Anonymous
06/19/2025 11:06
Subject: Fun money
Anonymous wrote:I did a quick check of our budget spreadsheet from last year. Our HHI is $140k and we have two teens. We spent $17k last year on "discretionary" spending:
$8k on travel - mostly on a three week trip to the Rocky Mountains. A real once in a lifetime trip before the oldest heads off to college.
$3k on kids activities - mostly on a scouting high adventure trip
$3k on the house - furniture and some painting
$3k on clothes, nails, hair and gift - a super low number as we in a cash crunch with the other spending
The kids get $100/month auto transferred to their checking accounts and they have part-time jobs for parts of the year.
Anonymous
06/18/2025 18:00
Subject: Fun money
I did a quick check of our budget spreadsheet from last year. Our HHI is $140k and we have two teens. We spent $17k last year on "discretionary" spending:
$8k on travel - mostly on a three week trip to the Rocky Mountains. A real once in a lifetime trip before the oldest heads off to college.
$3k on kids activities - mostly on a scouting high adventure trip
$3k on the house - furniture and some painting
$3k on clothes, nails, hair and gift - a super low number as we in a cash crunch with the other spending
$8k on travel - mostly on a three week trip to the Rocky Mountains. A real once in a lifetime trip before the oldest heads off to college.
$3k on kids activities - mostly on a scouting high adventure trip
$3k on the house - furniture and some painting
$3k on clothes, nails, hair and gift - a super low number as we in a cash crunch with the other spending
Anonymous
06/18/2025 17:41
Subject: Fun money
I did a quick back of the envelope calculation, and I think all three of us keep it under $4k each annually. I’m the biggest spender, and it’s maybe $5k.
Kid (11 y/o) plays multiple rec sports and gets to do a week of fun summer camp, plus gets $5/week allowance for whatever junk he wants. DH has a weekly bowling league and a fancy cable subscription to watch sports. I do a weekly hobby class and travel for it once a month requiring gas and once in a while an overnight hotel.
We aren’t salon/gym/shopping people. If jeans get holes in them they are replaced but I’m not buying new wardrobes or home decor each season. Hair cuts happen out of necessity to keep hair out of eyes.
But I think a lot more counts as “fun money” than you state. We pour money into vacations, vet bills for our zoo of animals, and concert or theater tickets. We spend a lot on eating out, because we don’t like to cook. Our fun just looks different than yours.
Kid (11 y/o) plays multiple rec sports and gets to do a week of fun summer camp, plus gets $5/week allowance for whatever junk he wants. DH has a weekly bowling league and a fancy cable subscription to watch sports. I do a weekly hobby class and travel for it once a month requiring gas and once in a while an overnight hotel.
We aren’t salon/gym/shopping people. If jeans get holes in them they are replaced but I’m not buying new wardrobes or home decor each season. Hair cuts happen out of necessity to keep hair out of eyes.
But I think a lot more counts as “fun money” than you state. We pour money into vacations, vet bills for our zoo of animals, and concert or theater tickets. We spend a lot on eating out, because we don’t like to cook. Our fun just looks different than yours.
Anonymous
06/18/2025 17:12
Subject: Fun money
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:For a 4 person family, what is a good total amount per person in the family for these altogether:
A little cash for spending money
School (supplies, field trips, yearbooks, all the extras)
Gifts for others - like choosing a gift for a friend’s birthday
Sports or extracurricular
Gym memberships
Nails, waxing, haircuts
Subscriptions for tv, news, podcast, media
Home decor (indoor, outdoor)
Clothing
These are all the categories we consider Fun spending money.
We see money as Income - Needs - saving and investment - Shorter term saving for big things = the rest of it is Fun spending money.
*I know clothing can be needs, but at some point, it’s not.. we have enough to be physically clothed, it’s all frivolous upgrades from here.
—-
I’m actually not looking for you to give me a breakdown of costs per category. I just think.. total.. what’s fair for someone over a whole year or month?
*if typing it out per line helps you total it up, that’s cool
Thank you!
Is this some kind of sister wives/multi-generational communal living scenario or are you suggesting that teens/young adult dependents would be getting the same amount of “discretionary/fun money” as the adults/breadwinners?
No much more simple. We’re a family of 5 and I see a discussion of these number solving multiple questions for us. Your numbers/thought help me think this out.
I don’t want numbers too extravagant (I mean go ahead 1%) or so low that I can tell you are a FIRE miser, and your teenager hates you.
How do you expect anyone to give you an appropriate answer without the age of your kids and approximate HHI?
For example, in my opinion: giving a 5 year old $300 a month “fun money” would be wildly inappropriate regardless of your HHI. Giving your 18 year old $300 a month “fun money” could be reasonable if you have a high HHI but would be completely irresponsible if you are struggling to make ends meet. Giving an equal amount of fun money to each family member- children and parents alike, regardless of their age or contribution to the household is just bizarre.
Anonymous
06/18/2025 17:00
Subject: Fun money
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:For a 4 person family, what is a good total amount per person in the family for these altogether:
A little cash for spending money
School (supplies, field trips, yearbooks, all the extras)
Gifts for others - like choosing a gift for a friend’s birthday
Sports or extracurricular
Gym memberships
Nails, waxing, haircuts
Subscriptions for tv, news, podcast, media
Home decor (indoor, outdoor)
Clothing
These are all the categories we consider Fun spending money.
We see money as Income - Needs - saving and investment - Shorter term saving for big things = the rest of it is Fun spending money.
*I know clothing can be needs, but at some point, it’s not.. we have enough to be physically clothed, it’s all frivolous upgrades from here.
—-
I’m actually not looking for you to give me a breakdown of costs per category. I just think.. total.. what’s fair for someone over a whole year or month?
*if typing it out per line helps you total it up, that’s cool
Thank you!
Is this some kind of sister wives/multi-generational communal living scenario or are you suggesting that teens/young adult dependents would be getting the same amount of “discretionary/fun money” as the adults/breadwinners?
No much more simple. We’re a family of 5 and I see a discussion of these number solving multiple questions for us. Your numbers/thought help me think this out.
I don’t want numbers too extravagant (I mean go ahead 1%) or so low that I can tell you are a FIRE miser, and your teenager hates you.
Anonymous
06/18/2025 16:58
Subject: Fun money
In other words. Think about
Your HHI after taxes
Your fixed bills, groceries, things you need
Investment, savings
What’s left for you to spend on the things I listed? <—this is the number I want
Your HHI after taxes
Your fixed bills, groceries, things you need
Investment, savings
What’s left for you to spend on the things I listed? <—this is the number I want
Anonymous
06/18/2025 16:57
Subject: Fun money
Anonymous wrote:For a 4 person family, what is a good total amount per person in the family for these altogether:
A little cash for spending money
School (supplies, field trips, yearbooks, all the extras)
Gifts for others - like choosing a gift for a friend’s birthday
Sports or extracurricular
Gym memberships
Nails, waxing, haircuts
Subscriptions for tv, news, podcast, media
Home decor (indoor, outdoor)
Clothing
These are all the categories we consider Fun spending money.
We see money as Income - Needs - saving and investment - Shorter term saving for big things = the rest of it is Fun spending money.
*I know clothing can be needs, but at some point, it’s not.. we have enough to be physically clothed, it’s all frivolous upgrades from here.
—-
I’m actually not looking for you to give me a breakdown of costs per category. I just think.. total.. what’s fair for someone over a whole year or month?
*if typing it out per line helps you total it up, that’s cool
Thank you!
Is this some kind of sister wives/multi-generational communal living scenario or are you suggesting that teens/young adult dependents would be getting the same amount of “discretionary/fun money” as the adults/breadwinners?
Anonymous
06/18/2025 16:52
Subject: Fun money
Do not give me bs answers. Like $1200 per month for this family. I do not believe you.
I see your nails, travel sports sign ups, dance classes, $40 per teacher gift for Christmas, birthday and teacher appreciation week. I see you at the gym-at least $32 per month, and you bought new curtains for your dining room.
Real answers, people.
I see your nails, travel sports sign ups, dance classes, $40 per teacher gift for Christmas, birthday and teacher appreciation week. I see you at the gym-at least $32 per month, and you bought new curtains for your dining room.
Real answers, people.
Anonymous
06/18/2025 16:49
Subject: Fun money
250 per year
Anonymous
06/18/2025 16:45
Subject: Fun money
For a 4 person family, what is a good total amount per person in the family for these altogether:
A little cash for spending money
School (supplies, field trips, yearbooks, all the extras)
Gifts for others - like choosing a gift for a friend’s birthday
Sports or extracurricular
Gym memberships
Nails, waxing, haircuts
Subscriptions for tv, news, podcast, media
Home decor (indoor, outdoor)
Clothing
These are all the categories we consider Fun spending money.
We see money as Income - Needs - saving and investment - Shorter term saving for big things = the rest of it is Fun spending money.
*I know clothing can be needs, but at some point, it’s not.. we have enough to be physically clothed, it’s all frivolous upgrades from here.
—-
I’m actually not looking for you to give me a breakdown of costs per category. I just think.. total.. what’s fair for someone over a whole year or month?
*if typing it out per line helps you total it up, that’s cool
Thank you!
A little cash for spending money
School (supplies, field trips, yearbooks, all the extras)
Gifts for others - like choosing a gift for a friend’s birthday
Sports or extracurricular
Gym memberships
Nails, waxing, haircuts
Subscriptions for tv, news, podcast, media
Home decor (indoor, outdoor)
Clothing
These are all the categories we consider Fun spending money.
We see money as Income - Needs - saving and investment - Shorter term saving for big things = the rest of it is Fun spending money.
*I know clothing can be needs, but at some point, it’s not.. we have enough to be physically clothed, it’s all frivolous upgrades from here.
—-
I’m actually not looking for you to give me a breakdown of costs per category. I just think.. total.. what’s fair for someone over a whole year or month?
*if typing it out per line helps you total it up, that’s cool
Thank you!