Families of 4...monthly expenditures?

[DLgal]

I am wondering how much families of 4 (with two kids) spend on average, total, on expenses NOT counting recurring bills, housing payment, insurance, or car payments.

We put all our expenses like groceries, eating out, Target runs, gas, and miscellaneous purchases, including clothes and shoes, onto a credit card that we pay off monthly.

Just wondering if anyone else does this too, would you mind sharing how much you spend each month? I feel like we are overspending but not sure what is considered a "norm".

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Here is our annual breakdown:

Family of 4 living in Pennsylvania. Girls are 6 and 2 years old. These figures are next year's budget which is either my budget based on what I expect in the next year or it is based on this year's actual figure rounded up to the neared $50. Total is $26,200 which comes to $2,200 monthly. We've tracked every dollar spend since 2008 in a spreadsheet so we have a pretty good history built up now. I included everything - you can ignore what you would call "recurring".

Homeowners Insurance & Real Estate Taxes $ 3,200
Auto Insurance $ 700
Commute Expense (Train Pass) $ 1,600
Auto Maintenance & Gasoline Expenses $ 1,000
Water $ 1,250
Natural Gas $ 1,000
Electric $ 750
Life Insurance $ 2,600
Vacation & Trip Expenses $ 4,000
Christmas Presents & Expenses $ 1,000
Groceries $ 3,300
Necessities $ 1,500
Restaurants $ 500
Cable/Internet $ 1,800
Misc/Other Expenses $ 2,000
TOTAL $26,200

 

[tvguy]

About $1,500 a month total. $500 groceries, gas $120, 2 meals eaten out a week about $200 a month, foo foo coffee on Sundays $40, lottery tickets $24 a month. Target type runs are rare, we in our late 50's so we are at the point of our lives where we have every kitchen and household gadget we need, in fact been purging a lot.
Old school budgeting here, pay cash for most things, that way you can never go over budget. If you are out of cash, you can't buy it. Old school with credit cards too, the old rule of never buying anything (food, gas etc) that is going to be gone by the time the bill comes still applies. Throwing a few rewards dollars away, but the credit card is mostly for online purchases.

 

[tvguy]

Here is our annual breakdown:

Family of 4 living in Pennsylvania. Girls are 6 and 2 years old. These figures are next year's budget which is either my budget based on what I expect in the next year or it is based on this year's actual figure rounded up to the neared $50. Total is $26,200 which comes to $2,200 monthly. We've tracked every dollar spend since 2008 in a spreadsheet so we have a pretty good history built up now. I included everything - you can ignore what you would call "recurring".

Homeowners Insurance & Real Estate Taxes $ 3,200
Auto Insurance $ 700
Commute Expense (Train Pass) $ 1,600
Auto Maintenance & Gasoline Expenses $ 1,000
Water $ 1,250
Natural Gas $ 1,000
Electric $ 750
Life Insurance $ 2,600
Vacation & Trip Expenses $ 4,000
Christmas Presents & Expenses $ 1,000
Groceries $ 3,300
Necessities $ 1,500
Restaurants $ 500
Cable/Internet $ 1,800
Misc/Other Expenses $ 2,000
TOTAL $26,200

Wow, only $57 a week for groceries? In Pennsylvania? I thought food was expensive there.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Wow, only $57 a week for groceries? In Pennsylvania? I thought food was expensive there.

We take advantage of coupons, stock up on items on the ads and make sure no food goes to waste. We also travel somewhat frequently so we're only home about 48 weeks a year. That brings us to about $70 per week. That number is increasing as the kiddos get older though.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Ours varies greatly depending on the month...for example it was over $7k for November. One month was under $3k. That is everything from groceries to gas to gifts to home improvement projects. This year we have averaged in the $5k range overall but we have had a lot of expenses to get ready for a new baby, have done some upgrades to the house, etc. Nov was really high b/c I did a lot of Christmas and baby shopping that month.
Looking back at 2014 most months were in the $2500-$3500 range. Hopefully we can get back to that now that the baby is due in 2 weeks and we have everything we need for that. I am finished Christmas shopping. Most house projects are complete, etc.

I don't believe that our vacation fund falls into the above numbers though. I have it in a different section of our budget.

ETA: we are a family of 5, going on 6. Kids ages 16, almost 8, almost 6, and due 12/31.

 

[eliza61]

Here is our annual breakdown:

Family of 4 living in Pennsylvania. Girls are 6 and 2 years old. These figures are next year's budget which is either my budget based on what I expect in the next year or it is based on this year's actual figure rounded up to the neared $50. Total is $26,200 which comes to $2,200 monthly. We've tracked every dollar spend since 2008 in a spreadsheet so we have a pretty good history built up now. I included everything - you can ignore what you would call "recurring".

Homeowners Insurance & Real Estate Taxes $ 3,200
Auto Insurance $ 700
Commute Expense (Train Pass) $ 1,600
Auto Maintenance & Gasoline Expenses $ 1,000
Water $ 1,250
Natural Gas $ 1,000
Electric $ 750
Life Insurance $ 2,600
Vacation & Trip Expenses $ 4,000
Christmas Presents & Expenses $ 1,000
Groceries $ 3,300
Necessities $ 1,500
Restaurants $ 500
Cable/Internet $ 1,800
Misc/Other Expenses $ 2,000
TOTAL $26,200

Wow,
you consider that overspending. ouch. my budget then is out of control. I'm a household of 3, 2 college students How the heck do you keep your electricity at 75 bucks a month in PA. I live in Philly and the last two winters have been brutal.

500.00 food
150.00 eating out
90.00 hair salon (lol, I'll eat crackers before giving that up)
175.00 electric (average, winters much higher than summers)
75.00 natural gas
65.00 water and sewer
900.00 vacation
250.00 cable (cable/internet/home alarm)
200.00 cell phone (family plan unlimited data)
500.00 car insurance
130.00 dog food and insulin (of course I have a diabetic dog that has to have two insulin shots. because my life isn't complicated enough)
140.00 christmas gifts
100.00 entertainment (we usually go to a play or museum or some thing throughout the year)
70.00 charitable donations.
50.00 money the kids "borrow" that they swear they are going to pay me back.

I'm at ~3400.00 month

 

[DLgal]

Okay to be transparent, we spend anywhere from $3000-4000/month on our credit card. A HUGE amount of that is food. We average around $300-400 per week on groceries and one meal out per week.

The rest is toiletries, household items for cleaning and personal care, runs to Costco, gas, random car maintenance, school expenses, random toy purchases for the kids (and the husband), kindle purchases, gifts, etc.

I would really like to keep it closer to $2500 but lately it has been creeping up towards $4000 too often.

Not sure how to control it better, other than never leaving the house.

 

[McKelly]

We are a family of four (two teens) and we spend about $1000-$1200 a month on groceries, toiletries, gas, fun money (movie, restaurant), etc. My DH has a vehicle given to him from his employer and they pay for gas - that helps.

 

[chris31997]

Like TVGuy, we pay cash for everything. We do make a budget monthly, so if groceries or another line item needs to be adjusted it can be.

Not counting rent, electric, water and trash. Our monthly cash expenditures are @1500 on average for a family of four. That includes kid's activities, gas, groceries, eating out, household needs.

 

[MillauFr]

We have a 15yo and 17yo and live in Seattle. We spend about 5500 to 6000 a month

1700 groceries
900 eating out
400 utilities
400 vacation
75 gas
200 car insurance
500 charitable donations
1100 miscellaneous
250 clothes
150 medical

 

[NY Pirate Princess]

This is FANTASTIC! I hang my head in shame that I don't/can't/won't budget. Here is the last time I tried:

Gas and Electric $200 (average)
Cable 139
Cell 139 (two phones, share 4 gb data)
Water 25
After school care 300
Charitable 30 - this is recurring, not the once a year giving
Newspaper 15
School fundraisers and room parent costs 50
gymnastics 65
Food Grocery 600 eat out 100 (mostly not sit down but coffee and bagels and such)
Department store spending (walmart, target, craft store, etc) would stand at about 350 a month
vacation 200 (This is money for disney, camper maintenance and storage, pool maintenance, and regular vacations)

Upstate New York. Mortgage a 15 year at $1250 a month, car insurance 800 a year, cars paid off and saving 200 a month for next car.

I calculated once this fall that I'm blowing about 1000 k a month on things I don't track, but since I have such trouble budgeting and don't seem to be able to go all cash, I have increased my 401k savings, increased my 529 contributions to 80 a month, and started paying myself $200 a month to replace husbands SUV in the spring.

 

[disfanforlife]

I try not to focus so much I what I spend but instead what I save. I put in $1000/month in our IRA's and $500/month in education 529. We have 2 kids in college so our expenses are pretty high with that, but one graduates in May so I am hoping we will save more after that!

 

[eliza61]

I try not to focus so much I what I spend but instead what I save. I put in $1000/month in our IRA's and $500/month in education 529. We have 2 kids in college so our expenses are pretty high with that, but one graduates in May so I am hoping we will save more after that!

focusing on what you spend is important because as you near retirement it's not about what you have saved it's what you spend ESPECIALLY because your income than becomes fixed.

 

[disfanforlife]

focusing on what you spend is important because as you near retirement it's not about what you have saved it's what you spend ESPECIALLY because your income than becomes fixed.

That is quite true. What I meant to say is that is what I saved at a minimum. Most months I save more. I do focus on what I spend too, just don't have an exact amount to post as I was reading this. I might add that we do not have any debt and do not charge anything that I will not pay off at the end of the month. Use credit cards as a convenience.

 

[Marionnette]

I am wondering how much families of 4 (with two kids) spend on average, total, on expenses NOT counting recurring bills, housing payment, insurance, or car payments.

We put all our expenses like groceries, eating out, Target runs, gas, and miscellaneous purchases, including clothes and shoes, onto a credit card that we pay off monthly.

Just wondering if anyone else does this too, would you mind sharing how much you spend each month? I feel like we are overspending but not sure what is considered a "norm".

There is no "norm". People living in high COLAs will spend more. People with more disposable income will spend more. And different people have different priorities as to where they spend their money. If you feel as if you are overspending, then you probably are. Comparing your spending habits to those of someone who makes more (or less) than you is pretty useless.

There are people on this board who shop thrift stores instead of buying new clothes. There are people who only eat organic. Some people don't spend a lot on cars but spend a considerable amount on travel. There's just no "average" budget. However, there are general guidelines for budgeting that should help for anyone, regardless of where you live or how much you make. Perhaps using those guidelines would be a better way to gauge where you should be allocating your money.

 

[hsmamato2]

true.... numbers will come in across the board as 'normal'.... a fam of 4 with 2 little kids is way different than a fam of 4 with 2 teens..... (esp. in food dept!) NOw that we are a fam of 3 with 1 teen(boy!! food alert!!!) plus it's hugely dependent on how much things cost where you live.....

 

[havaneselover]

true.... numbers will come in across the board as 'normal'.... a fam of 4 with 2 little kids is way different than a fam of 4 with 2 teens..... (esp. in food dept!) NOw that we are a fam of 3 with 1 teen(boy!! food alert!!!) plus it's hugely dependent on how much things cost where you live.....

And if you have student loans, car payments, dependent care expenses as well as how you prioritize savings for retirement, college, etc.

 

[JediBonas]

I am wondering how much families of 4 (with two kids) spend on average, total, on expenses NOT counting recurring bills, housing payment, insurance, or car payments.

We put all our expenses like groceries, eating out, Target runs, gas, and miscellaneous purchases, including clothes and shoes, onto a credit card that we pay off monthly.

Just wondering if anyone else does this too, would you mind sharing how much you spend each month? I feel like we are overspending but not sure what is considered a "norm".

We also put everything on our credit cards and then pay it off monthly. We are a family of four and my credit cards are usually between $2-$3k, my husband's is a lot less since I tend to put everything on my card. We also pay $1300 for preschool/month that no longer goes on our cards (I already miss getting the rewards from that, we switched schools and new one only does direct debit ). Recurring bills, mortgage, car payments, etc. come out of our checking account automatically.

 

[DLgal]

There is no "norm". People living in high COLAs will spend more. People with more disposable income will spend more. And different people have different priorities as to where they spend their money. If you feel as if you are overspending, then you probably are. Comparing your spending habits to those of someone who makes more (or less) than you is pretty useless.

There are people on this board who shop thrift stores instead of buying new clothes. There are people who only eat organic. Some people don't spend a lot on cars but spend a considerable amount on travel. There's just no "average" budget. However, there are general guidelines for budgeting that should help for anyone, regardless of where you live or how much you make. Perhaps using those guidelines would be a better way to gauge where you should be allocating your money.

Well, according to this chart, we are right on target based on our income.

An we live in a SUPER expensive area. Our rent alone is $3250/month.