1,5k disposable income a month is enough

[Myglorioushairdo]

AIBU to think that a disposable income of £1,500 a month is enough for a family of four? That is after all living costs, fixed monthly bills and food/household essentials.
DH and I were a bit unfortunate and made a major life change just before the pandemic, and this is what our household income has now been boiled down to.

DH is majorly stressed out and says its not enough, I say it's OK for now. We are able control all the other costs with careful planning and even save a bit! We don't live in a big city and our kids are still primary school age. What do you think?

After all fixed bills we still need to pay for possible hobbies, clothes, petrol (we have the option to not use the car too much if need be), occasionally eating out, holidays (we haven't had one for years), toys, birthdays, new bikes as kids grow etc etc..

Your mistake is not thinking about most of those things as part of your fixed bills. You need to work out how much you need to spend each year on petrol, birthdays, Christmas, kids clothes and clubs, plus whatever else you would happily go without food in order to pay for (this will vary from person to person - music lessons and scout camps was mine), plus saving towards replacement bikes, washing machine, broken boiler.

Then what's left is your genuine spare cash.

Why not have holidays with that amount if disposable income. Holidays are high up on my list of priorities, that time together, to refresh away from your home is priceless

After all fixed bills we still need to pay for possible hobbies, clothes, petrol (we have the option to not use the car too much if need be), occasionally eating out, holidays (we haven't had one for years), toys, birthdays, new bikes as kids grow etc etc..

The reality is £1,500 per month will very quickly go on all of that but everything you have listed there is an option you don’t need to pay anything for because none of it essential.

If you are used to a different lifestyle there may be a difficult adjustment but I am sure you will find it works out alright.

First world problems eh

OP do you not read the posts on here? I think the average UK wage is something like £24k - can you do the maths?

You surely must know that having £1500 'spare' every month is way more than some people earn.

How can you have no self awareness?

Goading post

@PestymcPestFace

It seems quite a generous amount of pocket money.

I think a lot of people will wonder how you have high paid jobs, if you really have the low level of critical thinking and empathy that your post indicates.

Miaow!

Oh gosh, from my perspective you would be positively slumming it. I'm surprised you can manage a good nights sleep.

So your disposable income is roughly £18,000plus a year. This is after bills and mortgage, etc. I never u der stand the point of these posts. There are many, many people pulling that in as their whole income and they make it work. That's your play money. Clearly, it's enough.

Ah we're all millionaires online

Im lucky if i have £1.50 after bills

Ok..my apologies everyone!! Just obviously a bit clueless to come post something like this on here. If it makes any difference, we were on total zero income for four months during lockdown and used up every single penny we had stashed away and now trying to get back on our feet living somewhere new, doing new jobs. So I do know financial stress..

Like I said, the 'disposable' income must cover anything that is non-essential like everyone's clothes, petrol, toys, bikes, hobbies (if the kids want to got to a swimming school act..), car servicing, things breaking, birthdays, christmases and hopefully a bit of saving too..

Op, unless you have 2 quid a month and 1 chicken to feed family of 16, you don't post on MN asking about money.

For fucks sake, that is more than our take home pay for a family of four before we suffered redundancy. Currently living off savings we built while living on that wage. He needs to get a grip and realise how bloody lucky and comfortable you are compared to many

Goodness

These threads are very en vogue

Yeah this a total humble brag. Some people have to take all rent and bills out of that £1500 disposable income you have left. If you can blow that amount per month after paying all your fixed bills then you're living quite a luxurious life as far as I'm concerned.

@titchy

After all fixed bills we still need to pay for possible hobbies, clothes, petrol (we have the option to not use the car too much if need be), occasionally eating out, holidays (we haven't had one for years), toys, birthdays, new bikes as kids grow etc etc..

Your mistake is not thinking about most of those things as part of your fixed bills. You need to work out how much you need to spend each year on petrol, birthdays, Christmas, kids clothes and clubs, plus whatever else you would happily go without food in order to pay for (this will vary from person to person - music lessons and scout camps was mine), plus saving towards replacement bikes, washing machine, broken boiler.

Then what's left is your genuine spare cash.

This. You've had a pasting because of the massive disposable income, but how much of it is truely disposable?

Petrol won't be disposable if one of you needs to start commuting again, nor will repairing the car, MOT etc. Have you included things like insurance and breakdown cover too.

You mention clothes, of course adults probably won't need many new clothes, especially if you're WFH but children grow, have you included school uniforms before the disposable income or does that need to come out of it?

Birthdays and Christmas aren't exactly optional if you have DC.

What is your DH wanting to spend the money on that he thinks you can't afford? Does he fear money he might want to spend on expensive gadgets and his hobbies going on things like school shoes?

Ah we're all millionaires online

Quite.

What the hell do you spend money on if this amount is a worry?

£1500 free money effectively?

and the two of you can find a grip when you’re at it.

Don’t be so bloody ridiculous.

Spend it on some lessons in tact and empathy perhaps

Someone got absolutely chewed out on here a few weeks ago when they were complaining they "only" had £1500 a month disposable income

Amongst other things she was accused of being smug and totally oblivious

Most people have £0 disposable income once food etc is paid for........

£18k a year 'spare' cash, and asking if its enough to play with?.

Get a grip.

@DumplingsAndStew

£18k a year 'spare' cash, and asking if its enough to play with?.

Get a grip.

Exactly