Requesting Your Support to Analyse My Monthly Spending

welcomeUniverseWorld on 02/10/2025 - 22:30
Last edited 23/10/2025 - 12:24 by 1 other user

I have posted before. I been trying hard to reduce our household expenses for a year now. Below is where I am so far. Please note the comments as well. Do you think I am overspending anywhere? Please be kind to me.

Fixed Costs Monthly Annual Comments
Energy (Gas + Electricity) $452/month Switched to Engie today.. .so roughly $364 in next months every month
Water (utilities) $48 $576/year
Health Insurance $366.83 $4,402/year I had 7 different surgeries in last 1 year. I likely will have another 3. So, I need top tier Gold cover.
Internet (Uniti) $89.85 $1,078/year I am locked with this unfortunately until early next year.
Mobile – Wife $30 $360/year
Mobile – You (Lebara annual) $18 $219/year
Childcare (fees + etc + swimming + books/education) $1,133 $13,596/year Child going to public school next year. I am expecting this to reduce
My NRMA roadside assist Membership $9 $109/year
NRMA Car Insurance (Comprehensive Plus) $113.79 $1,365/year
NRMA CTP Green Slip $49 $586/year
Driver Licence Renewal $6 $72/year
Car Cleaning $70 $840/year car gets seriously unclean considering I have a toddler. And I really do not get time to clean it myself.
Car Servicing (2×/year) $95 $1,145/year
Pink Slip (estimate) $4 $50/year
Car Registration (estimate) $55 $661/year
Variable Costs Monthly Annual Comments
Groceries ~$955 ~$11,463/year includes cost of basic grocerry and also others like soap, oil, etc etc
Petrol (estimate) $100 $1200/year Possibly gets added to grocerries
Eating Out ~$185 ~$2,216/year

I suppose once my child starts public school a large portion of the spending will be cut. Also, once all my surgeries are over in another 1 year, I can cut down the private insurance to bare minimum as well.

Edit:

I received some very good suggestions from your discussion. Below are a few of them (not an exhaustive list):

Cut costs on car cleaning:
* Do it yourself
* Buy a vacuum and clean regularly
* Use drive-through car washes

  • Switch to a cheaper mobile subscription
  • Change to a more affordable car insurance provider
  • Invest money, inspired by FIRE podcasts such as Strong Money
  • Check whether NRMA membership can be obtained for free
  • Switch electricity/gas

EDIT #2
I just switched to Engie with some welcome credit. I likely stay here for 3 months saving me about $280 in three months

Financial

Comments

Search through all the comments in this post.
    • ssfps on 03/10/2025 - 17:21
      -2

      Over half your spending is groceries and childcare, unless you dig into those more there’s not really a whole lot of savings you can do.

      His grocery bill is less than many single people's for a family of 4. They are already living on potatoes and rice by the looks of things.

      • wetsandwich on 03/10/2025 - 17:46
        +3

        Hang on, in what world does a single person spend over ~240pw for groceries?

        I can do about $90 and if I go crazy with steaks and stuff then maybe $130.

        • ssfps on 03/10/2025 - 19:38

          I agree it's a bit lavish, but there are plenty of people that do. Good meat and veg is expensive, throw in some luxuries like eggs for breakfast each day and olive oil, etc… I'm also including general household consumables in the "grocery" bill. Someone that ate pesticide-free/free-range/biodynamic etc food would probably struggle to eat well on $240 per person.

          $130 for you seems cheap if you're buying nice steaks though? Or do you mean "go crazy" as in buy economy steaks rather than only eat mince?
          As a student I use to spend ~$100 (adjusted to today's money) on food per week, and that was treating myself to an economy porterhouse steak once a fortnight.

  • CodeXD on 03/10/2025 - 09:19

    Mobile – You

    Me!

    Where is tally at the end?

  • Checkmate3023 on 03/10/2025 - 09:53

    Car Registration (estimate) $55 $661/year

    Anyone want to tell me why car rego in Victoria is almost $1000 compared to NSW? - my guess is TAC? do they not hae TAC in NSW?

    • SBOB on 03/10/2025 - 09:57

      CTP a seperate 'item' cost in NSW compared to already "rolled in" to the price in Vic?
      Size of vehicle differences (at least in NSW cost varies based on vehicle weight and usage category)

      • Checkmate3023 on 03/10/2025 - 09:58

        thank you

        • Baysew on 03/10/2025 - 16:18

          So for OP NSW total charges for registration and CTP/TAC -

          Car Registration (estimate) $55 $661/year
          NRMA CTP Green Slip $49 $586/year
          Pink Slip (estimate) $4 $50/year (Vehicle Inspection Fee)

          Total $154/Month $1297/Year

          Victoria - $77.56/Month Metropolitan area (high risk zone) $930.70/Year

      • omguleh on 05/10/2025 - 12:13

        Size also makes a difference in VIC, my m40i rego is only $760 compared to my 8 seater van that's $906.

  • backupper1 on 03/10/2025 - 11:08
    +1

    Somewhere on Ozb I read that mynrma membership can be had for free so its worth having a look

  • Ashless on 03/10/2025 - 13:08
    +4

    Looks like you have squeezed as much as you can on your expenses. You should now focus on increasing your income.

    • netjock on 03/10/2025 - 13:52
      +1

      Valid but I don't know why you get a -1 for this.

      Everyone should optimise their income for their situation. If you are on $100k and can see not much extra work / responsibility get to $120k then after tax it is around $14k extra a year. Alternatively if one person is making $200k a year and the other person income is less it might be worthwhile to both get a $100k job (total $200k) because the total tax bill is smaller (I don't like how ATO treats couples individually for income tax but centrelink takes family income).

      • ssfps on 03/10/2025 - 17:21

        (I don't like how ATO treats couples individually for income tax but centrelink takes family income).

        Yep, we're getting scammed hard compared to most other 'first world' countries that tax on family income.

  • Broke-Ken on 03/10/2025 - 13:36

    Two things stand out on your list

    • Child care, have you signed up for the Child Care Subsidy? can save a bit from that, I think it can also apply for afterschool care when your child goes to school next year. Check to see if you qualify.

    • Cleaning your car, you can do that yourself and restrict what the kid does in the car for it to get so dirty.

    • MeesusEff on 03/10/2025 - 17:01

      Daycares are about $150-210 these days, id say thats already the ccs rate

  • nomoneynoproblems on 03/10/2025 - 14:06
    +3

    Get rid of car insurance. This is ozbargain, we don’t have car insurance around here.

    • brawndo on 04/10/2025 - 14:23

      Get rid of car

      FTFY

  • bozaar on 03/10/2025 - 14:25

    Can you break your gas and electricity? It is double to me and i have 4 people with an EV.

    Why do you need to clean the car? Dont eat in the car then nothing to clean. I have a toddler and its just sand, who cares.

    • wetsandwich on 03/10/2025 - 17:43

      Depends which state he is in. That doesn't seem like a huge bill especially if he's in QLD where power is very expensive AND they have to run aircon all the time.

  • JimB on 03/10/2025 - 14:46
    +5

    That's low IMO.

    Our household expenditure double that + school fees. And I still have to clean my own cars- I don't see why you don't have time to clean your own car.

    Every 2nd service is just oil and filter so if you change your own oil, it will cut it back to 1 paid service per year.

    Are you trying to save for the sake of reducing your expenditure or you can't afford the current expenses?

    Reading your comments "I am getting very very tired and low in energy." Ironically, if you don't exercise or play some sports, it becomes a cycle and you don't have energy for anything else. For both your mental and physical health, force yourself and family to go for walks/exercise/swim etc.

    "Me and my family have not taken a vacation travelling anywhere in like many years now." It doesn't cost much to go on a day trip here and there. Just have to make a plan and follow up.

    Good luck!

  • gviddy on 03/10/2025 - 15:48
    -6

    Car servicing is a scam.

    Just keep driving your car until it breaks down and then fix whatever is wrong. As long as you top up the water and oil you will be fine. I spent my entire 20s and 30s never ever servicing my car. If it ever started to make some weird noise or broke down then I'd get it fixed.

    But i would never just factor in regular servicing as something that you MUST do.

    • ssfps on 03/10/2025 - 17:19
      -1

      People don't understand they should NEVER service their own car, it will create mustard gas.

  • MeesusEff on 03/10/2025 - 17:03

    Is your driver's license fee right? Im in WA and i just paid like $140ish for 5 years..

  • Powershopz on 03/10/2025 - 17:16
    +2

    Only thing that stands out as a massive red flag is the car cleaning. $70 a month on that is absolutely bonkers if you're comparing that to the rest of your spending.

    • wetsandwich on 03/10/2025 - 17:42

      Yeah even if that has to be done, just pay the neighbour kid $10 to do it

    • brawndo on 04/10/2025 - 14:26
      +1

      He doesn't have time to do it, that outer space news isn't going to read itself

  • wetsandwich on 03/10/2025 - 17:42
    +2

    I mean.. the child is the main problem here. Most of the other stuff you can't really go cheaper without taking on a dog tier quality product/service.

    Pay a local kid $10 to clean your car, and either reduce to one car service per year or find a mate who knows about cars to do it. That's a lot of money unless it's actually breaking down and needing repairs.

    But yeah. At this stage you would gain more from earning more instead of spending less.

  • tenpercent on 03/10/2025 - 20:10

    Do you budget for birthdays, father's + mother's day, Christmas + Easter (or any other holidays you might celebrate), clothing, household stuff?
    Doesn't help you to reduce your budget, but at least you'll have a more complete picture if you factor those in.

  • IpGem on 03/10/2025 - 20:21
    +1

    I had 7 different surgeries in last 1 year. I likely will have another 3

    Hope you're holding up well mate!

    • welcomeUniverseWorld on 04/10/2025 - 19:46
      +4

      Thanks, mate. It has been tough. My health suddenly turned upside down, and it has taken a heavy toll on me, as well as on my wife. At the same time, our bond has grown stronger because she has stood by me throughout. I also saw how sad my toddler gets when I am in the hospital and how much he cares. Overall, it has been a hard journey, but with some moments of light. We are now close to seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

      • Craze on 05/10/2025 - 18:37

        Well done to both you and wife for roughing it out- it is through difficult times where you cherish people closest to you.

        Wishing you all the best on your road to recovery mate- stay strong and you'll get there!

  • Youi2018 on 03/10/2025 - 21:25

    Your wife works and you only have one child and still complaining that being married is expensive ?

  • hughes on 03/10/2025 - 22:24

    mostly fine for a small household. car servicing is quite expensive. usually cost me $300 even at toyota shops.
    the other thing i'd look at is electricity. saves me $50/month to stream on a 24" monitor instead of a 50" tv for 2-3hours per day.

  • sakurashu on 03/10/2025 - 22:53

    Isn't gold cover only for pregnancy or weight loss surgery when compared to silver plus?

    Unless the surgeries you mentioned are in these categories there is an overspend here

  • Freestyle on 03/10/2025 - 23:48

    Why not churn Internet, gas and electricity? I saved well over $800 over the last year on all of these (mainly due to $500 credit given by AGL by staying with him instead of swapping lol)

    • THICKnSLOW on 04/10/2025 - 12:55

      Probably due to apartment living and inflexible options of choice.

      • Freestyle on 04/10/2025 - 13:50

        i live in apartment, cant afford a house in a reasonable location

        • THICKnSLOW on 05/10/2025 - 13:50

          Perhaps O.P's apartment doesn't allow churning or choice of provider/biller,

  • cooni on 04/10/2025 - 07:16
    +2

    Electricity - I live in a house of 2 adults, 2 kids, no solar.
    In the last 11 months since moving here I've profited $504, not including $150 that's due in a week, and I've also just switched to Engie again for another $250 bill credit and $150 cashback. This is the sum of bills paid and cashback received.

    Also, I've had My NRMA for free for a couple of years at least. I'm sure that can be found for free.

  • Map Roy on 04/10/2025 - 09:38
    +2

    Unfortunately even though your child will start at a public school next year, I don't think costs wil come down here. There are still a lot of other educational fees that will come eg excursions, extra curricula activities, uniforms.

  • ChupaCabra on 04/10/2025 - 11:51
    -3

    How do you only spend 185 on eating out a month for family of 3? I’d spend that on 1 night in Sydney easily. Also no other entertainment or holiday expenses is crazy to me. Are you saving money for something?

    • welcomeUniverseWorld on 04/10/2025 - 19:48
      +3

      We do not eat out much, tbh. We usually go out to walk around or enjoy everything other than eating out. My toddler prefers homemade food. I try best to try to get him more used to homemade food.

    • CocaKoala on 05/10/2025 - 00:20
      +1

      Do tell me what's so important or good about eating out?

      I can afford to eat every meal out but I try my levels best to eat homemade good because it's a lot more healthy and I know how/when it was made. I'm lucky that my partner thinks the same way. I think our eating out expenses will also be under $200 a month at most. If I could bring it down to $0, I actually will.

  • chiuy on 05/10/2025 - 08:52
    +1

    Private health insurance sometimes exposes you to more costs depending on your choices.

  • happyhammer on 05/10/2025 - 10:00

    Watch a show called Karl's car wash with your kid. Then turn car washing into a fun activity to do together. By the time they're 4-5 they'll be doing most of it and its good bonding.
    Good budget though!

  • IcySpicyStew on 05/10/2025 - 16:18

    spend the rest of your time increasing income

  • welcomeUniverseWorld on 23/10/2025 - 12:22

    According to ChatGPT’s calculations based on my actual bills, staying with AGL over the past three months cost me approximately $1,355 in total, or about $452 per month.

    I have now switched to Engie and plan to stay for around three months. Assuming my usage remains consistent with the previous period, my total cost is projected to be about $1,094 instead of $1,374, resulting in a savings of roughly $280 over three months.

    However, gas costs with Engie are approximately $60 higher.

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