What do you spend your disposable income on?

[booklover164]

Trying to work out a budget and wondered what people spend their disposable income on? All bills accounted for and not sure we could live on the amount we've set aside.

Our list so far comprises DC's clothes and shoes and a paper delivery. What's on your list?

Clothes
Make-up/skincare
Shoes/trainers
Once a month I go away for the weekend with my girlfriends(pre-covid)
Hairdressers/ nails/ tanning
Breakfast/lunch out with family/friends.

It would normally be meals out and weekends away, but since COVID it's been whatever I see online and convince myself I need! I have started to get more into my skincare though so today I have spent £25 on a cleanser (a few months ago I had never even used cleanser never mind spent £25 on one!), I also ordered a £60 bathrobe at the same time as mine is getting old and tatty and that can be my nice treat to myself for this month. I do save plenty though as well so don't feel to guilty buying myself treats when I have a bit of money left over close to payday.

I am really confused about " disposable income".

OP you list your children's clothes and shoesunder such a catagory- surely these are essential?

@LongIslandIcedT

Our non bill money is allocated to: Groceries and eating out/ Fuel/ Clothing/ Toiletries/ Holidays/ Gifts and toys/ Home items & Repairs/ Entertainment and days out.

But that is essential bill money on groceries, fuel, toiletries, repairs. So disposable income wouldn't include that.

Once bills and savings are accounted for I split my money three ways: overpaying the mortgage, topping up my pension and home renovations.

Thanks for the replies. To cut a long story short, I'm trying to calculate how many days we can afford for me to go back to work once I finish maternity leave- 2 or 3.

I guess lockdown has lulled me into a false sense of security RE finances as we've barely had any extra outgoings and have saved a lot as we're both thankfully in stable jobs. I have completely forgotten what normal disposable income goes on and before last March, DC1 was only 18 months. Now he's 2.5 and we have another one so circumstances have changed.

Of course clothes are essential! More a case of whether we buy first or second hand. Pre lockdown, I got all of his clothes from NCT markets etc but now I'm having to buy first hand.

Pre covid - going out for drinks and meals and weekends away

Now Amazon prime , Audible , spotify , and books , given any waking ( and some sleeping ) moments I am on or using one of them ,

And I have just spent around £150 on decorating stuff and still need to buy more .

In that context op I have spent as third as much on petrol (wfh), no coffees (easily bought one or two a day £5), bought a sandwich twice a week £8, have bought no clothes since March last year so I'd say have saved a gratuitous £250pcm.

Add in no theatre, suppers out, coffee shop lunches at weekends and it's another £250pcm.

To be entirely fair I think the pandemic will make many people rethink gratuitous spending not on the theatre

^I have completely forgotten what normal disposable income goes on and before last March, DC1 was only 18 months. Now he's 2.5 and we have another one so circumstances have changed.

Of course clothes are essential! More a case of whether we buy first or second hand. Pre lockdown, I got all of his clothes from NCT markets etc but now I'm having to buy first hand^

Can you look for bundles of clothes on ebay or Facebook?

You have to decide what things you want to do and whether you want to work to pay for them. Just because you normally spend money in normal times doesn't mean you have to. It's a valid decision to have a simpler life, doing less and working less because you're not working to pay to do/buy things you're not that bothered about.

Once clothes and shoes for me and kids accounted for then Christmas and Birthday presents and books. Mainly books tbh. And cake.

Well OK i do save too.

Activities for DC:

Soft play
Swimming
Museums
Pottery painting
Farm
Ballet
Football
..most of these include a cafe trip as well

About 1 /2 meals out a month for me
Hairdresser- nails/ brows if a special occasion
Birthday presents
New stuff for the house: bedsheets/ towels when “needed”

Toys, books, craft stuff etc for the DC.
Clothes for the DC - far more than they need and more expensive brands, so I would count this as discretionary rather than essential spending.
Normally meals out, entry to places, cafe trips etc.
Books.

I've saved a fortune in lockdown and other restrictions and I'm going to blow it all on getting my eyes fixed. One eye isn't suitable for laser eye surgery so it is a massive expense. The only things I've ever spent as much on are houses and cars. And I've always shared those!

Looking at the update, can you change after a but? I work for a big employer and they let you change your hours after a year, so you could go back 2 days for a year, then 3. It might not be guaranteed, but it means you have a year of money being tight while childcare costs are highest.

Takeaways
Stationery
Toys for dc

In normal times annual pass for local attraction
Bowling

I don't even know! I consider haircuts as essential. I hardly spend any money. I've just looked at our bank statements and I hardly spend anything myself. But, I buy what I want when I want it. If I want to go out for a meal with the girls I do, buy £60 perfume, I just do.

Music Tuition for kids
Kids activities (swimming, dance etc)
Tutors for school subjects during lockdown
Outschool classes during lockdown
(best lockdown discovery!!) httpss://outschool.com/?signup=true&usid=oJXLafjD&utm_campaign=share_invite_link

Books for children.
Books for me
Scented candles and bubble baths etc
Sailing and watersports

Cleaner
Travel and meals out

We save a lot too but we do spend a lot (we have too many children )

At the moment we're saving hard so anything "disposable" is saved. Essential spends ONLY at the moment. Normally...clothes,holidays etc

I used to spend it on foreign holidays, days out, cinema, restaurants, gym membership, gardening.

Now apart from gardening, I put it in my savings account. I've saved loads but I am very bored.

Hobbies, so for us it's outdoor kit. We used to go to the cinema and eat out every few weeks, so now we have a number of tv subscriptions and get a fortnightly take away.

Plants, craft stuff, audible.

Good quality skin and hair products
Home decor
Hobbies (horses, etc)
Weekends away and holidays
Good wine
Clothes and shoes. I don’t buy ‘disposable’ items, much more likely to buy one or two expensive items every month

Stuff from Amazon, holidays, eating out...and probably far too much plastic tat for my child.

I no longer have small children to spend it for me so it goes on mantrailing and scent work classes with the dogs

Things for the kids. I'm constantly looking for clothes, toys and games for them. Meanwhile I'm wearing stuff with holes in