Dear reader,
My first day off in 9 days. I have just got up. I slept 11 hours and didn't wake up once which is unusual for me.
Didn't have such a great food day yesterday. I had got over tired and over hungry as I hadn't been prepared.
I want to use these precious 2 days off to finish off Christmas shopping and then I want to sit down with a hot drink in front of the fire and do our budgets for the next year.
I'm thinking of a household bills account. Not the monthly bills as these are accounted for but the sneaky blighters that you forget. The chimney sweep, the boiler service that sort of thing.
My car has cost over £2,000 this year to have things done to it. (I know what I would have liked to have done to it! ) The trouble was, It would have cost me much more for another comparable car for the £2,000 it cost and once it was done it should be fine for many more years. One of the expensive jobs was replacing the cam belt which all cars need at about 80k or the engine just breaks.
Yes, that is the extent of my mechanical expertise-"breaks."
So of course there would be a car account.
My other budget accounts are being decided, I was thinking of gifts for birthdays, Christmas. There are not that many people to buy for but its still money to find.
The final one would be emergency account for, well emergencies.
I am still in awe of some other bloggers and how little they spend on food a week.
How much is right? I know we all have different tastes but I would love to know what you think is a sensible amount. Two people, no kids, no pets? We eat meat and lots of fresh fruit and veg.
What do you reckon?
Don't forget, weigh in Wednesday coming up and my giveaway on the same day.
X
How long is a piece of string? If you're happy with the amount you spend, it's healthy, you're eating a good amount and you can afford it then don't worry about it. You're focusing on your weightloss, paying off debts, doing the frugal stuff, working hard and all that, don't spread yourself too thin.
ReplyDeleteAs you know we've just ditched our annual expenses account but that's because we've been working on things for a really long time, it has been a lifesaver over the years though. We started off with just a big list of everything we could think of then estimated a cost, divided by 10 and saved an amount that was sensible. It often didn't cover the full amount but it did offset it.
I'm a Dave Ramsey girl so before all that we saved our baby emergency fund of £1000 and that was a great safety net, mentally as much as anything. I did still do without a washing machine for 7 or 8 months when it broke just when we were getting to the end of the debt repayments as I couldn't face touching it!
I often wonder in amazement at how little some people say they spend on food. We prefer to give up on some other things to keep the food budget higher
ReplyDeleteWell, I have had a UK food budget of £200 a month for quite a while now (probably 4 or 5 years). That is for two of us and includes general household cleaning and toiletries as well as food. It also included alchol and whilst we are not at all excessive we do like one or two bottles of red wine a week, and would have to increase our normal budget to include that now. We have very limited storage so cannot do Approved Food or too much stockpiling, oh yes, and only an icebox (no freezer) so I accept there are ways of it costing less than us. We do tend to restrict our meat intake to around 100g per person at a main meals and like your husband, mine does not really do vegetarian (oh how I wish he did at least sometimes). When we last had a settled life, I used to pop into the local supermarket early afternoon and see what meat had been reduced, it would be either a third or quarter off at that time, but I bought most meat that way, then took it home and froze it. That would be used as the basis for the following weeks' meals, so no real mess with menu planning. I would advise you to try to find some time to compare supermarkets, and if you have an Aldi or Lidl near you, experiment with some of their goods: I do not buy everything from there, but can definitely save some money on our regular items that are as good as other supermarkets. Just don't get seduced by any of the sweetie offers (oops!!)
ReplyDeleteI have a lot of little sections in my account - gifts, clothing/shoes, home repairs, car repairs, charity, debt repayment, the regular things like heating and gasoline for the car, groceries (which includes all paper, cleaning, hygiene products), etc. It has been 2 years that I have done this and I have been able to pay large bills with out having to use credit cards or line of credit even once during that time. I am very pleased with myself.
ReplyDeleteMy grocery bill is large. We are raising 4 g'kids (15, 9, 8, and 6) and so I spend around $300.00/week. (I don't know what that equals in pounds except that 1 pound = ~$1.60 CDN.)
Good luck in your weigh-in ladies. I'm pulling for you.
Myra, from Winnipeg, Canada, where we have a lovely day today - overcast BUT snow gently falling and a temp of minus 13C. It is positively balmy!!!
We lowered our food budget this year and have stuck to it apart from this month which was to be expected.I am a vegetarian and try to eat healthy lots of fruit and vegetables there are 2 of us OH is a meat eater but we seem to manage on £100 a month I allow £200 and the surplus goes into the holiday fun.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea what is a good amount in the UK. What I've found is that the food costs there are far cheaper than they are where I live, especially if you shop at the end of day when they are putting stickers prices on.
ReplyDeleteMy grocery bill (2 people, no pets, no kids) is probably between $275-$350 and can vary a lot when we need more toilet paper, paper towels or run out of household goods. If I spend too much in one area, I try to shave cots in another area. I could cut the cost a lot if I didn't buy meat. I live on the west coast of Canada.
There's two sometimes three of us to feed each day. I budget £200 per month. We all eat meat, fish and seafood. We buy cat food around £12 and chicken food at £8. Once a month we have an Indian takeaway for £20 that feeds three includes also two beers. I buy all laundry items, toiletries etc with this amount. It takes a bit of juggling but we each proper meals, vegetarian once a week, cooking from stratch, with leftovers for lunch.
ReplyDeleteOur food budget for next year will be the same £200 per month. I like to keep a good stock in the cupboards and freezers so the weekly shop can vary depending on what we need. I do like to plan menus and base shopping on that, bulk cooking also works well for us. I will also be back to using cash as its far too easy to get carried away with the cards. My hubbys version of a veggie meal is double egg and chips!!!
ReplyDeleteGood luck xx
When I was growing up my dad made my Mum a wooden money box which had 8 sections in it, each with it's own coin slot. I'm not sure what happened to it but maybe if I ask hubby nicely he could make me one. Our budget for housekeeping (that's food and other consumables like washing powder etc) is £200/month for 2 adults and 2 dogs! I'm aiming in 2014 to reduce that so I can put at least 10% of it into my £2014 for 2014 challenge account! Mind you the diets not going well, actually not going at all as yet! KJ x
ReplyDeleteThere's 2 of us. I estimate about £25 a week, plus £10 non groceries and £50 for fripperies, but the fripperies can often get out of hand. Got to be stricter next year.
ReplyDeleteMorning all, it is weigh-in Wednesday right? Well before knuckling down to some serious stuff I am pleased to report that I am down 4 pounds. Which is great of course, but firstly I know that I am extremely hormonal and fluctuate easily and I have been a sick as a dog so unable to eat. But, don't look a gift horse in the mouth right. 4 pounds down is great. I hope you are all doing well. Anna
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