Where does your disposal income go?

[notanotheraibu]

What do you like to spend your fun money on?

Bags, beauty, travel, clothes, shoes, sport, home improvement or anything else?

I don't spend much on beauty but would love to have a monthly massage and nail appointment. Not fussed on brows or Botox.

I also place more value on travel after the last couple of years and intend to save more to enable a bit more travel.

Clothes, shoes and bags are bought but usually second hand.

@waterboats

Both my husband and I do not consider money to be disposable. We never spend more per month than necessary, even if some months we can have 2 times the amount coming in, it never gets touched unless it's to fund something we would have bought anyway. We are the kind of people who live day to day on just over half our income . It isn't really difficult for us because where we live ( abroad, rural) doesn't really encourage or facilitate big spending.We have long term plans for that money, including travel, some structural work on our home, and help for when our teens get a bit older.

I am so Glad you posted this. We spend what we need to. Lockdown certainly taught us we don't need to spend money just for something to do . Find something free to do.

@waterboats

Both my husband and I do not consider money to be disposable. We never spend more per month than necessary, even if some months we can have 2 times the amount coming in, it never gets touched unless it's to fund something we would have bought anyway. We are the kind of people who live day to day on just over half our income . It isn't really difficult for us because where we live ( abroad, rural) doesn't really encourage or facilitate big spending.We have long term plans for that money, including travel, some structural work on our home, and help for when our teens get a bit older.

What if tomorrow never comes? My DH was diagnosed with a very nasty cancer at 52. I am so glad that we lived the live we did and didn’t wait until we were older.

I save most of my disposal income. I spend on my garden, houseplants/ new pots , yarn and crochet accessories.

Horses, holidays and eating out.

It goes on my partner, who due to ill health gets only basic UC. Help out with things like birthday/christmas for his little boy, and a few nice treats for him.

Rent, utilities, food, cat/home/bike insurance, medical or dental treatments, bike repairs, pension (ha!!!) basic toiletries, any bus or train travel (rare), then replacing anything that's totally worn out (e.g this week a sandwich toaster that did 20 years service has been binned so need a new one.)

Anything left over gets saved. No holidays or days/meals out. No luxuries. All clothes secondhand unless socks or underwear. No haircuts (diy over sink with kitchen scissors, box dye.) Diy and decorating done by self. No telly so no need for licence. Cycle to work, costs very little over a year. Make own packed lunches. No takeaways etc.

Am pretty much "economically inactive" and have been for years. Essentials only.

Kids, dogs, gardener, meals out, Netflix, amazon, Disney +, concerts, theatre, holiday home, charities and savings. But mainly kids and dogs!

Travel, and second hand recipe books from charity shops

@waterboats

Both my husband and I do not consider money to be disposable. We never spend more per month than necessary, even if some months we can have 2 times the amount coming in, it never gets touched unless it's to fund something we would have bought anyway. We are the kind of people who live day to day on just over half our income . It isn't really difficult for us because where we live ( abroad, rural) doesn't really encourage or facilitate big spending.We have long term plans for that money, including travel, some structural work on our home, and help for when our teens get a bit older.

So savings then.

Some condescending attitudes on this thread. It's important to save money if you can, yes. But there's nothing wrong with indulging in luxuries if you want to as well. Living frugally and spending no money on anything bar essentials sounds fucking boring to me, I don't want my life to be like that.

@waterboats - so you spend your disposable income on travel and home improvements then? Don't be smug, those aren't partucular more moral because you've saved the money up first then spent it on things you find fun than someone else who saves it up then spends it something different they find fun! Travel is wasted money for a lot of people, I do agree that experiences are worth spending on. Sometimes I have to travel for experiences, some are available closer to home.

But if you spend your disposal income on travel, you do have disposal income and do spend it!

Doggie daycare and alcohol.

@waterboats

Both my husband and I do not consider money to be disposable. We never spend more per month than necessary, even if some months we can have 2 times the amount coming in, it never gets touched unless it's to fund something we would have bought anyway. We are the kind of people who live day to day on just over half our income . It isn't really difficult for us because where we live ( abroad, rural) doesn't really encourage or facilitate big spending.We have long term plans for that money, including travel, some structural work on our home, and help for when our teens get a bit older.

Well, you clearly do consider it to be disposable as you're planning to spend it on travel and home improvements

Waxing. Our dogs. Travel. Fresh flowers. Good quality chocolate.

We don’t eat out often. There’s nowhere close to us to go (nearest restaurant is over 20 miles away and not that great, apparently). Not a big spender on clothes. Our biggest expense is travel. We easily spend $20,000 a year on that.

Very very little on clothes, make up, toiletries etc, or on restaurants, pubs etc.
Most is spent on kids extracurricular activities, family days out, theatre trips etc. Not as much as I would like on holidays. Otherwise there is always some house related project waiting to suck up any spare cash (eg we need new kitchen, new flooring, would like solar panels)

Pension I’m only 10 years away from retirement and I’m absolutely shitting myself to be honest.

But then once I have retired I’ll be drawing it down to travel.

Everyone is different and some have not a spare penny anyway. I like to pay some money off the mortgage. I also have supported my children without student loans - last year is the current one. I am not a particularly big spender on much else.

However I do pay for things not everyone can afford like netflix and sky

@Alwayscheerful interesting that that was the take away from you in terms of lockdown, most of us realised that actually life is very short and tomorrow isn’t promised. There’s no pockets in a shroud

Holidays - at least one luxury 5* long haul, a city break, week in the med, cruise, several UK.
House and garden.
Gym and spa membership.
Clothes/boots.
Lots of nights out, gigs, theatre etc with DH and friends/family.
Presents for our grown up dc/gc.

Overpaying the mortgage, travel and meals out, but we'll be reining it in to compensate for NI and cost of living increase

Holidays, hair, good wine, meals out, but think more of it will be going on the gas bill in the next year or so

Into savings right now. Want to move house at some point..

Uni bills for the kids and retirement savings. If that sounds boring, it is.

Into the pension. Gotta love that sweet, sweet salary sacrifice tax relief.

Car repair when I hit a post. Car service. Holiday to Majorca. A week in our caravan in Dorset.