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Original poster

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

450 replies

Isitenough2250 · 07/04/2025 00:37

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.

OP posts:
DevonCreamTeaPlease · 07/04/2025 07:58

ImmortalSnowman · 07/04/2025 07:57

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.

Show quote history

The OP says they have savings and investments for emergencies. I think you've misread.Sufficent savings/ investments for emergencies

UnaOfStormhold · 07/04/2025 08:00

I am sorry your other half has had such a stressful year and needs a break, but I just want to caution against getting into a position where he decides he can't or doesn't need to lift a finger ever again because you will take all the stress and strain onto your shoulders, which in the long tetm will be unhealthy for you both. Like a broken leg - the cast is needed for healing but the longer you have it on the weaker the muscles become. You sound like you are financially comfortable enough for him to take a break but that should be understood to be a short term measure while he contributes to the household in whatever way is appropriate now and is actively working on how to get into a career that is manageable and satisfying for him. That may mean you need to budget for coaching or therapy but in the long term it should be worthwhile.

rustlerwaiter · 07/04/2025 08:01

We recently budgeted for a house purchase and came to the conclusion we'd have around £2k a month "spare" between us (2 adults, one kid) and it did put us off tbh.

As mentioned in the thread already we would probably have been more than fine, but maybe it was seeing what we spend all broken down and thinking about how we would afford holidays etc. that made it feel like we would be making things harder for ourselves.

DevonCreamTeaPlease · 07/04/2025 08:03

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.

This in unclear. When I first read it I thought your DP had had a heart attack / stroke etc.

Now I've re-read it, I assume you mean it hasn't happened to him (but maybe to people you know) so he's taken a step back so he doesn't have health issues by working in a stressful job.

Is that what you meant?

If it is, and he's no longer working, why didn't you both sit down and budget before he left?

It's not a decision to take after he's left work, surely?

So is he planning to leave or has he already?

As a PP says, it's not going to look great on a CV if he was a high-flyer on £six figures and has just left. How will he explain the gap?

He needs to get some career coaching/ advice on career change and start considering what to do next. And come up with a plausible reason for leaving his job when he applies for others.

I'm sorry but neither of you seem rooted in reality. You don't know what you spend having had th e luxury of not needing to find out, but he's walked from a job with no real concept of budgeting.

Unless I'm reading this wrongly.

ImmortalSnowman · 07/04/2025 08:04

DevonCreamTeaPlease · 07/04/2025 07:58

The OP says they have savings and investments for emergencies. I think you've misread.Sufficent savings/ investments for emergencies

Edited
Show quote history

Emergencies are not daily living costs for a year. Emergencies are the latest storm blew the roof off.

Normal people have savings for new car, holiday, redecorating the entire house etc. Those aren't Emergencies.

OnlyYellowRoses · 07/04/2025 08:07

Uh, that’s more than my monthly take home pay, BEFORE all bills and expenses

DevonCreamTeaPlease · 07/04/2025 08:09

ImmortalSnowman · 07/04/2025 08:04

Emergencies are not daily living costs for a year. Emergencies are the latest storm blew the roof off.

Normal people have savings for new car, holiday, redecorating the entire house etc. Those aren't Emergencies.

Show quote history

Savings and investments are for ALL of those- emergency is the roof blowing off . Investments can be for a new car or whatever. You're splitting hairs. If they have savings and investments they can spend them on what they need.
We have savings AND investments (latter in shares) and if we need a car or a new roof, we decide where the money will be taken from depending on interest rates and growth at the time.

yugflalska · 07/04/2025 08:09

It’s only a bit less than what we have between the 4 of us. It’s a good amount but yes I do have to watch my money carefully, I can’t just frivolously spend without thinking about it. I have a spreadsheet, and I have multiple savings pots for holidays, Christmas, ‘fun money’, contingency and long term savings. I then plan out those pots to make sure I have enough going in them.

Kindling1970 · 07/04/2025 08:10

After bills, mortgage etc I live off £125 a week. Of course you can bloody do it and if you can’t, stop buying shit you don’t need.

cakeandteaandcake · 07/04/2025 08:11

Eastertidings · 07/04/2025 01:36

It will be tight. You'll have to redefine what you consider to be a necessity to "will anyone die if we don't have it". Possibly depends where you live in the country as to how tight it'll be and what standard of living you're used to, as to how it'll feel.

You'll have very few choices or disposable income, all those optional extras will likely have to go.

You'll not be able to save much if at all. If you drive, your savings will go on car repairs and replacement car when that time comes round. Certainly not a decent pension or probably any pension TBH, or enough for major house repairs if you're homeowners.

Realistically, the cat insurance may have to go which means hard decisions having to be made if a long term health issue crops up or an operation is needed. You'll have to accept the cat has a price on its head and once you reach it it's game over. You'll have to think twice about throwing money away on poor odds in the first place. Not everyone can take such a pragmatic view of their pets. Insurance doesn't always pay out even if you do afford to keep it and once experienced, a condition can then be excluded. You end up paying through the nose for insurance that barely covers anything, as the cat ages. It's easy to accumulate CC debt due to emotional decision making.

If you're renting, so no repairs (ha! that'll be literally, if your LL is shite) to pay for. it'll be doable and you may get some housing benefit in the form of universal credit. He'll be expected to look for work though if you're claiming means tested benefits, unless he's genuinely too sick to work (DWP decides that, not you).

It can be done but it won't be fun. Quality of life means different things to different people though. Perhaps you are people who can be genuinely happy with very little.

Edited

OP has over £2k spare a month, they don’t need to ditch the cat insurance. Stop being ridiculous.

Curlycurio · 07/04/2025 08:14

If you look at it this way, it is certainly enough because all of your necessities are covered so anything you may use that money for is optional.

It's quite a lot, so I'd be looking to save a good chunk of it.

cakeandteaandcake · 07/04/2025 08:15

rustlerwaiter · 07/04/2025 08:01

We recently budgeted for a house purchase and came to the conclusion we'd have around £2k a month "spare" between us (2 adults, one kid) and it did put us off tbh.

As mentioned in the thread already we would probably have been more than fine, but maybe it was seeing what we spend all broken down and thinking about how we would afford holidays etc. that made it feel like we would be making things harder for ourselves.

But isn’t throwing money away on rent worse?!

Beautifulplaceslovelypeople · 07/04/2025 08:15

Health is worth more than money.

DP needs to get back his full health. You have plenty of spare money.

DevonCreamTeaPlease · 07/04/2025 08:18

@Isitenough2250 The biggest issue is not your short-term budgeting but how he can defend not working for a year [ your estimate] if this is on medical records as stress. And if it's not medical and simply his own choosing to leave work, it's not going to look good on a CV especially if he was a high earner.

You both sound impulsive and as if you've not sat down and really talked this through.

He needs to get back to work as soon as he can. The longer he's out, the harder it will be.

Penguinmouse · 07/04/2025 08:19

Over two grand a month between two AFTER everything has been paid for? Yes, you’ll be fine.

Iceandfire92 · 07/04/2025 08:20

A humble brag.

TheGoddessFrigg · 07/04/2025 08:21

Savings. investments, pensions and 2.5k left over after bills. Yeah, I'll think you'll be able to scrape by 🙄
Although you could probably sell this to the Daily Telegraph or Mail. They like this sort of middle class 'barely scraping by'

DevonCreamTeaPlease · 07/04/2025 08:21

@Beautifulplaceslovelypeople I misread the first post (comma instead of a full stop was confusing!) because I assumed he'd had a heart attack or stroke. I think OP means they are aware of these risks, so he's left work as it was stressful.

BountifulPantry · 07/04/2025 08:22

Easiest way to budget a discretionary spend is divide the amount by the number of weeks in the month and number of people.

So basically £2250/2 people is £1125 for you and husband.

£1125 / 5 weeks is £225 per week.

So provided your discretionary spends are under £225 each per week you should be perfectly fine and dandy!

if you don’t spend the £225 then you can put that into a separate pot for larger spends.

If this were me I would move the money to a separate bank account and spend on there. Keep the app on my phone so I could easily keep track.

yugflalska · 07/04/2025 08:22

cakeandteaandcake · 07/04/2025 08:11

OP has over £2k spare a month, they don’t need to ditch the cat insurance. Stop being ridiculous.

Show quote history

I can’t tell if that post was being serious or not!

whatthedickens5 · 07/04/2025 08:24

Don't worry :) It's plenty as we are 3 adults, 2 teens and 2 cats on a similar amount. Well done trying to budget, try and stick to it and you'll soon fall into a rhythm.

DaphneduM · 07/04/2025 08:24

@Isitenough2250 In effect, you've already done a budget, as you've worked out how much you have to live on after bills. Also if you're prepared to be roasted, I think you know this is a very goading, insensitive post. Anyway, how long is a piece of string? We all have different priorities for our disposable income after bills. Reading your initial post makes you seem very unlikeable.

Gtfto2024 · 07/04/2025 08:27

That's only a couple of hundred pounds a month less than we had to bring up our 3dc before bills. Of course it's enough. Perhaps take a budgeting course.

Craftysue · 07/04/2025 08:28

I have an income of £2500 a month and manage just fine . I've paid off my mortgage but this covers all my bills and car costs. I would write down all your spending for a couple of months - that will give you a good idea of what you can live on and I bet there will be things that can be removed. I do have savings but I rarely have to dip in to them

SeasideRock · 07/04/2025 08:28

CuriousGeorge80 · 07/04/2025 01:51

@Isitenough2250- you know it’s enough but you are panicking because you have never had to do this before. You have had some good advice but the key will be to start becoming conscious in your spending. Making an active decision to buy something as opposed to just doing it on a whim. It doesn’t mean you can’t do the vast majority of the things you want to do, but maybe you can’t do them every week!

One piece of advice I would have - list out all of the recurring bills you have that are not included in your fixed costs already. For example, car tax and insurances. Add up the annual cost of this, divide by 12 and save that amount into a separate account each month. This will help you ensure those costs don’t upset your rhythm for the year. I would recommend doing similar, with separate pots, for holidays and house maintenance/repairs. So if you need a new washing machine it doesn’t cause a stress.

We have plenty of money but doing this means I don’t even have a moment of panic or concern if something breaks or I get the car insurance renewal through.

Yes! This is excellent advice.
I went through something similar a couple of years ago where I realized I was spending almost everything I brought home despite having a decent income. I use a Starling account and have pots set up for house repairs, car expenses, holidays and Christmas and fun things. Makes life much easier as you know things are covered before they happen.
For what it is worth I have about £1500 left each month left after all my bills (but not food and petrol) and live a pretty nice life compared to an awful lot of people. I also use the Snoop app to track my spending and Plum to pop some savings away each month. Have a look at both.