Newbie needing advice!

spend_less

We are removing the fitted wardrobes in our spare room this weekend so will have a dig through the clothes.

It has happened that it's really good friends getting married and we have said Yes to all the 'dos'. It has been a fantastic time but very expensive. I just had one night out for my hen do a couple of years ago, as it was more important to me to have everyone there than to have a flashy party. I was a total budget bride!

We pay our contents and buildings ins in one payment, which I didn't make clear on the SOA, sorry.

We have only had the van about 2 months so would not qualify and don't have any money to buy a newer car. It would be awful to scrap it too, its only done 80,000 miles so has loads of life left in it. He only drives 2 weeks out of 4 so it's sat there a lot. It's a 1.8 diesel and it's only a small Escort so v.economical and doesn't appear to need any work doing on it. Beats the £200 a month I paid on a loan, against a car that was depreciating faster than this.

Ames

I wrote a reply but it seems to have disappeared.

Most people on here budget £10 a month for clothes, £30 is condidered extravagent.

Food, I have to have ready prepared stuff because of a disability and I spend £120, and it costs less than double for two people to eat than one. If you batch cook from scratch and freeze portions then you can get the cost right down.

spend_less

misspoppy wrote: »

Hi

Many people on this board live on next to nothing to throw everything at their debts. You are in a situation where you don't need to live the same, I don't think £300 on food is a lot myself and my BF spend that but like you we can afford to as we don't have any debt. The same with the clothes. I think what you need to do is look at where the money is being spent that you can't account for.

I use this board for inspiration and to remind myself that it all adds up and it doesn't hurt to take the advice from the many experts on here regarding budgeting.

I have paid off my student debts as I'm 32 now and am done with spending what I don't have TBH. We have spent a fair whack of our savings and I can see them dwindling away, so want to get a reign in on things before it gets out of hand. The pay cut has been a shock and we need to adjust properly. I have always been good with money so it should be OK, just looking for a shove in the right direction.

Thanks for the reply. I'm loving reading all the good advice on here.

david_hellier

Hi,

According to my calcs you have £378.71 per week to spend on food or anything else, or £189.35 each. I suggest you each have a spending diary and write £189 in each on a Monday and deduct as you spend through the week. You will need to agree how to pay for food. If you have any over at the end of the week, put it into a savings account for emergencies, holidays etc.

spend_less

Ames wrote: »

I wrote a reply but it seems to have disappeared.

Most people on here budget £10 a month for clothes, £30 is condidered extravagent.

Food, I have to have ready prepared stuff because of a disability and I spend £120, and it costs less than double for two people to eat than one. If you batch cook from scratch and freeze portions then you can get the cost right down.

I bought a suit for a job interview the other day that was £55 in Next and I thought that was cheap. My husband needed new work shoes so I went to Burtons and got some for £35. I cannot see what clothes you could buy for £10 a month if you both need decent clothes for work? What can you buy for £10?

I do shop in Primark but a lot of their stuff is poor quality, like the tshirts which are £2 but don't wash well at all, so I get mine in M&S for £4 and wear them loads. Their work trousers are nice but I'm a 34" leg so there's no chance of any bottoms fitting in there! Next and M&S seem to be the main places that do trousers this long.

Ames

You don't need to buy clothes every month though, so you save it up for when you really need things.

Ames

And for a tenner, you can buy a monsoon dress on ebay and still have change, or a few tops from a charity shop which originally came from an expensive shop.

misspoppy

Ames wrote: »

You don't need to buy clothes every month though, so you save it up for when you really need things.

I don't understand why the op and her husband can't buy clothes every month, they have the spare money and no debts, they don't need to save up for it.

Ames

She was asking how people manage with a £10 clothes budget, and I was explaining. If she has a surplus and no debts then fine, they can spend what they want on anything they want, but if she's posting on here then she's concerned about her finances, and was asking for ways of cutting back.

wheretheresawill

Try a spending diary, I was frittering away £40 a month on coffee on way to work, £30 on magazines and newspapers, £15 on sweets, paying the odd pound here & there to park the car, buying OTC medicines say at £3 a go .......it all adds up, its the little things that I found I wasn't budgeting for and emergencies or one off payments for things like McAfee internet protection which although not every month still needs paying for 1 month of the year or things like pet vaccinations once a year