<prompt> Human: Hey PF, I need some advice.Im 22 years old and last august I bought a condo. It was 168k, 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom. I put an inherited 32k down.Now I have a mortgage of 1040, with an association fee of 120 each month and 240 quarterly. At first everything was fine and dandy, now Im here about 10 months into it and my savings are gone, and I feel im living paycheck to paycheck. If anything were to happen, AC or heater break, Im screwed. I feel a bit overwhelmed.heres my breakdown of expenses.___On track to make 56k this year. I have a 401k plan at work and contribute 8 per paycheck. I get 2 paychecks and 1 bonus each month.Take home Income: 3000-4000 ranges due to sales related position Rent income: 500 my friend lives with meMortgage: 1040association fee: 120 per month, 241 every 3 monthsCar payment: 315car insurance: 100Gas: 175Internetcable: 125Electric: We are working on reducing this! 192 last month :Gym: 50netflixspotify: 20groceries: vary, but tracking 200 this monthNow, this isnt including entertainment or spending. Which this month I totally went over. Its my first month using Mint.com and I feel stressed because Im messing up. I tend to overspend. So far in june ive dropped 466 on shopping, 158 restaurants, 78 movies, 26 misc...I cut back by getting a new car. I lowered my payment by about 18 but doubled my MPG. I previously was spending 400-600 on gas! Also adjusted the rent for my buddy, starting next month we will be splitting utilities and keeping the 500 flat. That should help as well.I see everyone has an emergency fund of around 3 months minimum. I feel so behind! Suggestions on breaking bad spending habits? or ideas on what to do? I think im in a transitional period since Ive made some move to cut back, new car, rent structure change, etc. Should I just keep trying to do better? or am I doing something wrong here!  <response>: You need to be more responsible with where your money is going. You have 4,000 in income every month 3,500 from work, 500 from renter, but list way less in monthly expenses:- Mortgage - 1,040- HOA fees - 200 adding the quarterly into monthly here- Car - 315- Car insurance - 100- Gas - 175- Cable - 125- Electricity - 192 though probably high, since its summer- Gym - 50- NetflixSpotify - 20- Groceries - 200Thats only 2,335 in expenses! You can cut back Offhand, the utility deal with your roommate is a good start. Also you can probably scale back your cable bill, but really its not that unreasonable. Your biggest issue is far and away your additional spending. If you can cut down your discretionary expenses shopping, restaurants, movies, etc. to closer to 500month total, youll actually be in great shape. You will have over 1,000 extra per month.Youre not in a pickle. Your required monthly expenses are still manageable. You just need more discipline in other areas.Edit: Since excess shopping appears to be a major issue here, a tip Ive mentioned elsewhere is likely appropriate for you. If its an issue with impulse control, a good tactic when you have a non-necessary purchase to make is to stop and wait a week. If you still want it a week later, buy it then. Youll find yourself spending a lot less. 