To ask what your disposable income is?

[PumpkinSpicedLatte]

Just that really.
I know it depends where you live, your job etc. But my partner and I are doing ‘no spend new year’ to try and save money for buying the house we currently rent.
Got two four year olds (one each from previous marriages).
Both average wage salaries part time.
But it feels like some people save loads more than us.
Basically I am seeking some advice. Where do you do your food shops, what cheap kids activities do you do?
Share as little or as much as you’d like.

What’s yours? Where do you live? Obviously some people will save more if they earn more than you, it’s not really comparable.

You said you both work part time - is that for childcare or other reasons? I guess at least one full time salary would help.

Other than that, I find having a menu for the week planned out and going an online shop ends up saving quite a lot.as I don't pick bits up as I go along. Or have a list and stick to it!

I have quite a lot but I work full time in a busy job that pays well.
Do you both work part time as if you want more disposable income then earning more money is the obvious answer.
I shop at Aldi, rarely buy new clothes for myself as ways of spending less but I prioritise savings and money for holidays as these are important to me.

Also, whereabouts do you live? City/countryside etc?

There's an ONS tool that calculates your income and expenditure and ranks them against each other. It might be worth you looking it up.

At the end of the day the Micawber principle must prevail.

It's somewhere between fuckall and jack shit.

So about fuck shit.

Your title is different to what your post is asking. Ie, how to save money.

Theres two ways of accumulating money, by spending less or earning more.

Why are you both working part-time? Can you increasing working hours? Work evenings, weekends, get a full time job etc. You may need to show a greater income to get a mortgage.

Reducing spending includes not buying clothes (unless essential), not having takeaways, entertain the kids in local parks, etc.

Also, use the MSE budget planner to honestly work out your outgoings, income etc.

www.moneysavingexpert.com/banking/budget-planning/

Yeah me too? But in terms of figures, between £50 and £100 a month, most months more like £50. So I can choose, say, a dentists appointment or a pair of shoes, or a meal out, or get my hair done, few coffees etc. But not every month and only one thing. I am near retirement and it will get worse afterwards.

I didnt want to edit my post but I did want to add, I do consider myself in a fortunate position to be able to pay bills and afford food.

Or Jack Fuck. He's cousin to Jack Frost but limns your windows with unpaid bills instead of frosty loveliness. Bit of a git really.

Depends what you call ‘disposable’ - ours is a lot after essentials like food, mortgage etc but we spend £1k a month on things like kids lessons and activities, sports, pets etc that many people would consider optional.

Oh mate, I don't even want to think about it.

But I've always been skint, it's not a new thing and I still couldn't think of anything I wanted for Christmas so I'm doing alright. The concept of saving is up there with Santa Claus for a lovely thing to believe in but unfortunately impossible in this universe. I have a lovely family and we work hard but everything is so expensive!

I consider myself fairly lucky really. Bills are covered and food is bought and planned. I live in a social housing place so I don't fear boiler blown out or roof collapse etc.
But disposable? Not much of it and no savings at all. I do treat my kid to a takeout every month tho, so there's that at least. (That would have to stop if bills go up much more though)

Both DP and work FT in high paying jobs. Not jobs we would LOVE to have but jobs we do because they’re giving us financial freedom.
We both came from poor backgrounds, and while money certainly does not buy happiness. Being able to not choose between good food or hearing, being able to say yes to all the school trips for DC, being able to pay all the bills and buy clothes or shoes or new equipment when needed not having to save and wait all year, certainly is a lot less stressful than wondering how you’re going to get through until the next pay check.

I’ve been on the breadline and in the other end completely and now count myself very lucky.

How much I have doesn’t help you in any way.
Imo you need a budget for each category eg food, utilities, phone, rent, entertainment etc. Be realistic but look at areas you can reduce eg better deal on utilities, meal planning, better phone deal etc.

Depends what you mean by disposable I guess but about £1.7k each per month.
Always seems to go though!
I spend less on groceries when I shop at Lidl and meal plan, but we often just do Sainsbury's deliveries and too many take aways to be honest.
We pay monthly for NT and EH passes which comes to £23 a month and are never short of things to do with the kids.

There's zero chance of affording to buy a house on part time salaries. You both need full time jobs. It sucks but house prices are through the roof!

One of you will need to get a full time job. I’m not even sure anyone will give you mortgage even if you have deposit but I’ll let someone smarter to comment on that.

I used to be terrible with money, despite earning a very good salary. I had no idea where it was all going—it was just constant tap, tap, tap on my card. I don’t even go out much, but somehow it all added up. My husband, on the other hand, is excellent with money—not in a stingy way, but he’s great at planning and budgeting.

We sat down together and made a proper plan. I decided to set aside a small portion of my earnings for guilt-free spending, it’s very small ! while the rest went toward savings, bills, and small investments. That little bit of structure made a huge difference over time.

It'sabsolutely crucial to track everything. Start by listing out all your essentials—food, bills, rent, car payments, petrol, and so on. Once you have a clear picture, you can identify areas where savings can be made. Writing it all down and sticking to a plan can completely change your financial situation

Is it an option for one of both of you to full time as that will help you out massively.

Is the rented house you want to buy council?

How would it help you if I said that I had £3k or £5k or £1.00 disposable income a month? My outgoings/incomings are not going to be the same as yours

Yes this is similar to me, it feels like I’m making decisions on what to spend the money on. Constantly dipping into savings etc

This is true I guess. I think I wanted more advice but probably worded it all wrong.

Ours is irrelevant. You need to tells us yours and provide a breakdown of your outgoings in order to be any use to you.

The house is privately rented off a family member, not council.
Cant go full time due to the childcare cost of before and after school clubs.