08 |
| Partner Personal | Debts/bills | Car | ($500.00) | $2,349.08 |
| Partner Personal | Debts/bills | Student Loan | ($200.00) | $2,149.08 |
| Partner Personal | Debts/bills | Car Insurance | ($300.00) | $1,849.08 |
| Partner Personal | Debts/bills | Medical | ($50.00) | $1,799.08 |
| Partner Personal | Joint Contribution | — | ($1,197.86) | $643.46 |
| Partner Personal | Savings | Savings | ($284.91) | $358.56 |
| Partner Personal | Subscriptions | Cinemark | ($12.00) | $346.56 |
| Partner Personal | Subscriptions | PSN | ($50.00) | $296.56 |
| Partner Personal | Subscriptions | Apple Music | ($6.00) | $290.56 |
| Joint | Income | From Both | $2,878.00 | $2,878.00 |
| Joint | — | Chat GPT | ($21.49) | $2,856.51 |
| Joint | — | Groceries | ($600.00) | $2,256.51 |
| Joint | — | Walmart | ($6.19) | $2,250.32 |
| Joint | — | Rent | ($1,750.00) | $500.32 |
| Joint | — | Internet | ($82.00) | $418.32 |
| Joint | — | Storage Unit | ($95.00) | $323.32 |
| Joint | — | Netflix | ($25.00) | $298.32 |
| Joint | — | Hulu | ($18.00) | $280.32 |
| Joint | — | Prime Video | ($8.00) | $272.32 |
| Joint | — | Prime | ($18.00) | $254.32 |
| Joint | — | Crunchy Roll | ($20.00) | $234.32 |
| Joint | — | Power | ($130.00) | $104.32 |
| Joint | — | Phone | ($54.00) | $50.32 |
| Joint | — | Buffer | ($50.00) | $0.32 |
Posted Jun 12, 2026, 8:08 PM UTC