How Much do you ACTUALLY spend???

zenthra

i'm a single guy and spend £140 a month on food. £26 on work sandwiches and £13 on lovefilm so £179 in all. earn £1,130 a month and have £260 spare every month which goes into savings a/c.. no kids, car or debts

virtuallyfree

I am now debt free.
I have always spent a lot of money on myself eg wine, clothes, gigs, restaurants, but i scrimp on bigger things eg i do not have a car, my kids never got driven to school or friends, we holiday with family. Everyones life is different so it hard to compare sometimes, you have to find out what works for you. If your debt is rising, it is not working. I used to have a car but i found this to be a huge expense for no returns, i put the money into paying off my debts and mortgage.
Living a simpler life is cheaper but you can still enjoy good things, it is possible.

Mat_Lock

I am writing everything down from my balance on payday and every transaction through my account. I still can't work out where all my money goes

zenthra

virtuallyfree wrote: »

I am now debt free.
I I used to have a car but i found this to be a huge expense for no returns,

my ole dad used to say as long as you have a car you will never have any money.. and he was so right!

Mat_Lock

zenthra wrote: »

my ole dad used to say as long as you have a car you will never have any money.. and he was so right!

I agree. Didn't have a car for 18 months and since April have bought a car (£1000) and have paid out about £900 in repairs over the last 6 months.

So now I know the answer to my question 2 posts above hahah

:money:

New_and_Improved_Me

Mat_Lock wrote: »

I agree. Didn't have a car for 18 months and since April have bought a car (£1000) and have paid out about £900 in repairs over the last 6 months.

So now I know the answer to my question 2 posts above hahah

Having a CAR can work out cheaper then public transport....

If i did not have the Car i would spend MORE or the same on public transport and waste SO much more time waiting it to take me from point A to B......

I could NOT live without the car...and the convenience it brings....

Mat_Lock

Yeah I tend to ride in the good weather and drive in the bad weather. Not got enough winter clothing to ride to work all the time.

I will also be £150 better off from next payday too as I was paying off a deposit of an ex flatmate in the flat I moved in to. Might just stick that straight in to my cc debts.

virtuallyfree

I pay less for public transport per year than for all the costs plus petrol if a car. I got hit by someone else on average once a year so had to pay excess.
Premiums go up. Last crash in 2011 she drove right across my path.
I did not get a replacement car. No car since then. No debts.
Convenience is a state of mind, it does not make you a penny.

New_and_Improved_Me

virtuallyfree wrote: »

I pay less for public transport per year than for all the costs plus petrol if a car. I got hit by someone else on average once a year so had to pay excess.
Premiums go up. Last crash in 2011 she drove right across my path.
I did not get a replacement car. No car since then. No debts.
Convenience is a state of mind, it does not make you a penny.

To be honest i need the car for work....that's the REAL reason i could NOT live without it...

I travel across the country as a moments notice...I could NOT do tha on public transport and keep my sanity...

As it is I can jump in my car at 4/6 am and be anywhere in the country (within reason) in under 5 hours....NO WAY could i do that on public transport..

ShootForTheMoon

We spend about £160 per month on food for 2 - which includes household items, cleaning products etc.
We have broadband and freeview TV, I include BB in the bills, but that's about £30 per month (currently looking to change supplier)

We both love sport, so I spend about £10 per month on rugby subs and OH about £10 on race entry fees etc.
We live on the coast, so much of our leisure time is spent walking, surfing, and we've just taken on an allotment, which will ultimately be more exercise and reduce our food spending.

OH cuts my hair and I do hers - she has a perm about twice a year, and I have mine coloured about the same, so I'd estimate that's about £10 per month on hair... tops! We spend very little on clothes etc. Less than £10 a month between us.

We tend to spend a bit more in the summer when OH is on school holidays, but this averages out over the year... So all in all, I'd say our monthly spends are £200 - £250 for both of us.

Our priority is saving to travel, so we compromise on our daily lives to fund several trips or a couple of big exotic holidays a year...
We save £800+ per month of our earnings...

Hope that helps!!