Summary
This month was slightly over our ‘normal’ spending of ~£2,000. We had an annual membership fee to pay, as well as a couple of big outlays for our Africa trip added to the total. See below for more detail!
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 | £986 | See below |
| Food | £226 | See below |
| Transport | £496 | See below |
| Entertainment/misc | £778 | See below |
| Total | £2,486 |
We break each of these categories down in the following sections.
Housing
The housing category consists of our mortgage payment, overpayments, bills, insurance, DIY costs etc. This was a fairly typical month in this category.
| Category | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mortgage | £467 | |
| Overpayment | £283 | |
| Bills | £124 | Gas, electricity, water |
| Council Tax | £101 | |
| Internet | £11 | |
| Total | £986 |
Food
We spent £226 on food this month. As explained previously, this includes everything on our supermarket shop receipts for the month.
Transport
Miss Way’s annual AA membership was due this month, adding a large chunk to our transport costs!
| Category | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | £186 | Mainly Miss Way’s work |
| Train Fares | £73 | Part of Miss Way’s bike + train + bike commute |
| AA Membership Renewal | 237 | Ouch. We're looking into improving this - let us know if you have any recommendations! |
| Total | £496 |
Entertainment/Misc
A couple of large additions related to our Africa trip increased our entertainment/misc total this month. Aside from that, it was a fairly typical month.
| Category | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Phone Bills | £17 | |
| TV License | £13 | |
| Lottery | £10 | |
| Professional Fees | £23 | |
| Clothes | £6 | |
| Miss Way New Glasses | £69 | A pair of normal glasses and a pair of prescription sunglasses, total cost £69 |
| Sports Team Costs | £15 | Match fees, floodlights, equipment etc |
| Meals/Drinks Out | £113 | Socialising with friends/family |
| Vaccinations for Africa | £216 | Malaria tablets, cholera vaccine and rabies vaccine! |
| Visa Applications for Africa | £202 | |
| Mr Way Haircut | £8 | |
| Miss Way Haircut | £46 | An annual expense!! |
| Spotify | £10 | This is a 3 month subscription to cover our time in Africa. If you have any podcast recommendations we would be grateful to hear them! |
| Charity Event | £30 | |
| Total | £778 |
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I can’t believe how much your AA membership is. I have cover via Toyota assist as I have a Toyota Yaris. It was £61, although this was cheaper than usual as my partner also has cover and so I got it slightly cheaper. Even without the discount it would have been about £75. I just had a look at the RAC and they appear to be £135 for one year. I would definitely shop around next year as you seem to be paying over the odds.
Hi Sam,
I managed to get my AA cover reduced to £135 thankfully. However, next time I will definitely look into cheaper options.
Thanks
Miss Way