How do you spend your stipend each month?

[chill45]

Just curious how everyone spends their stipend each month. My friend is a D1 with the Army scholarship and I believe receives around 1700 each month after taxes. How much do you all allocate for food, rent, fun, etc.? Is there usually any leftover at the end of each money or do you find that you have to live frugally? Anybody have to take out addition money on top of the stipend to get through each month? I am going to try and get the scholarship regardless but just trying to know what to expect so any insight would be helpful.

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[vellnueve]

Mostly spend it on food, guns, and ammo?

I also had several jobs throughout dental school.

 

[quocstazz]

I got a bit over 2k with tax and I'm in cali. I have a lot left over but it really depends on how you spend it. I mostly cook my meal so I only spend about 120 or so on food per month and rent is 700. So I have over 1k left to do whatever. Christmas season is coming so I've been spending a bit too much on shopping

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[MatthewLeeDDS]

I used (and still do use) Mint.com to budget and track my spending. Luckily being in Oklahoma meant that I was able to save a pretty good amount of that stipend each month which allowed me to pay cash for my part of my wedding last year as well as the engagement ring and honeymoon.

It depends a lot on where you live. Hunt relentlessly for inexpensive housing and don't be too good to shop at cheaper places for food and make your own lunches. Watch your electricity and other utility usage and force yourself to save a certain amount each month so you don't overspend the rest.

 

[chill45]

Anybody else have anything to add to this post? I figured since people are starting to get offered this scholarship it would help them (hopefully me soon) get a sense of how to allocate the stipend.

 

[CougarDental]

I live in LA and I'm married with one kid so mine essentially covers rent and groceries. Nothing extra but fortunately my wife works.

 

[dantemac]

I live on cheap rent and food and the rest is SHOPPING and investing

 

[vellnueve]

i would get some custom instruments like this one http://ebay.to/1WhttSn Hand Beaded Stethoscope..Dbl. Tubed.with Attchments.....hey i get it every month i can splurge on my medical equipment
maybe even an ultra sound scanner like this one http://ebay.to/1FsKmFh
idk about yall but when i go to another country i want to be prepared
....if someone gets shrapnel from a bomb and you need to see right then and there thats perfect
i got some surgical tools too http://ebay.to/1MHMfQW

You'll go straight before the review board if you use eBay instruments...

 

[The Happy Tooth]

I live on cheap rent and food and the rest is SHOPPING and investing

What do you invest in?

 

[USArmyHPSP]

I feel compelled to once again caution public posting of how you use your stipend. I know that you were told by the recruiters that stipend is a living expense to be used however you choose. In reality, it is a scholarship benefit, whose INTENT is to defray educational expenses that are not otherwise covered by the scholarship – computers and Kaplan Review courses come to mind. If at some belt tightening point in the future, the question is asked how come HPSP students have so much that they are able to drive a new car while in graduate school, the powers that be can reduce the amount you get.

Why am I telling you all this now? On 15 September there was a Directive signed by the Secretary of the Army that in a nutshell says, we’re spending too much on incentive programs and must justify their existence annually. I would hate for someone to do a simple Google search and come across a thread that states stipend is so robust that it can be used for things other than it’s intended expenditure.

Congress giveth and Congress can taketh away. I recommend that everyone let this thread die a natural death…