to think the amount of money im left with by the end of the month is ridiculous?

[yellowcheesepie]

I recently went back to work after mat leave and am sat here wondering how on earth this is worth it ?! after paying all my bills of food, rent, electricity, water, internet, netflix, phone, commute and childcare etc i'm only left with £200 a month to save? i'm not a big spender either, all my income goes on the mentioned above plus £100 spending allowance for myself.

I'm not trying to rant, but i'd like to understand how other working mums do it? is this a reasonable amount to save per month or is there something very wrong in my finances? I live with my DH and we split all bills / expenses if anyone is wondering

[Brigante9]

Tbh, £200 left over at the end of the month sounds decent.

[Anytimeiseeit]

Surely it’s worth it because if you didn’t work you wouldn’t have anything to put towards all those bills you’ve listed

[wb3]

More than me and I don't have kids!

[Rowthe]

So it pays all your Bill's and you have money left over?

[Merryoldgoat]

How much is your DH left with?

[Isittrueornot]

Get a better paid job. (Like it’s easy or something!!!)

I think this will just be life going forward for many, work all month for not much left once bills are paid, if your lucky enough to have anything left!

People are working to pay to just live- seems a bit weird when you think about it.

[Ilikewinter]

Not really sure what answers your expecting but ýou have sufficient income to pay all your bills and have excess to save. If you arent happy with the figures you need to either spend less or earn more

[Needmorelego]

£100 to spend on yourself plus £200 to save. 300 quid.
Oh @yellowcheesepie this thread is not going to end well for you.
Seriously....back out now.
Most people can only fantasize about £300 spare a month.

[LadyKenya]

That is more than some people have at the end of the month. That is of no help to you though, I know that. Life unfortunately is getting more difficult financially for so many people.

[Twinstudy]

I think that's probably about 300 quid more than an awful lot of people.

[Floralnomad]

When you say you split all the bills does he pay for half the childcare , childs expenses etc . I’ve never understood why families don’t just have joint accounts with one pot of joint money .

[unfortunateevents]

Also presumably you are benefitting from pension payments, keeping your skills up to date, any other benefits your company offers? To be honest, having any money to save at the moment is a luxury that many people don't have.

[TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross]

What do you mean by ‘is it worth it’?

How would you pay all those bills you listed if you didn’t work? Are you asking if it’s worth working in order to be able to pay all your bills AND have spending money AND some savings?

Um, yes - probably! 🤦🏻‍♀️

[Double0FeckingBollocks]

£200 sounds reasonable enough at that stage of life. Presumably as you're working you're paying into a pension too? Trust me that is worth it. I remember the stage of all your salary going in childcare etc but that stage doesn't last forever. I kept going and have just retired so
I'm glad I did.

[itsgettingweird]

When you say "split the bills and expenses".

Is that 50:50? If so is there an income difference? You you also pleat all home childcare and household tasks equally?

When you're paying nursery fees it really does chip away at any income. However it's worth it if you have a career to stay and build a portfolio as eventually you may get promotion and childcare bills are only high until they start school.

I have always planned my finances with 5 years in advance so I can see what's now and what could happen in the future.

[nokidshere]

I'd say you were doing pretty well. My account generally has about 2 quid left at the end of the month. No savings and no 'me' money. But we eat, heat, and can pay the bills so the fact that we are in the black by 2 quid is a bonus.

[ProbAmU]

Well how are you going to pay your bills if you don't work?

£300 spare is a lot more than many, especially now.

[ConsuelaHammock]

Eventually you won’t be paying for childcare . Only you know if it’s worth it . How much do you think you should have left over ?

[Grumpybutfunny]

It sounds like the new childcare bill is demotivating you? How much did you have before kids and do you have any pay rises coming up? £200 doesn't seem like a lot if that's to cover Xmas, birthdays, holidays etc however remember childcare is only for a few years then you should have more left to save and spend.

[ConsuelaHammock]

When I was little there was no money left over! None . You sound like you’re doing ok !

[Nursemumma92]

Myself and DH live wage to wage and have nothing to save at the end of the month or spending money for myself. I'd be delighted to have £300 extra each month!

[Eudaimonia5]

I'm £200 into my overdraft every month (through no fault of my own) so consider yourself very fortunate to have money spare that you can save. I'd love to be able to save a tenner each month!

[Cuddlywuddlies]

If you stop paying your bills you’ll have waaay more 😁

…but honestly what do you want? You can pay your bills, keep a roof over your head and feed your family and STILL have something leftover. That’s what is important.

[blancmontagne]

@Needmorelego

£100 to spend on yourself plus £200 to save. 300 quid.
Oh @yellowcheesepie this thread is not going to end well for you.
Seriously....back out now.
Most people can only fantasize about £300 spare a month.

Yes, I agree. I wouldn't post like this at the moment. It's also quite self unaware.

[Thatiswild]

Yabvu plenty of people go back to work either at a loss due to childcare costs or only covering them with their salary, you’re paying family costs and having disposable income, that’s brilliant!