How much do you live on per month?

HappyMJ

Lucy1010 wrote: »

Hi Ladies & Gents

I have been reading this forum for a while now and it has been a great help to me.

Would you kind people tell me how much you have left to live on per month after you have paid the mortgage/rent, all domestic bills, debts and petrol/travelling expenses? ie how much do you leave for food and general living per month? I just want to compare it with what I budget for.

Thank you

If I paid what is due on the mortgage and other unsecured debts then I would have a negative amount to live on each month. I have to use credit cards to buy essentials and I try not to spend more than about £100 per week.

ellesbellesxxx

Hi there,
I would go through all your direct debits and work out if you could save money by switching tariffs. Go via quidco and get cashback.
I know you feel like you can't give up cigarettes but add up what you spend on those and you might be inspired. There is a lot of help around rightnow to give up smoking too. I am a vegan at the mo due to various factors and I spend the least amount of money I ever have on food... although I have vices - Waitrose Olive bar being one! I am feeling the healthiest I have ever felt - quorn vege mince is virtually fat free and only a max of 2 pounds for a bag. You could make a batch of chilli for less than a fiver (Carrots, peppers, kidney beans, tomatoes, chickpeas) - this lasts me a week! Get some pittas/rice and you are set up nicely.
Good luck

kittypimms

Oooh, in a month the budgets are -
Fuel £120 (usually comes in at £100 - £110)
Food (single me!) - £40
Food - Dogs x 2 - £20 (this month way higher due to bulk buying on a special offer, but now stoicked up for 3mths)
Ciggies - I share your vice! Was £90/ month, down to £60 this month - hoping to cut down to £40 next and so on.
Contingency - £50 - this was a new vacuum last month, vet bills and Driving licence renewal this month, plus lunch out today and I paid for parking 2 weeks ago out of this. Try not to spend this at all - but these things crop up...

So monthly budget of £290.

I'm vegetarian, so don't have to pay for meat. All meals are cooked from scratch, and I batch cook at weekends and freeze. A big pan of soup will last 4 days, or a cottage pie or nut roast, plus some veggies. I bulk out with lentils and take couscous or pasta to work each day.

It's really difficult to get strict on the "little" spends, I aim for NSD's, and instead of going near shops go out with the dogs or something as a distraction.

Hoping to be able to spend less of the contingency next month - vet fees permitting..

harry7075

We spend a stupid amount at the supermarket (2 Adults and 4 kids, although one is a 17 year old hoover)

We have got into debt and in all seriousness we shouldn't be, a good income coming into the house each month over 3k. However the old saying is correct what you earn you spend. After all the debts. mortgage and utilities are paid off we have about £1.5k left a month, yet we are still over drawn. My fault as I never checked bank statements or balances at the ATM. Had the theory of why spoil my day by looking lol.

In the past we could quite easily spend £200 a week at Asda/Tesco etc. Most would end up binned or in the dogs bowl. We've made a budget plan for food and are going to stick to it and firstly get the overdraft sorted then tackle the cards. We have more debt then some on here and less than others. Time to scrimp! Good job my Mum is Scottish lol ready tips.

HappyMJ

harry7075 wrote: »

We spend a stupid amount at the supermarket (2 Adults and 4 kids, although one is a 17 year old hoover)

We have got into debt and in all seriousness we shouldn't be, a good income coming into the house each month over 3k. However the old saying is correct what you earn you spend. After all the debts. mortgage and utilities are paid off we have about £1.5k left a month, yet we are still over drawn. My fault as I never checked bank statements or balances at the ATM. Had the theory of why spoil my day by looking lol.

In the past we could quite easily spend £200 a week at Asda/Tesco etc. Most would end up binned or in the dogs bowl. We've made a budget plan for food and are going to stick to it and firstly get the overdraft sorted then tackle the cards. We have more debt then some on here and less than others. Time to scrimp! Good job my Mum is Scottish lol ready tips.

Am I the only one who thinks that £200 per week for 6 people a dog and all the household necessities only being about £30 per person and £20 for the dog per week aint that bad?

joeblack066

Those of us who are smokers should really roll our own! I have done for 9 years, 1 50gram pouch for about £12 can aldt me 3 and sometimes 4 weeks. Even with filters and papers its less than £15 a month. Would cost me at least £82/£90 a month if I smoked ordinary ones! :-)

Gandalfthegrey

determined_new_ms wrote: »

ok suggestions are

1. shop at the discount shops - I shop at Lidl & Aldi (I used to have a Nettos in our town but it recently closed ) then do top up shopping at Asda - go at the times when they discount foods (there's a thread in the os board about this :T)

2. whenever I cook something "wet" curry/spag/chilli/sweet & sour etc I add red lentils & whatever veg is on offer to bulk it out

3. try to have 1 or 2 meat free days a week (spanish omlette or jacket pots & tuna/salad/baked beans & cheese )

4. work out which basic stuff is ok & use it - pasta/rice/some cleaning products/some biscuits/tinned toms again there is a whole thread on what basics are ok where

5. meal plan and work out weekly menu based on what you have

6. make your own cakes for snacks during the week while the oven is on cooking something else - cheap, cheerful and at no extra energy costs

7. spend some time on the os board really is fantastic :money:

8. buy a slightly bigger chicken & roast and then make 1 or 2 additional meals out of the leftovers

9. invest in a slow cooker you can then get cheaper cuts of meat and slow cook - again some delish recipes on the os board

it took some time to get there, I have to do it on my own if my oh comes with me I'm bgugered! I also buy a sack of spuds from a farm for £3.50, store in the garage & that lasts 3 months & use star drops for cleaning. hths x

Whenever I buy spuds from supermarket, they dont even last a week without sprouting alien-type things from them. What am I doing wrong? What is the best way to store potatoes so they dont sprout or go green, or go sweaty?

The_Matelot

joeblack066 wrote: »

Those of us who are smokers should really roll our own! I have done for 9 years, 1 50gram pouch for about £12 can aldt me 3 and sometimes 4 weeks. Even with filters and papers its less than £15 a month. Would cost me at least £82/£90 a month if I smoked ordinary ones! :-)

Exactly what i did before i quit. God i miss em.......

harry7075

HappyMJ wrote: »

Am I the only one who thinks that £200 per week for 6 people a dog and all the household necessities only being about £30 per person and £20 for the dog per week aint that bad?

It probably isn't in actual fact and with out trawling through, unopened, bank statement I would only say it's an estimated amount. Just know we need to work out a workable budget and stick to it. :eek:

YORKSHIRELASS

I like these kinds of threads, probably because I am quite nosy. We are a family of four and I budget £350 a month for food, clothes, entertainment, kids activities etc. Food comes in at about £250 so that leaves me with £100. I would rather not spend this though, my mantra at the moment is "I WILL NOT BUY ANYTHING THAT IS NOT ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL".

For anyone who has not faced their financial demons, do it now. After a bit of practice I can manage a very tight budget quite well, the debts are slowly going down and I am happier than I have been in years. I have discovered that the kids dont need endless treats and expensive days out in the holidays and buying "stuff" is not the way to make your life better.