What do you think is a reasonable disposable income?

[KingofCats]

So I’ve just worked out a detailed budget in advance of my mortgage going up and been tracking my spend over the last year and am interested in what other people think is a reasonable disposable income for say 2 adults 2 children (I’m 1 adult 2 teens and 1 pre teen but think easier comparison is 2 adults and 2 children)?
After all bills and mortgage / housing costs but before food, clothes, leisure activities, etc.

It will depend on lotsnof variables.

Husband and I pay all bills from joint account and we each take £1000 a month. Admittedly from this I pay my phone bill and gym membership, so say £900 after that. I struggle to have anything left at the end of the month on that

What on earth does one person spend £900 per month on, every month?? 😮

It covers things like parking, petrol, contact lenses, any new clothes/make up I need, usually 2/3 meals out/drinks with friends. My one treat to myself is getting my nails done which is circa £40 a month. Pay for a PT which i pay for on a 10 week block

About 1500ish Inc food

This is going to be such a "How long is a piece of string" question, as demonstrated by 2 of the posters already.

I'm also not sure how it will help if you have 17 people who can manage on £100pm, and 48 people who can't understand how people manage on less than £2K a month.

The demograph on MN nowhere near reflects the demograph of the country as a whole

I spend more than this and I don't have kids ... god knows how 😞😭

@stevalnamechanger exactly the same. I look at my outgoings and don't even see anything particularly extravagant!

After rent, bills and nursery is paid for I have about £500 per month.
I have a free bus pass through work and budget like crazy for food and days out. Me, my 3 year old and a cat.

Following with interest.
I am doing the same calculations right now.
As another poster said, you'll get wildly different answers.
But I'm hoping, to live (not survive!) a fairly decent life, without being extravagant but without having to constantly check account, it runs at £1500 a month (after bills). (1 adult/1 child)

After billls and mortgage we are left with £1900.
1000 goes on food and petrol
300 for me
300 for DH
300 to spend on kids activities etc

And strangely we struggle

Anything under £1500 would be extremely tight- I would also hope for some savings from the initial budget

I love that your "one treat" is getting your nails done, what about your new clothes, make up and 2/3 meals a month with friends. Oh and your personal trainer.

I know right! £900 a month would be a dream!

I'd say at least £600pm.

How so? What are you buying?

Right now, anything would be appreciated ☹️.

Wow! I have around 600 per month left after all bills. That then pays for food, fuel, days out and any school trips etc plus the kids food payment system at senior school.

Weird how the poster doesn't see the new clothes etc ALL as treats!
Some people live their lives so detached from reality........

I class food as petrol as essential bills so my definition of disposable/discretionary income is completely different to most of these posts.

if you deduct those what are you left with purely for nonessential and savings?

So some months we buy food, pay bills and perhaps go to the pub for a couple of drinks, no food, once a week without any other expenditure.

Then the next month kids need new t-shirts, sandals, socks, a school trip, event out, friends over, couple of take aways.

After everything is paid and that includes petrol and food dh and I each have around 5/600£ left as our own money

It Is sometimes higher/lower depending on some variable bills but for me I feel £550 is a good number for personal spends/disposal income

Depends if you are including things like Christmas and holidays in that disposable income.. no one ever mentions these but they add up to a couple of hundred a month. Or a one off purchase like a washing machine/ sofa etc

I think a decent disposable incomes including all of this for two adults and 2 children is about 2k including holidays and one off purchases. So £500 a month on annual Spending (Xmas/ hols/ etc)

£600 is not a decent disposable income it's very tight.

I’m not sure it matters what’s ‘reasonable’? You’re left with what you’re left with, after all bills and housing costs. What that number is depends on how much you earn in the first place and how much your bills and housing costs are.

Unless you somehow think you’ve got too much money, in which case save the excess.

My holiday and Christmas money is included in the bills, I go 3/4 holidays a year so we account for that in the spending, I pay £1850 pm alone to the "bills" pot Dh contributed slightly more, so we have savings Included before our disposal as a buffer because we do t want to loose our freedom spending