Monthly cost - Family of 4

[Faithful Mumma]

Per Month
Mortgage -$1963
Electricity - $190
Gas - $45
Phone, Mobile & Net $180
School Fee's - $300
Creche Fee's - $150
Water - $60
Insurance for x2 Cars and House & Contents $140
Rego for x2 Cars $86
Rates $116
(All Utilities I pay weekly, and have a set amount automatically bpayed each week through my net banking, so I never get a bill. Same with rates and creche fee's, school fee's come out fortnightly. Best thing I have ever done. No late fee's then!)
= $2870

Then we have our variables...
Food $170 per week (About $700 for month)
Petrol $150 per week (About $650 per month)

So that equals $4220

We don't have Car loans, and our "BEST" car is a Holden Commodore and is 9 yrs old, but is in excellent condition and well looked after, so I just don't see the sense in paying interest on a new car that will do the same job, but maybe look flasher! I love my Commodore anyway, it is black, my fave car colour anyway! Our second car is just to get DH to work and back each day (a 20 min freeway drive), and is about 12 years old ( a Falcon)....it is nice to know that they are all ours. We bought each of them with cash.

Time for a budget me thinks! I have never "paid ourselves" first in terms of a set savings amount each week, and intend to start doing this starting this month.