Families spend over £2.5k a month 

The average family’s monthly outgoings now top £2,500 – including £100 on petrol and over £100 takeaways and eating out, a new financial report has revealed.

The post-budget report examined every aspect of a typical family’s monthly expenditure, including everything from groceries to kids’ pocket money. The results show that realistically it now costs around £2,537 to run a family for a month in Britain.

The biggest outgoing is still the rent or mortgage payment, closely followed by the grocery spend.

New clothes and shoes, internet, mobile phones and fees for children’s activities and clubs also add to the monthly total.

The research also showed the average household is still overspending – to the tune of almost £300 a month, or £3,600 annually – with savings or credit cards being used to keep them afloat.

Andy Oldham, managing director at the UK’s biggest cashback siteQuidco.com, which commissioned the research, said: “For many people, simply making ends meet each month is a major worry.Thanks to the current economy, and the way things have been for the past few years, families are facing a shortage of cash each month. But it’s not just a case of forgetting about luxuries like holidays. A shortfall in many households mean there are a large number of families struggling to even afford the essential bills and basic living expenses each month.”

The study of 2,000 families looked into every aspect of the average household’s monthly spending from bills and debt repayments through to clothes, food and day-to-day activities.

The biggest chunk of cash is spent on rent or mortgage payments to the tune of £480 each month, as well as just over £300 on the weekly food shop. A further £119 is swallowed up with gas, electric and water bills while the various insurances families need to cover them, account for another £130.

The average council tax bill then sees £101 taken from each family’s bank accounts. Commuting and covering the school run amounts to a monthly total of £147, while fuel for other journeys adds another £107 on top. The average family then spends £17 on their internet costs, £13 on a landline and £22 on Sky or cable TV subscription.

Mobile phones for the family amount to £35 each month, with a further £101 going on childcare costs and holiday clubs. Credit card and loan repayments account for £198 each month, with just over £50 being put into savings or investments.

The average family also spends £55 on new clothes and shoes, £26 on cleaning products and £56 on new items for the home each month.

Meanwhile, cigarettes and alcohol account for almost £35, with more than £47 being splashed out on takeaways. It also emerged that the average family will even spend £264 looking after other members of their family.

Families spend an average of £59 eating out each month, as well as another £53 on trips to the cinema or nights out together. Day trips for the family also account for around £60 each month. On average parents spent £14 a month on pocket money, £30 on clubs and activities and £14 on school trips and after school clubs.

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• Money and Finance Childcare Families