Basic Life Math

Essentials:

• Food is something that everyone needs.  If you make your own food you are already in good shape because you can save a lot of money preparing your own food and eating leftovers.  Budgeting for food is easy, you eat three meals a day and you eat for an average of 30 days per month. Thats 90 meals in a month, and if your meals cost $5 then you spend $450 on food a month.  If you like to drink or eat out then your food bill will be a lot more expensive.  If you have someone else that you need to feed then you can double that.  What I do for a food budget is break it down to groceries and eating out.  Groceries should take up the majority of the food bill, and the budget for eating out is more a treat.  
• Rent is not something everyone has, but the majority of people out there aren't pretty enough or lucky enough to get a free place to live.  For my rent budget I went with a condo community since some of the essential bills are already taken care of.  In our complex we do not have to pay the water bill which can save $50 a month. Other communities you can also get free cable, water, trash, etc that can save you more money over having an apartment. 
• Clothing is another essential that almost everyone has to have.  Instead of buying the newest thing you can find, shop sale sites or big sales at stores.  I know I have found half my wardrobe at Banana Republic for very cheap.  6pm is also a very good site to find good clothing for less.  Knowing when to buy and being willing to spend the money can actually save you a lot in the long run.  I know I have a problem when it comes to the spending part.  I always think that it will get cheaper and it never does. 

Non-essentials:

• Transportation can actually be an essential for most people, I know it is for me, but for some people it isn't.  Buying a good road bike and biking to work if you live close enough can save you $100 in gas a month, meaning the bike will pay for itself very quickly.  If you live far from work you can actually ride a train and save yourself tons of gas. 
• Entertainment is not an essential in life but it can relieve stress.  Look for deals on Groupon, LivingSocial, or just look on regular websites.  If you like to go out and drink then try to find good happy hours.  Drinks are expensive and saving half off your monthly tab could be hundred of dollars. 
• Electronics are so integrated into every day life that we all have them.  From TV's to cell phones we all need these things.  If you do need a new phone, TV, or computer try logicbuy since they seem to have great deals on everything.  

Hopefully these little tid bits help out.