to ask why life is so expensive?

[clam]

It's just one thing after another. We're on a more-than-reasonable income, yet if I feel we're struggling to stick within our means, how the hell are others on a lower budget coping?
Every month I think things will calm down, but this month alone we have haircuts needed for all, a trip to the vet (£60) 2 dental hygienist appointments (£50 each!!!!!) and a check up (£35, no NHS available), new tyres needed for the car, MOT coming up, dd has only one pair of wearable shoes other than school ones, ditto ds and his feet have grown, ds theatre trip for drama GCSE, next installment of dd's school residential trip, music lesson fees due for the new term, exam fee, plus we have to pay the accompanist.... you get the picture. Plus I forgot to pay off the sodding credit card last month so just got hit with a late payment fee, plus interest.

No I don't think it is if you suffer with tarter build up for example all the brushing won't remove it, it looks ugly and harbours bacteria.
Somethings need electronically scraping off.

Tartar sorry

OP - have you thought about something like Denplan to spread the cost of dental check-ups, hygienist, etc. I pay less than £20 a month and all my check-ups (and fillings ) are covered.

DH thinks that holidays are essential. I don't.

I pay about 9 pounds a month for Denplan which includes 2 hygienist trips a year which cost 37 pounds usually. I don't want my teeth to fall out.

Car is going for it's annual service today let's see how that goes.....

I think holidays are essential Sparkling, how else do you recharge?

Music for children is also v.important IMO. Not ahead of food on the table or anything obviously, but very life enhancing and comes ahead of gadgets and Jack Wills hoodies!

Sparkling family holidays seem to involve DH and DSs recharging but me not so much.

Ah ok. Do you self cater?

I refuse to do that while we have preschoolers, it is harder than being at home because we don't have all our stuff!

hello, I agree. Between us me and DP earn a decent income and our outgoings are huge. Nursery fees cost us about £700 a month and our mortgage is loads, although we are in process of remortgaging so hopefully that will go down. There is always something. Hoping once both children in school in a couple of years then we will actually have some spare cash again.

Yes, a week self catering in the UK Ali, so 'washing up with a diifferent view' to quote someone on here. .

Boys are 10 and nearly 13 so in theory it should get easier.

YANBU.

Its not just the basics that are going up, its everything - school dinners, Pre school fees and DS2's trampolining sessions (which used to be provided free by Aiming High funding are now £8.50 a session)

I know what you mean clam.

I feel that we should have enough money for the stuff that we have, that we have always had. Our income hasn't changed much but suddenly we are struggling. It's stressful.

The things that seem to be hitting us much more than they used to are car and mortgage.
Food bills seem to have rocketed as well.

But dont forget that some of those people will be doing it on credit Bumble.

Its small consolation, but its what I tell myself.

Ditto here

Agree, life is expensive.

Needs :

mortgage/rent
council tax
phone
TV licence
transport
fares
food

Extras!

Mobile
Computer
Sky
Going out
wine
clothes
holidays
everything else.

In the "old days" people didn't have mobiles, computers and Sky and most people only had a few clothes, shoes, handbags. Entertainment was cheaper IMO.

If I really added up everything I spent - and I am only occasionally self-indulgent - it would be alot, prefer not to think about it.

In the "old days" people didn't have so much stuff but what they did have cost more though. And stuff lasted. So much stuff now is just shit quality.

So it's quite complicated I guess!

DH earns just under £30 000, I'm a SAHM and we have one 1 year old son. We manage fine, in fact we save quite a lot. We don't have childcare/school expenses so that makes a big difference but I do wonder why people on £40k plus struggle - if we had that money we would feel very rich.

I suppose it all depends on what you consider essential. We won't be going abroad on holiday any time soon but we will take a few trips to the seaside in the summer. We don't have a car, just use the bus, and I get my hair cut once a year. Even when I had more money I didn't spend very much. I did have a car but it was an old banger that I had to have for work. A bit of extra money would be good, and I could earn some money if I worked when DH was at home but it's not worth it to us.

Things will change when DS is older and requires more "stuff" I suppose.

Bumble - would it help to sit down and work out a plan for your money? Or is everything working as well it can already?

Cailin it depends hugely on your housing costs. Our mortgage plus basic utilities and my pension come to close on £2k a month, then we all need to eat and get around - we do run 2 cars, but DH needs one for work and then I have our 'family' car which we could not manage without. Public transport here is hopeless, and all our family live at least an hour's drive away.

We would not be able to manage on £30k, and we do not have a huge expensive house, it is a very modest 3 bed.

Totally agree Alibaba. Our mortgage is very low and we live in an area with excellent public transport. But then, we chose to live in this area because of those things. I know that option isn't available in some parts of the country but at the same time I do think people sometimes bite off more than they can chew.

Bit off-topic but I am confused about music lessons.

My parents didn't consider them at all and would never have thought of sending me had I not shown a natural aptitude at a very early age.

People who do consider them essential / desirable for all DC regardless, it that because your parents did? And if so, can you not teach your children yourself? If you can't, is that because you have forgotten how to play (in which case they were a waste of money for you and will be for your children) or because of time and practical considerations?

I do realise that instruments are expensive but manuscript paper and scores can be printed off the internet and keyboards are relatively cheap to buy. there are lots of on-line tutorials as well.

I agree with seb1 , you look down the list on your CC bill to see why its so high and theres nothing on there that wasnt pretty essential except Amazon