I just noticed I spend close to 200k monthly for a family of three.myself hubby and my baby.the bills are becoming much, we need to have some reasonable savings.Below are some of the things I spend on
Dstv-5000
Phcn Bills-5000
Fuel-5000
Security/dustbin-2500
My babies food/diapers-25600
Drinks for the house-3000
Now my problem is where does the remaining money goes to.
If I keep going on like this I wonder if my husband will be able to afford a car for me.Matured inputs will be highly appreciated

For DSTv if you pay before it expires you pay 4500, or you can go for the 2500 boquet.
For PHCN reduce the items you use, if lights are not being used switch them off, get energy saving bulbs, the regular bulbs consume up to 4 units a day.
For food stuff, find a market that has cheaper goods and buy in bulk, in Abuja we go to Orange or Karimu market once or twice a month, buy tomatoes, pepper and onions in bulk.
Diapers am suprised how you use them, both my sons used only 2 full packs or one and a half a month which is about 10k
For drinks prossed drinks are not healthy anyway, learn how to make kunu and sobo and ginger drink, saves a lot and is healthier for your family.

CC how you dey? I have missed you.
I didn't hear the remaining owamber gist oh, am sure it was great.
Regards to the family

thanks a lot CC and DB.our light is somewhat close to good where we live,in a whole week we might miss out on not having light in a day.so am very correct about the 5000 fuel.my baby on the other hand is refusing to eat,the only food I can force her to eat is her baby food.she won't eat rice or anyother and she is 15months old.she wants to feed herself which she ends up playing with the food,at the end of the day her stomach is empty.
Maybe I have to cut down on buying expensive wears,as my sister said that is where my problem is.Now my cream and soap is about 10,400 naira.I don't know if I have to change that also as the cream is really helping fight against acne and maintain an even skin complexion.my perfume is Elizabeth arden which is about 10k also.
I have decided to stop visiting the saloon that cost 4000 to fix a weavon.what amazes is how do people who live on an 100k salary cope when am finding 200k too small.Thanks

I don't mean to scold you, I even applaud you for realising there is a problem, but for a new mother you really need to be smarter.
There is more to marriage and family than keeping up with anyone.
First of all, a house of your own, you should be saving at least 50k from that 200k monthly for that project.
Secondly babys school. Is it when she is 2 years that you will start looking for money for school fees?
Its good you realise this, abeg try to be prudent, making money is hard now not to forget the uncertainty of the job market.
Be wise

Hm, my sister you can force yourself to cut down on unecessary epences as they do not pay. Try and secure the future of your daughter by saving meaqningfully for her. I use to spend that much in the past but when I realised my hubby too didn't have a good savings culture I had to change over night. When I take my pay now I make sure I save the percentage I have chosen not to touch in a seperate bank account after which I make my budget with the balance. If I realise my budget is more than my available resources, I cut down on the budget and I feel happy with myself.I am just sad that I didn't start this early enough but God helping me I will only get better.

This is a wise woman seeking how to grow while some other women would start picking quarells with their husband to make him find more money for them whether he would steal it or do ritual

You are a wise woman. Listen to the advice given above

@op,4 u to seek for advice on how to cut spendin,u r a good woman.do keep it up.as for ur ?,its simple as abc. 1)wher do u do ur shopin? Is it shopin malls,mkt,road sides or retail shops? 2)how do u shop for things?do u buy in bulk or one one? (I think u no wat I mean) 3)what type of tings do u normally buy?do u follow d crowd? Do u buy things cos its necesary?do u shop cos u r shopaholic? And do u buy un necessry thing.4)how do ur hubby do his spending? Now as for d gen stuff,hv u guys considered usin inverter,dstv for gotv, I tell u everyhousehold spend a lot a month but its left for them to cut cost at least temporary,use d money for other projects else at d end of everything u don't even hv anything to show for all ur 5am to 8pm every working days.hope this helped

peggykorol: thanks a lot CC and DB.our light is somewhat close to good where we live,in a whole week we might miss out on not having light in a day.so am very correct about the 5000 fuel.my baby on the other hand is refusing to eat,the only food I can force her to eat is her baby food.she won't eat rice or anyother and she is 15months old.she wants to feed herself which she ends up playing with the food,at the end of the day her stomach is empty.
Maybe I have to cut down on buying expensive wears,as my sister said that is where my problem is.Now my cream and soap is about 10,400 naira.I don't know if I have to change that also as the cream is really helping fight against acne and maintain an even skin complexion.my perfume is Elizabeth arden which is about 10k also.
I have decided to stop visiting the saloon that cost 4000 to fix a weavon.what amazes is how do people who live on an 100k salary cope when am finding 200k too small.Thanks

ur baby don't eat cos u didn't start early to teach her and u believe since d money is there u can always buy baby food.c'mon,train her to accept food.its not gonna be easy now she is a bit older.u build ur house dear,but frm wat I can c here,u r pullin down ur own.remember rainy days and men r highly unpredictable.U really hv to cut down sis,

yellowpawpaw: ur baby don't eat cos u didn't start early to teach her and u believe since d money is there u can always buy baby food.c'mon,train her to accept food.its not gonna be easy now she is a bit older.

this is not true. I have a 14month old who resents eating unless he can feed himself. I have tried getting him used to solids since he was 5months old and til today, the battle continues. I usually have to force him @ least twice a day with runny foods for him to have something in his stomach.
As for the OP, sounds like you need to look for cheaper alternatives to what you presently buy. Your clothes don't have to be expensive before they look good!

@poster,I feel u. I'm in d same shoes with u. And d funny thing is I'm not d extravagant type. I don't shop in malls or boutiques but in d markets,with enough haggling. I don't wear expensive clothes,my only gold earrings were bought over 2yrs ago. I don't use expensive perfumes. Same with my husband. I think Abuja is a very expensive place to live in. After all the measures taken to cut down costs, little or no savings is achieved. My husband and I have been trying to save 4 a car since we lost our car in a near fatal accident 6 months ago, but as at now,we've not been able to save 100k. I had to prepare a budget for next month cos we're expecting a baby in less than 3wks,but unforseen events have already used up d savings planned. And this is a family with total income of about 400k monthly after loan deductions. Pls anyone with tips on saving money dt will work should feel free to share.

OP, I think you have gotten very good advise here, let me just add my two cents;
If you stay in Abuja, I know that town is a money drainer but wisdom they said is profitable to direct.
if you work; I will suggest you get together like 4-6 female colleagues yourself included and every month, you all join money together and for instance;
buy;
- a cow and share (at abbatoire) or cartons of chicken/fish
- a bag of sugar and share,
- buy a bag of milk and share.
- Buy a basket or two of tomatoes, pepper, potatoes, onions and share. Thank God you said your electricity is good, so you can just grind all the perishables, and store them in the freezer.

This is all bulk buying and since it is just yourself and hubby and occassional visitors, it should be fine.
It it less cost when you buy food stuffs in bulk with others and share.
Also you need to look into your clothes spending, please my sister you mustn't buy new clothes every month o, also no be every aso ebi you go buy. Some of these 20k aso ebi no worth am o. So abeg look well well.

Am sure for cream and soap, that is like a once in a month kind of spending but if you can get alternative then fine. Looking good is good business they say but you mustn't kill yourself to look good, get cheaper alternatives.

I don't know if you have domestic helps like gateman, laundry man, househelp, flowerman/boy etc but that could be a source of money draining as well, on the flip side you are enabling people to have a decent source of income which is good.

At 15 months, your baby should be learning to not stay in diapers 24/7 so you should look at slashing that diaper money o. and am sure his skin will be more tolerant to irritation at this age so you should look at cheaper diapers, if him dey use Huggies before maybe look into alternatives like wet-ons(don't know if I got the name right) but they sale them in bulk packs like 50-80 per pack.

at the end of the day, it comes down to discipline o, cut out implusive buying. If it is not a necessity, let it slide.
If you have time, make your own orange juice, zobo, kunu, akamu etc. they are much healthier than processed stuff.

Hope this helps

Cheers

Good post, 200k may appear big, but the truth is it's peanut in Nigerian economy of today. So, good saving habit nust be done with conscious effort and determination. Some things must go if you are truly serious abt this. According to CC, you have not given the full analysis of your expenditure and I think that is where the problem lies. Pls carry out this assignment, it may be tedious but pls do it, it will help you. Get a notebook, beginning from 1st April, write down all your expenditures for each day, and pls don't miss out anything, even if it's sachet water. Then at month end, do the analysis. You will see clearly where your money is going. Also, I have discovered that free fund we don't have bugdet for cannot be accounted for. We call it miscellaeneous, but in true sense, we waste it most times. Yes, it is inevitable, but pls reduce your loose cash. Lastly, ATM card is not a must use for everybody. Your fund needs some breathing space, so don't always keep it at your finger tip. My 10 kobo. BTW, am I suppose to comment on this thread as a fada in the house?

Thanks everyone.I actually took a critical look at my budget and I did trim out some stuffs that could wait much later.

@peggykorol and chioma124
Do u have a good and well managed cooperative society in ur orgs? If yes, giv a specific amount, say 50k to be deducted from ur salary monthly. Dis may be helpfl since d money wil be removed from ur salary b4 paymt and u'll av to adjust ur expenses to the net balance.

Anoda thing is organise say abt 5 reliable and trustworthy people in ur place of work and start monthly contribution and collection to be rotated. I tell u, if u can be bold to start 100k in 5mths wit just 5pple, dat is 500k. Anyway be sure of d oda pple in ur group . I did this because I trusted my group members- no defaulters and I tell u it has been really helpful. Plan ahead for what u want to do wit d money. I live in abuja and wit dis contribution thing, we got a land at d outskirt of abuja wit first collection and bought a car wit d second.

it is well. U can try d same

Start buying in bulk. So many household things can be bought in bulk. In a month, buy your pack of your baby's food, every other thing you need. Reduce your spending. Keep money aside say 100k to spend in a month and work on a strict budget. depends on how good electricity is in your area buy a carton or half of chicken, fish, talk with the butcher that half or a quarter of cow. Get to your pepper seller ask her to get you half basket of tomato, quarter tatashe and rodo.
_ learn to price well well. Have a very good bargaining power it will save you cost.
Always have a target of what you will spend per month. Start with 150k and gradually reduce it.
Get a notebook to jot all your spendings. You will be able to understand what is sapping your money.

@Peggy and chioma, its good you are very frank on yourselves. @Peggy i think you just need to cut down on your taste, like someone already said, you need to start saving for other things and most importantly save for unforseen reasons and rainy days. hmmmm, i have this friend who was earning like 150k plus in bank then, when she was laid off, in month she was already broke and wont pick call from friends cos she couldnt keep up. my dad always tell us stories of some of his friends who through their service year never put one block upon each other.

good guys already gave you some cool advise, pls read and think upon them. dont be too choosy on your cloths as to go too expensive, its not only car your hubby should get for you, but be able to also build a house where you call a home, for him to be able to do that, he needs your help ooo my sister. my grand father inlaw will blame my grand mother inlaw for partying when she was young, do it right now so that he wont blame you later.

my hubby's income is more than 4x of mine own, yet i dont disturb him for my upkeeps cos i look for viable investment for him to invest the money in, if his company one day wake up and say no to him, he/we wont have heart attack cos there is no job somewhere.

please and please, there are so so many urgly stories to learn from. you are wise but try being prudent with money.

peggykorol: I just noticed I spend close to 200k monthly for a family of three.myself hubby and my baby.the bills are becoming much, we need to have some reasonable savings.Below are some of the things I spend on
Dstv-5000
Phcn Bills-5000
Fuel-5000
Security/dustbin-2500
My babies food/diapers-25600
Drinks for the house-3000
Now my problem is where does the remaining money goes to.
If I keep going on like this I wonder if my husband will be able to afford a car for me.Matured inputs will be highly appreciated

Cut down on DSTV by getting a cheaper DSTV bundle/bouquet and cut down on drinks for the house. You people should drink more water. It is healthier. Turn off electrical appliances when not in use to conserve energy. My humble advise.

Strictness is d word here.why its good to start experimentin wit diff foods wen kid were very small is bc at dat age,their taste buds hv not developd much.that is why wat u keep on givin dem is wat their brain will tell d taste buds to accept.a child dat is breastfed exclusivly finds it hard to accept other things later.likewise baby food. Wen u start feedin them,there may b rejection at times but dey will come around.our problem is wen dey fuzzle,we give up and after some time we will stop.can u answer dis ? For me.why is it dat children frm d rural area or not well to do parents r not selective? Its only dose dat can afford it dat it hapns to. period u can afford it.assumin no alternative,I bet u by now u and ur daughter will b competin who will finish first.so dear,its not yet too late.also 15 months old eatin only baby food is not healthy cos thats procesd food. wat u give children earlier help a lot in their devpt. Thank u.

nat138: OP, I think you have gotten very good advise here, let me just add my two cents;
If you stay in Abuja, I know that town is a money

. If ABJ is money drainer,wat abt lagos.that town is very expensive. Foodstuff is not costly in Abj unlike Lag.d major headache in Abj is house rent.my observation any way.