Tips for Easy family budgeting
Do you find family budgeting easy?
Nope, me neither.
I still don’t find it easy despite writing about personal finance and managing money over several years. I make a budget each month for regular expenses like the mortgage , football club, petrol, electricity and food shopping and I think I know how much I need. But then life happens and sometimes my budget takes a bashing. These are the things I struggle with most ..
1) Unexpected expenses e.g school trips, holes in school trousers/shoes/lost coat etc.!
2) Birthdays and occasions such as Easter that require additional spending
3) Food shopping
4) School holidays
5) Things breaking like the boiler (sob)
What do you struggle with most in regards to easy family budgeting?
School expenses can really drain my weekly budget. last week I had to pay £3 for a little bus trip to a local vent and £5 for a t-shirt at school that will only get one wear, £8 I wasn’t expecting to pay, then they suddenly have a cake stall after school, lose a coat there, grow out of school shoes I only bought two weeks ago agggh! All expenses I don’t budget for. Maybe I should put school stuff into my budget and allocate a sum to it to stop me panicking.
Birthdays and occasions such as Easter and Christmas always feel like money thieves and are never in my plan, particularly my own kids birthdays with parties etc! I really should write these into my budget too and maybe buy a few gifts each month when I see a bargain to stock my pressie drawer.
Food shopping gets me every time. I think I have bought enough but seem to endlessly be nipping to the local store for something more. When I stick to a meal plan I avoid food waste and extra trips to the shop. Must get this organised alongside my budget.
Items like the boiler breaking , the washing machine needing fixing, sofa covers getting a rip etc are really inevitable parts of life but really can be a blow to a budget. A section in your budget for household emergencies is a pretty useful idea as is insurance!
School holidays seem to creep up on my unaware and I need to think ahead more and make plans. This will enable me to budget for them, search for vouchers and free events and arrange lots of play dates (best source of fee entertainment! )
On reflection through better organisation and planning my budget troubles would be over and easy family budgeting would be simple.
Legal & General is running a competition to win an iPad at the moment, you can enter by sharing your photos or comments about what you consider to be #FamilyEssentials (on Twitter, FB or Instagram) Have a look at the terms and conditions here.
Thinking about money and more tips for easy family budgeting
Thinking about money and considering all aspects of how you spend it really can help. Legal and general have produced The Rough Guide to family Finances a free ebook full of tips to help you with the family budget and lots of advice and explanations around budgeting terms and saving options. It really is an excellent resource.
Have a look too at Legal & Generals Money Hangout for some more tips on managing the family budget
What do you struggle with the most in terms of the family budget? I hope this video on easy family budgteing has helped.
You might also like my best budgeting quotes post and do pop over here to see some of the best UK budget blogs these will certailnly help keep you on track and you muight also like my post on budgeting tips for low income families
Our school seems to be endlessly asking for money, whether it’s for charity events, PTA activities, swimming lessons or clubs, it really adds up.
School expenses really do add up, a couple of pounds here and there and before you know it you’ve paid our £20 in a week. Roo’s school just sent a letter home about a school trip for next year £130 for to nights!
Oh yes I know exactly what you mean. There is always something that needs paying for; especially with the children and yes there are often school things and my boys get through so much uniform it is a nightmare. That guide looks interesting I will definitely take a look
It’s great to stop and think about these things – even if you think you have it all in hand, there’s always a way you could be saving some money!
Birthdays, Christmas, holidays, I can never stick to a budget when I am faced with a break from routine and all that fun!
I struggle with unexpected school expenses too – they seem to think that we have a never-ending supply of money x
it is deifnately all the presents that I find hardest, birthdays and Christmas. Oh and car break downs of course! Mich x
They say the gods laugh when you make plans and I find that’s exactly what happens when it comes to financial ones. It’s problems with the car that catch me out – and the children always outgrowing their scooters and bikes as well as their shoes!
That sounds like a great little booklet Becky, I’ll definitely have a look at it. I don’t think I had anticipated how much it would cost to have a child of school age. I knew, obviously, about all the baby equipment I’d have to buy, but then I assumed it would get better. Seems to be getting worse instead! Swimming lessons, school levies (even in state schools here you have to make an annual contribution towards the cost of running – about $700), uniforms etc. The thing I really, really need to get my head around is health costs. Even after 18 months here it makes no sense to me. Sometimes I go to the doctor and expect it to be free, but end up paying $70. Other times I go expecting it to cost something and it’s free – I can’t make head nor tail of it.
Living to a budget is a relatively new thing for my husband and I but we really wanted to try and give it a go this year. Thanks for sharing these ideas and I will definitely be looking at Legal and Generals rough guide ideas too.