[crgt]

All that's required for living paycheck to paycheck in the Bay Area is a willingness to pay exorbitant rent. The other stuff is a distraction from the real cash drain.

[memonkey]

I don't know. I could easily spend $200 bucks a week on lunch and dinner alone.

[crgt]

Right. And, at least for a family, rent is 3k-4k+. Where's the real cash drain?

[wazanator]

They're both cash drains. One's just bigger then the other, cutting back on both is sound advice if you are looking to save. I agree that you are probably right in that rent is a bigger factor but they are also right in that by not eating an expensive lunch everyday will add up over time.

I think everyone can agree that learning how to properly budget finances should be something we all should learn.

[crgt]

I guess I was thinking about it in the context of saving up six months of living expenses. If rent is 4k+ you have to skip a lot lunches to save enough to cover that for six months with no income..

[bootload]

"I could easily spend $200 bucks a week on lunch and dinner alone."

You can easily feed four people per week for the same amount.