This is one area of my life where I've exercised financial restraint.  I refuse to borrow for my surgeries - absolutely refuse to.  While I do fairly well right now salarywise, I am all too aware that once I come out at work and transition, my job will be far less secure.  Lose that and I'd be screwed with a mountain of additional debt; it's far harder to find work as a transgender woman than it is as a regular guy.

Saving all the way, although since I'm not planning on SRS (or at least not hardcore SRS - orchi will happen at some point, maybe even "cosmetic" SRS) or buying much more than a $1,000 wardrobe of jeans, t-shirts, shoes and a dress or two, it makes it a little easier to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

While I'd jump onto the operating table tomorrow for SRS, FFS, and bigger boobs if I could afford it, I can't justify going into huge amounts of debt for this when I look at all the factors.

Of course, were my dysphoria far greater, I might have a different answer.  But I'm on HRT and that solves half of my mental problems with being born a guy, and it's cheap.  The other half can wait - there's no rush.

Quote from: PPatrice on December 23, 2014, 08:05:26 AM
I worked very hard, and saved my money for 2 transition-related surgeries.  When I came up a $1,000 or so short (i.e., for the time-table I had set) for the second surgery, my fiance loaned me the money which I repaid promptly when I returned to work, status-post GRS.

I'm thinking that's likely why I'm a rather cool towards the notion/prospect of tax-payer funding for any sort of tg/ts related surgery.  Public funding for contra-gender hormone therapy &/or other medications, I can accept.

This I find a rather odd  - even spiteful - attitude.  "I had to pay, so everyone else is going to suffer and pay too."  There's far too many people who simply can't afford these essential surgeries (and I think it's probably the vast majority of trans people, particularly those with severe dysphoria and who might therefore struggle with stable employment), and who will never be able to no matter what.  The cost to everyone of including trans-related healthcare is pennies per year - it's not as if once trans-related care is covered, every guy in the country will be scrambling to get SRS.  You'd seriously hope that trans people are never covered for surgery because you personally were unlucky enough to be born in an age where healthcare hadn't evolved that far?

Sounds like something like my bitter old grandmother would say.

I'm saving, and I'm doing everything in stages. First, I had Partial FFS ( forehead type 3, scalp advancement, rhinoplasty, cheek lift). Second, additional FFS (lip lift, tracheal shave), breast augmentation, and liposuction. And in a couple of months I'm having butt implants, liposuction & fat grafting to my hips.  SRS will be the final stage in my transition, but I'm still considering whether to have it, or not.

I've been very fortunate in a lot of ways.  It still feels like a tightrope walk between two skyscrapers with no safety net.

I've worked really hard and have been willing to live with SUCH SCARILY SMALL amounts of money to my name after paying for transition-related things.  It's always a leap of faith to hand over all of the money you have in the world.

But unlike most people my age in the US, I don't have to deal with any student debt.  I was lucky enough to get a full scholarship to the college I attended. 

During the first two years of my transition I was working at a second hand clothing shop that would also buy clothing from the public.  I had first pick of everything, the prices were super low, I got a discount on top of that, and I could sell my old clothes back to them and get 60% of their value in store credit.  Parting ways with them was recent, so the cost of my entire current wardrobe was nearly negligible.

I'm also fortunate in that people have consistently wanted to be very generous to me.  My boyfriend is lending me the full amount of my next surgery, for me to pay back "at some point" in the future.  I live with him rent-free and he pays for all of the groceries and bills. I also have an arrangement with another man who is willing to give me cash gifts of large sums of money on a fairly regular basis. 

People tend to want to buy things for me.  I let them.  This allows me maintain a certain lifestyle without spending my own money.  I don't have to pay for car insurance, gas, or huge public transit fees because I live in an area that allows me to ride my bike almost everywhere I go.  The bike was given to me.  I know a mechanic who does my maintenance work for free.

So it's a mixture of practicality, luck, faith, work, and being crazy.  Everything I've done has been do or die status (as far as procedures go, I've skipped everything that wasn't *vital* to my survival), so it's not like I have a choice about the being crazy part.

Quote from: missymay on December 23, 2014, 05:43:26 PM
I'm saving, and I'm doing everything in stages. First, I had Partial FFS ( forehead type 3, scalp advancement, rhinoplasty, cheek lift). Second, additional FFS (lip lift, tracheal shave), breast augmentation, and liposuction. And in a couple of months I'm having butt implants, liposuction & fat grafting to my hips.  SRS will be the final stage in my transition, but I'm still considering whether to have it, or not.

Your list priorities,seems u choose so wisely.
P.S.Anybody knows the charges of voice operation in USA??Not that its available in my country but hope like breast augmentation china will introduce some low budget package soon

I'm from one of those dreaded socialist Scandinavian countries (although some people argue Finland is not actually Scandinavian but I don't care since politically we're all the same bunch), so everything is covered by public health care. I am paying very small fees for specialized doctors and about 50% of the cost of medication now that I'm actually employed. But when I was unemployed, even those were fully covered. Voice therapy, name change and face laser are all covered 100% regardless.

Other than that, like clothes and the like I'm just replacing as they naturally degrade. I'm just replacing old clothes with more feminine ones (although not overly so as I am quite butch) so my running costs haven't increased except maybe for moisturising lotions. But those are pretty negligible increases. I don't know if I need or want to get my surgery abroad, so that wouldn't obviously be covered here. I'd obviously need a longer working stint than the six months I'm on now, but if that were to happen, I'd probably just save a year or so for it. I tend to be unable to spend money after upgrading my computer, so I have savings even from my fairly meagre earnings.

Finland, here I come...

For me it's going to be saving, saving, saving while working a job that I hate the hell out of, but pays well enough. I just squeezed out a mortgage putting as little money up front as possible, in order not to dip to far into my gcs fund. Yes, it was actually my mortgage fund at first, but plans change (although being trans is kinda REALLY unusual extenuating circumstances for me; i wouldn't skimp on my mortgage for just anything!). The mortgage will be just fine the way it is for now, I am not overly worried about it.   No more loans for me though. I pay my mortgage & utilities, the rest is dumped straight into savings. Should have enough for gcs within less than a year. Ffs would be nice but I feel it's not vital for me. Maybe later down the road. I'll need a little more electrolysis before that too. Where money things are concerned I've found it's helpful to have smaller, specific goals. Right now all I care about is gcs and that's exactly where my money is. Afterwards I can resume firehosing the ol' mortgage until it's paid off.

I'm thinking, OP, just wondering how you arrived at your 100,000 figure. Is this in USD? Say about $20-25k for gcs, the same-ish for ffs, another $5k give or take for hair removal... hell, if you are old and a little flabby like me you could even get yourself a TT for like what, 8k. I do not drive but I'm thinking a good first car would be not to expensive, nor too cheap.  Clothes depends on how thrifty you are i guess. some of my favorite long skirts and things came from Goodwill . My favorite little brown "date dress" came from there too.  but I also love to buy the latest American Rag stuff from Macy's which is kinda pricey. Makeup has been a huge ongoing money sink for me too  (VIB Rouge, anyone? ;O) but i am cutting back. There are also the everyday girly supplies that you don't think about so much but they add up faster than guy supplies. just curious what else you planned on having done with the 100k if you don't mind my asking?

You know what? It's funny because at one point, i googled the average cost of an mtf transition and i saw somewhere (i think it was somewhere on Susans, actually) that on average an mtf transition costs about $100k. So i decided that i wanted that to be my budget. But then again i went through and predicted how much i think i will need for my surgeries and procedures:

$25,000 - ffs
$100 - corset/body shaper
$25,000 - genitalia surgery
$1000 - clothes, accessories, wigs, ect.
$400 - name change and gender marker change on government and legal docs
$26,000 - my first car
$10,000 - laser hair removal

There. Not the entire $100,000 but it of course never hurts to have a little money left over when it's all said and done. Besides one of those things might cost a bit more than i anticipated.

I do NOT plan on getting hip or breast implants. I do want to train my voice without a coach.

With the little bit of testosterone that's remaining in my system and while I still desire sex, I've given plenty of thought to the idea of running a Clips4Sale online store as a way to help fund my transition.

Quote from: AnnaiyahStarr on December 28, 2014, 09:31:20 AM
You know what? It's funny because at one point, i googled the average cost of an mtf transition and i saw somewhere (i think it was somewhere on Susans, actually) that on average an mtf transition costs about $100k. So i decided that i wanted that to be my budget. But then again i went through and predicted how much i think i will need for my surgeries and procedures:

$25,000 - ffs
$100 - corset/body shaper
$25,000 - genitalia surgery
$1000 - clothes, accessories, wigs, ect.
$400 - name change and gender marker change on government and legal docs
$26,000 - my first car
$10,000 - laser hair removal

There. Not the entire $100,000 but it of course never hurts to have a little money left over when it's all said and done. Besides one of those things might cost a bit more than i anticipated.

I do NOT plan on getting hip or breast implants. I do want to train my voice without a coach.

With the little bit of testosterone that's remaining in my system and while I still desire sex, I've given plenty of thought to the idea of running a Clips4Sale online store as a way to help fund my transition.

well, your first car... i dont know how many people paid 26k usd for their first car, but mine definately didnt cost that much.  you planning on buying everything completely brand new?  my first vehicle was a little pickup truck for 1500$ that ran amazingly till it decided it was lonely and tried to kiss a tree.

id say prioritise, and when your figuring out what your expences will be, find anything and everything that you can cut out.  and think of things in terms of progress.  do i really need to pick up that fast food meal?  itll cost me a (insert clothing item here).

since my income wont increase for a while now.  im preparing myself by cutting out anything from my budget that i dont absolutely need.

25,000 for ffs...   well, after a while on hormones you may not need everything done, or ,might not need anything at all.  looking at some of the pictures on this site and others, there are many many beautifull women who havent had facial surgery done. 

hmmm.     i also dont know your income.  or your normal monthly bills to cover.   create a monthly budget, figure out when your paychecks will be and estimate on a low end the minimum you know you will get paid.
then estimate all of your bills, and budget X ammount for food, however much you feel comfortable with.  for me. im sitting somewhere around 250$/mo budgeted for food.  but at the end of each month, i take the extra from that and put it towards my transition savings.

if you estimate your income at its minimum, and estimate your bills at the maximum.  you figure out the minimum that you actually have leftover, then as you go through the month, cut out anything that you dont need, and try to minimize the expences as much as you can.

im managing to survive working 40/wk at walmart just recovered myself in less than a year from totalling my truck and getting a new vehicle (not covered by insurance).  maxing out my 6k usd deductible.  and losing 2 months worth of pay.  and im now back to being in the black and preparing for transitioning.   if you manage to get a job making anything much higher than minimum wage, your even better off than i am.

Under the Obama care laws, insurance companies cannot refuse grs. They also cannot refuse hrt. They often refuse gfs and "cosmetic" surgeries however. Now it may not be medically necessary for a person to have a vaginaplasty... I certainly intend to, butit is each person's call. Before I have ffs or any other cosmetic surgery, I intend to be on hormones for at least two years. I also intend on having my bottom surgery after the first year of hrt. I just would like to see the changes that the hormones make before I decide I need ffs. Granted hrt cannot change the bony structure, but it can change the soft tissue, such as cartlidge, fat, muscle and skin. I'll be saving the whole way, and if I need work done I'll probably get it piecemeal.

Well, the car isn't *precisely* a transition-related expense. Or rather, it is going to be part of your plan, but it probably isn't included in the $100K figure you saw elsewhere.

(My entire transition including GRS cost about $25K, plus the ongoing maintenance of HRT - but insurance pays for most of that and a menopausal woman would be in the same boat, so I don't really count it myself anymore. Incidentally, laser cost me about $1000; electro can be a lot more expensive, but $10,000 for laser is probably awfully high, which is good news for you.)

I jokingly tell people my plan is to pull a Dog Day Afternoon... But, really, I don't know anything about bank robbery, so I'd get caught before I could actually have my surgery...

$100,000 is about the same figure I came up with when including VFS, FFS, and GRS with my preferred surgeons. Since I barely managed to make $14,000 this year that 100k may as well be a cool million. But. I save anyway. I currently put $50 a week into a savings account... That sloooooowly adds up. I'm trying to talk my doctor into writing me an Rx for chantix, which, when I quit smoking, since my budget includes buying cigarettes I can just shift my cigarette budget into savings too. And I also have a 403(b) retirement plan through my employer, which is growing surprisingly fast. In 2.5 years that will be fully vested, so, although I'll take a HUGE tax hit, I can pull money from that. And maybe I'll at least get one or two surgeries done before I die of old age.

Quote from: AnnaiyahStarr on December 28, 2014, 09:31:20 AM
$25,000 - ffs
$100 - corset/body shaper
$25,000 - genitalia surgery
$1000 - clothes, accessories, wigs, ect.
$400 - name change and gender marker change on government and legal docs
$26,000 - my first car
$10,000 - laser hair removal

Used cars are much cheaper... Just saying... And I think most of us had a used car for our first car... My first car cost $400 and ran well enough for commuting.

$10,000 also seems steep for laser hair removal. Look around for groupons and such. I found a groupon for a place about an hour away that was 6 sessions for $300... The inconveniences of having to drive down there is worth it being that every place local was quoting me $200-$400 per session.

$100 for a corset seems low, unless you're talking some generic non custom fitted off the rack corset. And for body shaping you really want a custom fit. My advice is learn to sew. The materials to make a corset are not expensive. I made three of them for $80... They are however time consuming to make... My fastest time from first cut of fabric to finished product is 50 hours. But, hobbies are cool! And, if you get good you might have CIS lady friends go "oooh... I'll pay you to make one!" I charged a couple of girls $300 that way. It's not a huge boost to the surgery fund, but every little bit helps.