To ask how much 'surplus' money your household has at the end of the month?

[SeiShann]

This is not a stealth boast. I was brought up in a poor family. Single parent mum on benefits in council flat. I started my own adult life in a similar fashion, ended up a single parent on benefits in a council house. Somehow I managed to sort myself out though, went to uni and became a nurse. Not great income but more than I ever thought possible. My fiancé also earns a decent wage although we're not 'loaded' by any stretch of the imagination.
Anyway the point of my post ... I want to buy a car. It will cost £9k and I will pay for it by selling my current car (£2k) and saving up £3. The rest will be credit. Fiancé says we can't afford it and are not as 'flush' as I like to think. Just being nosy really and wondering if I'm missing something. So after all bills are paid and the groceries bought, what surplus do you have?
We spend £100 a week on groceries (2 adults, 2 teens). After that and all bills we have around £2000 surplus. I don't think that's bad myself but coming from a crappy background, am I missing something? We have no debts

[Iloveonionchutney]

This won't end well, I don't have £2000 a month before bills. I have no surplus at all. What are you trying to find out exactly?

[SeiShann]

I just don't understand how we have that spare but dp says we can't afford to buy a car

[GemmaTeller]

Not sure how much money other people have left each month affects how you buy a car.

If you have £2000 surplus every month why don't you sae up and pay cash for the car?

FWIW, we are self employed so monthly incomings vary month to month and we have no debts and paid cash for our car.

[GemmaTeller]

*sae = save

[AndThisIsTrue]

Of course that's not a stealth boast we have no money at all left at the end of the month and are quite often overdrawn. If you have that much money left why don't you just wait a few months and buy the car without finance?

[SeiShann]

In other words, he acts like we're short of money by other people's standards

[Allgunsblazing]

You're not missing anything, do it, it seems sensible to me.
First Direct has a savers a count that pays 6% interest , max allowed to save in 1year is £3600 and can only be withdrawn on anniversary. Sounds like just the ticket for you.
BTW, I am in the exact same position and saving for a decent car (I have a long commute).

[SpamAnderson]

None. We have nothing 'surplus' each month! We have a massive mortgage, plus all the household bills, various insurances, pets etc and we get back down to zero each month after those bills are paid, the fuel to get DH to work and I've filled the cupboards there is nothing remaining for things like saving up for a car :/
I can't imagine you're going to get a hell of a lot of positive responses to your question....

[bloodyteenagers]

2k a month and cannot afford a 9k car?
Even though it would take 5 months.. Really?

My math is shit but even I know it's doable and no need for a stealth boast.

[SeiShann]

He says I can't afford to save it without it effecting day to day living but we never do anything!

[kinkyfuckery]

How things change... these days people would swear it'd be the single parent mum on benefits in council flat that'd have more left at the end of the month

[Theoretician]

I think that you can possibly afford a 9K car once you can afford to pay 9K cash for it.

[ilovesooty]

So exactly what day to day living is affected if you simply save the cash to buy the car? If you have that amount surplus a month I'd consider you comfortably off.

[TheFairyCaravan]

£2000 surplus every month? A hell of a lot of people on here don't have that to begin with each month!

If we had a £2000 surplus each month we'd have a fucking great nest egg!

[GemmaTeller]

He says I can't afford to save it without it effecting day to day living but we never do anything!

So what do you do with the £2k left over every month?

Or, do you only have £2k left over on paper but in reality have a lot less than that because you spend it?

[PtolemysNeedle]

Could it be that your DHs colleagues give the impression of having more money than him, so while you see yourself as doing well with money, from his perspective you still have a long way to go until you're really comfortable.

You're not loaded, but you can afford the car.

[sparklewater]

What do you do with that 2000 at the moment? Does it just sit in a savings account?

Maybe he is just a saver not a spender by nature - I'm a bit like that and would rather save up for the car than get finance. Tbf it will only take a few months, even if you just use half your surplus for the car.

[EatDessertFirst]

We have nothing left at the end of the month.

The obvious would be to save your massive surplus for five months then buy a car outright. It wouldn't affect your savings then.

I really don't see why you needed to start a whole thread on this. Its a massive boast with jazz hands and everything. HTH!

[kinkyfuckery]

How much do you have in savings?

[cardibach]

If the £2k is spare, how can saving it affect day to day life? I have roughly that in my lay packet and manage to have a life. Many people have less. I don't understand your post, or your dp's point, at all, sorry.

[SeiShann]

We have £2k in savings at the moment but just seem to water away the surplus money on takeaways, drink and the odd ebay thing. I don't know, on paper I know we look well off but dp thinks i have it all wrong and wants to spend money we don't have. But I think we do have it. He goes on about people at his work who spend this that and the other and they're well off, we're not. I was just curious what other people had. No offence meant.

[fiveacres]

This is a relationship issue not a financial one, I would say.

(Take no notice of the stealth boast squawkers)