Our 2019 cost of living increases
April 22, 2019
I covered our paycheck deduction increases in January’s snapshot:
Medical: increased $480/year.
Dental: increased $35/year.
PiC’s Life insurance: decreased $438/year.
LTD: increased $18/year.
Supp life insurance: increased $480/year.
Now, our other semi-regular bills are rolling in and it’s not pretty either.
Water: increased $24/year
Earthquake insurance premium: increased $36/year
Homeowners insurance premium: increased $45/year.
Heating: increased $600/year.
* We bought a new furnace and ductwork and for my pains, we got higher bills. We’re using the furnace now that it works, and it actually warms the house. FANCY THAT. It’s expensive but for the same price as when we first moved in and didn’t get any heat in half the house at all, we have a warm house for an hour or two in the morning and when guests come to stay.
** Museum membership: once JB is over the age of free (3), and because we’ve been enjoying the Cal Academy as a family regularly this year, we will need to upgrade from our Individual Plus membership ($149) to the next grade up: Family for $249. Increase: $100/year. We are going to check for any employer discounts though.
Total increase: $1380.
With the exception of the furnace, we’ll be paying $1380 more this year for exactly the same services that we were getting last year. Awesome.
Though we did get cost of living increases in salary this year, after taxes, it’s not much so I still feel pressure to earn more and cut costs elsewhere to ensure we keep pace with our savings and giving goals.
A minor regret: I should have taken up that Sprint free year offer that was kicking around for a long time. I was being cautious and didn’t because I wasn’t sure about Sprint service quality so I missed the boat on that. Darn. I have a Mint Mobile offer on my desk but I’m hesitant to go to a relatively unknown experience. I know friends with GoogleFi, Republic Wireless and Ting but none of their plans would save us a real chunk of money given my data needs.
For some reason insurance increases are always the hardest to swallow. I hate the idea of paying more money for items I hope to never use, like life or disability insurance. Medical insurance always hurts too, because our deductibles go up while our premiums rise, which means we pay more for the monthly costs, but we pay more every time we visit the doctor too!
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I feel the same way about insurance increases, though our car insurance is usually the one that makes me fume the most because nothing has changed from year to year, usually.
We use Airvoice Wireless and like the cell service (AT&T) but I don’t know if it would offer much savings over what you’re needing re: data.
Our costs certainly have gone up quite a bit with Baby AF (health insurance, utilities to keep the house comfortable 24/7 since we’re always home, pool fence, doctor bills). I don’t know whether to consider these new higher costs our new baseline or a one time increase? I hope 2019 and 2020 give me enough data to make a guess!
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Hm, good question! I’m just comparing year to year, and I even missed a few bills like the PROPERTY TAX, because I don’t have the next one yet. Perhaps I’ll use 2018 as a baseline.
Our big move last fall means that we’re reestablishing baselines in many areas. Expenses are generally higher now, but I console myself that my husband’s commute is shorter so we’re saving a smidgen on gas each month! And eventually I’ll be able to better leverage my new chest freezer & larger pantry space into cheaper bulk food purchases.
Bulk food buys FTW!
Oof, that’s quite a hike! I know a few bloggers have been really happy with Mint Mobile FWIW. I’d find out what network it’s actually on (ie, which company’s cell phone towers it uses) and base your decision on that, since that’s what’ll determine the actual service. Maybe that’ll give you more peace of mind about switching. If you do switch, remember that it’s on Mr. Rebates. Though any mailed-to-you offer might conflict with cash back, it’s worth a shot!
Do you recall who has used Mint Mobile? I am looking at them but I need to hear the experience of someone reliable 🙂
We switched my FIL to Mint mobile about a month ago and he really likes it so far. It’s on T-Mobile’s network and based on what he tells us, the data connection is really fast on the 4G LTE. Hey I might jump from Ting to Mint if he continues to like it.