Mum-of-two begs for help as her monthly outgoings are £5k… and that DOESN’T include food, petrol or nights out
A MUM was seen desperately seeking reassurance from fellow parents after revealing the insane amount of money she spends each month on her family home.
Running a busy household can see monthly costs rack up, with money being spent on everything from insurance to the weekly food shop.
But for one mum-of-two, her outrageous monthly bills got so on top of her she turned to the internet to question whether she had “lost the plot” and seek advice on how to reduce her spending.
Posting to Mumsnet, the woman revealed she spends over £5000 per month on direct debits and that total doesn’t include food shopping for her family of four or filling up on petrol.
She wrote: “Now I know over £5k a month is ridiculous but is it normal?
“I’m not going to list it all out here as it would be outing but I can’t work out how/what to reduce.”
Sharing more details, she continued: “This doesn’t even include food/petrol/eating out – just direct debits – but does include mortgage (£1600), phones, insurance for car, house, pets, critical illness, life insurance and savings £350.”
The mum added that she was looking into money-saving websites to work out what she needs to cut down on, but wanted reassurance from fellow parents on whether her monthly costs seemed like a “normal” amount.
She asked: “Is this a normal amount for a house of 4 to be paying each month or have we lost the plot?”
Her post led to some people savaging the mum online, as they were left baffled over her monthly £5k spend.
“No, you’ve completely lost the plot,” said one person in response. “How does it not include food and petrol?!”
Another said: “No. It’s not normal. A lot of families don’t even earn half that amount!”
A third wrote: “Your outgoings after your mortgage are £3400 and that doesn’t included food or petrol! What the f*** are you actually doing with all the money, are you using £10 notes as toilet paper? That’s a bloody mad monthly spend.”
Mum-of-two's monthly outgoings revealed:
- Mortgage – £1600
- Pet Insurance – £31
- Car Insurance £43
- House Insurance – £50
- Car – £400
- Milkman – £42
- Fruit and Veg Box – £65
- Phones x 3 – £90
- Savings – £350
- Credit Cards – £300
- Holiday Savings – £300
- Netflix – £16
- Spotify – £10
- Landline/Internet – £53
- Sky – £70
- TV Licence – £13
- Work Related Professional Subscriptions – £300
- Gas and Electric – £200
- Council Tax – £200
- Water – £60
- Gift Subscription – £45
- Audible – £8
- Critical Illness/Life Insurance – £340
- School (Dinners/Trips etc) – £100
TOTAL = £4686
Agreeing one more person replied: “This thread will not end well. What on earth do you spend all that money on? £5k per month! Really?”
While the mum didn’t reveal exact details of all of her outgoings at first, she later listed each cost, with the total falling slightly short of £5k at £4686.
Others, however, pointed out that the mum’s monthly bills may be “normal” if she and her partner earn enough to sustain such high costs.
“Well your mortgage is huge, so I assume your income is quite high. Obviously 5k isn’t normal as the average wage is less than half that. If you’re not in debt and are living within your means (you’re saving, so I assume so!) then it isn’t really a problem, is it? People who earn more tend to spend more,” offered one person.
Another said: “If you can afford it, there is no need to be embarrassed at spending.”
“It entirely depends on what your monthly incomes is. IF your income is 10k, so core costs are half, that’s obviously fine,” said one person.
One more suggested: “If you can save £350 a month you don’t have anything to worry about.”
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