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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to ask you how much do you spend on socialising

33 replies

Laquitar · 28/06/2011 23:04

By this i mean going out (with kids or as a couple?) plus weddings/hen nights and presents, friends's birthdays etc.Do you have a set amount for presents?

Do you budget for that yearly?

OP posts:
NotSuchASmugMarriedNow · 28/06/2011 23:15

don't go out as a couple anymore but when i did we spent, depending on what we did ie, a meal we'd spend £100 (10 or 12 times a year) the races £500 (once a year) a concert £200 (2 or 3 times a year) a family show in London £500 (once every two years)

but all that couple stuff has gone now i'm separated so now its more like this

meal in pub with kids £40 (2 or 3 times a year)
night out without kids but with my friends £25 (once a month) we don't buy each other presents
weddings £1000, - shocking but true - hardly ever happens though coz no-one in my family bothers!
christenings - £200
hen nights - hardly ever happens but am more than happy to go for a meal and drinks in town and would probably spend £60 on a hen night. Hell will freeze over before i would even think about spending on hen week-ends or hen weeks.

Yes, it all has to be budgeted for, how else can you pay otherwise?

spiderslegs · 28/06/2011 23:18

A huge amount, probably £1200 a month, but we do like to soscialise.

spiderslegs · 28/06/2011 23:22

Apologies - this is what we spend on entertaining, at our house.

Others is extra.

Probably £200 in pub lunches, presents I budget at £50, all else £200,

shakey1500 · 28/06/2011 23:23

We don't budget for it but I'll spend about £100 a month going out to the theatre/drinks. More when I'm rehearsing/performing (Law number one is to attend the bar after every rehearsal).

Dh will spend equivalent or possibly more on his nights out.

And about the same eating out/days out with ds.

clitorisorclitoraint · 28/06/2011 23:26

Shock @ spiderslegs. you must be thoroughly minted.

For me it's closer to £0.00 Hmm

Tigerbomb · 28/06/2011 23:26

We don't socialise very much.

The wedding invites we receive, we usually turn down

We don't do hen nights/stag do's, friends birthdays, work do's etc etc etc

I don't like people Grin

We do go to gigs quite often together so thats a bout £50 - £75 every couple of months

FabbyChic · 28/06/2011 23:27

£0

greenbananas · 28/06/2011 23:29

These days I spend nothing - absolutely nothing on socialising. I socialise during the day, with friends who also have children (the children play upstairs while we have a girly chat). Before I had DS, I did various crappy jobs and was in a band, and I spent all of my disposable income in pubs after gigs or with my workmates / old friends.

Ah well. I know I have become a shockingly 'mumsy' person and I await my flaming.

izzywhizzyletsgetbusy · 28/06/2011 23:30

No mates fabby? Sad

bubblecoral · 28/06/2011 23:33

Ooh, I don't like thinking about the answer to that! Between dh and I probably about £200, including stuff we do with the dc. But we are always skint and it feels like we never have money to do anything!

cat64 · 28/06/2011 23:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Original poster
Laquitar · 28/06/2011 23:35

No flaming greenbananas, you are not the only one

spiders i'd love to know how you spend it! Eating out? Clubs?

OP posts:
TheSecondComing · 28/06/2011 23:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Maryz · 28/06/2011 23:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Empusa · 28/06/2011 23:53

Sod all. I couldn't be much more introverted.

skybluepearl · 29/06/2011 00:01

maybe 5 to 10 pounds on gifts. Often do collections with friends and buy vouchers. Wedding gifts about 60.

take away meal twice a year, cinema 4 times a year, about 5 pounds every other week on wine with friends, coffee/cake each week costs about 10 pounds, walks with friends cost nothing, books club is free, picnics are cheap, day trip/city visit about 25 plus travel maybe once every 4 months. make use of free museums etc. mostly we go to peoples houses though for lunches/teas/meals. we dont need much to have a good time really.

skybluepearl · 29/06/2011 00:05

oh yes and DH does one or two meals per year with work mates plus a rare pint with old friends. He runs and chats mostly.

Awomancalledhorse · 29/06/2011 00:12

DH/I have a limit of £25 each when we go to pub (including food), although as I normally socialise at lunch time (whilst he's at work) I'll pnly spend about £10.
We go to gigs/theatre every other month, but as I'm pregnant we're knocking this on the head (after Foo Fighters next saturday, eek!!).
We have a take away once every other month, normally rent a film on the same night.

We don't go for meals out often (I am an ex-anorexic who can't stand watching people eat/people watching me eat), but when we do it's normally £50-80pp.

KarenHL · 29/06/2011 00:15

We don't go out as a family, unless its to a shared lunch (cost apx £5) or for a walk and home-made picnic. We rarely go out just as a couple. That only happens once or twice a year, if my inlaws want DC for the day - so DH & I go for a walk or find something free to do, eg museum.

Having said that, we did make a special effort for our last wedding anniversary (v.unusual for us, have been through hell this past year, so was v.much a one-off treat) - spent almost £300 on a wonderful weekend away.
Before I get flamed, I'm not being smug - like many we don't have money for treats & family live so far away, free babysitting is v.infrequent (any suggestions of paid babysitters will make me explode with laughter - no money to go out for a pint each, let alone pay for a sitter.

We don't get each other presents anymore (not enough money), so gift only for DC each year (usually a day out, paid for with Tesco vouchers & possibly a McDonalds lunch). Christmas gifts for family - max spend of £10 each. Don't usually buy presents for friends. However, I do buy quite a few cards - quite a few friends are ill, so lots of get well cards (and birthday cards for friends' children). Probably spend apx £4-8 a month on those.

spiderslegs · 29/06/2011 00:19

Laquitar, parties, mostly, once a month & dinner parties (Sunday lunch, fortnightly),

Clubs? Never.

Eating out, fornightly too.

I grew up in a family that was very social & hope to recriate that.

ChardonnayGirl2 · 29/06/2011 00:26

Seriously, £1200 a month? thud

We are VERY social - always have a houseful at least twice a month. eg this weekend I catered for 8, 4 adults, 4 kids from fri night - sun lunchtime - I reckon I spent £250 for food and wine, this weekend we have 20 houseguests - its dh's birthday , so a big spend, say £400, but that is an exception.

spiderslegs · 29/06/2011 10:40

Recreate - damn you wine

oohlaalaa · 29/06/2011 10:48

Nowhere near as much as we used to, as we have been hit by recession and had to cut back. Probably £100 a month. Still have friends over (not as extravagant with food and expensive wines), much less meals out (occasional treat), and we no longer have expensive days out (races or concerts). The pub is now a treat. Also if we go off for the day, we pack a picnic and take a thermal flask. Tend to find lots of free things to do, such as walking and beach.

charliejosh · 29/06/2011 10:50

I am scared to add my total up.....

knittedbreast · 29/06/2011 10:52

my socialising is free with the mums outside school gates. i dont have the time or intrests in socialising. i dont drink, only enjoy the food in restraunts i cant afford, i like my own cooking more.
i work every night, some lunchtimes and all weekend, dont see my family let alone anyone else. when i get home i just sleep