How much 'fun money/allowance' do you get a month?

[busymama77]

Every two weeks, after the bills are paid, checks are written for daycare, we have roughly $300 to use for food, Target trips, misc. activities (fun money). It tends to go quickly as there is always something coming up that needs to be bought for the house, for the kids, etc.,

How do you divy up what and how much to spend each week or every two weeks?

AND we're getting ready to re-finance our house so the money that I was hoping to use this weekend for inside house stuff will now be put towards the re-fi!

[dachshundqueen]

There is none.

Any "fun money" is either birthday money given to us or Christmas money given to us, usually by DH's parents or to a much smaller degree his grandparents (both paternal and maternal).

Liz

[annethcz]

Our budget is a larger than yours. We have separate categories for groceries, gas, household/misc, clothing, kids' activities, entertainment and eating out (and several other categories too ). I don't usually break down expenses week to week, but they seem to average out by the end of the month. DH and I don't really have allowances or specific 'fun money' but we balance the fun things we want with things we need. If it's an expensive month and all the kids need new shoes, then I don't spend money on a cute pair of shoes for myself. But if the kids are well clothed, then I have no problem splurging on a new sundress for myself. I also would have a hard time defining what spending on myself would mean. Does it only include the new book I bought for myself, or would I also include things like the new rug I bought for the entryway (since no one else really cares what the house looks like, and the rug was mostly for my pleasure)?

I will admit that the eating out and entertainment budgets are complete luxury and are mostly spent on DH and I. Our eating out budget usually covers a lunch date with DH once a week, plus a few random dinners out with friends. Entertainment is usually the cost of babysitters and me going out dancing with my friends

Depending on the definition, I could say that I spend $100/month on myself or several hundred dollars a month. KWIM?

But really, I think what you're asking is what is reasonable to spend on yourself. And the answer will depend based on how much money you have at your disposal. If you don't already, I think a good first step would be to track your spending. Figure out how much you're spending on food, on household needs, on gas, on clothing. Once you see those numbers, you'll be able to see how much is reasonable for yourself each month.

[elizawill]

we budget a $5 allowance for the kids from each pay period (which is twice a month, so it's $20 for the both of them). aside from that, our fun money isn't budgeted, but we usually have enough for the dollar theater and snacks there. otherwise any extra $$ goes toward homeschool activities as we can afford them.

[ltlmrs]

Originally Posted by dachshundqueen

There is none.

Any "fun money" is either birthday money given to us or Christmas money given to us, usually by DH's parents or to a much smaller degree his grandparents (both paternal and maternal).

That's us.

Though we are DR fans and really like the idea of putting every extra penny towards building up an EF and debt snowball, any extra pay that I might get over what we budgeted for that month or any grocery money that didn't get spent goes towards purchasing things that I need that we don't have room for in our budget, mostly kitchen stuff or food that we don't usually get because it's too expensive, but little things for Ladybug and myself too (like the $4 wood kitchen that I found at Goodwill ). I find being able to spend even a little bit of money on things keeps me sane.

[its_betty]

Since dh's income went down, we have a fairly tight budget for variable spending: set amount for groceries, very little eating out, etc.

But dh and I get $20/week spending cash, which we use for coffee shops or lunch with friends (me), books and occasional fast food burgers (him) and save for things like movies out. Snacks that don't fit into the food budget also come from our "allowances." So would clothes-we-don't-need but we almost never buy things like that anyway.

Our 11 year old used to get a $10/week allowance (which he saved to buy himself things like new skateboard, iPod--we don't buy much stuff for him except for birthdays and Christmas). Now he gets $5/week (since we are all in this new lower income thing together) but we also put $5/week into a "fun slush fund" which is used to take him to go-karts or mini golf or out for ice cream or other fun activities once in a while. When we went on vacation, he got to take the slush fund money to buy souvenirs.

[_ktg_]

Our budget is a big larger than yours - but in a sense

DH gets $125/month
I get $100/month

As for $$ we receive from birthdays, holidays and etc. All of us in the family have separate accounts (savings) where we put the money until we choose to use it.

This is great for our kiddos who get some gifts on the holiday/birthday and then let us store the checks for them until they wish for a toy or we realize they need clothes. We just started this in January and is working out great so far for us and the boys too.

[Princess ConsuelaB]

If I'm lucky I get a frappucino every 3-4 weeks, whoo-hoo, good times!

[HeatherAtHome]

Now you have me thinking about our budget... or rather, the fact that we don't have a budget! We're not rolling in money, just made decisions along the way to keep expenses down (mortgage = 18% of DH's modest take home), 12 year old car that's been paid off for years (don't get me started on repairs though...) etc

We have goals that we're working towards like fixing up our house, buying a new car someday, having kids etc so when it comes to all the little decisions we ask ourselves if it's worth it. We're pretty frugal by nature. Our 'ongoing' splurge is a good computer with high speed internet. We don't have tv, long distance, cell phones etc. Our computer is everything to us!

Our recent splurges (discussed ahead of time) were a Boston Terrier puppy for DH ($250) and a Canon Rebel for me ($398) I still feel guilty for spending that much money on myself but I LOVE the camera and DH loves his dog. Last time we spent this much on ourselves was our camping vacation to Maine 3 years ago!

Everyday 'splurges'? I little something at a thrift shop or garage sale, something bought new on sale, a chocolate bar. Some months I probably spend $5, others (like when I needed new sandals, shorts, etc for summer) $75.

[bluebirdiemama]

We haven't really found a budget system that works for us. As far as overall spending, we just make it a habit to buy as cheaply as we can, and always look for free or close to it. For our personal spending we are trying to get away with the same idea. It is not reasonable to say we can't spend anything on ourselves. When we try that we (I ) end up doing something stupid like spending $183 on yarn...... !! So far this month we have spent about $12 on beers and an inflatable bat for ds at a fair, my dh spent $11 on fast food, and I bought a *cute* pair of sandals for $13. It would be ok for our budget to spend about $30 or so more on personal (fun) things this month.

But, I guess I should mention that I also get a major retail fix by both yard saleing and swapping goods with the sweet mamas in the trading post here, and at diaperswappers

[elizawill]

Originally Posted by bluebirdiemama

When we try that we (I ) end up doing something stupid like spending $183 on yarn...... !!

[busymama77]

Originally Posted by bluebirdiemama

We haven't really found a budget system that works for us. As far as overall spending, we just make it a habit to buy as cheaply as we can, and always look for free or close to it. For our personal spending we are trying to get away with the same idea. It is not reasonable to say we can't spend anything on ourselves. When we try that we (I ) end up doing something stupid like spending $183 on yarn...... !! So far this month we have spent about $12 on beers and an inflatable bat for ds at a fair, my dh spent $11 on fast food, and I bought a *cute* pair of sandals for $13. It would be ok for our budget to spend about $30 or so more on personal (fun) things this month.

But, I guess I should mention that I also get a major retail fix by both yard saleing and swapping goods with the sweet mamas in the trading post here, and at diaperswappers

Me, too! I LOVE garage sales! Thinking of hitting some this weekend. It's been a while.

[Magelet]

our "entertainment" budget for the two of us is $100 a month. though lately, it's been more like 60. 40 of that is for dancing (we go irish folk dancing every monday, it's 5 each). DP used to buy a beer when we go dancing at the pub, but it's too expensive atm. we're really only spending it on dancing, and on like a slice of pizza for me (or sometimes us) if I forget to eat and my blood sugar crashes too badly, which I'm getting better about. we can't afford 100$ this month, but we didn't totally re-do the budget, just... not spending it.

[sanguine_speed]

[Casha'sMommy]

I mostly lurk around here but thought I'd chime in.

We're frugal freaks, I think.
ummmm We don't have a splurge/fun money allowance. We don't eat out, at all. The last time we ate out was about 8 or 9 months ago and that was a sandwich place. lol
The majority of our money is spent on fresh foods and home necessities. We do not eat processed or packaged foods so our grocery budget is rather high, between $150 and $200 per week for four of us.
Although, I suppose you could say dh "splurges" on eating out but only because he has no choice as he travels for work more than he's at home. He does receive per diem however, it isn't truly enough to cover his daily food needs. If he had the option of staying in a hotel with kitchenette (his employer chooses his location) he'd probably end up bringing per diem home rather than tapping into our checking for that.

[p.s]

my whole body is aching after a normal, running non stop, working 12-13 h d. For the 3 hours prior to falling asleep, my brain was completely racked over something work related. Actually I just woke up, after falling asleep putting ds2 to sleep. It is 1 am.
DH is still asleep after putting ds1 to sleep. I'll need to remind him to brush his teeth.
Fortunately, I have both Sat and Sun off (and I didn't have to work Fri night... that is in addition to all day Friday), which means we will be running around trying to get all the errands done.
For as long as I can remember, I have been studying for the next thing...junior high, high school, college, and on and on. Minimal playing, no partying. Now as an adult, minimal socializing. Still just working and studying.... Same with DH.

In exchange for this, we have a very generous fun budget. Which is to say, we don't really have a budget. I belong to one mamas co-op, which recently held a Mercurious co-op. Last week, I got whatever I thought dsx2 would like for the next 3-4 y. Today, i just bought 8 yards of organic fabric which was on sale (http://modgreenpod.com/). Tomorrow we will go to the Farmer's market and Whole Foods, to do our grocery shopping. Our farmer's market will supply us with breads, yogurt, veggies, and even ice cream. We recently found a chariot trailer on Craigslist. Then dh discovered he needed a lot of things to take the dsx2 on bike rides (pump, new tires when they blew, new rims, etc). etc, etc.

so my point is.... there is give and take. I hope our life slows down in the next couple of years. I would love to be able to enjoy my ds x 2 more. As generous as it is, I don't personally know anyone who envies our budget. B/c they know how our life is... which exhausts most people by just watching. KWIM?

[sunnysandiegan]

I get $20 cash each month for my personal spending (cash - now). I also transfer $15 each month from our joint checking account into my personal savings account automatically (for future desires and for buying stocks and ETFs).

[carfreemama]

We are spoiled (or ill-advised).

We budget everything. We have 49 budget categories for 2 adults, 1 kid, 1 dog and 1 cat. Sometimes it drives me absolutely nuts; but it's also meant we have a $700/month mortgage on a house we love in a great neighbourhood and DON'T have a 6-figure income. Dh is the stickler, I like to spend a little.

So...
We each get $180 every 2 weeks for spending. This does, however, have to cover everything. That means:
-All clothing and footwear
-All gifts
-Bus tickets/bike repairs and purchase
-Personal care items (though the house did help me buy some great new mama cloth last week)
-Coffee shops/luxury food/eating out, unless it's date night (we very rarely eat out)
-hobbies/books
-unscheduled, unnecessary purchases of any kind, even if for someone else/the house/whatever. There are separate line items for these and if I or dh go over them, it comes out of our allowance. So in the example of the rug, I would pay for that unless dh agreed we needed to purchase one and there was money in "household."

We have a good dialogue about money, though. Honestly, it's a lot; but we don't have cable/car/other luxuries, so this is our "present" to ourselves.

[lunarlady]

We do $40 a month for each adult, plus $40 a month "fun" (usually date night) money. These amounts will most likely drop when this little one arrives and we have to fit her childcare into our budget.

[provocativa]

almost none. we don't eat out (gfcf). two times a month i get a coffee at a cafe. otherwise, if there's extra i buy nutritional supplements or homeschool supplies.