Finances 🤯

I’ve budgeted for most of my adult life. Things I found helpful is cancelling unnecessary subscriptions (such as Disney channel, Spotify etc) which you don’t use as much and only getting when on good deals. Being sim only on your phone. Splitting savings up too, so having a separate account for each so you can see how much is going in. Plan the month ahead and budget for that. If I know I have x amount of coffee dates I take £10 per date and if I’m under great! Always give myself a certain amount for ‘random’ as you’d be surprised what you end up just getting and it eats into what you have for yourself. Brutal honesty, that holiday savings is going to need to go. As nice as they are, sometimes general life costs more. And saying no to things that aren’t in your budget. True friends won’t care if you just go for a walk or meet at yours for a brew and catch up. Clothes, be savvy! Vinted, charity shops, supermarkets own. All brilliant. Planning out the meals for the week instead of

Just shopping and throwing things into a basket. B&M and Home Bargins for cleaning stuff etc. just general shopping around if you’re able to! But definitely budget the month ahead based on plans you have. I get paid in the middle of the month so if I know I won’t have money from X month but will after pay day, I’ll just move plans around to suit me. It is easy do able , you just need to prioritise and be savvy. X

Savings, holidays abroad, hair cuts, clothes, and days out are all luxuries. I earn less than that working full time and you just have to sacrifice the comfortable lifestyle you’re used to.
We look for discounts for food out, sign up to newsletters, there’s something called kids pass that you can download and it gives you discounts off kids days out etc have play dates at home etc.

Is your partner working full time? Can you ask to reduce your input. I wouldn't be putting so much away a month for Xmas and birthday if you do you don't have the funds x

Thanks for your tips and advice! Money is so hard as no matter how much you have it’s never enough!

Probably naming it a holiday fund is the wrong thing - it’s what I would like the money to be used for 😂 we would also like to do some home improvements and would like a new car but prefer to pay things outright than pay it off monthly. But do think 2 abroad weddings next year is too much 🥲.

One thing I disagree with is savings aren’t a luxury, it’s a necessity as if the car breaks down or the washing machine needs fixing or the boiler breaks we have some back up money to fix that.

Definitely need to meal plan better and will have to change where I meet friends, hoping the nicer weather will make it easier to have a trip to a park than an activity that costs money. Thanks for the app recommendation, downloading now!

Is that £2000 every 4 weeks and £1400 monthly for bills? If so you have £2000 extra that you haven’t budgeted for. Look at when you’d get it and which of your savings pots it could go and so that you can reduce what you have to save each month the rest of the year to end up with the same amount.

My partner will be earning a bit more than me, however I have benefited for the past 5 years of being higher paid and still splitting things equally. So feel it’s not fair to change that now. Equally he is a better saver than I am so will work in our benefit if he has the spare cash each month 🤞
I have just burned through my savings while being off on mat leave for the second time in 2 years so have no fall back which is making me uncomfortable

It’s really tough, I end up sacrificing so much of things that would of been luxuries. Eg I haven’t had my hair dyed in over a year, I never by clothes for myself. I have about £50 each month left over and that’s usually spent on the kids.
I sell random little things on Vinted which I use for cafe money and buying new clothes for the kids. That helps a little

I’d keep the savings but say you could definitely live off the 135 a month!
If you only get your hair cut every few months, clothes for baby should come out of joint but clothes for yourself can definitely be sacrificed or buy off vinted. Friends will be happy to come over or you go there for a cuppa rather than out or go for a walk, so you can go out every couple of months and definitely look around at soft plays - our library has one for 2.50 for under 2s.

I would also say look at selling stuff you don’t use anymore on places like vinted to make some extra

My salary when I drop down to 4 days is going to be 24k 😂. What holidays? In all seriousness sometimes huge sacrifices have to be made. Me and my husband haven’t been abroad since 2018. It’s just something that we unfortunately don’t get to do x

Where abouts do you live in the UK and if you’re partner is earning more, can he not contribute more then you?

Thanks for the tips, I do realise that 33k is still a good salary.
Going to have a sort through wardrobes and put on Vinted as it’s been a job on my todo list for a while!
I’m south London.
At least you are saying it’s possible to live on without the luxuries I’m used to 😫

Your going to have to make some cuts to manage if you can't I'm afraid. But I found no matter what you always make it work. I would always get my nails done and starbucks I swapped starbucks for softplay on a cold or rainy day. Amd we do parks and beach. With my first we lived so close to loads of parks and the beach so it would change up all the time. I now have moved to a new place so need to change up what we do now with this little one but you will manage x

£135 for bonus extra stuff doesn't sound too wild to me. The only thing I'd change is I would take anything related to childcare out of the joint account. Soft play, clothes, play dates etc your partner should contribute to that too.