To feel deflated that big costs are never ending

[incognitopurple]

Lighthearted, but adulting has got the better of me today.

Tried to watch Now TV and the app won’t work as the smart television (2015) is too old to support the app. Looked on the Curry’s website for new TVs, who knows where to start. We have a comfortable sofa but they are hand me downs from my parents and need replacing soonish.

We moved in some months ago and the only spare room is full of clothes rails. It looks like a jumble sale, we need wardrobes really but again where to start - seems like such a huge expense.

Myself and OH work full time and earning averagely. We have about £1500 disposable income left over after all direct debits, bills and food/household shopping each month between us but amongst this want to save. I recognise it’s a privilege in the cost of living crisis to have anything left over

OH drives a 12 year old car and we are dreading putting it through its MOT as there will undoubtedly be more to repair and service than the value of the car, or close to. He owns in full and has looked after it but he is debating getting a new car on lease before this, add yet another expense to the pot!

I really wonder how most people afford things. Does everyone else feel a bit like there’s one thing after another?!! The more I look at bigger purchases, the more I talk myself out of them. If you’ve disposable income in the bank is the honest answer to this to just rip the plaster off and do it? Ha!

£1500 after everything is paid is a fairly
decent amount. We have less than that and go away a few times a year have decent savings. we just bought a new sofa and furniture for the living room (paid outright, I don’t like credit). I’m struggling to see why you are struggling,

@BashfulClam thank you for your honesty. I am not sure to be honest where it’s all going but it certainly is, going! Will review

In 3 months you can save £4500.
How much do tvs and sofas cost?

Well, over a year you could get a new car and decent sofas! Not seeing the issue to be fair.

£1500x12 = £18000!

£3000 on sofas and £15000 on a decent second hand car. Boom!

How about making a list of all the things that need replacing/that you’d like to replace, and then just trying to work out which you’ll prioritise? E.g. is the car more urgent to replace, or would you prefer a new sofa/TV/wardrobe first? I totally get it can feel overwhelming though when it feels like everything needs replacing pretty much at the same time.

Seriously? you have £1500 disposable income every month and you're wondering how to buy things?
Wee bit tone deaf when theres countless threads about how ppl can keep warm this winter as they can't afford heating.

I think it’s a bit of a piss take to complain when you have £1500 a month to spare!
Not in the way of you shouldn’t ever complain because some people have nothing, but because you easily have enough so there’s nothing to actually complain about!

Well, this all depends. If you have a family of four past the ‘little ones’ phase then every outing is quite expensive. Plus clothes plus petrol to go places plus, plus, plus.

Total sympathy, OP. My income is fine - it’s the optional-but-not-really outgoings that are racing upwards that are the problem. (Looking at you, vet bill).

You can buy either a chrome cast or now TV plug in box very cheaply and keep the TV you have...

Surely spend a bit of what you save each month.

You could get a new TV for £500, go Ikea and furnish most of your house for £500 and still be able to save a decent chunk to put towards a new car.

You don't actually have £1500 spare if you are budgeting correctly, your budget should take into account repairs & replacements, home maintenance, holidays etc. Once these are accounted for, I think you'll find your disposable is much less and you should spend accordingly.

That is a lot to have going spare every month. Are you sure it really is going spare? Are you averaging these big ticket items, household maintenance, insurances, car service, transport, petrol etc out over a year to ensure they don't actually account for the spare £1.5k? If it is going out of your account, and there is nothing left, then it isn't really spare.

Then, it becomes a question of how much you're spending on regular items and how to cut that down. Shop in Sainsbury or Tesco? Not any more. Asda, Aldi, Lidl, TooGoodToGo etc.

I would never consider buying a new new sofa, car, wardrobe, table, etc. There is so much second hand stuff going begging. Sometimes literally, for nothing. I got a six drawer chest from the side of the road the other day.

Same with clothes and shoes. I'd never buy full price boots for me, or school shoes, when you can get brilliant ones barely worn off eBay or Vinted.

Secondhand sofa and wardrobes are flooding markets as people downsize or move in together.

We brought a sofa for £400 it was a couple of months old at that time.

Wardrobes our sons was £150 B&Q selling in premium shops for four times the price.

Make a list and prioritize whilst keeping an eye on the secondhand market.

Same for cars, a 4 year old car low mileage is cheaper in the long run than an new car.

Just because you have spare doesn’t mean you have to spend it all.

You need to keep a track of all your spending for a month to see where all of your money is going. Then you can cut back and make a budget.

Our local "big" charity shop is full of decent wardrobes. They maybe a little old fashioned but it might be worth a look if you are into mid-century modern etc.

As for sofas I would recommend get one on 0pc finance if you are in a position to borrow. With the current inflation rates it would be far better than paying outright.

The car market is cooling off. You could easily save for 6months and buy something decent.

Sorry, you're being unreasonable. You've got considerable disposable income and your problems sound ordinary.

This is what life is but if you can afford what you need you're doing well. I have always bought secondhand and my TV is ancient. Life is still good!

If you have £1500 ,you could save £500 a month towards things you need. This is the way we work. If we need something we save up a few months. With £1000 left that’s over £200 a week for spare money.

Your disposable income is more than my actual income.

I'm on my own but have more than that left over each month and I think you are v v v tone death to start a thread on this. FFS, READ THE ROOM!!

She can save £1500 a month is the point

With £300 a week SPARE, do kids cost £300 a week?

We have about £1500 disposable income left over after all direct debits, bills and food/household shopping each month between us

Have you accounted for:

Medical/health (prescriptions, dentist, eye tests etc)

Christmas (not just presents but tree/food/fun etc)

Gifts (birthdays, weddings, other occasions)

Annual or less frequent bills (home insurance, software subs, Amazon Prime etc)

Car repairs and maintenance

Home maintenance (boiler service, DIY costs, odds and sods)?

Work out annual spending on these and divide by 12.

Only then consider what’s left ‘disposable’ and divide it by 2 between you for clothes, entertainment etc.

@NoSquirrels not accounted for Christmas or holidays/days out. So probably put it at £1000 tops, then. Which is a lot less than I thought.

Appreciate everyone’s constructive feedback, I didn’t mean to be tone deaf but I can really see how it comes out that way. I do donate to the food bank too as part of my weekly shop and haven’t always been comfortable with money myself.

I need to be luckier with marketplace! I think I left myself fed up after looking at the likes of Dunelm and Ikea online, which seem to be extortionate currently.

I could furnish my house 3 times over with all the decent free stuff given away on my local fb site...fridges, sofas, curtains, tv etc...every week about 5 of each...lots of young couples here who seem to have tons of money...i got a siemens fridge freezer for £10 as couple didnt like the look of it in new kitchen so got a new one...it was a year old...!!

Ffs OP your disposable is more than my entire full time monthly salary after deductions. Out of this I have to pay rent, bills, food, fuel. Everything. For me and my dc. You don't know how lucky you are.

OP, my net salary each month isn’t much more than your ‘leftover’ money.

Also, my car is nearly 20 years old. A 12 year old car for me would be new.