Summary
Welcome to our January spending post! Our total spend for the month was £2,718.
This month we went to Center Parcs for a week, so had an increase in eating out costs. We also bought a dehumidifier to help with damp issues in the house. Not a bad month considering!
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 | £792 | See below |
| Food | £733 | See below |
| Transport | £438 | See below |
| Entertainment/misc | £755 | See below |
| Total | £2,718 |
We break each of these categories down in the following sections, giving detail for any large expenses.
Housing
Our January spending on housing includes a new dehumidifier. It has been great so far and seems worth the expense! Otherwise a very normal month here.
| Category | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gas & Electric | £121 | See below |
| Water | £54 | |
| Council Tax | £188 | |
| Internet | £29 | |
| Dehumidifier | £400 | |
| Total | £792 |
We continue to be very happy with our energy supplier, Octopus Energy. 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 January spending on food was £733. This includes everything on our supermarket shop receipts for the month.
Transport
Our January spending on transport is a big higher. The Center Parcs trip was a reasonable drive, as well as a few other longer trips. Mr Way also spent quite a lot getting kitted out ready for his cycle commute to the new job. New helmet, laptop bag, clothes etc quickly adds up!
| Category | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel | £130 | |
| Train | £45 | |
| Cycling Gear | £263 | |
| Total | £438 |
Entertainment/Misc
Our January spending on misc items includes our meals out while at Center Parcs, as well as a few other expenses. Generally not a bad month here.
| Category | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Phone Bills | £13 | |
| Eating Out | £257 | |
| Presents | £40 | |
| Activities | £154 | |
| Clothes & Shoes | £169 | |
| Dental | £42 | |
| Microsoft 365 | £70 | |
| Postage | £10 | |
| Total | £755 |
That’s All for Now, Folks!
We’re looking to reduce our spending in pretty much every area as we settle down to life back in the UK. It will be interesting to see how low we can get our costs! We bought our house mortgage free, so we thankfully won’t have to worry about mortgage rates etc.
Considering the average UK household spend is £2,700 we’re aiming to get down below that level – probably more like £2,000-2,250. We initially thought we would be able to go even lower, but have been surprised by the increase in just about everything since we came back!
See you next month!
Previous Posts
Monthly Spending – December 2024