How much is enough 'spending money' for a month?

CATS

OP me and my husband are high earners and we have a big household income but I think we would struggle to spend £200 each on extras every month, some months yes but usually no, that sounds like a lot but then again we dont drink

Person_one

Kayalana99 wrote: »

We are low earners, (under 25k for both of is joint) but due to circumstances until June we have £900 a month spare.

You are average earners on that wage, some of us earn £900 a month net.

If you know you have a leaner period approaching, save save save. It would be different if this situation was long term.

Gillyx

If you have £900 spare a month I'd suggest saving £600 and having £300 joint spends, this should more than cover any days out, food, etc.

Is the £900 including spending money for food shopping or is that budgeted for?

Imo take a packed lunch to work, don't spend as much money on booze. If he is at work all day he shouldn't need as much spends surely?

My OH takes £10 a week to work, he also takes a packed lunch. Generally he always comes back with extra which we put in a tin. His circumstance is unfortunate as in he has a canteen and vending machines nothing else, no fridge, no tap, no kettle. All hot drinks come from a machine which cost 40p a pop. He takes these little frozen things in an insulated lunch bag to keep everything cool.

Realistically if your extra is going to drop in the next few months, I'd be saving as much as you can. They say to have 6 months wages in the bank as a rainy day fund.

valk_scot

If you have £200 each and your OH decided to spend most of his on booze and snacks then that's fine, that's his choice. Same as if you spend all your money on manicures and books, or hobbies, or anything else really. If he wants to spend on other things he can cut back on the booze money, surely? £150 a month on booze can't be good for his health, apart from anything else.

mummyroysof3

I think it will depend on what it's supposed to cover and lifestyle. That seems like an awful amount of drink both money and health wise tbh

onlyroz

£200 a month to spend on whatever I like? Yes please!

I've just spent a week agonising over whether to spend the £50 my mum gave me for Christmas on a computer game, or whether to just put it into the "pot". In the end I bought the game but shopped around and got it for £38 :beer:

And £150 a month on booze and snacks? :eek: We have a friend staying with us at the moment and he seems to spend all his money on Strongbow and fresh orange juice. He's half-filled our blue recycling bin (emptied once a fortnight, last emptied on Friday) already with bottles and cans. You'd think he'd have more sense considering that he's just had an apartment reposessed...

Tell your OH to take a packed lunch into work, and buy him a crate of beer from the supermarket each week out of the household budget.

Gloomendoom

mummyroysof3 wrote: »

I think it will depend on what it's supposed to cover and lifestyle. That seems like an awful amount of drink both money and health wise tbh

Assuming £3 a pint, cheap for some areas, £150 will buy around 11½ pints a week. The recommended weekly intake for a man is 10½ pints (in very general terms.)

balletshoes

Kayalana99 wrote: »

Literally £200 on anything we want - phones and stuff all included in bills no commitments.(Bar clothes, days out that would be extras) I agree to me its more then I need to spend but my partner probably spends £100-150ish on booze and then he buys snacks at work constantly...

I'm not judging him I am just saying he would struggle and I wondered if I was being harsh to limit him to £200 with him working.... but it sounds like most agree thats a decent amount?

I work, I have a household budget, and my "pocket money" is usually no more than about £150 a month - this includes clothes, any luxury toiletries/treats, hairdos, trips into town, takeaways (for me and my daughter). It doesn't include money for holidays/short breaks though.

I think £200 is a fair amount of spends.

hazyjo

If it's pub/bar beer prices, it may well be £4 a pint (okay, maybe a lot less in the Midlands to where I am in London, but it depends on what sort of places he's drinking in). That's 37.5 pints a month (9-odd pints a week). If it's cans/bottles indoors, then he needs to realise he has a problem and is probably drinking more like over 30 pints a week!

I work in the City (London) and take packed lunches in, and also bulk buy crisps, etc. I have a cupboard full of 'em. I now refuse to pay nearly a quid for a packet of crisps or a bar of chocolate when I can buy multi-packs of at least 6 for the same price as an individual item in some cases!

If he's snacking constantly and drinking loads, I think he needs to take a look at the bigger picture. Not being judgemental (really, I'm not one to talk!), just sayin' maybe he needs to cut one down at least. I've substituted jellies for chocolate and low fat crisps and mini cheddars for 'regular' crisps. And sometimes Ryvita and toppers like light hummous instead of sarnies. Maybe he's not drinking enough which would also make him hungry or crave food. And the alcohol really won't help in that regard - I know how much I get the munchies and am starvin' by 10am if I've been on the lash the night before! If he's doing that regularly, he will be craving snacks.

Anyway, horses for courses as to what's the right amount. I don't have a family so it tends to go on me, the BF and the house. I certainly don't go without, but know I really should save some of it! I would be tempted in your shoes to save and spend less because you have children.

Jx

DigForVictory

Tell him £100, leave another £100 in a jar in the kitchen & bank the rest.
If there's as much as a penny in the jar at month end, bank it.

As wiser heads have said, buy the beer at the supermarket, and I'd add & the snacks at Costco or the like. That £100 can go a Lot further depending on where it's spent.

Maybe call your GP & ask if they do a "health check"? As answering questions about drinking & snacking might help the penny that this is not the brightest idea drop.

That said, if its corporate policy and networking etc, you may be pushing up a hill, but still worth a try.