Husband at work earning money, wife at home with babies spending money

moneypanicker

I used to say i needed something to get out of the house! It is so easy when you have a baby to think you need everything - you don't it just takes a while to programme your brain.

I used to go to boots because i needed a new thermometer / nasal secretion sucker thing / new spoons anything really id convince myself that they were essential.

I found i spent a lot more money being off work than when i was on work. You just need to establish how much you can afford for "bits and bobs" spending because when you are at home with the kids it happens a lot.

KingElvis

Just wait until they get older, mine cost $$$$$$$s and I'm fairly strict.

treetrunks

Congrats on twins, myself and partner have managed in a similar situation by taking out a food budget at the start of a month in cash. We put aside £200 in cash and that is used for food for both of us and baby, also includes nappies wipes etc. We manage fine on that, it helps us both stick to the budget and also reduces the amount of take aways etc we are tempted by.

runninglea

Hi Thank you - do you manage on £200 per month - if so how? What with nappies , milk etc

sammy115

What did your wife do before she stayed at home with the twins...if she had a demanding job she may find it a total shock being at home....I did!

I would also look at trying to organise your shopping a bit better so that you aren't constantly running out of things...(easier said than done) but it may be hard for her to do a full shop with two so maybe have a budget and do it online to stop temptation.

good luck and you aren't boring us....

supa-girl

Hi

I am a sahm and we have 5 children, so balancing the books is not always easy. There came a point at which we had no money, didn't know where the hell it was going and had to sit down and analyse our bank statements. We were both guilty of wasting it on the "little" things - DH would grab a coffee and breakfast bun in the canteen at work of a morning and I would meet my friends maybe twice a week in the coffee shop spending upto a tenner a time :eek: Add to that the magazines, beer/wine at home, after work drinks for DH........we were spending almost £200 a month on this stuff!!!

Now we have a budget for the weekly shop, and we try to keep some of it back (maybe a tenner or so) for the things we have forgotten. We also work out what expense we have at the start of the month then work out a weekly "leisure" budget for each of us to spend on our "stuff" - this week it was £8 a week each. It does make you much more careful about where that £8 goes......for example I can't remember the last time DH had a breakfast bun (he has lost almost half a stone too! ) and I tend to have my friends here for coffee and bake a few cakes instead of heading to starbucks........

Perhaps your wife and you need to sit down and do the same. If you approach it that you are looing at the spending habits of both of you and that you are willing to help her with the meal planning and budget for the food shop, she will probably be less defensive than if you sit down and say "right, lets talk about how much of my hard earned money you are spending......" I'm sure you wouldn't say that exactly, but hopefully you can see where I am coming from.

Being at home and being financially dependednt on your DH is VERY hard, especially if you are used to being independent. That said, you have to make the budget work, so you do need to address this with her.

Good luck!

SG