Question to all SAHM's: How much money per month do you spend just on yourself?

[emkana]

There's this unbelievable article in the Daily Mail today (I know, I know, read it a in laws' house) by this former solicitor woman who gave up work to be a SAHM and whinges how difficult it is to be financially dependent. She then says that her husband gives her a personal "allowance" of £ 400 !!!!!!!! month to spend on cappuccinos, clothes, parking, baby music class, things like that, while he pays the mortgage, all the bills etc. and she has a credit card for "essential household spending" like food.
I'm gobsmacked by this woman! I am a SAHM, my dh pays mortgage and bills, whereas I have about £ 600 a month which I use for food and childrens' stuff - and for myself, if there's any money left, which there usually isn't!
I'm very

no idea
its all in together

I work part-time and earn about £680 a month. £515 of that goes into our joint account out of which goes the mortgage, all bills, food and a bit of money each month to cover emergencies over the year for example MOT or a new boiler! That means I have £165 spending money of my own which seems quite a lot. I'm usually the one who wants to go out for meals or get takeaways though so I end up paying and I usually buy anything we need for ds ie clothes etc.

I'm terrible at spending money on myself, which is why my wardrobe is in such dire straights. If I go out intending to spend money on me, I get distracted by something for the DDs and end up buying for them instead. I did this with my birthday vouchers too! Saying that, if I get this evening job and manage to find childcare, I'm going to blow all my wages on me for once (although I have seen the cutest outfit in Vertbaudet for DD1!!)

We don't have a joint account - my preferred decision. I just like having my own bank account and a previous relationship which did have a joint account ended in disaster.

My DH pays all the bills. I get some income from letting my old flat and he pays £250 into my account by standing order. All I really spend dosh on is food and petrol. I usually have some money left at the end of the month. I would buy whatever took my fancy if I wanted but I'm just not that type. I get a haircut about every 2 months. Don't buy clothes as 30 weeks pregnant (although did have to get some today).

So with DH I don't have a problem with this arrangement and know my DH would dish out more if required. Although we have separate accounts everything is ours.

I know from the previous relationship that my ex spent more than his fair share and whilst I scrimped by on £10 a week he would spend that a day on fags and beer. So I think it depends on each couple and what suits them best

Me too mummytummy - I can't resist clothes and toys for ds's!!

I've not spent any of my birthday money from Sept - just all gets swallowed up in the account though if I do want something - clothes, shoes etc, I just buy it.

£400?( Mirage picks herself up from the floor.)

I work about 10 hours a week,but none of my money goes on me.It goes on dd,food,petrol ect.I can't actually remember the last time I bought myself something or spent money on myself.

think i am living your life too, gobbledigook, twiglett et al.

never totted up my monthly "allowance" but lunch/public transport fares/clothes/cinema probably come to £60 per monthish?

Oh only £400 how does she ever manage?

FFS!

I don't think I could even spend that on myself per month (wanna bet!) I buy £10 worth of magazines as my monthly treat, apart from that everything else is spent on bills and family! Now I am off to decide what I would spend £400 on!!!! Every month, yeep!

There's two different issues here (1) how much money we need for the lifestyles we would like to have (or have grown accustomed to!) and (2) the fair division of money when only one partner works outside the home.

Looking at the original post, the SAHM mum quoted sounds like her real problem is that her partner has more 'personal' money than her. So yes, that IS a problem. If her husband gave her £3,000 a month and he had more for himself, she should still complain. She's not lucky and she has lots to whinge about, IMO - it's nothing to do with her financial situation.

Dh and I have a carefully agreed budget of £50 each personal and £50 housekeeping every week. I'm so bad at sticking to it!!!! Don't spend all that much personally on myself, but seems to be one exceptional expenditure after another when it comes to baby and sanity savers (e.g. highchair and dinners out). Don't think we;ll save any money desptite living rent free with family.

Wow, £400. If only. I'm the sole earner, but I'm a big believer in having your own money that you don't have to account for. Saves a lot of tension in my opinion. So, after the housekeeping is put in the joint account, the amount I have left over at the end of the month is divided in half. In our house this is known as "beer money". How he spends his is entirely his affair. In practise, much of the wine we drink comes out of his portion, but then many of DD's clothes come out of mine.

We have a budget of 17.00 per week for all that ds and myself need to do, such as bus fares, playgroups, clothes, any food/drinks bought out, toys, activities. Most goes on ds. I prob spend 5.00 on myself (a coffee or a top from the charity shop).
We then have 20.00 per week to buy food for home, and dh has 25.00 canteen money.
The bills are direct debited, but everything else (presents, travel to family, medicine, unforseen bills etc) come from dh's overtime, which varies alot.
I couldn't imagine spending any money on hairdressers or anything like that!!

If we had a joint account, i would spend it all on clothes.

As it is I work, he works (dbl my salary), he pays rent, I pay c'tax, electric, gas, shopping, baby stuff. He asks me if I need more money every few weeks. I always say no as don't want him to think am not thrifty even though am always overdrawn. No idea where my money goes (wine, fags, Accessorise?)

Gog God! I work part time and I don't have £400 a month to spend on me.

Still I know a SAHM who gets an allowance of £1000 per month. Out of that she has to buy kids clothes and pay for swimming classes etc but the rest is all hers.......... Her hubby pays mortgage, bills, food, holidays etc.

That should have been Good God

Having had to fight battles with DH to get to a point where we both have "equal" pocket money (and i work f/t) I can see where she's coming from. We both have a significant amount of "pocket money" but have recently moved over to a system whereby we will payback half of any hosehold/dd related expenses, so I owe him £40 for a garage bill and he owes me £35 for DD related stuff (ballet lessons and presents for parties). The big plus is that DH has really cut back his drinking now the joint account isn't subbing his alcohol purchases. Sadly, I've got tobe more careful about buying DD stuff!