A comfortable budget.

[Sunnybeachbabe]

Hi! Right I'm going to be straight here, I'm crap with money and am often struggling even though I think my salary should be a comfortable one. So, I'm trying to work out a budget. There are only the two of us here, myself and dd aged 6.
Could I ask opinions on this:
Is £50 a week reasonable to spend on groceries (including toiletries) each week or too high?
After bills, food, petrol, childcare what would you say was a comfortable amount of spending money for the month?
It would cover:
Birthday/Christmas presents, going out, clothes for us both, saving for a holiday, other car related things eg MOT and tax, treats.... anything else needed?

I'm just trying to see if my expectations are reasonable by other people's standards. Thank you.

For you and a 6 year old, £50 per week is a fortune on food... Do you cook or convenience most things?
In terms of spending money, it might be a good idea to work to a different method.

1. Look at your income and total it up - wages, benefits, maintenance
2. Take out your monthly important bills - rent/mortgage, utilities, c tax etc.
3. Look at your yearly costs - TV licence, home insurance, car insurance etc, total up your estimate, divide by 12 and put that amount away per month.
4. Look at how much is left - take out an amount for saving/emergency fund etc.
5. Left over is spending money

Money saving expert has a good budget planner. It's very thorough for your additional costs etc.

Also to work out what your spending is on food, keep all of your receipts for a month. That wil tell you if you are anywhere near £50 and whether that's feasible etc. Also it's s good starting point for cutting back as you can see where the money goes.

I don't think £50 a week is a fortune on food.

I prioritize good food with good ingredients. Eating well and having nice food is what makes life a bit more liveable.

So I'd keep the budget as that. £50 sounds plenty. The trick is to meal plan and check your store cupboards so you aren't overbuying spices etc.