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Original poster

Do You Think A Family of 4 Can Survive On £800-£1K Per Month?

70 replies

Limbodancer · 11/02/2007 20:19

Dh and I have finally found our dream house, if we put in an offer for it and it was accepted after mortgage and all bills we would have approx £800/£1000 to spend on food and day to day living expenses including school trips/birthday presents etc. Is this doable?

I am a regular btw but have changed my name for this, nor do I want this thing to kick off!

OP posts:
gothicmama · 11/02/2007 20:19

yes it is especially if you plan meals etc.

suejonez · 11/02/2007 20:19

any child care costs?

mummytosteven · 11/02/2007 20:20

unless you have ginormous travel/commuting costs, a big fat YES.

hoxtonchick · 11/02/2007 20:20

absolutely. unless you have really expensive holidays .

CristinaTheAstonishing · 11/02/2007 20:21

So this wouldn't include the mortgage? Just food & other expenses? What about electricity, gas, phones, would this also be out of the 800-1000? IMO you'd live month to month but not have enough for holidays or emergencies (a fridge that packs up, a wedding invitation etc).

HeartOnMyGreensleeve · 11/02/2007 20:21

I's more than we have.

Original poster
Limbodancer · 11/02/2007 20:21

No child care costs. Dh & I are kind of scared as our mortgage would treble and we would need to take it out over 25 years so in effect start on the mortgage ladder all over again, but the house would make a massive difference to our lives and I am considering becoming a childminder.

OP posts:
shonaspurtle · 11/02/2007 20:22

Yes. No problem as long as you haven't been used to a lot more in the past and have many activities etc to pay for.

If you're used to spending a lot on the kids or have expensive hobbies then I suppose it could be hard to economise. It's way more per head than I've ever had but I have cheap habits!

Original poster
Limbodancer · 11/02/2007 20:23

The £800/£1000 left is after all utility bills/dh's travelling costs (except petrol). We do have 2 cars which we own outright, but we could sell mine.

OP posts:
Earlybird · 11/02/2007 20:24

You might be able to manage it, but what happens when you need a new fridge, or the car needs a major repair, or the boiler goes out, etc.?

I find my regular living expenses are easily manageabled - it's the unexpected expenses that can make things tricky. Personally, I like having a bit of a cushion for unexpected expenses, and for the odd splurge.

lockets · 11/02/2007 20:24

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ChocolateGirl · 11/02/2007 20:24

Limbodancer, we are a family of five and we just about manage with a similar amount every month. DH and I spend about £100 each on petrol and there's about £400 per month allocated for food, and the rest just seems to disappear... We have had to cut back on treats and it was hard at first but we're getting better at it. And it's a lot more than some people have...

HTH

expatinscotland · 11/02/2007 20:24

After mortgage and bills?!

Hell, yes!

HeartOnMyGreensleeve · 11/02/2007 20:24

We took a big drop in disposable income when we bought our house (which we were only able to do because MIL gave us a huge deposit). Honestly, having a bigger space and a garden (well, more of a building site really ) and the security of not having to deal with landlords - it's so worth it.

ledodgy · 11/02/2007 20:25

Have you any debt apart from your mortgage?

Twiglett · 11/02/2007 20:25

of course .. assume you've counted mortgage, insurance, council tax and utilities in all bills (have you included car?)

do the budget planner on moneysavingexpert.com

ledodgy · 11/02/2007 20:26

OMG have just seen the after mortage and bills bit i second expat's "hell yes" and will add to it a "I wish!"

pinkbubble · 11/02/2007 20:27

We do everything on direct debit as soon as we get paid so basiclly we dont get any large bills ie the same monthly bill for gas in the summer as it is for winter. We also manage to save for a holday, probably not as glamorous as some peoples but at least we go away and have a good time - we go camping in france!

Original poster
Limbodancer · 11/02/2007 20:27

The garden is massive, kids would never need to go to a park again . I think we could manage but I just wanted positive stories from you guys, which you have given me, so thank you.

OP posts:
FluffyMummy123 · 11/02/2007 20:29

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FluffyMummy123 · 11/02/2007 20:30

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Original poster
Limbodancer · 11/02/2007 20:31

Thanks Twig will try that website. We have no debt whatsoever apart from our current mortgage. We would still have a tiny bit of savings left and the child benefit allowance is paid into a separate account which we save for holidays and will be there in an emergency.

OP posts:
ledodgy · 11/02/2007 20:31

Cod she's a limbo dancer she's used to getting through tight spaces.

HeartOnMyGreensleeve · 11/02/2007 20:32

Parks are free though cod. As are libraries, and walks, and all sorts of other activities. Lots of people manage to take their kids out without breaking the bank - you just get used to the amount you have. Loads of families live perfectly happily on much less than this.

Original poster
Limbodancer · 11/02/2007 20:32

Will just invite all the local kids in .

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