SOA help...

FBaby

I need to take one to childminders

Don't you pay the childminder? Also, does the £280 food bill include lunch? Is this your food bill or is it your weekly shopping bill? If only food, have you counted for all the other things you buy at the supermarket (cleaning products, toilet paper, toothpaste, washing powder, hair products, books, magazines, medicines, cards, tissues etc....)

Personally, £50 for two children seems low to me. Do they do activities? I am finding that I am constantly withdrawing small amounts for them. In one week, I had to pay for my daughter's bus fare to go to a friend, pay for son's Christmas meal, and a santa hat, container boxes for my daughter's new retainers, £1 each for mufty day, a birthday present for a friend who invited my son, Christmas cards for them to write to their friends, a pair of gloves for my son and a new umbrella for my daughter as hers broke. That's in addition to their mobile phones, tennis and football classes, their school meals, and all the rest. In find that I easily underestimate how much I spend on them above the expected regular costs.

masonsmum

No I do not pay for the childminer, my mum and mother in law do it between them so I am quite lucky in that instance.

My youngest son is only 2 so doesnt really cost much with reagrds to school/activities however eldest is 7 and after talking to DH last night we realised we are currently forking out £3 a day for school lunches - so DS1 was told last night he will need to start taking a packed lunch. Also his football costs £3 once a week.

I would say once a week large shop averages £60/£70 and that includes toileteries etc. However I had regularly been nipping back into supermarket a few times a week and spending £20 on average each time so I need to start making lists and planning and getting one shop so the only thing I should need to buy is bread and milk the rest of the week?

ViolaLass

I still think your first priority should be to work out where that £891 is going because if you don't have it, that means your SOA is incorrect and that you're overspending by a huge amount.

FireWyrm

No amount of tinkering is going to help you if you dont find that £891 a month. Theoretically, you should be living reasonably well, your SOA isnt totally outrageous and well within the realms of reasonable. If you seriously dont have that £891 a month to hand, you are massively overspending somewhere and you need to find it immediately before you do anything else.

Keep a spending diary first of all. Get a print out of your statements for the last 3 months, get a packet of highlighters and go through them. I'm betting you'll find a few hundred in cash withdrawals alone you didnt know you had done.

You are losing £12000 a year out of your income somewhere!

ChasingButterflies

MallyGirl wrote: »

is your water really free?

In Scotland water and sewerage charges are included in your council tax bill.

FBaby

The £20 nipping out in the week will definitely add up. I'm the sane big shop is about £60-£70 a week but I often get additional bits in the week which really add up so I now include it in my budget.

Another thing I've discovered is that budget for entertainment and holiday used to be the costs of the actual outing/holiday but would forget to budget the extra such as petrol to outing extra drinks or food transport whilst on holiday, additional clothing, presents, treats etc... That really add up. All in all, I've learnt it is all those little costs that seem insignificant on their own that added all together explained why I was always worse off than what I budgeted for.

japmis

Have you considered having a separate account for spending? This way, your salary and direct debits/standing orders/mortgage etc are handled from one account then you can siphon off a fixed amount each month for food, petrol and living costs. (Maybe you could also have a third account which picks up left overs from the food account which goes towards luxury items like holidays/savings?).

I use this tactic for myself, I have a £50/week standing order to a different bank account which covers my food, toiletries etc. Stops me doing the "oops spent £20 again in Asda" midweek.

Hope this helps, good luck