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 haven’t read the whole thread so apologies if this has been said.

It sounds like a lot to be leftover with but could disappear surprisingly fast without a plan!

Put as much in a private pension/ISA as you can.

Roasted? You deserve it and to be delivered to the table with an apple in your mouth. I can't believe that any adult is so inept.

There's no shortage of information of how to budget on line. Many banks have their own apps on line. At the very least a simple spreadsheet with a list of your essential recurring bills. What's left you need to manage.

That’s more than my monthly earnings.

however, people live up to their means generally so you need to sit down and do a spreadsheet of outgoings like food, bet bills, hobbies, gym/sport, running car (new car?) home repairs/renovations etc PLUS what you could save.

good luck.

When you worked out your budget for mortgage/ bills/ insurances etc check you remembered to include all the annual ones (easy to forget things not going out every month).
You should check your direct debits, Amazon/Android/Apple subscriptions & ensure you’ve cancelled anything you don’t want/need to keep.
After that look at what you have to get regularly (food shopping, toiletries/household consumables, pet care, transport/fuel costs) and take off what that will cost.
I’d do savings next as ideally you want to be putting something aside out of this new salary to get into the habit. You may as well start that way as it will be much harder to adjust now and then have to do it again in a year if you realise your OH won’t be going back to work at a similar level
Next think about if there are annual events or regular monthly or weekly things you particularly want to keep or anything you want to splurge on. Might be your OHs gym, your hair appointment, a special weekend away for a birthday and funds to buy something relatively costly at Christmas. Work out the average monthly cost and take that off too.
Do you currently have a cleaner/gardener or similar? If so can you do that yourself or do you feel like you can’t manage without them? If the latter take that cost off next.
Whatever is left after the above you can divide by 52 for a weekly or 12 for a monthly splurge budget. Split that between you (we do 1/3 for things together and 1/3 each to do entirely as we please but you could split however you want) If the final number is dauntingly low then you look at if there are ways to reduce costs in other budgets or to supplement your income somehow.
I can understand. We have more than your £2,250 a month as discretionary spending and while I am well aware we could live on a lot less I would find it hard to have to stop doing things we are used to being able to without a thought. We were just discussing this last year as our mortgage will go up significantly next summer when the long term fix runs out. We have already made some changes to our budget to help accommodate that

I use a spreadsheet to budget and include all my planned expenditure. I list the bills that zI pay plus what I need for expenditure such as dog grooming, hairdressing and the costs of a course I do. I also list holidays, Christmas and birthdays, plus yearly payments such as car insurance etc and put away what I need to spend on these each month . What is left over is then really available for non essential expenditure.
I’m sure you will be fine with the figures you give but I think the money will work harder for you with a more detailed budget.

That's my take home each month, out of that comes everything for 2 adults, a child and a dog, so yes I think you will be absolutely fine just using it for food and spends.

OP, is it actually the having enough money that is stressing you, or is it the pressure of being the only provider and the responsibility of it all being YOU that is really making you frightened?

We are a family of four. Our take home is £2800. Mortgage is £1000. Council tax and energy £500 between. Plus the rest of the bills car/food etc. we manage, it’s tight but we manage. You will be laughing on your spare income!

It sounds like a big change, and it’s natural to feel concerned, and to try to control what you can.
With the figure left after paying bills there will be no need to struggle. Try shopping at Aldi if you wish, I love my coffee too and surprisingly found my current favourite in their budget range, but you won’t have to go there if you don’t want to. Nobody needs to go camping! ( sorry to people who enjoy it).
If you’ve never had to budget you need to go through bank statements to see where your money is going in order to make plans.
Do you have cars on finance? That can be a huge cost.
You probably don’t have to but it’s a good time to review utility and insurance costs rather than sticking with the same old company or tariff.
I am sure you’ll be fine and in a few months time will wonder why you were worried.

@Eastertidings the OP still has £2250 AFTER mortgage and bills. How on earth would she receive UC if they have enough income to pay mortgage and still have that amount? That suggests an annual income of at least 70k, with a very conservative guess as 2k for mortgage and bills- but thats a very conservatove guess and its likely to be higher.

That’s pretty much what I earn before bills! You will be fine

We have about £2300 left after bills. We are a family of six but yes, it's a very comfortable life. Not flying business class or buying Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks, but food shopping whenever we want without a list, Domino's or a kebab once a week etc. We have nice days out and tend to go abroad (in Europe) once a year, preplanned with price in mind but lovely all the same. It might be a downgrade for you because we all tend to spend to our means but it sounds like it will be worth it for the new lifestyle.

Will DH be well enough to fulfil a "housekeeper" type role, so responsible for finding affordable groceries and freeing up jobs like laundry so your weekends are more relaxing?

Fgs, is this real?
You deserve to be roasted, what utter nonsense!
No, you'll starve on that much after bills🙄

Yes it is. That is a little bit more than two of us and a dog live on for everything except mortgage which is cleared.

Sounds perfectly doable to me. I used to earn exactly that after tax every month; admittedly I am on my own and my rent is low compared to market rates but I managed to pay EVERYTHING on £1250 and put £1000 a month away in savings for a couple of years before I retired.
I find it extraordinary that you even have to ask.

If you have no mortgage or rent you'll be fine. If you do, absolutely no way

😂😂

We have similar and DP doesn't work too. Money wise it's fine, it's a lot more than lots of people have. What I find very tricky is feeling like I have all the responsibility money wise. I like my job but feel like I have no freedom to look for something else or take a job that paid less because it seemed interesting. Truthfully I feel a degree of resentment that I'm carrying it all. It's definitely changed the dynamic in our relationship. Not his fault at all that he doesn't work, which I have to keep reminding myself. I'm terrified to spend any excess money we may have too just in case. Not sure what the just incase actually is, probably me loosing my job. I'm also much more vigilant about who does what housework wise. If I get home and house is messy I'm quite cross.

This. I’ve every sympathy for people asking questions to want to learn, but @Isitenough2250, if this is a genuine thread, please could you tell us how you can go through life being so naive while getting yourself such a high paid job? What do you do, how much do you earn, how old are you, what qualifications and experience do you have, how have you got yourself into a situation where you’re incapable of working out your budget? I think you owe it to everyone who’s been so kind to share their wisdom to share yours in return.

I would count food, gym membership etc as bills. Then work out what your left with.

No, it's not enough. That's why everyone who earns less than £40K a year is dead.

I work 3 jobs to earn this and need to pay all bills from
£2250. Single parent.

Not a race to the bottom just reassurance you'll be fine.

There is an old saying ....... "you cut your coat according to your cloth". Money will only stretch so far and it is important to factor everything into your budget. If you find you cannot afford to live then you start by cancelling non-essentials - gym, clubs, takeaways, but it is also important to try and save something, however small, each month.
I hope everything works out for you.

I'm sorry your partner has had to leave work due to health and stress.
How old are you both?

I'm also sorry to say this but you seem to have lived a very head in the sand life till now. It appears your partner has been the main provider (is there a big age gap I wonder?) where you have never had to take any real interest or personal responsibility for your income.

If you have over £2K left after paying for essentials, depending on your mortgage, you must be on a good income yourself.
But that's no excuse for not budgeting.

If you want real advice, set out here your outgoings and what- at the moment- you spend your own income on each month.

This is your money left over when your partner quits working? So currently you are spaffing significantly more money every month up the wall and neither of you have savings?

Take this as a huge reality check. You should both have a years worth of living expenses saved before quitting a job. By a year's worth, a year of what you actually spend not just essential costs.

On £55k, take home pay is £3,400 (Scotland). Way above the average UK salary. You are ridiculous even asking this without checking that at least.