How much money do you spend a month on each of these things ?

[Beckywiththegoodnails]

Trying to work out why I feel so broke all the time
me and 3 teens.

How much do you spend on
food / supermarket - me £480-500 pcm (incl cleaning and toiletries)
Entertainment / eating out - I budget £350
Clothes for self? £70 -£100 for me (need a good work wardrobe regularly refreshed and put on a lot of weight)
clothes for kids? (£120 for 3 and they top up if want labels from pocket money/ selling old clothes etc)

annual Christmas?

annual birthdays?
(I need to work the above out)

thank you

All the amounts there are wild to me except the groceries but I don't have teenagers!

I think I've probably spent less than £100 on clothes for myself in the last 6 months let alone every month.

What does entertainment cover? Does that include things like takeaways/getting a coffee out?

2 adults and 2 teens
food - £900-£1000 (why is yours so cheap compared to mine?)
entertainment - nothing? Maybe average £50 a month. We eat in rather than eat out.
clothes - probably £50 a month for me, £50 a month each child but spread over the year (cheap tastes!).
annual bdays and Xmas - £3k?

So you spend £70-100 on yourself for clothes but only £120 between 3 teens so £30 each 😳

I’d spend more if I needed to on essential clothing but i give them £100/£70/£50 per month pocket money each so they can choose to buy clothes from that and the middle one has a job, eldest will be working again once she finishes A levels.

Whereas I do bloody networking at work and am client facing where appearances matter so need a polished look and unfortunately my shape has changed so much recently I genuinely spend that much. I only shop high street!

They’re all girls and don’t eat lots (so shocked when their boy mates come round) and we don’t eat meat - I cook from
scratch with lots of pulses etc so quite cheap for that reasons I think? I menu plan strictly.
but then I also like to go out and eat once a week!

Never do takeaways or once in a blue moon
yes entertainment would include coffee, any other little luxury out the house that’s not an essential probably falls into that category
probably eat out once a week and it includes things for teens, can’t think but let’s say last week like taking them all to Starbucks for a treat because they’ll only go out with me for food related purchases it now seems or the x box subscription. I like going to the theatre every few months too.

I pay for teens phones separately

£500 shopping
£150 extras. Ie ice creams at park, car parking, odd take away , school things that always seem to want money
£150 Kids clothes , they always need something this month is school shoes and swimwear

Rare treat day out we just don't have it. If we do it's if we've cut back on any of the above

I have my hair cut once a year £25
Ds every 8 weeks £10
Dh does.his own
Dds when they ask which is rare as they hate it.

Me, one teen and one 9 year old.

How much do you spend on
food / supermarket - probably around £400 a month
Entertainment / eating out - Maybe £150 , don't eat out that often
Clothes for self? rarely buy myself clothes and mainly off vinted so maybe £20 a month average
clothes for kids? £50 a month average, uniform months etc more expensive.
annual Christmas? for the kids around £100-150 each although bought eldest a phone last year so was more like £450 for her

annual birthdays? Probably around £120 on birthdays

I spend £40 on haircut once every 2 months. Have quite high maintenance hair for cuts but never spend on colour or other beauty treatments except do a spa day / massage maybe every 6 months with a girlfriend

I know someone is going to comment soon that I’m the poster who asked how people have money to spend on nails and then say wtf to what I’m saying I’m spending on in this thread but just genuinely hadn’t really thought about what I do spend on vs nails, it is about priorities which a lot of people said on the other thread and therefore I’m thinking about what I have prioritised my money on

yes to school extras that probably would come out of “entertainment” just bought revision guides for everyone and some fiction books for my middle

4 adults -
Food/tolietries etc - £750 - £850.
Entertainment - £150ish, depends on if there's anything on the flicks or we're having a date night.
Clothes - (adult) kids by their own, me and DH? Meh less than £30 probably.

Groceries about the same.

entertainment we have Amazon prime, don’t eat out etc. We do quite a lot outdoor stuff so bikes, paddle boards etc mainly cheap. £60 on swimming a month and another £100 on extra curricular stuff. They seem to be in a cheap hobby phase at the moment guitar lessons free, scouts free, youth club £1, army cadets free, guides £10 a month.

Clothes £20 a month for me I have a vinted habit.

For them maybe £100 I often pick up bits on vinted but often seem to be buying shoes which costs a fortune.

Christmas and birthday I tend to say £400 per child across the two so may get something more expensive for one and then balance it out

2 adults -
All food, cleaning pride, alcohol £500
Entertainment- £50 plus spotify, plus audible - eat out/takeaways very rarely, DH buys the odd round, cultural stuff once in a blue moon as we live in the arse end of nowhere.
Clothes- £10/m - if that. Charity shops and a historic wardrobe and stable weight.
Gym - £40/m
Hobbies, volunteering, social life mainly free. Grow/make lots of our own food, clothes.

DC's uni expenses - everything else we earn plus more.

We'd be laughing were it not for uni. I think the key us to not live in a city or even a town. Very few options to spend and you get used to it.

food / supermarket - £1,000 pcm. (this covers everything from cat litter to beetroot to cheddar to e-cards).

Entertainment / eating out - £150 pcm (but actually £450 every three months, high end pub in the sticks, special treat, plus tip £40)

Clothes for self? £100 pcm (mostly for summer walking holidays, which we can then wear all year round - Craighoppers sales are good!)

clothes for kids? £600 each x 5 mostly £200 each at Easter, Summer holidays, Christmas)

annual Christmas?
Main items:
Turkey £60
Candles £80
Trees £200
Veg/other £50
Cake, mince pie, brandy snap ingredients £60
Spirits £200
Wine £300
Beer £80
Advent calendar £1,000 (special for spouse, main present, 25 x handmade gifts)
Presents £400 per person x 6
Travel costs for kids £600

annual birthdays?
Regular spouse £1,000
Regular children £600 x 5

Christmas and birthdays mainly invested, not spent on glittery shit.

Your advent calendar present sounds amazing!!!

There are 4 of us, 2 adults, 12 & 7 year old dc

Food shopping: £400-600 per month, we spend maybe £60-100 on our weekly food shop from Tesco but definitely pick up extra bits here and there. We also grow a lot of our own food, including eggs and meat, but it’s hard to really estimate those costs. So I’ve just added some extra.

Entertainment/eating out - maybe £100 average, maybe £200 some months, we rarely eat out but we do have a NT membership (£14 per month), we have the occasional paid entry sort of day out, we might get some coffees, ice creams, cake, but max once or twice a month.

Clothes for us - we rarely buy any clothes, I think the last article of clothing I bought was some warm socks last month for £8 (2 pair) and back in November/December I bought a scarf (£14). I might spend £50-100 per year on clothes, just wear the ones I have until they get a hole!

Dc clothes - £30-50 per month, probably most months I don’t spend anything, but this month ds needed new swimming costume and rash vest for school swimming lessons (£25) and December/January dd needed new gymnastics kit (probably £150 all in), so some months are more pricey.

Christmas presents are probably £100-200 on Dh and £200 per child including stockings. I couldn’t tell you about the food because it varies hugely between if it’s just us or I have the whole family for a week.

Birthdays - maybe £100 per child on presents and party is probably £200-250 depending on what we do. Much less for older one who might just have friends for a sleepover, then it’s like £50 on snacks, pizza and cake.

An obscene amount now I’ve read some of the replies here !
although we live abroad in a city similar to London prices so may explain it !
food shop family of 4 around £800 per month
takeout probs £50 per week , dinner out £150 per week
clothes really varies - this month a spendy month around £300 between me and husband.
i have an older daughter and she works she buys her own bit probably averages £250/300 per month.
entertainment, days out , socialising , booze , or anything we want to buy that’s non essential - 300 per week ?
xmas and birthdays around £3k ish I think

Food - £500-600 per month
Eating out/entertaining -£100
clothes £30-50 once every few months
children clothes - n/a

Two adults and one young adult child in household

I spend about £1100 a month on food (£250-£275 p/w 5 of us)

clothes not much - mine are years old & kids generally get new winter bits & new summer bits when needed. Will buy other bits in between but not every month & no set amount. They go up a shoe size every year or so so no big expense there and rarely buy myself clothes.maybe £700 odd over the year with shoes and costs etc, oldest teenager now so more expensive

don’t eat out much but will go our for breakfast sometimes and we get cakes / hot chocolates etc maybe £150 a month

christmas about £2000 but not much family so just the kids to buy for & 5 of us to feed & some trips out.

birthdays they get some money & some gifts & we do a trip usually e.g our somewhere they chose and food after probably about £500 each all in
as Sometimes take a friend. Costs more if they have a party which is every few years

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/banking/budget-planning/

I always recommend the MSE budget planner on these sort of threads. It makes you think of all your expenses and income, including less common ones such as road tax.

Then it’s a good idea to set up a second bank account, and each month put some money aside for these, as well as Christmas, birthdays and holidays, according to what you can afford. It’s quite a sobering (and depressing) process, but worth it in the end.

We are high earners, put a lot away in pensions and savings and mortgage overpayments and spend a lot on hobbies and tutoring for the children. 3 teens, 2 adults

food / supermarket - me £900pcm (incl cleaning and toiletries)
Entertainment / eating out - around £150 . We rarely eat out but spend a fair bit on theatre trips /music concerts/cinema
Clothes for self? £50 for me
clothes for kids? I guess £100 or so, including expensive sports kit. Two aren't into labels. One is but knows he has to spend the "extra" to get a label from pocket money

annual Christmas? £1500 ish I reckon (including panto, ice skating, a few other christmassy activities )

annual birthdays? Probably £200-300 /person. Mix of gifts /family activity/party depending on their wishes. We always do a family activity for my bday/DH bday

2 adults and one 18 year old 'child'

Food - £850

Clothes for me - £100 / £150 a month

18 year old has a part time job but I give him around £100 a month for college / travel / snacks / etc

Entertainment - no idea. Varies

Christmas I spend a couple of grand on gifts for both kids (one lives elsewhere as she's an adult) and birthdays about £250 each

I do the envelope system so we have £100 misc, £100 House, £50 events, £150 fun fund (entertainment) £50 travel and £500 food budget for the month. Everything comes out of that except bills and £100 personal money each per month.
2 adults and 11yo DS.

I'm on my own. Food including toiletries etc - £120pcm, entertainment (I rarely eat out) - £50pcm, clothes - very little. Maybe averages out to £15pcm.

We are a family of 5. Two teens one younger..

Food - approx £600
Eating out - rarely only special occasions
Entertainment- approx £100 just youngest one
Hair - £30 every 6 weeks for dh n ds . I get my hair done 2/3 time a year
Clothes - mostly use Vinted or get for birthdays/xmas
Birthdays £150 per person plus birthday tea and cake
Xmas £100 per person

Just teen dd and me and my food bill is about £80 a week.

Teen dd buys her own clothes now (she's 19 and works full time.)

I rarely buy new clothes or get a hair cut! I do spend money on face creams and hair products, I'd guess £40 a month ish.

I probably sound £60 a month on eating out, coffees etc.