Summary
Our first full month of lockdown has had a huge impact on our April spending.
Our total spend for the month was £1,559. This is well within our £2,000 target. It’s actually our second lowest month since we started tracking. Beaten only by August 2019 when we were in Africa and most of our accommodation and food was pre-paid!!
We break our main expenses down into broad categories starting with the big 3; housing, food and transport. Everything else falls into the entertainment category, with any large inclusions explained in detail.
| Category | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Housing | £973 | See below |
| Food | £360 | See below |
| Transport | £0 | See below |
| Entertainment/misc | £226 | See below |
| Total | £1,559 |
We break each of these categories down in the following sections, giving detail for any large expenses.
Housing
The housing category consists of our mortgage payment, overpayments, bills, insurance, DIY costs etc.
A typical month with just the usual bills to pay!
| Category | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mortgage | £467 | |
| Overpayment | £283 | |
| Bills | £114 | Gas, electricity & water. |
| Council Tax | £108 | |
| Internet | £1 | Correction of overpayments |
| Total | £973 |
We continue to be very happy with our energy supplier, Octopus Energy. This month we received a refreshing email from them saying they would again be reducing the cost of our energy, following cuts in wholesale prices.
Our energy is from 100% renewable sources too which is a great bonus. If you are interested, click through this link and you will get £50 and so will we! It can be hard to find a decent energy company but we really do recommend Octopus.
Food
Our April spending on food was £360. As explained previously, this includes everything on our supermarket shop receipts for the month.
We bought a few extras from the supermarkets this month with other shops being closed so quite a successful total considering.
Transport
We can’t go anywhere! Simples!
| Category | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Total | £0 |
Entertainment/Misc
A very low total for us in April, despite a fair bit of spending on stuff for Baby Way!
| Category | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Phone Bills | £14 | |
| TV License | £13 | |
| Lottery | £8 | |
| Sports Team Costs | £2 | Match fees, floodlights, equipment etc |
| Presents | £30 | |
| Eating Out/Cafes | £35 | Takeaway for Miss Way's Birthday! |
| Contact Lenses | £12 | |
| Door Mat | £9 | |
| Book | £3 | |
| Wrist Brace | £12 | Injury! |
| Yoga | £7 | See below |
| Baby Bed Sheets | £30 | See below |
| Second Hand Baby Sleeping Bags | £20 | See below |
| Yoga/Birthing Ball | £13 | See below |
| Second Hand Baby Clothes | £18 | See below |
| Total | £226 |
Running Totals
There are a few big things going on in our lives at the minute. We wanted to this section to the end of our Monthly Spending posts to keep track of our total spending on both the wedding and Baby Way.
To be honest this is as much for our own interest/records as it is for our readers!
While these aren’t all spending items from this month, we think it’s useful to keep ‘running totals’ for these longer term categories.
Wedding
No extra wedding costs this month! We need to get a move on…
Total to date:
| Category | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 'Save the Date' Cards | £26 | |
| Postage | £22 | |
| Registrar | £100 | Deposit paid. £525 more due before wedding. |
| Total | £148 |
Baby Costs
As we start to prepare for Baby Way it feels right to also include a breakdown of these costs here.
All of our baby-related spending will appear in Entertainment/Misc for now, but we’ll also track it separately here. We’re convinced we can spend significantly less than our peers so it’ll be interesting to see how we get on!
| Category | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pregnancy Vitamin Tablets | £8 | |
| Antenatal Class | £80 | |
| Cot | £80 | |
| Nappies | £100 | Second hand reusable nappies |
| Pram | £0 | Free!! |
| Baby Book | £9 | |
| Baby Scan Photo | £5 | |
| Baby Bath | £5 | |
| Yoga | £21 | |
| Reusable Post-partum Pads | £25 | |
| Baby Bed Sheets | £30 | See below |
| Second Hand Baby Sleeping Bags | £20 | See below |
| Yoga/Birthing Ball | £13 | See below |
| Second Hand Baby Clothes | £18 | See below |
| Total | £414 |
Baby Bed Sheets
New bed sheets for our cot. Should also fit the old pram we got.
Second Hand Baby Sleeping Bags
4 second hand sleeping bags off Facebook marketplace.
Yoga/Birthing Ball
For Miss Way to do some pregnancy related exercises. Should be good long term too.
Second Hand Baby Clothes
A huge bundle of second hand baby clothes off Facebook marketplace for £18. Bargain!
See you next month.
We just changed to Octopus Energy too. Had a very good experience so far, receiving the same email as you re: reducing energy prices!
Separately, just wanted to say that I like the blog. Read your ‘Our version of FIRE’ post and think you guys have the right idea. Too many people following FIRE are entirely money-focused but it’s importance to have a balance and enjoy the journey.
Thanks Matt, balance is definitely key. Glad you’re enjoying Octopus too.