I had a bunch of trick or treaters last night--mostly early in the evening. It was a good thing I worked from home yesterday otherwise I would have missed them all. As it was I gave out all my candy by 7:30. My favorite thing was the real little kids who were way more interested in my dog sitting on the other side of my screen door than the were in getting candy from me. SO CUTE!

I've been fine paying half of my take-home on rent, but it gets tougher the smaller the other half is. I mean, when I was paying $400/mo in rent, $800/mo in take-home wasn't really enough. Paying $1000/mo in rent, $2000/mo in take-home was fine.

I'm pretty sure "they" say rent should be around a third of your take-home.

I own rather than rent, but housing costs are about 19% of net income. Maybe about 22% or so when upkeep is added on.

Also, for Buffistas who rent: approximately how much of your monthly income do you spend on rent? And how much is too much?

I pay about 19% of my after-tax income. IIRC, 1/4th of your income for rent is a good amount.

I spend about half my monthly income on rent. But I'm on a student's salary in a really expensive city.

I'm pretty sure "they" say rent should be around a third of your take-home.

Oh yeah. Maybe I misremembered what "they" said.

Ooh, I micounted. I pay 17% on rent. But really, I should move into a bigger place, as my place is small and I don't really have enough room for my stuff. Plus then I could get another cat.

My rent is a little over a third of my take home paycheck (after tax and benefits and all that get taken out), and I think that's about normal for around here.

Mine's about just under a third, and comes to an even third if I count gas&electric.

Good luck, job seekers.

Also, for Buffistas who rent: approximately how much of your monthly income do you spend on rent? And how much is too much?

I pay slightly less than 20%. But rent is very cheap. If I buy, I'll likely be paying close to 50% in mortgage and other costs.