Disposable income ...

[accidentlygothere]

Me and my boyfriend are looking at moving out my parents early next year.

Between us, our take home income is £2100. (I am only part time due to having a young child)

Rent £800
Bills £400
Food shop £200
Insurance / subscriptions / contracts £100

None of us drive also nor do we need to right now. That leaves us with £600 disposable income and to buy baby necessities, my boyfriend thinks this is enough to live on but I don't think so.

AIBU?

£600 spare income would be a dream for many people

If you don’t drive you still need travel costs, what are they?

£300 each isn’t loads, will you be able to save anything?

£600??? In what world is that not enough?

It's manageable with budgeting. I'd make sure out of that £600 you put say £50 a month away for emergencies and £50 for Xmas and birthdays and live off the £500. Although I have to admit between 2 adults and a baby I would find that difficult.

For context I'm alone with 2 children and have have around £700 after the bills you mentioned and never seem to make it stretch. All the little extra bits just seem to add up although I don't by any means struggle as some people do.

£200 for a food shop? Seems low? Does that include cleaning products/toiletry etc? I'm intrigued.

I don't think £200 groceries is realistic, pricescare mental. We've always been lower income people but our household is so stretched now

£400 sounds really cheap for bills!
Gas, electricity, water, council tax, TV licence, phones, Internet??

What about clothes, Christmas type extras?

I don't think it's loads but should be easily manageable if you're careful. Do you spend more than £300 now on non essential spend. Be prepared to cut back!

£400 on bills seems low - less than £100 per week on
Water
Council tax
Gas
Electric
Mobiles or landlines
Any insurances
Travel
Tv licence

Council tax, childcare, clothing, water, gas, electric, sky tv/Internet?

As others have said, you need to put aside some of the £600 for emergencies / big bills. As long as you’re good at sti king to a budget and you’ve been realistic on your monthly bills I think £600 spare per month is really good.

Why don't you try to live on that budget for a few months and see how it goes OP? Literally live like you have those bills and 600 left over. It will either work or it won't.

I'd say heck your budget and spending... you amy be able to so it but two peoples living expenses plus a child is a lot of expense. Your budget isnt browkn down much and I also not sure you have covered all. Car? Travel to work or school ? Mobiles? Breakdown cover?

It sounds like a lot but that £600 could soon be eaten into with a few unexpected bills or expenses/ trips out /clothes / takeaways

Etc

I think you're underestimating bills. Have you included council tax, gas/electric (costs have gone up massively this year) phone contracts, Internet, insurance, water etc?

I don't think £400 sounds crazily too low for bills since they don't include insurance/contracts (presumably phone?). £150 CT, £100 gas/electric, £50 water, £25 broadband, £15 TV licence is about what we pay I think. £200 is pushing it for food shopping though.

£600 is loads if that's really how much you have left over.

Have you included childcare in this?

Yanbu and I think the budget is optimistic

Groceries are not going to be 200 especially with a baby. That can't include nappies, can it?

Do you never take public transport?
What's your clothes budget?
Do you intend to go on holiday ever?

I suggest a proper budget spreadsheet check out money-saving expert and spend time filling it in properly.

Good luck!!

We own our phones outright so monthly phone contracts are about £12. Maybe bills should be budgeted higher.

We will still have around £15kish in savings , so although I would like to put money away for emergencies etc, worst comes to worst we wouldn't be screwed.

Right now we probably spend more than that but we do go out for lunch / coffee etc a lot as we like to have our own space away from my parents.

I'm just worried I'll have not enough money to live comfortably! Sorry if this seems insensitive to others.

I was thinking 400 seemed high for bills! It's more than double what I pay for a 2 bed semi.

I think it's definitely enough to live on for 2 people plus baby - plus it'll have to be, really, won't it? Unless you plan on living with your parents until the baby is in full time school, and you don't have another one.

The costs you've listed for both bills and food seem extremely low to me.

Do you have childcare and travel costs?

We also don't need to pay for childcare as partner works office hours and I work evenings in hospitality.

You definitely won’t have thought of everything. We have really low bills but all the bits and pieces throughout the year just add up so much!

MSE budget planner is good for all the hidden costs you don't think about on a monthly basis: clothes, haircuts, birthdays, Christmas, MoT, dental treatment, etc.