Please critique my budget - freaking out

[financialworrier]

I'm a single parent about to move house and I'm really worrying that I'm going to be over stretching myself with the new mortgage, and I'm considering pulling out and staying put.

Can you critique my budget please?

Mortgage payment will be £900. But I have no savings really, the house will need me to spend money on it - new curtains, new furniture.

Income from salary of circa £3750 pcm.

Other expenses:

DS bus pass £70 a month
DS club fees £25 a month
DS lunches £50 a month
DS pocket money £70 a month
Dog walker £140 a month
Cleaner/childcare £312 a month
Mobile phones £40 a month
Life insurance £23 a month
Fuel £400-500 a month
Groceries £400 a month
Council tax, gas, electric, water £350 a month (estimated)
Internet - £20 a month
TV Licence - £15 a month
House insurance £15 a month
Misc subs - £30 a month

Total bills = £3575 a month!

Leaving less than £200 a month for Christmas, savings, holidays, new clothes, shoes etc.

This isn't sensible is it?

@needsahouseboy this thread isn't about you.

If you’ve calculated monthly amounts as 4x weekly then that £200 left over is over estimated.

For furniture, I always check Gumtree and secondhand shops like British Heart Foundation. You can get really good furniture for pennies to the pound.
Curtains are also very easy to sew

I have calculated monthly amounts properly rather than 4 x weekly.

The cleaner/childcare is not really negotiable, nor is the dog walker. You cannot have a child and a dog and expect them to fend for themselves while you're out the house for 11+ hours a day. It's not fair. I made the choice to have them. I need to make sure they're adequately cared for.

I think the question is answered really, I need to stay put in current house with cheaper bills. Perhaps when child has left home/is happy without an adult in the house for long hours then I can look at not having the housekeeper and moving.

@Youmadorwhat
AngelasAshes that is why I suggested she could tether it to her phone/ Ds could tether to his phone. That’s what I do 🤷‍♀️ It works and saves money for me. She asked, I’m suggesting.

Er no, that won’t work for most school sites. The kids use cloud software to execute homework online. It can’t be done on a tiny phone. They need a pad or laptop and running those through a hotspot phone is way more expensive than having wifi hub in your home. Not to mention when it comes time to use UCAS to apply to sixth form (my DD had to even use it for her yr9 application to KS4).

Plus, how would her smart TV stream anything if it has to use the phone?

Too, phones switch to home WiFi so all data download is free and doesn’t count towards the phones data package.

Sorry, but your idea is a BAD one that will end up costing her more.

Agree with others, ditch cleaner (how much mess do you and one 12 year old make?).

Reduce pocket money, £70 a month for. 12 year old is ridiculous, my 17 year old was getting £50 a month & had to buy his his own clothes, trainers etc. He managed perfectly well & was motivated to get a paper round from 13 & do odd jobs for neighbours and now has a really good work ethic.

Review dog ownership, I know that’s an unpopular comment but so many people seem to have pets but can't really afford them.

You could reduce your food bills a bit (I am not going to suggest shopping at Aldi ), £50 on school lunches that you say your DS doesn’t eat is a waste of money. Take a packed lunch from home.

You haven't put in costs of running a car besides fuel, what about insurance, tax and maintenance for it?

Get rid of the child care and cleaner. Reduce your sons pocket money by half, it's too much.

@financialworrier
You said the cleaner/housekeeper is only 6 hrs per week.
So, that is 1hr a day...are you saying your 12yr old cannot fend for himself for 1hr a day?

How much would it be for public transport? I know you said it's an extra 30 mins but if the cleaner/childcare is non negotiable surely you don't need both yourself and childcare with your son? If you could reduce the amount on fuel that would be huge!

@AngelasAshes I’m not suggesting he does his homework on the phone. what I’m suggesting is her phone is used as a hotspot!! I tether my iPad, and smart tv to my phone internet. I have unlimited internet on my phone bill so I didn’t see the point in paying for more??!

£70 pocket money??

£400 on food per month for the two of you and that doesn't include your sons lunches??

A reality check is most definitely needed here!!

TBH this budget doesnt seem too bad .£200 .00 left over each month after all expenses are paid ,seems doable to me.I agree with you that the 12 yo needs some one at home with him, and obviously doggie needs his walk!.Your Grocery bill seems quite high though .Can you use cheaper cuts of meat (Slow Cookers are great for these then home to a hot meal!.).Fuel seems high too .Can you see if you could lift share maybe ?.You say your son has an allowance to buy his own things ,so can you buy from charity shops Ebay for clothes for yourself at all.As your son gets a bit older maybe take down Childcare?

I will have a company car from next month without fuel allowance, hence no insurance, tax or maintenance listed, only fuel. Perhaps the fuel bill will go down when using a different vehicle - I have estimated usage based on my current car.

Housekeeper is 3 hours per day on the two days I work longer hours. The other days DS is fine on his own until I get back at 5.30pm.

There's certainly short term savings there - food for two people can be done for far less, if you drive that much I would recommend a hybrid, even taking into account the cost of buying one. A cleaner is great but a luxury, what childcare do you need for a 12 year old? In the next year that will stop for sure. My council tax and bills are that much but I have a big energy inefficient house in band e

£40 on dog food a month is crazy high unless you have a Great Dane! I spend £30 every 2 months for a medium sized dog - it's cheaper to mail order than buying from the supermarket

Sounds like you're living in the wrong place. You are paying so much for fuel and company for your son because you have a long commute. Is car sharing an option?
Your son is probably old enough to not need after school care. How much does he actually engage with your cleaner? He should be doing some chores to help out so that you're not stressed every day when you come home.
Shop smarter and cheaper. Don't buy new things for your new home till you can afford them. If you need more furniture get secondhand and sell rather than dump any you're getting rid of.
What size of dog do you have? Does £40 cover treats as well as food? It wouldn't save a lot but are you spending where you don't have to? Mine love
fruit and veg and I use carrots, apples, broccoli stalks etc as treats. Investigate "Borrow My Doggy" to save money on dog walking.

why have you bothered asking if you don't want to change anything anyway?

Dog is a 37kg dog with allergies hence £40 per month

@JoanMavisIcecreamGirl I've said I'll look at the groceries. It's not about what I want to do, it's about priorities. Son and dog are priorities, and sadly they're expensive!

Obviously the consensus is that what I'll have left isn't enough, which is what I was asking. Hence I'll stay put in my current house and pull out of my purchase of the new more expensive house.

what does your son actually get out of spending 3hrs in the same house as a cleaner?

I don't think that's the consensus at all tbh, it seems like that's what you wanted to hear!

Long term will this house purchase mean upsizing therefore bigger asset for the future?

This is doable. I think you're (rightly) panicking but take a deep breath and make a few changes like food budget and yes, your fuel will probably go down as well.

I’m going to assume you’re locked into a contract with your mobile but when this ends can you find a cheaper deal?

Are utilities on cheapest tariff?/change provider if not locked in to a deal?

Assuming you have furniture at present just don’t buy new when you move. We currently have an empty bedroom in or place and have been here for 10months now. We will get round to it. But not yet as have had more important things to spend on.

Dog food - can you change brand? (I loathe saying this as catface will only eat a specific brand of biscuit...)

Grocery shopping - are you meal planning and buying accordingly?

I’d keep the cleaner and dog walker. They’re buying you time although costing you money.

Our family of 4 has just under your income. We have a similar mortgage and run two cars. Straight away I can see cutbacks you could make.

The pocket money, dog walker, lunches and cleaner (maybe) could all go.

We spend £400 a month on food for 4, so can you spend £200 for two? Pets are expensive too - could you cut back on pet food brands etc?

Honestly? I would stay where i was.
It sounds like you have everything sorted and are happy with the way thungs run. Yes, you could save money on food, cleaner etc., but you dont want to, and I dont blame you!
If where you are living now allows you to live your life relatively worry free, far better to stay there than to move and have the constant fear of something going wrong.

There is more to life than a posh house😁