to think £1,000 per month

[winkywinkola]

disposable income after all household bills have been paid, including mortgage, groceries, petrol, is a good amount of money!

To me it's a very small amount because I'm trying to save for a house deposit and it would take forever if that was all we could save. If it's just for frittering away, it's plenty for two. Not much for a family of six.

It is a lot of money but I guess it's relative. I have that for 'personal' spending per month and DP has more. He saves his, I spend it!!

I think it's a huge amount of money. I must be on a different planet to some people.

If it's after the weekly shop and petrol, bills and mortgage, and other debts, then yes, it's loads. Thanks to our massive overbudget extension, that would only just service our loans and credit card repayments however. Damn mortgage company not letting us roll it all up.

Disposable income? Blimey!

That's roughly £40 per person per week, every week, for pure pleasure / entertainment. Seems like a lot to me, but it's all relative, isn't it?

It's not much is it if that to cover everything else, car servicing, holidays, savings, Christmas, occasional meals out, clothes etc. Did the OP say a family of 6? A holiday alone will cost a couple of thousand at least. Saving £500 a month for emergencies and holidays it leaves £125 a week for clothing and socialising, that's not much for 6. It's a lot more than a lot of people have,certainly, and it ought to be enough but it's not lap of luxury time!

Is it for Christmas, birthdays, hair cuts, dentist, school trips, holidays, days out, eating out and savings, things breaking etc?

Is that after bills and food. If so that's really good. I wish!

Depends.

I'd think it's ok.

Elton John would think it's rubbish.

Clothes, holidays, home improvements, savings, pets, school trips, entertainment, nights out, new cars, birthdays and Christmas - It seems quite tight to me?

£12k to play with (or save) after all household etc?

That's a lot of money. More than many people earn in total, disgraceful as that is. Anyone who has that much, or more, is very fortunate.

OP, of course we need to know why.

We have £100 spare each month so 10x that would be like a lottery win to us

Clothes, holidays, home improvements, savings, pets, school trips, entertainment, nights out, new cars, birthdays and Christmas

most of the stuff on that list is luxury

(god end stage capitalism is depressing)

'it seems quite tight'?

Really, honestly?

We have a max of around £50 a week after food & bills paid.
So in my world that's a lot of money.

Are those people saying it doesn't seem much for real? When we've paid for everything we have to pay, including car finance (only way we could afford to each have a car, I drive for my job and there's no bus service dh could use), debts (not huge and mostly unavoidable), food, rent, bills, petrol, we have maybe £200 a month at most for clothes, haircuts, presents, going out, holidays, saving, vets bills. We're probably average earners as well, we just live in an expensive area and sadly both need cars due to work and where we live. I'm trying to cut back but there isn't many places I can. And when I go back to work after maternity leave we'll not have any more thanks to child care. We're not poor, we're not struggling to make ends meet, but money can be tight if we have an unexpected expense. When we're debt free we'll be able to save £300 a month. £1000 would be amazing.

That's about what we have each month and while yes it is a lot of money, its also easily spent if you aren't careful and are used to having that amount of money each month. Especially if you are saving for something and there is a special occasion that month.

For example DH and I seem to spend our lives at weddings and you can easily spend half of that on an outfit, hotel, gift, drinks if you aren't careful and then £500 for the rest of the month doesn't seem like much, especially if you still want to save some of that! Not that I routinely spend £500 going to someone elses wedding im far to tight for that but you know what I mean.

It wouldn't last us five minutes.

I hate these threads. So pointless. What is, or isn't a good income is all relative. For example what does it mean by 'after all household bills' ? How do we a certain just what bills are for essentials and what are for additional things that make life nicer but are not essential?

Depends whether you are heating a 2 up 2 down or a huge house. Do school fees count as bills? Do you run a 15 year old ford Fiesta or a brand new Range Rover? do you ship at Aldi or Waitrose? No kids to feed and clothe, or seven?

Because you might 'struggle' with a lot less than £1k a month 'disposable' income and yet still opt to pay school fees or drive an expensive car, or feed 4 huge dogs, none of which is essential.

Are you a milkman or a surgeon?

Daft thread.

ascertain

I hate the terms luxuries and essentials, they are so subjective.

I see central heating as an essential, but some people manage without it so am I taking that for granted and should I regard it as a luxury?

We have about £400 a month after rent and bills, out of that comes food and petrol - so obviously I think it's tonnes. I realise we're a bit skint - but anyone who thinks a thousand pounds a month to spend on luxuries isn't enough is being silly.

Sorry that post wasn't a direct response to your post madrigals

well, in fairness if you choose to run a brand new Range Rover that is entirely your choice and you can't exactly then cry poverty if it doesn't leave much spare cash. Up to each individual what they spend their money on of course, and they have every right to run a Range Rover if they want to, but the fact of owning it doesn't then make it an essential outgoing.

Exactly, that's my point. Someone could live quite frugally and have a really good disposable income because they don't commit to much on a monthly basis, and it could give the impression that they are 'well off' whereas some one else might have much less than that left at the end of all their commitments but earn much more.