Is £2250, month, enough to live in post all livings costs are paid for

[Isitenough2250]

I am very aware that I may get slammed, and I am
prepared. DP has had a terrible time at work the past few years, as we have both seen terrible side affects of what stress can do heart attack/ stroke/
severe mental health issues - we thought it best for him to leave the job. Having worked out our budget, post mortgage/ bills/ insurances etc being paid we have £2250 left a month. That is for two adults and a cat. Out of which is food and then life costs, as in choices - gym/ hair cut/ going to the cinema.

Having never had to budget ever, is this enough? Sufficent savings/ investments for emergencies…..it is 2250 that we have come up with for food and miscellaneous spending.

Am prepared to be roasted, also any budgeting tips appreciated.

We think it will be about a year.

I have a lot of sympathy for OP, because right now I am having to teach my mother to budget for the first time in her life, now that my dad isn’t around to look after their finances. She has a very good monthly income, but no understanding of how to manage income/expenses, is very impulsive and impatient so will never think about whether something could be left until next month, and also very generous. Earlier this year she was mortified to have a cheque bounce, at which point she realised she needed help.

Like the OP, says, you don’t know what you don’t know. And while it is an incredibly privileged position not to have to think about your spending, it is daunting and difficult when that situation changes.

After all bills and food budget I have £400 left.,.I can only dream of having over £1k

Sympathy apparently is available in abundance though in a way that it isn't for people on the breadline.

I just said that we don't need to, not that anyone shouldn't. Personally I don't like what I've tried from there, and I just shop in our closest shop because it's convenient.

If Aldi closed would you suddenly have to start cutting back on holidays and haircuts? Or could it be true that you don't need to shop in Aldi on your budget, you just like it and can potentially save more that way?

Wow. I'm really not sure how you'll cope....

I don't need to shop in Aldi the same way I don't need to shop in Sainbury's, or Waitrose. I will use them all interchangeably. If I go to Aldi it's because it's convenient, or I want something specific they do well there - it's never about saving money. Aldi isn't for poor people.

Okay- as I said I think it's more important that your partner considers how he'll get back into work in the longer term. Exit negotiations suggest he may be pushing for a redundancy package or 'gardening leave' or similar.

You're coming across as quite young and having had a very easy time of it so far. Have you never budgeted as a single person or a student etc?

It's not that difficult.

As long as you make sure that you essential outgoings are are carefully listed and accounted for, your £500 a week for everything else is do-able.

I'd suggest you include food in the 'essentials' and work out how much you spend.

As a couple, we don't skimp (we're mortgage free, no dependents, no outstanding credit or debt) and pay around £125 a week on food, but we don't eat out or buy wine/booze. I cook 95% from scratch and we do shop at the 'upmarket supermarket' (unmentionable on MN!)

When we did a pre-retirement plan on what would give us a comfortable but not flash lifestyle, it was around £25Kpa. That excluded expensive holidays overseas or new cars. Those would come out of the savings pot.

Ok, I'm not really sure what your point is then.
You seem to agree with me that OP can still have nice food on this budget?

Eeeeesh. I budget £400 a MONTH on food.
me and dp have 200-300 each left, depending on the month. This includes children’s activities, and any spares.
on ourselves I genuinely spend about £100.
count yourself extremely lucky and can’t believe you have to ask is over £2k enough.

That is more than enough, we as a family of 4 living on just my 3 day a week wage manage eith much less than that, and still have enough to enjoy the odd day out/ evening meal on a weekend.

Yes; that's why I didn't address that. It's far more than most have.

I only addressed the fact that you were talking about Aldi as though it's a place that only poor people go, out of necessity. I get that you didn't start that, but I didn't actually read the post that did, and you agreed with it.

Yes, you do need roasting! Some people don’t earn that much per month before paying bills!

@TicklishMintDuck

Deserves roasting because others earn/have less.

Others say YABU because she hasn’t had to budget before and needs to learn but to say you deserve to be roasted because others don’t have as much is silly.

I don't think I did imply that Aldi is a place only poor people go. I even said OP could try it, as anyone on any budget could.

But poor people do need to shop in Aldi or similar, they don't have the option of going to eg M&S.

Also there's nothing wrong with being poor, but OP isn't it.

I've found it can be common among the rich (which doesn't necessarily equate to clever) to have no real idea how to live like a normal person. Their solution to everything that doesn't go according to plan is to throw money at the situation and to delegate the sorting of it to someone else. And it works! Until their situation changes and they have a more ordinary life and realise they've no clue how to live it.

OP has no need to panic at all, but I'm not surprised she is panicking, given her life upto now. She needs a new skillset to include budgeting, practical problem solving and taking responsibility for herself.

Her panic is partly why I initially misread the post and thought she had a DH who'd already had a heart attack/stroke/MH issues from stress and her income had dropped to £2250/month as a result. Hence my (rather crazy sounding in the context of the true circumstances) initial advice.

The OP hasn't said what she spends on food. She's asking how far £2250 will go to cover food and other expenses that aren't essentials.

@Isitenough2250 - you can easily work this out.
If you're like us, we put everything on a CC and pay off the full amount each month.

We worked out what we'd need in retirement by taking 1 year of statements.
Added up all the food, utilities, council tax. Other things like insurance we pay annually.

Then essentials like fuel, average dental costs (we don't have dental insurance), hairdressers, my average monthly spend on face stuff, birthday and Xmas gifts.

We don't belong to a gym, I don't do high maintenance (no manicures etc although my hair is quite pricey.)

You can do the maths- it's not hard.

@Eastertidings I too thought he'd already been ill rather than leaving work as a precaution against being ill.

I have less than that before I’ve paid my mortgage but I do live in the north

Depends on if your cat likes the finer things in life.

No ship has sailed, cannot continue any longer…..

Lots of people don't have that BEFORE living costs, so you'll be absolutely fine and have more "disposable" spending than that vast majority of the population.

ffs! take your brag elsewhere. you know fine well it’s more than enough.

That’s roughly £560 a week for food and luxuries. It should be fine - I spend about £250 a week on food/wine and to be honest I am a splurger and could get that down to a lot less if I had to. That is for 2 adults and 2 cats. I do write down everything that I spend in a little notebook to “balance my books” - if you can start to do the same, it will give you the chance to check that your budget is realistic and also to identify where you could cut back if you wanted/needed to

Yes of course. It is plenty. Tbh you do deserve a roasting, but clearly you are stressed do let's gloss over that.

Keep in mind that your disposable income now is still very generous. You will be more than comfortable. You just need to keep in mind that money is finite. So if you were spending fortunes on, for example, elaborate fresh flower displays every week, you will need to cut back to a couple of bunches a month. Still more than most people can hope for.

Take this as an opportunity to connect with reality and be more conscious of how you live, in a good way. Find a budget spreadsheet (money saving expert has them I'm sure), and get stuck in. I hope your husband's health improves.

Op you’ll survive, but I’ll be challenging- on the brisk of poverty…
Ffs op- time to grow up and stop being naive.