To think it is possible to live on £100 a week

[theseaismyhome]

If you are not paying rent, mortgage, just food, petrol and obviously clothes/shoes?

Or AIBU?

Pet food, my cats won't eat anything other than their usual brand. So plan ahead and get the offers while they're on. In my experience if you buy cheap they refuse to eat it and give you evils for a week - not worth it!

Debt free wannabe board on MSE is not just to get debt free but also about budgeting.

How about the grocery challenge forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=5149836 It's not about debt.

I think if you write down absolutely everything you pay out for a month then you will have an idea of what's going on.

Are you taking coffee in a flask or taking packed lunch? That can save a few pennies.

I never drink coffee (or eat lunch! ) it is just petrol, mainly, and pets!

So how much are you spending on petrol? Is it for your commute?

Mostly, yes. Around £40-£50, I think.

i used to live on £60 per week, buying food/toiletries/travel, but no rent or bills (it was a volunteer placement with accommodation provided).

this was 15 years ago, so allowing for inflation i think it's doable.

Wow thats a huge amount. Are you going very far. Assume you've checked to make sure your car is being fuel efficient (tires, load etc).

Well, my job is car based is why.

So £50 a week just for groceries, cleaning things, toiletries, any clothes needed, etc., for one person ?

Yes, easily.

Over a short term - say a couple of years. After that, you begin to need to replace more things, you begin to need a holiday, you begin to get fed up with not having enough to treat yourself to a concert or whatever.

Possibly with a baby and/or little DCs but not older ones.

This past 48 hours I've spent:

£120 deposit for DS's Bronze DofE Award
£20 for trainers for DD for Brownies for a weekend camp
£30 for DSis for B'day pressie

That's things needed not fripperies at all. I can assure you that what may be feasible (just about) with little ones, certainly isn't with teens and tweens at home. I 've noticed a steady increase in money requests for DC1 since he went to secondary school (and this is even without paying for the school trips!)...it's neverending....

It depends if anything goes wrong with the car or your phone etc.

I don't think it's realistic. My season ticket to work is almost that. I try to spend 150 a week just on lunches, coffees and groceries (for 1 adult and 1 doc) and I never manage it.