How much do you live on per month?

£2coinsaver

I leave all the bills etc for my o/h to sort out and we are always in our overdraft at the moment due to only one of us working. However apart from our mortgage this is our only debt. I can tell you though that we spend between £20-£40 a week on our shopping each week for two of us, plus about £40 every few months stocking up at a wholesale place for lentils, dried fruits, etc and probably about £10 a week at a good quality butchers. So our weekly shop probably costs about £50 at the very most. I think the people spending a huge amount on shopping should scan in their receipts and post them so us cost cutters can see where they are going wrong! My sister-in-law was spending a fortune on shopping each week and when I looked at her receipt there was about £30 spent on biscuits, chocolate desserts, and those tubs of mini treats!
I also spend approx £30-£40 a month on cat food for 2 cats (they have a good quality food with a high meat content which is also not tested on animals so I am limited in what food I buy) plus my 2 rabbits probably cost me about £10 a month for hay and food. Not sure if the pet food bit is really relevant but thought I'd share!
Other spending wise I go dancing three times a week which is £14 and other than that I don't really spend that much.

staircase2

For making do on a tight budget check out the TV series 'Economy Gastronomy' - marvellous program dedicated to exactly this idea (to reduce food shop costs while increasing the quality of food by cooking quality home-made food)

top tip for cheap pasta: (Ive found its no different from the more expensive Tescos brands) is Tescos Value range - 20p !! per 500G pack for Penne and 28p (I think) for the value spaghetti

hoorah!

Also top tip No2: always buy your vegetables & fruit loose rather than pre-packaged - works out WAY cheaper (I have no idea how supermarkets in particular can justify doubling the price of something simply for putting it in a plastic bag!) (this is far more environmentally friendly too)

3) grow your own herbs - WAY cheaper than shop bought and more fun.

4) Dont be afraid to splash out a little more on certain things which are quality food stuffs - it will make a difference to how well you are eating and looking after yourself.

Top tip no5: Buy larger 'bath foam' versions of the shower gel you use - almost three times the amount for only a little more money than the shower gel would be

6) it pays to shop around - I found this online - selling clearance food very cheaply approvedfood.co.uk
hoorah!

ps keep tabs on your money youre spending is a very good way to figure out how you can control it

Good luck all )

Name:_Lee

I live off about £450 per month - food, drink and small purchases e.g. clothes.

I also put away £400 per month for overseas holidays, visits to family and football, and for xmas and birthday gifts.

DogsBody

Billy-no-Money wrote: »

...
As for smelly people - I've encountered far more in Morrison's than anywhere else. There's one old man who wears a dirty old coat, odd wellies and smells strongly of stale urine. I followed him out once - he drives an almost-new Honda.
....

hehehe, this could be me coming out of Lidls (except I'll be on my way to the bus stop) -dirty old coat, hair all over, wellies, often slightly pee-scented, but in my defence I'm on my way home from work and the pee belongs to my inmates (Honest:p). The lovely (fragrant) staff don't mind me, but they ARE very fast on the checkouts!

Statement of Affairs and Personal Balance Sheet

Household Information
Number of adults in household........... 2
Number of children in household......... 0
Number of cars owned.................... 0

Monthly Income Details
Monthly income after tax................ 370
Partners monthly income after tax....... 0
Benefits................................ 78 (council tax)
Other income............................ 0
Total monthly income.................... 448

Monthly Expense Details
Council tax............................. 78
Electricity............................. 35
Water rates............................. 10
Telephone (land line)................... 15
Mobile phone............................ 2
Internet Services....................... 13.5
Groceries etc. ......................... 35
Other travel............................ 86
Pet insurance/vet bills................. 35
Buildings insurance..................... 12
Contents insurance...................... 11
dog food................................ 15
coal.................................... 80
Total monthly expenses.................. 427.5


Assets
House value (Gross)..................... 25000 (house could reasonably be described as a 'derelict shack', but is owned outright)
Total Assets............................ 25000[/b]

No Secured nor Hire Purchase Debts

Unsecured Debts
Description....................Debt......Monthly...APR
HSBC cc........................475.......15........16.9
Total unsecured debts..........475.......15........-


Monthly Budget Summary
Total monthly income.................... 448
Expenses (including HP & secured debts). 427.5
Available for debt repayments........... 20.5
Monthly UNsecured debt repayments....... 15
Amount left after debt repayments....... 5.5

Personal Balance Sheet Summary
Total assets (things you own)........... 25,000
Total HP & Secured debt................. -0
Total Unsecured debt.................... -475
Net Assets.............................. 24,525

Created using the SOA calculator at https://www.makesenseofcards.com.
Reproduced on Moneysavingexpert with permission, using Firefox browser.


Did one of these for interest (have taken out everything that is zero for space)
I am happy - I gave up a well paid job to do what I'm doing now (savings from well paid job purchased the house), but our lad struggles with having no spare money - our shopping is so high because he has to have his beer/cheese/squash/stuff that I would not bother with

Fortunately my surviving dogs have cast iron stomachs and don't mind cheap food;)

Missus_Aka

I spend about £135 for me,dh and ds3. Sometimes if it is just me and DS i spend about £90 and we eat really really well. To be honest i could do it for a lot less if i had to...i have a major addiction to cocacola. The things that help me are:

1. Asd@ and te$co price checks. Its strange but i compare the two on mysupermarket and if asd@ is the same price or more then te$co i buy it asda and take advantage of their 10% cheaper deal (though make sure its more than 8 items and comparable) or if its cheaper at asd@s then te$co i buy it at te$co and take advantage of their double the difference back offer.
2. I dont buy fruit and veg from the supermarket i always buy from my local turkish shop for example cucumbers are 89p @ te$cos at my local turkish shop they are 39p and fresher
3. I hardly ever buy meat or chicken from the supermarket for example chicken is £2 @ te$cos for 2 fillets of breast chicken which normally have a lot of fat and are quite small, at my turkish butcher for the same price i get 2 huge breasts enough to make a dinner and leftover lunch the next day
4. I always alternate cheap meals with more premium ones, one day we will have bulgur wheat with salad and pitta bread (£1.50=3 portions) then we may have a prawn stirfry (£6.00=6portions) i meal plan for the month ahead and buy everything i need thats frozen/ will keep online and then do top up shops every week WITH A SHOPPING LIST
5. If you can manage it go to supermarkets late they normally have huge reductions
6. If you have a home b@rgains store near to visit it they are cheaper on canned goods/packets/cleaners/drinks then supermarkets
7. Get a reward card from the supermarkets they often have money off vouchers or extra points to earn more money
8. If you have the resources stock up on bargains when you see a good deal it will save a lot of money in the long run

On my budget i still have extra food in the freezer cupboards that wont get used this month, this normally helps if you have an unexpected tight month. (i pretty much have at least enough food to last me a month)

On savings i have a change jar which instead of spending it on the odd tea/ drink, crisps etc i put it in the jar i have £90 already this year. This is in addition to my normal keeping a little aside.

Sorry for the long post....thought it may help, these tips have helped me clear a £2500 payday loan debt in 3 months (as well as some other money making tips but i dont want to make this post any longer then it is) so i hope it will do the same for some of you as well

sutters

Hi - I am new today to these forums although I have been reading them for some time. What a great community they are. We are a family of 5 (3 children 6, 11 and 12) and spend about £400 a month on the grocery bill which I thought was ok actually. I make pack lunches out of this money and the oldest child is always hungry! Still I think I need to read more money saving food ideas as in today's economy, everything is going up and our income has gone down in the last few months. We are lucky to be debt free but are now eating into our savings. We are not high flyers, do not go on flashy holidays, buy designer clothes etc but have managed to save previously for this lean time. Having bit of panic now and intending to change my job but had one scary interview already!:)

goodgirl80

Lucy1010 wrote: »

Ahhh but that is sad to cut yourself off from people. This is why I asked the question recently "Are people happy?"

Hi, just reading through the posts and thought why is it sad to cut yourself off from people- I don't socialise - I am p***ed off when I am 'forced' to! :rotfl:

tightwadmum

:rotfl:hi, I am a single mum of one, with 1 dog, 4 cats a rabbit and a guinea pig. I work part time and am a carer for a relative, we have Approx £600 for everything, although we get housing benefit. I have no credit card, and we try to keep the weekly food bill below £30. We take sun holidays, use clubcard vouchers for days out and buy value items and reduced goods pretty much all the time, get clothes from charity shops and ebay and slowly (very slowly) trying to reduce my debts but it's hard work. I don't drive, smoke roll ups and just don't go out. It can be done.

sutters

Name:_Lee wrote: »

I live off about £450 per month - food, drink and small purchases e.g. clothes.

I also put away £400 per month for overseas holidays, visits to family and football, and for xmas and birthday gifts.

Good for you saving your money for the things that matter ie family and social stuff. I take it you are a single bloke so enjoy it while you can and save for the future!

clippy_girl

i spend £70 per month on food shopping inc all cleaning and all toiletries (except make up)

i do a big monthly shop and batch cook on pay weekend. make homemade soup as well for lunch. my friends call me freezer queen as i freeze everything! i find it quite easy to live on that and i eat meat every day and eat bananas, apples, oranges and yoghurts fresh everyday. i managed to get some cheap meat when i went before closing which i am using butusually stick to budget even when buying full priced. i dont bother comparing supermarkets or going lidl, aldi etc... i just do it all in either asda or morrisons (asda def cheaper but morrisons on way home!)

i allow myself £80 for petrol and budget £24 for xmas and some birthdays. also budget £20 per month for hair cut.

i give myself £40 a week in cash to spend on entertainment, snacks, clothes, make up, going out, cinema etc....

can usually keep to this but this month spent £400 on two weekends away :eek::o