How much do you have for fun?

wiseshark

"We probably spend around £200 per month on stuff like that as a family".


£200 per month on fun and entertainment for a family. That is still way too much IMO, yes far less than the OP. Cut it back to like £75-£100 maximum for a family.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that you can't enjoy yourselves and it is pointless in being a tight, miserable skinflint, but money saved for a rainy day is security. I just hate it when people blow their hard earned cash on c**p, while others blow it on retail therapy to make themselves feel good and then feel so bad afterwards.

marleyboy

i am looking to see what people allow themselves/or would allow themselves if they could afford it, to spend on the fun stuff once all the bills have been paid.

Cheers

It really depends on the situation. I have as much fun taking my Son to the park and watching him have fun on the swings, as I do in taking my partner out for a meal. There's a big difference in costs on some places, whereas others are as free as the air we breathe.

sulphate

Depends on the month honestly. Sept - Oct I spent £41 on a meal out, overdraft fee :mad:, and £20 of cash that i can't remember exactly what I did with. Then last week I got paid I spent.... £240 at the weekend :eek: which included a couple of christmas presents and some clothes for me. I still have spender's guilt...

tiger_eyes

I budget around £50 per month for entertainment, luxuries and miscellaneous spending. It's probably more than I need.

brewerdave

Zero...who needs fun anyway..........known (to my nearest and dearest!) as the all year Grinch!!!

Skinto_7

somethingcorporate wrote: »

What % of your income is that £350 per month? sounds like a massive amount of money for "fun".

We probably spend around £200 per month on stuff like that as a family.

Its probably about 8-9% of our take home income.

Skinto_7

wiseshark wrote: »

"We probably spend around £200 per month on stuff like that as a family".


£200 per month on fun and entertainment for a family. That is still way too much IMO, yes far less than the OP. Cut it back to like £75-£100 maximum for a family.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that you can't enjoy yourselves and it is pointless in being a tight, miserable skinflint, but money saved for a rainy day is security. I just hate it when people blow their hard earned cash on c**p, while others blow it on retail therapy to make themselves feel good and then feel so bad afterwards.

I totally understand that you can only spend what you have, and i would never get into debt for "fun stuff" the only debt i have is my mortgage and car loan (i know some people will frown on taking a loan for a car)

I have a 3 months worth of income emergency fund, and we also pay into our works pensions, although i am looking to up the %'s we pay. Having run the figures we should be able to pay all our bills, including an allowance being put aside for xmas/birthdays/holidays, spend the £175 each and save £150pm.

I know i could up the saving from £150 if we cut back on the "fun time" allowance however as we have an emergency pot im not sure if its worth cutting ourselves to the bone, on the basis we could be hit with a bus tomorrow and altough its important to have savings etc, im not really to fussed about being the richest man in the graveyard.

One issue we have is due to where we live, which basically means if we go out for a drink, due to the almost non existant transport links, we pretty much have to get a taxi back, so this obviously makes any "drinking" nights out more expensive.

Goldiegirl

wiseshark wrote: »

"We probably spend around £200 per month on stuff like that as a family".


£200 per month on fun and entertainment for a family. That is still way too much IMO, yes far less than the OP. Cut it back to like £75-£100 maximum for a family.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that you can't enjoy yourselves and it is pointless in being a tight, miserable skinflint, but money saved for a rainy day is security. I just hate it when people blow their hard earned cash on c**p, while others blow it on retail therapy to make themselves feel good and then feel so bad afterwards.

I have spent my life saving for a rainy day / for the future / for when I'm older.

Well, I am older now, so I'm spending some money on fun, if I want to - we had a 24 night cruise in September for example

And it was brilliant

I still have the security of savings, but over a period of time we will be spending some of our savings on other holidays.

I'm not going to be one of these people who save every last penny for having a good time in retirement, and then, as they've never been in the habit of spending, find themselves unable to spend any of their hoard of money on fun, and eke out an existence when they have stacks in the bank

It's all about balance. I could never tell anybody what is the right amount for an individual or a family to spend on fun, because I don't know their income, their other outgoings or what they like to do.

If you can afford £200 on fun and meet all your other commitments and are comfortable, why should you cut it back to £75? If the budget permits it and you want to do something, then go for it, you are a long time dead

Any

I think I must have at least £175 a month for fun.
I have £450 for everything after the main bills are paid... but this includes savings (£200), hobbies (varies), fuel to and from work (£80-£100), pressies, holidays and then fun.
And I don't think I am in any way extravagant. I shop at Next sales and H&M, I go to a pub with OH probably once a week, we go out for dinner on a deal probably once a month, we go for some nice trip probably once a month and I go out with girlfriends for dinner/coctails probably once every 2 months and to Nando's type dinner and cinema the other month.

Obviously I could cut down on all that above... but I am young and want to have fun and I like doing these things, and as long as it is not getting me into debt I am not going to cut down.
I do cut down on the months before/after holidays to pay for them and when I want something more expensive... for example I am on savings mode now as OH is getting Ipad for big birthday and christmas..

Any

If we are talking as a family... I am 100% sure OH spends on his fun more then me.. but that includes spending on me (dinners etc) and also he is out a lot for business and also buys himself lunches out (mine are homemade). And he earns a lot a lot more then me.