Page 4 | Gaging opinion £400 pw

Seasonofthewitch83 · 30/01/2023 12:27

If you have to ask this question, then its really annoying that you have this much money whilst also being so utterly dense and out of touch with reality.

MirabelMax · 30/01/2023 12:27

It might be easy to spend £400 but it's surely easy not to as well - being unable to 'manage' on £400 is very different to not being able to do the things you Want to do.

MuchTooTired · 30/01/2023 12:28

@Toomuchtrouble4me we spend a similar amount per week, and I don’t know where it goes!

Things I can think of off of the top of my head, do you buy:

fizzy drinks
snacks/sweets/junk food
random bits off of Amazon
stuff for hobbies
random shit the kids want, toys etc
what’re your petrol costs
clothes and stuff for kids

Bemyclementine · 30/01/2023 12:29

Why do you need to even ask this? Surely you can work it out?

howmanybicycles · 30/01/2023 12:30

Toomuchtrouble4me · 30/01/2023 11:01

Simply that. Family of 4. Is £400 a week reasonable to live in? This is without any bills so includes:
food for 4
household shopping (detergent etc)
clothing
treats (coffees etc)
household essentials (lightbulbs, batteries etc)
medicines and beauty products
Basically mortgage, bills, large expenses are separate, but thus includes all bits and bobs that are bought weekly plus funds for kids outings and buying gifts if they are going to a party etc.
Is it enough?
we’re trialing how much we need to spend on these things in a week and I don’t seem to be able to manage in £400.

£100 food shopping
£10 essentials
£10 medicines
£80 clothing
£10 coffee out
£10 days out
£20 presents
£20 kids activities
£25 household repairs
£50 holidays
£40 sports

That's £275. Leaves you with £125 every single week for total frittered and the allocation above is already very generous. I suggest you log where your money is actually going because you must be spending a great deal on luxuries.

TiddleyWink · 30/01/2023 12:30

We aim for £300/week but never stay within that. We live a nice but not that flash lifestyle. We shop in Waitrose and have a weekly cleaner which comes out of that but don’t drink and rarely go out for meals etc. A takeaway maybe once a year. Two growing kids needing clothes and shoes and that sort of money can easily disappear living a nice but quite average middle class lifestyle. Of course some people manage on a lot less but it’s not ridiculous to ask the question!

I wish MN would stop the nastiness to anyone who has the audacity not to be dirt poor. It’s getting quite dull now. Of course a lot of people are really struggling and that’s awful, but at the same time a lot of people aren’t. Are they supposed to hide away in shame?

tattygrl · 30/01/2023 12:31

rothbury · 30/01/2023 12:03

Do you mean £400 a month?

Also wondering this. If OP means £400 per week I'm genuinely confused how this could be a question.

howmanybicycles · 30/01/2023 12:32

TiddleyWink · 30/01/2023 12:30

We aim for £300/week but never stay within that. We live a nice but not that flash lifestyle. We shop in Waitrose and have a weekly cleaner which comes out of that but don’t drink and rarely go out for meals etc. A takeaway maybe once a year. Two growing kids needing clothes and shoes and that sort of money can easily disappear living a nice but quite average middle class lifestyle. Of course some people manage on a lot less but it’s not ridiculous to ask the question!

I wish MN would stop the nastiness to anyone who has the audacity not to be dirt poor. It’s getting quite dull now. Of course a lot of people are really struggling and that’s awful, but at the same time a lot of people aren’t. Are they supposed to hide away in shame?

No but the the OP was asking if that's reasonable to live on not helping to figure out how such a large amount is being spent when most people obviously have to live on less.

ReamsOfCheese · 30/01/2023 12:33

TiddleyWink · 30/01/2023 12:30

We aim for £300/week but never stay within that. We live a nice but not that flash lifestyle. We shop in Waitrose and have a weekly cleaner which comes out of that but don’t drink and rarely go out for meals etc. A takeaway maybe once a year. Two growing kids needing clothes and shoes and that sort of money can easily disappear living a nice but quite average middle class lifestyle. Of course some people manage on a lot less but it’s not ridiculous to ask the question!

I wish MN would stop the nastiness to anyone who has the audacity not to be dirt poor. It’s getting quite dull now. Of course a lot of people are really struggling and that’s awful, but at the same time a lot of people aren’t. Are they supposed to hide away in shame?

No one is suggesting people need to hide away in shame, but people are probably surprised, the OP really comes across as tone deaf about the fact £400 is objectively a lot of disposable grocery money every week. It's not like she's asking "help me reduce this massive overspend" but "is this a lot?" which sounds like she is quite out of touch with budgeting or how much things cost.

Littlebluedinosaur · 30/01/2023 12:33

We have a card for food shopping (includes cleaning products, toiletries etc) and that comes for around £500 a month.
we have a card for family spending (days out, kids clothes, school dinners for 1, kids activities/classes and kids shoes, gifts etc) and that can range between £500-900 a month but £700 is typical.
Family of 4.

Washaday · 30/01/2023 12:34

I thought you meant per month, should read more closely!

WineDup · 30/01/2023 12:35

TiddleyWink · 30/01/2023 12:30

We aim for £300/week but never stay within that. We live a nice but not that flash lifestyle. We shop in Waitrose and have a weekly cleaner which comes out of that but don’t drink and rarely go out for meals etc. A takeaway maybe once a year. Two growing kids needing clothes and shoes and that sort of money can easily disappear living a nice but quite average middle class lifestyle. Of course some people manage on a lot less but it’s not ridiculous to ask the question!

I wish MN would stop the nastiness to anyone who has the audacity not to be dirt poor. It’s getting quite dull now. Of course a lot of people are really struggling and that’s awful, but at the same time a lot of people aren’t. Are they supposed to hide away in shame?

People can be as wealthy as they like, more power to them. However, to ask how people can survive on less than £400/week after bills and expenditure for a family of 4 is tone deaf.

Fladdermus · 30/01/2023 12:37

If you can't manage with £400 a week disposable income then you've got a serious spending problem.

Museya15 · 30/01/2023 12:40

Read the room mate!

2bazookas · 30/01/2023 12:42

Yes, easily doable.

LucyWhipple · 30/01/2023 12:43

It is definitely manageable (and more than many). However, I can understand that if you’re used to spending more it would feel like a challenge while you get used to it.

I have managed a much smaller budget in the past. But now I’m used to spending without really thinking about it, an objectively large budget of £400 disposable income would still feel like a challenge or restrictive initially. Any change / adjustment does.

vodkaredbullgirl · 30/01/2023 12:44

Think Op would be good to go on that programme on tv, 'Spend well for less'

BodyShapeWoes · 30/01/2023 12:44

Weekly not including bills £400 is loads…

Sounds like you have a spending problem…

Chikapu · 30/01/2023 12:46

I'd be kind of embarrassed to admit that I only had £400 a week disposable income, what a flaming pauper 🙄

Mañanarama · 30/01/2023 12:51

EarringsandLipstick · 30/01/2023 12:06

£500 a month on food for 4? Where do you live?!?

It's nearly double that for me plus 3 teens / pre-teens (Dublin). And no extravagances, other than good quality meat, but not loads.

Show quote history

What the hell are you buying to spend £250 on food?!?

We do an £80-90 big shop plus £10-15 at the butchers and a couple of extra bits from the corner shop. Definitely no more than £500 a month (2 adults, 2teens, 1 cat, includes lightbulbs)

ladygindiva · 30/01/2023 12:52

we live on £400 a week in total; inc rent and utilities... everything. Two kids, single mum.

Fleabigg · 30/01/2023 12:53

£1600+ a month after mortgage and bills is fucking loads. You know it is.

Beezknees · 30/01/2023 12:56

TiddleyWink · 30/01/2023 12:30

We aim for £300/week but never stay within that. We live a nice but not that flash lifestyle. We shop in Waitrose and have a weekly cleaner which comes out of that but don’t drink and rarely go out for meals etc. A takeaway maybe once a year. Two growing kids needing clothes and shoes and that sort of money can easily disappear living a nice but quite average middle class lifestyle. Of course some people manage on a lot less but it’s not ridiculous to ask the question!

I wish MN would stop the nastiness to anyone who has the audacity not to be dirt poor. It’s getting quite dull now. Of course a lot of people are really struggling and that’s awful, but at the same time a lot of people aren’t. Are they supposed to hide away in shame?

Nobody is saying that. What people are saying is that if you are "struggling" to get below £400 a week then you're clearly not good at budgeting.

LeapingCat · 30/01/2023 12:56

It’s ridiculously easy to mock this, but it can be hard to start budgeting in any way if you’ve been used to just buying what you want. If you’ve got two kids doing an hour’s music lesson each a week and then a sports lesson, you could easily be paying £100 a week on kids’ activities before you even start. Family day at a kids farm thing at the weekend with lunch in the cafe, another £80. If you’re not used to thinking about the expenditure, it’s easy to be doing stuff every week that most people would think of as a treat for every couple of months.

OP, write down everything you spend for a couple of weeks and then review it. The vast majority of people in this country live on less, so it’s easy to do but you may need to make some changes. Eg you’ve put coffees as a treat but if you’re both getting a Starbucks and a meal deal a couple of times a week then it adds up.

WedonttalkaboutMaureen · 30/01/2023 12:59

itsnote · 30/01/2023 11:36

Think you'll be alright for light bulbs love 🤣

Snort