be house poor. try to limit your overall housing to a lower 25% or so.
food is not cheap...but going out to eat is more expensive than eating at home. the average food at home expense was $4,049 and the average food away from home was $3,154. if you want to cut your food bill, try eating out fewer times per week. make eating out special. one night out on the weekend and a bonus after a hard day during the week is possible. try it and you might find your food bill dropping.
transportation was the second largest expense behind housing at 16%. i wonder how this will trend once we 