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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask what you spend your disposable income on?

131 replies

PoseidonsRightNostril · 20/12/2013 20:00

Hi MN Smile

After taxes, bills, rent/mortgage , food basically everything - with the money that is left over how do you treat yourselves and what do you generally spend it on?

Personally: fresh flowers, 'luxury' bath products /creams and huge gorgeous candles. And a once weekly massage (I have a semi-physical job)

My best friend : monthly mini break (lucky cow), different ethnic restaurants and rare books.

What about you all?

OP posts:
YippeeKiYayMakkaPakka · 20/12/2013 22:54

coffee shops
meals out
cinema
clothes (for all of us)
haircut every other month (me)
'nice' food (chocolate, biscuits, fresh fruit)
books (mainly DH and DDs)

MmeGuillotine · 20/12/2013 22:58

Gin, books, gothy dresses, silver or ironic perspex jewellery, nice make up, REN and Clarins skin care, glittery hairbands, more gin, candles, perfume, art prints, Emma Bridgewater stuff...

I should probably start saving at some point. I opened a savings account last year but have yet to put a bean in it. :(

Bumblequeen · 20/12/2013 23:12

We do not have much disposable income. We allow ourselves £60 each to spend as we please.

PeriodFeatures · 20/12/2013 23:14

wine, horses, coffee, cake, newspapers but mostly horses.

cory · 20/12/2013 23:15

Dd's theatrical activities, books, visiting family.

MissRabbitsOtherJob · 20/12/2013 23:21

Drink, drugs and hookers. The rest I waste.

manicinsomniac · 20/12/2013 23:22

I'm not really sure what counts as disposable and what doesn't. I guess we have an awful lot that we don't technically need:

The girls' ballet, tap, dance, drama, singing, gymnastics, piano and saxophone lessons.

My gym and drama club memberships

Flights and travel in South America

Theatre and concert tickets

clothes, books, CDs, DVDs

Random days out

10% of private school fees that my teaching there doesn't cover.

Listing it all makes it seems so ... decadent and selfish when so many people struggle. But, on the plus side, we don't eat out, don't own any unnecessary electronic gadgets, don't buy much stuff new and live in vastly subsidised (almost free) school owned housing without council tax.

WhereIsMyHat · 20/12/2013 23:38

Nights out, taking the kids out, fags (my vice on nights out if you discount the booze), coffees.

WhereIsMyHat · 20/12/2013 23:42

Oh and a gym membership.

MrsSchadenfreude · 20/12/2013 23:43

gin

StarsAboveYou · 20/12/2013 23:45

Wine and my first love my pony.

Nothing left after that but realise I'm incredibly lucky.

MacaYoniandCheese · 20/12/2013 23:48

It all goes on my crack habit, sadly.

youaremychocolatecake · 21/12/2013 00:01

Stuff for the kids mainly, clothes or cinema trips, swimming lessons etc. I'm partial to Facebook business pages Sad eBay... Magazines, takeaways, odd bits of clothes for myself, nails, beauty products. Depends how much there is really. I like to go on holidays too :)

GalaxyDefender · 21/12/2013 00:01

Video games and books.
Can usually only afford one game every few months (books are much cheaper, but there's fewer I want!), but there's nothing else I really spend on so I guess it doesn't matter Grin

Tulip26 · 21/12/2013 00:33

The odd take-away or meal out. My beautiful rescue dog and cats. They probably cost me £100 a month easily. They are totally worth it though when they don't shit on my carpets.

Tulip26 · 21/12/2013 00:34

Ooh and DVDs. I buy a couple every month as my stupid TV aerial doesn't work and I detest paying the license fee. Currently into The Wire and Breaking Bad.

DaveMccave · 21/12/2013 00:46

None basic food. (Organic veg, luxury bacon for most mornings etc We basically never get takeaways)
Nice beer.
Zoo membership.
Frugi clothes for kids
Netflix
Ikea.

JollySantersSelectionBox · 21/12/2013 00:51

Theme park annual pass tickets and trips home to see the family.

Itsaboatjack · 21/12/2013 01:03

DCs - swimming/ballet/gymnastics lessons, far far too many clothes.

Me - wine, a few too many clothes, far far too many take away coffees.

DH - cineworld membership a few DVDs and games. But mostly cigarettes

Family days out and annual zoo membership.

Spermysextowel · 21/12/2013 01:28

Pork scratchings.

SeaSickSal · 21/12/2013 01:43

Oh, I had pork scratchings today spermy. They were lovely.

daisychain01 · 21/12/2013 06:29

What a pointless materialistic tedious thread. Who cares what people spend disposable income on?

YABVVU asking. Yes I go and splash out in John Lewis and on luxury holidays.

RubyGoat · 21/12/2013 06:54

Haha at MrsRabbit and MacaYoni! I am Shock at the idea of £60 each not being 'a lot' of disposable income.

dashoflime · 21/12/2013 06:58

Books
Haircuts
Tea and cakes in cafes

Really surprisingly large amount on things like take away tea, pasty in greggs, cafe for lunch on a work day. Things that seem like cheap little treats at the time but add up horribly.

Degustibusnonestdisputandem · 21/12/2013 07:27

Wine, food, books & trip to Australia every other year!

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