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Original poster

Living off £100 a week for food, petrol, classes and social not possible??

20 replies

olympicsbaby · 17/03/2014 18:20

Hi

I'm a stay at home mum and have worked out I have £100 a week to spend on food, petrol (not to work, only for social), nappies, wipes, classes, eating out and social fun etc... I find it really hard to stick to this though and spend nearer £150 easily! I do do at least one toddler class a day and need to cut down on costa trips lol but I still find it hard to cope on £100.... is £100 to optimistic? How much do u spend on food, petrol, social things?

OP posts:
JonSnowKnowsNothing · 17/03/2014 18:22

I have £80/week for just me. Depressing but doable.

JonSnowKnowsNothing · 17/03/2014 18:23

And sorry, yes. That's food, petrol and socialising too,

JazzAnnNonMouse · 17/03/2014 18:25

When you say food is that weekly shop food or literally just what you buy when out?

Original poster
olympicsbaby · 17/03/2014 18:27

Jazz when I say food I mean food at super market.. that £100 is for supermarket food, and food eating out! x

OP posts:
Youarejustwordsonascreenpeople · 17/03/2014 18:27

And if that is weekly shop food, how many are there in the family?

youbethemummylion · 17/03/2014 18:28

More than doable. Last week I spent 30 food 9.50 dinner money 20 petrol 11 kids sports classes 0 eating out and socialising. Some weeks we will eat out and socialise but the weeks we dont help pay for the weeks we do.

CremeEggThief · 17/03/2014 18:29

Not fun, but definitely possible. I'm on about the same, except my DS is 11 and I don't drive.

usualsuspectt · 17/03/2014 18:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SantasLittleMonkeyButler · 17/03/2014 18:33

You need to stop with the Costa visits & maybe cut down on the number of paid for classes your toddler attends. Toddlers can be just as happy with a trip to the park or playing at home on some of the days.

Is it just two adults & one toddler? If so, your budget is higher than mine ever was for the same amount of people. And we managed Smile.

Elfina · 17/03/2014 18:34

Depends on where you live and your lifestyle. I'm sure that people will tell you they live on £40 a week and feed a family of 4, and I'm sure they do. However, I think you can live on what you have, if that makes sense (as long as you have a minimum so you're not struggling for the basics). So if you have £300 a week, you'd probably spend it.

You need to decide what kind of lifestyle you can afford, and work from there. You might favour free baby groups in order to have more treats at costa, or shop in waitrose rather than tesco and spend more time in the park, iyswim. I think you just need to work out what you want! Plus there might be lots to do if you're around London which is free, but this is then balanced by insane general cost of living...etc etc

ilovemydoggy · 17/03/2014 18:35

We have about that and only covers food and petrol. Going out to eat and socialising at a cost is a bonus. Doing socialising which is free such as park, library reading groups.

Original poster
olympicsbaby · 17/03/2014 18:41

Sorry should have said its just me and one child! Its just that to meet with friends they tend to meet at baby classes! OTherwise its just me and my LO on our own! Im sure I could just go to one every other day though rather than every day!

OP posts:
LadyintheRadiator · 17/03/2014 19:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ilovepicnmix · 17/03/2014 19:22

It will be doable but hard. There's just me and DS (20 months) and I live on 70 per week for food, petrol etc as I'm saving to try and move. We live in a city so there's loads going on for free/cheap eg today was urban farm which was 1 in for me and DS free. Now that the weather is better you could suggest park visits. You might find that your friends are in a similar position and would welcome the opportunity to spend less.

JazzAnnNonMouse · 18/03/2014 07:52

There are lots of children's sessions around me that are free or v cheap. Do you have a children's centre near you?
Search stay and play/ toddler groups and your area and see what comes up - there's loads in church halls etc that are much cheaper than the 'class' that essentially does the same thing Smile

Preciousbane · 18/03/2014 08:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

NathalieM · 18/03/2014 16:44

I think it is doable but quite hard work, especially if the other mums are meeting up at classes and costa, its tough not being able to afford luxuries.

Have you considered joining a gym where classes are included? This may help to break down costs, and allow you to actually do more classes as money won't be an issue! I am a member of a gym for £30 a month, so if you go to two classes a week its only £2.50 a class (roughly). Would this be cheaper? Many do have special baby friendly classes, or in mine children go free!

Walking is a great option, its exercise, great for the environment, no parking needed and no petrol costs either! Alternatively is public transport a cheap option for you? If there is a good ticket deal perhaps get the bus now and again instead of driving.

Where are you doing your food shopping? Aldi is incredible for cheap but still great quality food, you will be amazed at how cheap it is I promise! I believe Lidl is good too but I don't have one near me so I tend to lean towards Aldi a lot. Or I focus my meals on what is on offer in supermarkets, and make the most of leftovers or freezing any excess food that I make. Plus, I have started to try and make my meals from scratch, ditching jars of sauces and things as this can add up significantly. Pasta sauce I just use chopped tomatoes and puree, and add vegetables and additional flavours depending on my mood.

I hope this helps a little bit!

Nat x

lotsoffunandgames · 18/03/2014 22:45

That is easily doable.I have a hundred a week for 4 of us and that includes food, clothes and transport.obviously clothes are not usually bought and I am not sure which parent I will beg off to get my kids shoes.doing what we can to increase income and reduce outgoings but it is very tough.trips to Costa disappeared long ago.try free baby groups.usually church run ones and library ones are free.I asked grandparents to pay for a kids membership at the local leisure centre for their birthday so we had free soft play sessions all year which was a bargain, you could meet people there.but the park is your best bet.

BackforGood · 18/03/2014 22:53

That really is quite a lot of money for just 1 adult and 1 LO.
The fact you are buying costas and paying to go to unnecessary baby classes on a daily basis, is indeed evidence of that.

Both dh and I are quite senior in our careers now cos we're old and have what we consider to be a 'comfortable' lifestyle, but a coffee out is a special treat, it's just not in our minds to go and spend £3 (??) on a coffee when you can make one for 10p. I have no problem whatsoever with people choosing to spend their money on costas if that's what they like, no doubt there are things we spend money on that other wouldn't, but anyone who is spending on baby classes every day and coffee shop coffees regularly, can't really be said to be struggling.
Of course it's possible - not only possible, but quite a luxurious lifestyle IMO.

stuckindamiddle · 18/03/2014 22:59

Are there free library rhyme time sessions or free / v cheap playgroups i.e. 50p?

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