To ask how much disposable income you give yourself each week?

[m1ssB]

Just interested in other responses. At the moment I don't know if I'm giving myself too much/too little to spend on myself each week so want to see what others say..

Please share

I have about £150 for the month, I don’t budget it into weeks. That is just personal spend after everything is paid. I don’t buy petrol with it but I do buy takeaways sometimes. I find it quite hard.

I think it depends what you mean by disposable?
I would see fuel, hair cuts and takeaways as kind of essential (maybe not a takeaway every week but a rare, every couple of months one would come out of my food budget). I also see clothes as essential and so budget for those along with other household expenses but then I am no clothes horse.

Disposable I would see as meals/ nights out with friends, trips to the cinema/ theatre, make up (although this is increasingly becoming an essential 😂), manicures and pedicures, facials, coffees and lunches out when at work etc - things that are nice to have but are not essential.

I have around £1000 a month to spend on me, but I often don’t spend it so it gets saved. Hardly spending anything at the moment.

DH and I get £50 a week each. That goes on day trips out, one pub lunch a month, clothes, books, and things for the house and garden. £10 per week of my 50 is currently going into a savings fund for a new laptop.

It's not a concept that I practice.

I don;t give myself money to fritter away. I have a dislike of "stuff" in general, and only buy what I need.

£300 a month so that's about £75 a week. I usually spend it, some weeks less some more eg if I get hair done or go out somewhere. It seems about right for me, I never feel like I go without.

About £130/mth to cover clothes, make up, hair cuts, going out.

Plus another £50/mth goes into my premium bonds for larger expenses or special purchases. There is about £600 in there saved up.

I don’t think about it. I’m naturally a saver and if I feel poor I cut back.
Covid means shopping has moved online so naturally I spend less. Even if I go to actual shops I am not buying, trying on at home and returning clothes! Just buy online.

@MrsR87

I guess it depends on what you mean by disponible income. Myself and DH (currently expecting DS1 in a few weeks) transfer £300 each into our personal accounts each month. That money is purely ours to do what we wish with. Our wages both get paid into joint account and all bills including mortgage, utility, grocery, etc come from there as do our savings and anything we spend on joint things like holidays, going for a meal, buying something from the house or a day out. I fully expect the amount I have just for me to be much lower when baby arrives.

And your husbands will be reduced as well...yes?

£350 per month is in the ‘everything else’ pot after all bills, main food shop, savings transferred, petrol and kids activities/clubs etc. all paid. But this has to cover all clothes, shoes, haircuts etc for me + 2 kids, any outings, work coffees etc.

Don’t think we’re particularly poor, I’d say we’re pretty well off really...£400 a week just to spend on myself sounds a lot (and amazing!!)

After all expenses $20. But then I rarely shop or eat out and I am VERY frugal. Most of my clothes and makeup are over a decade old.

I work out what I need or want to buy each month so that I can maximise savings. I usually allow £80 a week for treats, clothes, hair appointments, etc.

Zola Grey you beat me to it.

£500 a week. We don’t spend it for the sake of spending it though and will save what we don’t spend, on top of our monthly savings. Just for some perspective though, we were skint when the kids were little and had very little spare money each week. The kids are grown up now so we’re in a better position. For anyone struggling with a young family I would say hang on in there, it does get financially easier as the years pass by.

Honest answer - I have no idea. But I probably should, I suppose?

Some weeks I spend absolutely nothing, others I might get a couple of Amazon parcels through the door, but it's usually things that I need. I'm not a big spender so I've never needed to control it strictly.

I don't have a set amount. After bills and savings I have about £1000pm disposable, that's for myself and DS. About half of that goes towards the holiday fund as we like to go away on luxury holidays. The rest goes on days out/activities for DS, takeaways/eating out, the odd night out with friends for me, getting my nails and hair done.

To just spend on me?

£300 a month

Some pays for my gym membership and my phone.

Some I put to one side to buy friends Xmas and birthday presents.

Some I put to one side for more expensive months, e,g. A trip away with friends.

Once that is accounted for £25 a week left. Covers clothes, haircuts, beauty products, meals out with friends, work collections etc

After everything is paid I put most of my money into saving and leave myself £200 a month. This is for clothes, going out, lunches etc. I usually make my own lunch for work and don’t buy coffee each day.

I always hesitate to comment in these threads because I know I’ll be labelled a liar (yes I have been already on here) or that I’m boasting.

But seeing as, on another thread about high earners, someone said that they would love the curtain pulled back in high earners. I personally think it’s a good idea too.

I have about €2500 left over each month after everything including savings. We don’t always spend that much and it goes into savings next month for holidays etc.

£500 a week on personal spends??!!

What do you spend it on?

We are very comfortable, but I don't spend anywhere near that on personal spending. If I had that much left I'd put it into savings for holidays or for the kids.

Really- those who spend that much- what do you spend it on?

I think it’s roughly £300 a week based on what’s left over after bills are paid

@MeanMrMustardSeed....I'm not sure what you are getting at. She asked a question and I told her my answer. There are different types of families with different income. I'm not a young mom and young family (well kinda). I've already retired from one profession and have started a second. The same as my husband. We don't have a mortgage, i don't have car notes.The only expenses we have is food,utilities and car insurance....Yeah my blow money is high but so is my food bill a month.Its close to 1200 pounds a month for a family of 5. My electric bill is about 700 pounds a month. My car insurance is astronomical. I know people on both sides of the pond that my car insurance is more than their mortgage/rent. Its comparable to my income

Approx £200 (there’s just me in the household) after groceries and fuel, but not including haircuts takeaways etc which are luxuries in my book!

I spend about £50 a week on beauty, £60 on drinks/nights out, £40 on meals out/takeaways and £50 on any other bits like clothes, taxis etc

I could spend more, but spend about £40 a week on an evening out (incl babysitter)
Very occasionally buy clothes- maybe £5-£10 a week maximum.

Haircut about £100 every 4/5 months.

Coffee out maybe once a month.

Maybe a takeaway every 2 months or so.

What is everyone buying?

We have quite a lot leftover as we have no mortgage any more and no car payments either.
Our only set bills are
Term time childcare
Electricity
Insurances (car, house and life)
Phone x2
Broadband
Food
Fuel
Savings for car tax and maintenance.
General savings

I may have forgotten things. We have about 2.5k per month to play with as such. But we usually just save a lot or use it on house projects.