Figuring out how much rent you can afford

Plus 5 tips for making the transition easier and less expensive

By Gary Foreman

The New Frugal You

Gary Foreman is a former financial planner who currently edits The Dollar Stretcher website and newsletters. He writes "New Frugal You," a weekly Q&A column about frugal living, for CreditCards.com Ask a question. 'New Frugal You' archive

Dear New Frugal You,
I just found an article you wrote on budgeting. You said to spend no more than 33 percent of your after-tax salary on housing. I'm ready to live on my own and have started looking for my first apartment. I've never kept a budget and don't really understand how much I can afford to pay for rent. Can you explain why 33 percent is a magic number, and how I can know what rent is affordable? -- Mike

Dear Mike,
You're wise to be concerned about how much you spend for an apartment and smart to analyze the situation before you sign a lease. Making a mistake now could drastically limit your financial options for years to come.

What you spend on housing can very easily upset your whole budget. There are three big budget items for most families: housing, transportation and food. Among them, they make up around 55 percent to 60 percent of your budget. Everything else needs to fit in the remaining 40 percent.

Unless you seriously overspend, it's to avoid permanent damage in the smaller expense categories. An occasional splurge is just that -- you haven't committed to making serial splurges over and over, so the damage is limited. But with a lease or an auto loan, it's easy to overcommit and find it very hard to get uncommitted. You can put yourself in a situation in which all of the smaller budget categories need to be cut to live within your income.

As far as budgeting goes, we're not going to take the time here to go into detail, except to say it's not as hard as you might think. See "Your first budget in three easy steps" for a quick primer. But you will need to figure out what your take-home pay is each month. Unless you get paid monthly, you'll need to do a little simple math.

To figure your monthly pay:

• If you're paid weekly, multiply your weekly take-home pay times 52, then divide by 12.
• If you're paid biweekly, multiply your take-home pay by 26, then divide by 12.

Once you have the monthly take-home pay figure, multiply it by .33 to see how much you can afford for housing. Keep in mind when I say "housing," that's not just rent. You also need to include utilities, insurance and any other house-related expenses. So add those estimates to your rent.

Now, how did I arrive at the 33 percent figure? Experts have been suggesting sample budgets for decades. Not surprisingly, there's a pattern that seems to work best. For most people, the range for housing is about 30 percent to 35 percent.

Some people can stretch that to 40 percent, but that's probably not a good idea for you. Reaching for a too-expensive apartment while you're young could keep you from accumulating an emergency fund or participating in a 401(k) retirement plan.

And finally, before you go off in search of the perfect apartment, I'd like to arm you with five tips for making it more affordable and the transition easier.

1. Take a dry run. Pretend that you're already in the apartment financially. For the next month or so take an amount similar to your apartment expenses and set it aside. See if you can live on what's left. If you can't do it now, you won't be able to do it later when you've signed a lease.
2. Consider all your options. Living alone in a one-bedroom unit in a large complex is only one choice. You might find it cheaper to share a two-bedroom with a close friend or three.
3. Don't dismiss uncommon arrangements. Some landlords are willing to give you a break on rent for a certain amount of work each month. It can't hurt to ask.
4. House-sitting, anyone? Do a little research to see if any house-sitting jobs are available. Occasionally you'll find people who will let you stay in their home rent-free as long as you watch over the property.
5. Save for startup expenses. For instance, it might be the first time that you'll buy a broom or a kitchen table, but believe me, you will need one.

There, that wasn't so tough, was it? I hope that I've been able to get you going toward an affordable home that you thoroughly enjoy!

For more than 35 years, Gary Foreman has worked to help people get the most for their money. Prior to founding The Dollar Stretcher.com, he was a financial planner and purchasing manager. Gary began The Dollar Stretcher website and newsletters in April 1996. Today the website features more than 6,000 articles on different ways to live better for less. Gary has been interviewed by The Wall Street Journal, The Nightly Business Report, USA Today, Reader's Digest and other newspapers and magazines. Gary answers a question about a budgeting or saving issue from a CreditCards.com reader each week. Send your question to The New Frugal You.

Published: July 21, 2011

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