Is £100 p/w normal?

[kiana2015]

I work full time, I live with my partner and have a daughter. Each month after I've paid my half of the bills,
Shopping etc I work out my money and I roughly have around £100 per week 'free money' I find I am not managing this and dip in to the following week. Am I bad with money or is this too low of a budget?

I don't think it's low. What are you spending that £100 on?

What do you spend the £100 on? I’d class “free” money as spending on coffees, cinema, makeup bits, a new top etc - is that what you mean?

£100 would be plenty for many people. Far more than some have too.

Depends on what you're spending it on?

It depends what it's to cover. If it's fuel/kid expenses/pocket money/buses/top up food shops/clothes/birthday gifts/eating out it's very different than if it's just fun money.

I think this wholly depends on your circumstances and also what you mean by 'free money'? That doesn't seem like very much money to me but you'll find lots of people think it's plenty and lots of others regard that sum as being something they'd kill to have spare.

It sounds like quite a lot of money to me. Does it have to cover fares/fuel, lunch, etc.? It should be enough for those plus extras/luxuries plus some savings.

It's not a big sum but if you are careful you can spend wisely and make it stretch

Depends what it has to cover - if it’s literally just discretionary spending on myself only (coffee or meals out with friends, clothes, toiletries, haircut etc) then yes I could definitely manage with that amount.

If it had to cover things like petrol, days out with the kids, clothes and shoes for the kids, top up shops, and other family expenses then it would be a lot tighter

It's generally just daily living so cofffee, clothes, personal care items etc, I don't drive so no fuel but occasionally take the bus/train. Not including child expenses unless having days out/take away etc. I just seem to struggle but I also spend carelessly, I don't see how people can go on mad shopping sprees etc as when I go get a couple of bits it's a few weeks money. Maybe I need to learn to budget better

I give myself £50 a week 'pocket money' with £100 a month on top to cover the inevitable extras/ nights out etc so £300 total. I find it difficult but doable.

I think if you're broadly managing and you're happy then it's all good. The reason some people can spend more is simply because the have more and that's ok too.

Clothes aren't a daily expense nor are personal care items tbh. Coffee yes but you can make it yourself.
Shop in charity shops or vinted if want lots of clothes?

Don't get me wrong I am not thinking I'm hard done by or anything I know to have any extra money is a luxury i was just generally curious on if other people have the same budget or more or less

My budget is a lot less. more like £40 a week. I don't buy coffee's out but go out maybe once a week to dinner/cinema/quiz night. I don't feel hard done by though.

How do you buy clothes, shoes, make up?

That's loads, I spend no more than a few pounds on miscellaneous things. Clothes I buy but very rarely

Make up is maybe every 5 years!

Once a year in the next sale for clothes and shoes but would consider that as my xmas present. And if it was a necessity it would come out of the household budget. IE, if I had one coat that was 10 years old and falling apart and needed to be replaced then thats a household expense, but i've got a few coats and don't NEED one would just LIKE one.

Make up I just get rimmel or boots no 17 i don't wear much of it.

How much make up and clothes are you buying if you don't mind me asking?

@Chowtime that is very sensible. I now see clearly I'm indulging where I shouldn't be. If I see something I like I buy it but I tend not to go shopping a lot for this reason - I spend around 100 on clothes and probably about 100 over about 4 months on make up but still never seem to have any clothes or outfits, I don't know where my money goes to be honest

Not the PP being asked but if I may answer the clothes and makeup question.

I mainly buy clothes in the sales and this would come out of savings, eg £200 max summer and winter sales. Anything else essential that can't wait comes out of the £100 / month 'extras' allowance.

Makeup I rarely buy but again would use monthly extras. That's why it helps having both a weekly and monthly allowance. Weekly for day to day expenses. Monthly for, well, extras.

Personally £100 a week is a lot for bits and bobs.
I barely spend a tenner.
Coffee at home,at work I keep a mug and nice sachets.
Get a thermal mug for out and about.

I would cut down to £20 a week and put aside the other £320 for bigger purchases .

I have £250 a mo the to spend on my wants. Coffee’s lunch/ meal/ drinks out/ clothes/ toddler groups. Some months I find it easy to manage, other months I find myself spent up after 2 weeks.
I just try to really think about if I need something before I buy it. I have built up a bit of a buffer so if I’m really short I dip into it and on my good months top it back up.

Could you shift your clothes shopping to vinted?

£100 over 4 months on makeup is only about £5.77 a week, so it doesn't sound like that will be the main cause. I am not a massive make up wearer - I reckon I spend £20 a year maybe, on replacing the odd lipstick/decided some foundation is too ancient to carry on wearing any longer.

I think I would probably track forwards or backwards and see what you're spending the most money on.

I know for me, the money I spend mainly goes on eating out (i.e. dinner or lunch out) with friends, more than e.g. takeaway coffees etc. I also spend quite a lot on holidays.

Once you know where you're spending you can decide if those areas give you enough pleasure for the money spent. I'm happy to spend on eating out and on holidays but I feel galled spending money on e.g. takeaway coffees so I minimise my spending on that sort of thing.

£400 a month on clothes is a huge amount. Do you go out a lot? I used to spend a fair bit when I was single and out partying not so much now though

So if your partner moved in with you how much is he paying you or is he a cocklodger?
Isit exactly half inc shopping.