How much do you live on per month?

lauzellen

:T Cyril

I've got to go do a food shop today so lets see how well I do Do have a few household items I need to buy today so prob going to be a bigger one.

Cyril

Good luck and remember to let us know how you do.

Do you have a Wilkinsons close because i've just learnt that their household items are so much cheaper the a supermarket. I wish I'd found them ages ago.

SHELLSHOCK

Hi all,

I've been reading through this post and found it all very inspiring, interesting and sometimes amusing!

We've just started on the DMP road and are finally trying to work to a budget rather than going mad when pay day arrives and having lots of treats! I sometimes wish we got paid weekly!

I had all good intentions and had worked out approximately how much we had left over for food/petrol/spends and had divided it by 4.33 to get our weekly total and I was going to withdraw the amount each week......... that was until some idiot took my husbands wing mirror off the car and my son told me his school shoes were too small........ How does everyone else amnage to stick to the budget? It just feels like I was all sorted out and was in the right frame of mind but now we have all these unexpected expenses and all the money is going to be gone!

Some of the posts from thrifty shoppers are great but everytime I go to the supermarket at 3.45pm on a Sunday I end up buying reduced donuts and flowers - not exactly essentials!!

I do shop in Lidl/Aldi but I don't drive so my husband has to come with me. Bad move! He goes round putting lots of biscuits, sweets etc in the trolley and I end up with lots of stuff that I wouldn't buy if I was doing my shop in Asda!

Does anyone else have the problem of "Ohhh thats cheap, I'll have that" when its something they wouldn't usually buy!!

lauzellen

Cyril wrote: »

Good luck and remember to let us know how you do.

Do you have a Wilkinsons close because i've just learnt that their household items are so much cheaper the a supermarket. I wish I'd found them ages ago.

Wilinsons is in town 25 mins drive away and requires paying for parking so not so cheap once thats factored in for me unfortunately. Maybe I will stock up next time I go to town tho

lauzellen

SHELLSHOCK wrote: »

Hi all,

I've been reading through this post and found it all very inspiring, interesting and sometimes amusing!

We've just started on the DMP road and are finally trying to work to a budget rather than going mad when pay day arrives and having lots of treats! I sometimes wish we got paid weekly!

I had all good intentions and had worked out approximately how much we had left over for food/petrol/spends and had divided it by 4.33 to get our weekly total and I was going to withdraw the amount each week......... that was until some idiot took my husbands wing mirror off the car and my son told me his school shoes were too small........ How does everyone else amnage to stick to the budget? It just feels like I was all sorted out and was in the right frame of mind but now we have all these unexpected expenses and all the money is going to be gone!

Some of the posts from thrifty shoppers are great but everytime I go to the supermarket at 3.45pm on a Sunday I end up buying reduced donuts and flowers - not exactly essentials!!

I do shop in Lidl/Aldi but I don't drive so my husband has to come with me. Bad move! He goes round putting lots of biscuits, sweets etc in the trolley and I end up with lots of stuff that I wouldn't buy if I was doing my shop in Asda!

Does anyone else have the problem of "Ohhh thats cheap, I'll have that" when its something they wouldn't usually buy!!

Do you have a budget for clothes/shoes and emergency fund in your SOA? I know it doesn't help now but if you start putting it aside in future it will help remain on track with your budget.

Ban OH from going with you if you have to - i've done that in the past :cool:

I hear you on the doughnuts and flowers lol I very rarely seem to get much at mine either.

Lucy1010

Daydreamer2011 wrote: »

After bills, rent, debt and everything I am left with a grant total of £68 per month to spend on me. This covers any clothes or treats I want to get myself, if I want to go to an exercise class, extra petrol if we go for a day trip, eating out / take aways, drinks in pub or anything that counts as 'non-essential'

Sounds like a little to have left over to some people but as long as I have enough petrol in my car, food in cupboards and I'm finally making progress on my credit card, I'm grateful for anything! So £68 to me is a lot lol

I just don't know how you do it! I just couldn't manage

Cyril

SHELLSHOCK wrote: »

Hi all,

I've been reading through this post and found it all very inspiring, interesting and sometimes amusing!

We've just started on the DMP road and are finally trying to work to a budget rather than going mad when pay day arrives and having lots of treats! I sometimes wish we got paid weekly!

I had all good intentions and had worked out approximately how much we had left over for food/petrol/spends and had divided it by 4.33 to get our weekly total and I was going to withdraw the amount each week......... that was until some idiot took my husbands wing mirror off the car and my son told me his school shoes were too small........ How does everyone else amnage to stick to the budget? It just feels like I was all sorted out and was in the right frame of mind but now we have all these unexpected expenses and all the money is going to be gone!

Some of the posts from thrifty shoppers are great but everytime I go to the supermarket at 3.45pm on a Sunday I end up buying reduced donuts and flowers - not exactly essentials!!

I do shop in Lidl/Aldi but I don't drive so my husband has to come with me. Bad move! He goes round putting lots of biscuits, sweets etc in the trolley and I end up with lots of stuff that I wouldn't buy if I was doing my shop in Asda!

Does anyone else have the problem of "Ohhh thats cheap, I'll have that" when its something they wouldn't usually buy!!

What you could do with the unexpecteds is when you take out your normal budget amounts eg £50 for food if there is any left at all even if its a £1 put it in a leftovers jar. At some point there will be something in there even if its just to put towards emergencies.

Cyril

I buy flowers etc and magazines are another to throw my budget out but you have to have some treats.

I am lucky in that I don't budget because I am strapped for cash but more to give me a structure so I don't waste loads and wake up in a few years regretting how much I spent on rubbish.

I don't want to wake up when I'm retired and be one of these poor soles who you see at the checkout with a frozen chicken, half dozen eggs, loaf and a pint of milk and know they have to make it last a week.

Budgeting can be good fun and a challenge but if I had to micro manage I could see me quite depressed over the long term so i really respect those that have to.

tessie_bear

hi...i feel your pain over the school shoes....my kids school shoes cost £110 for 2 pairs last august...iv decidied to save a couple of £ a week to soften the blow next august ....unless i spend it before

ps i love this thread...very inspiring

lauzellen

I've had to micro manage in the past but not to the levels of some people on this thread and have no desire to go back there! I too budget so I am not wasting loads of money and to save for my and my DD's future.

I really respect, admire and am in awe of people who manage on so little