In lockdown we started sinking funds… total game changer! My car broke down and our cat got sick at the same time!! and it was such a relief to have a car and pet fund there so there was no stress, I paid for the repair and vets bills and went back to topping up the sinking funds, no stress! And very relieved we had decided to do sinking funds! So worth it!!
Jane and Michael yet another amazing video. I can't seem to see a subscription button just a notification bell which i clicked am i being a bit thick here im afraid technology is my weak spot. Your videos should be mandatory to watch in the uk so much useful information that not a lot of people know even like me in my 60s. Much appreciation for your knowledge and time and effort. I shall now make it my mission in life to spread the gospel of the frugal queen. Thank you xx
Thanks for another great video Jane and Michael! 😃 I need to buckle down and really start watching every penny I get and spend. I’ve been trying to stick up on extra groceries and household items before the prices get even higher. The prices are rising so quickly and being on a fixed income makes it tough to try and make sure I’ll have enough of everything that I will need throughout the winter. Due to health issues I try not to go out often during the winter months because I don’t want to risk personal injury if I was to slip and fall. I think I’m pretty well set up for the winter months so now I can start focusing on get some of my debt paid down.
Thank you again for the way you explain sinking funds,it is so clear and simple.in one of your money chats you said the expense will come,maybe not today ,and that is what a sinking fund is for.my husband and I have the exact same income as yours,I can't thank you enough for sharing,it helps greatly
We were amazed when we first started budgeting that we actually had money. We keep track of every penny spent now. Thank you Jane for teaching me about sinking funds! Starting this month to set that money aside. Definitely will take stress off as we’ll have money set aside for tires, dental cleanings for the dogs etc Love your channel Jane and Michael!
hi I have recently found you on u tube and love watching your videos. I'm sure we are all in different situations with our finances. At the moment I am living an extreme frugal lifestyle , but this will change a little for the better next year. I am learning more ways to budget happily without feeling deprived and I am also super happy to share with you I am now debt free
Thanks SO much for sharing your good news. You may have watched that my job contract ended in August so monies will be less until Mike gets his pension in December. We will have a better income then. For now, we must budget very carefully
Thank you Jane for sharing your budget. Mine is very similar. I make every dollar count and every dollar is allocated. I’m currently working hard to have what I call a deep saving fund which I put every spare dollar into. I’m trying to have one years worth of outgoings put away so I know I could keep myself for that long if I had no other income. It’s going well and it helps having a goal to work towards. One extra amount I put away each month is for my garden as I’m trying to grow a lot of my own food so that’s a bit for compost, seeds etc when I need something. Isn’t it great being in control of your money and know what every cent is doing. Great video, I’m sure it’s helpful to so many out there xxx
Hi Jacqui, it’ll be such a relief for you to have a year’s living costs. We will have to dip into our emergency fund in November but that’s what it’s there for.
Thank you for sharing. Your right it your own journey. I have sinking funds. I just paid my last CC payment in September and started contributing to my investments again this month. I worked extra last month and was able to put $200 towards the principal on my mortgage.
Very interesting Jane. You have now introduced us to Zero budgeting. Fascinating. 2022 Jan will be the first month for us doing this and I am excited to see our savings growing.
Hi Jane we budget for vitamin, mineral and health supplements, these are an important non negotiable especially when living with chronic health problems 🙂
I have money going into various accounts the day after payday -bills which covers rates, utilities, car registration and insurance, -holidays, -health, -Christmas, -repairs and maintenance ( in case of emergencies), and a car replacement fund . I’m also saving extra grocery money for stock ups from our cash withdrawal each fortnight, and we get spending money, health again ( this covers scripts, the bank covers doctors and big things), travel which is fuel or train, and I’ve started a cash section for the house to cover odd bits and pieces like nails or paint etc.
I love your channel! You show everyone how to live an absolutely joyful life without feeling deprived and meeting (even exceeding) your goals. Life is all about choices and there is freedom in living below our means so that we have better choices and less stress.
Good budget system. Covered it all.. I have a more extensive sinking funds. I don't cluster things together. For example I like to have separate funds for gardening, vehicle registration, my own pocket money, gas for car and more. It must be weird driving with steering wheel in right side when the whole country is on the left side. Good for you for accomplishing it all these years!! Thanks for sharing. 💕
We are a retired couple living in Kentucky (USA), and we have been following a very frugal budget since around 2007, with the goal of my being able to retire early. I did retire three years ago (2018) at age 63, and since that time we have truly relied upon our sinking funds to make our budget work. One category that I have added recently is Gardening Expenses. For the past two years we have been gradually increasing our garden space, primarily with raised beds, which has required expenses for lumber and other materials, and for good soil and amendments, and seeds. This year we had rather large expense for new "critter-proof" fencing, so we do not anticipate having to spend quite as much in the next few garden seasons. Nonetheless, having a "garden fund" has proved very useful.
We live in Wales, husband from Vermont though. Our veg and fruit gardens are essential to survival, so are our chickens for eggs. A big expense this month has been electric, fox/badger proof fencing replacement. The old fence was 22 years old and breaking down. Thank goodness for the floating/sinking fund. Now the heating boiler needs a part replacing which we can cover from the sinking fund. A garden and a fund are essential to us. But the need to raise the amount of the fund at the same time as a huge rise in fuel and food costs is now a big worry. Our income is not going to keep pace for the first time ever. We have no choice but to increase egg and garden production for sale so the garden at the front of the house must lose flowers and gain produce.
Thank you for explaining sinking funds. I had heard of many people using them, but I just didn't know why they were called sinking funds. Also, I didn't know the concept of why they were needed because I was just throwing everything into savings. Now, I get it and see why it is necessary to earmark specific future spending categories with sinking funds and not just withdraw from general savings when needed. Great lesson for me. Thank you.
You’re welcome, some people have more accounts. We have three. Current account, or Americans call it a checking account, then two savings accounts, one is sinking funds, the other is our emergency fund, with long term savings on top. We have a locked long term savings that gets interest and compound interest , it’s called an assurance vie.
I try to keep up with your great budget plan Jane and then I realised I forgot to allow for dental care,and all of a sudden both of us have problems with our teeth!,, we are in the hospital fund which gives us a small return on our dental and optical fees .but I have to find more money for these so now I need to add to our sinking fund🤑
I usually watch your videos on my television (Roku) so I cannot comment, but I enjoy all of your videos, especially the Wed. money talks. Very inspiring. This one is great.
congrats ... you are better at budgets than many of us and i am wondering if 1. you plan to keep your reliable diesel car as good backup . . . just in case 2. you plan to install some solar as you appear to have lots of sunshine and solar pays off over time and it helps with self-sufficiency ... ????
Now you've really made me feel like I've gone into the long grass with our budget! 🤣 I have home repairs broken down minutely into specific projects like relaying the drive, new shed, renewing fascias etc, Perhaps I'll review this! I set aside a larger percentage for food, Xmas and holidays and have another category for visiting our son in London. Other categories I have are opticians, car breakdown and weddings. Really good content and makes me hope we are on the right track. Thanks for sharing.
I have to say a big thank you to both you and Mike, I always thought I was frugal but since following your channel and using your tips and systems I have increased my saving amounts month on month. I also feel less stressed about money and now do not feel guilty when I spend my fun money allowance as I have given myself permission to choose what I want to spend this small amount of money on. I am going to join you in the October no spend month and try to put at least an extra £100 in to the savings pot. I have a large project than I am planning to do in the new year and want to have as much put away as possible towards it.
I'm playing catch-up with your videos, and finding them very interesting - thank-you. It's now late November 2021 and your Subscribers total over 11,000 - well done!
Hello, I just added up our health insurance costs here in Ohio USA, both of us are retired, and on Medicare with a supplement and medication insurance. Oh My... almost $9000 per year! $750/ month. I wish my health insurance was what yours is.
@@FrugalQueeninFrance it's beyond painful trying to find something in a non crime ridden area below £180k :( we are trying to buy for less than 120k but will have to move away from our current area.
Another wonderful episode ...I'm currently doing our budget ! This is a miracle !!! Thank you so much for all your experience and wisdom that you willingly share so articulately and enthusiastically .I'm new this week but feel more peaceful ,so thank you both very ,very much ❤️
Thanks so much for this, very useful. I've been budgeting for years since first reading your blog, helped me so much get through over the years. Definitely need to fine tune my finances again though as I've not been so on the ball recently ,I need to start accounting for every penny again. Thanks for the inspiration keep up the good work xxx
I found this fascinating. I'm definitely going to try to breakdown my budget like this. Your explanation was clear and I'm sure that I can do something similar. At least I would have a better idea of where my money is going. Thanks so much. I also love the food videos. Have s blessed week 🙏
Interesting. I actually 'pay myself' as a priority: my monthly savings is a set amount that I pay into at same time as essential payments such as insurance, council tax, all paid at the beginning of the month.
Dear Jane, I love your videos. Could I please ask how you record money taken out of your sinking funds and the balance remaining for each sinking fund? Thank you very much. 🙂
Most of the sinking funds are for specific bills such as house taxes, we save and it comestibles out in a lump. Clothes, I keep a running total in our budget book.
A very interesting video also in order to compare prices in different countries. I have a dilemma: cheap food-shopping versus a good quality food/product. Basically here in the Netherlands it is about buying either cheap and by doing that support an intensive and powerful bioindustry or to pay a real price and support organic farmers and nature/animal welfare. To put it simply: either you are purse-friendly, or eco-friendly. The situation might be different in France though as it has more arable land......
I also have that dilemma. There is an Aldi near my home but like you I do not like buying food that often has many air miles behind it. There is a wonderful covered market in town where you can buy most foods that are produced within the South West area of Wales. The basic root vegetables are grown within 10 miles.
Grow as much food as you can, even if you can only grow in pots. It's about finding a balance that works for you and if you cannot really afford organic food, then you can balance that with some homegrown food. You could also support your local farmer's market, and perhaps you know others who are producing food who would swap it for cash or services? Another suggestion is to buy organic for the the items your kids consume a lot of (if you have kids) eg bread and milk and just do your best with the rest. The idea is to get less pesticides in their bodies this way. Also there should be a 'dirty dozen' list for your country online which tells you which foods have the most chemicals in them, as well as a list of those with the least. I've struggled with this for years, but have come to the conclusion that guilt is not helpful, and we are very very lucky to even be questioning this when billions don't have enough to eat. So I now grow most of my own food and just do my best with the rest because if you can't afford it, you can't afford it!
I am amazed that your health care is so cheap ! I pay over $700/month for lousy insurance here in the US. I'm jealous. Good budget though, I do about the same.
Thank you for the breakdown of your extreme budget. There are so.e things in there I hafnt considered but will now be paying more attention to and adding. Thank you Jane and Mike🌞
Hi all. I am a bit confused by the long term savings. Does this mean Jane and Michael make sure they have 20,784 Euros (1732 Euros x 12 as this would be equivalent to one year of essential expenses) in their long term savings fund at all times ?? Could someone clarify please? Love the channel btw.
No, we have 12 times the basic bills, which on average amount to 800€ a month. We keep that amount in a savings account and treat it like zero. We also keep savings on top that we need that year or within three years. We don’t touch our emergency savings. Jennifer, there’s no production, just us, so you can just ask us.
Love this update. As an aside, I tried to make the lemon drizzle cake and it sunk in the middle while also being runny even after extended cooking time. :( I was using American metrics, so perhaps that’s part of it, but any other tips? I’ve got to figure this out because $4 for a slice from Starbucks is the opposite of thrifty!
Hello. I can confirm that UK/USA/Aust have different capacities for cup size in recipes. So if you are from one country and using a cookbook from another country things can go wrong! I would prefer metric/imperial measurements which are easier to translate.
Your smile assures me you are on the right track. I love the content. Could you be so kind to do a class on pie dough? Grateful thanks.David JENSON Chicago
Another very interesting video. Great to see the subscribers are creeping up. I have lumped all my sinking funds together but moving forwards I am going to split them in to separate areas like household, social , personal, ect
Hiya Jane, thanks for this video. Interesting to compare it with other money ones that you have made. I have sinking funds - one for the car, one for house maintainance etc. But interesting to see what other folk put into theirs. I really must enter the minefield of getting a life insurance but I so hate pushy sales folk!!
Thank you for sharing. I am amazed at the differences in phone, internet, and insurance expenses are between us. I'm in the US and pay 3 times your amounts, although my electricity is much cheaper. I love your practicality and making do! How do you manage the fluctuations in exchange rate?
Thank you very much for walking us through your budgeting method. I'm a young adult and appreciate this education. May I know whether you have separate bank accounts for sinking funds or just set aside cash for sinking funds?
We have three accounts. 1 main current account and we keep a month's bills and money in that. 2. We each have a savings account and we split our emergency fund and sinking funds across those. However, we are about to set up some online bank accounts with separate account names within it for more detailed savings accounts.
You are so good at managing your money. I hope things get easier for you. Are you experiencing the climbing grocery prices? Are you finding some things not available due to shipping problems?
With the exception of tea and coffee, all the food I buy is produced in France, we’ve not seen massive increases. I shop all the sale items, so when I buy meat, I only buy what’s the best price
How do you the three different sinking funds totals, long term savings, and day to day expense accounts segregated if you only have 3 bank accounts? I am having trouble setting up a banking system that keeps all these amounts separate, yet not have too many accounts which is costly in banking fees.
Very much enjoying your channel. Just wondered regarding your various sinking fund budgets. How do you organise this? Do you have separate bank accounts for each one?
We have three main accounts, one main which is our current account and two savings accounts and we spread our sinking funds and emergency fund in those. We also have an assurance vie which is a long term and difficult to access account into which we put a lump sum for the future.
As I said in the video, we have 127€x4 which is our income tax for the year based on earning after our joint tax allowances. The 250€ a year is property tax. Thanks for watching
I thought of one question afterwards when you put the money aside for sinking funds a b and c do you have separate bank account for them or do you just keep a log book showing which account you're putting money into or taking money out of and keep it all in one account?
I have half an emergency fund saved ( aiming for a £1000) but the fridge freezer is on it's last legs, continually icing up and not at all energy efficient. Would you replace the item now thus depleting EF by half, or wait for the estimated 25 weeks ( 6months) until the original goal is reached ?
@@FrugalQueeninFrance You have given me a good idea ! I have had some bargains from Gumtree in my area and freecycle so I think I will start there. Thank you Jane.
I have found a couple of second hand ones but there is a hitch. The cost of transporting to my house and then the cost of having the old one collected for correct disposal. It was worth trying anyway so I shall keep looking and saving !
In lockdown we started sinking funds… total game changer! My car broke down and our cat got sick at the same time!! and it was such a relief to have a car and pet fund there so there was no stress, I paid for the repair and vets bills and went back to topping up the sinking funds, no stress! And very relieved we had decided to do sinking funds! So worth it!!
Thanks for sharing Anna. We have to save, some how, some way, for what might happen.
Jane and Michael yet another amazing video. I can't seem to see a subscription button just a notification bell which i clicked am i being a bit thick here im afraid technology is my weak spot.
Your videos should be mandatory to watch in the uk so much useful information that not a lot of people know even like me in my 60s.
Much appreciation for your knowledge and time and effort.
I shall now make it my mission in life to spread the gospel of the frugal queen.
Thank you xx
Thanks very
Hello and welcome to our extreme budget! How we organize our sinking funds and what we do and don’t buy.
Your subscriber count has zoooommmmeeedddd over the last year! Congratulations!
Thank you
I love how you keep things so simple
Thanks Dawn
I’m really enjoying watching your subscriber numbers going up every day! Well done guys!
Our thanks to everyone who watches
Thanks for another great video Jane and Michael! 😃
I need to buckle down and really start watching every penny I get and spend.
I’ve been trying to stick up on extra groceries and household items before the prices get even higher.
The prices are rising so quickly and being on a fixed income makes it tough to try and make sure I’ll have enough of everything that I will need throughout the winter.
Due to health issues I try not to go out often during the winter months because I don’t want to risk personal injury if I was to slip and fall.
I think I’m pretty well set up for the winter months so now I can start focusing on get some of my debt paid down.
Oh debt is a financial nightmare, good luck and keep going
Thank you again for the way you explain sinking funds,it is so clear and simple.in one of your money chats you said the expense will come,maybe not today ,and that is what a sinking fund is for.my husband and I have the exact same income as yours,I can't thank you enough for sharing,it helps greatly
You are both very welcome.
We were amazed when we first started budgeting that we actually had money. We keep track of every penny spent now. Thank you Jane for teaching me about sinking funds! Starting this month to set that money aside. Definitely will take stress off as we’ll have money set aside for tires, dental cleanings for the dogs etc Love your channel Jane and Michael!
I’m so glad that it’s working out for you. I’m happy to help.
Thank you for being so transperant straight forward
This was straightforward and very easy to follow. Thank you both for being so transparent and showing others that it can be done. 😊🙏🏼
You’re welcome
hi I have recently found you on u tube and love watching your videos.
I'm sure we are all in different situations with our finances. At the moment I am living an extreme frugal
lifestyle , but this will change a little for the better next year. I am learning more ways to budget happily
without feeling deprived and I am also super happy to share with you I am now debt free
Thanks SO much for sharing your good news. You may have watched that my job contract ended in August so monies will be less until Mike gets his pension in December. We will have a better income then. For now, we must budget very carefully
Congratulations on getting debt free!
Thank you Jane for sharing your budget. Mine is very similar. I make every dollar count and every dollar is allocated. I’m currently working hard to have what I call a deep saving fund which I put every spare dollar into. I’m trying to have one years worth of outgoings put away so I know I could keep myself for that long if I had no other income. It’s going well and it helps having a goal to work towards. One extra amount I put away each month is for my garden as I’m trying to grow a lot of my own food so that’s a bit for compost, seeds etc when I need something. Isn’t it great being in control of your money and know what every cent is doing. Great video, I’m sure it’s helpful to so many out there xxx
Hi Jacqui, it’ll be such a relief for you to have a year’s living costs. We will have to dip into our emergency fund in November but that’s what it’s there for.
Thank you for sharing. Your right it your own journey. I have sinking funds. I just paid my last CC payment in September and started contributing to my investments again this month. I worked extra last month and was able to put $200 towards the principal on my mortgage.
What a cheerful story. Thanks for sharing
Very interesting Jane. You have now introduced us to Zero budgeting. Fascinating. 2022 Jan will be the first month for us doing this and I am excited to see our savings growing.
Happy to help, good luck
Hi Jane we budget for vitamin, mineral and health supplements, these are an important non negotiable especially when living with chronic health problems 🙂
Thanks for sharing.
I have money going into various accounts the day after payday -bills which covers rates, utilities, car registration and insurance, -holidays, -health, -Christmas, -repairs and maintenance ( in case of emergencies), and a car replacement fund . I’m also saving extra grocery money for stock ups from our cash withdrawal each fortnight, and we get spending money, health again ( this covers scripts, the bank covers doctors and big things), travel which is fuel or train, and I’ve started a cash section for the house to cover odd bits and pieces like nails or paint etc.
Thanks Joy. You’re very organized.
I love your channel! You show everyone how to live an absolutely joyful life without feeling deprived and meeting (even exceeding) your goals. Life is all about choices and there is freedom in living below our means so that we have better choices and less stress.
Thanks Susan, we are happy with our choices too.
Good budget system. Covered it all.. I have a more extensive sinking funds. I don't cluster things together. For example I like to have separate funds for gardening, vehicle registration, my own pocket money, gas for car and more. It must be weird driving with steering wheel in right side when the whole country is on the left side. Good for you for accomplishing it all these years!! Thanks for sharing. 💕
Thanks for watching and commenting
We love our sinking funds! I meant to start a S. F. for our next vehicle, but keep forgetting!!🤦🤦🤦 Thank you for the reminder!🙌😁
It’s such a big fund, it needs an early start.
We are a retired couple living in Kentucky (USA), and we have been following a very frugal budget since around 2007, with the goal of my being able to retire early. I did retire three years ago (2018) at age 63, and since that time we have truly relied upon our sinking funds to make our budget work. One category that I have added recently is Gardening Expenses. For the past two years we have been gradually increasing our garden space, primarily with raised beds, which has required expenses for lumber and other materials, and for good soil and amendments, and seeds. This year we had rather large expense for new "critter-proof" fencing, so we do not anticipate having to spend quite as much in the next few garden seasons. Nonetheless, having a "garden fund" has proved very useful.
We will add that in the future too.
We live in Wales, husband from Vermont though. Our veg and fruit gardens are essential to survival, so are our chickens for eggs. A big expense this month has been electric, fox/badger proof fencing replacement. The old fence was 22 years old and breaking down. Thank goodness for the floating/sinking fund. Now the heating boiler needs a part replacing which we can cover from the sinking fund. A garden and a fund are essential to us. But the need to raise the amount of the fund at the same time as a huge rise in fuel and food costs is now a big worry. Our income is not going to keep pace for the first time ever. We have no choice but to increase egg and garden production for sale so the garden at the front of the house must lose flowers and gain produce.
Thank you for explaining sinking funds. I had heard of many people using them, but I just didn't know why they were called sinking funds. Also, I didn't know the concept of why they were needed because I was just throwing everything into savings. Now, I get it and see why it is necessary to earmark specific future spending categories with sinking funds and not just withdraw from general savings when needed. Great lesson for me. Thank you.
You’re welcome, some people have more accounts. We have three. Current account, or Americans call it a checking account, then two savings accounts, one is sinking funds, the other is our emergency fund, with long term savings on top. We have a locked long term savings that gets interest and compound interest , it’s called an assurance vie.
I've never been good at budgeting and you have made this so easy to do! this is so helpful and life changing! Thank you so so much!
Good for you. Having a written budget will give you a payrise.
Thank you for sharing. This great down will help .
I hope so!
Stumbled onto your channel last week. Wish we were neighbors! We could have coffee or tea every week !
I enjoy your channel.
You’d be most welcome !
Got home and missed all but the tail end/last three minutes, so I’m starting the replay now! Thank you so much for doing this.
You’re welcome, I hope it helps people
Jane, it most certainly will. They just have to watch, and start. You have helped me!
Excellent budget training there Jane, love it. Thank you very very much for sharing with us and the helpful tips you gave me. 🌹
You’re welcome
Love seeing another person’s budget :)
You’re welcome, there it is, every euro
I love your channel! Thank you for sharing your wisdom Jane!
You’re welcome and thanks for watching
I try to keep up with your great budget plan Jane and then I realised I forgot to allow for dental care,and all of a sudden both of us have problems with our teeth!,, we are in the hospital fund which gives us a small return on our dental and optical fees .but I have to find more money for these so now I need to add to our sinking fund🤑
If you’re in France, a dentist can give you a quote for treatment and you can save for that
I usually watch your videos on my television (Roku) so I cannot comment, but I enjoy all of your videos, especially the Wed. money talks. Very inspiring. This one is great.
Thanks and don’t forget to pop onto your phone after and hit the like button. Thanks
congrats ... you are better at budgets than many of us
and i am wondering if
1. you plan to keep your reliable diesel car as good backup
. . . just in case
2. you plan to install some solar as you appear to have
lots of sunshine and solar pays off over time
and it helps with self-sufficiency ... ????
Thanks for watching and no and no.
Now you've really made me feel like I've gone into the long grass with our budget! 🤣 I have home repairs broken down minutely into specific projects like relaying the drive, new shed, renewing fascias etc, Perhaps I'll review this!
I set aside a larger percentage for food, Xmas and holidays and have another category for visiting our son in London. Other categories I have are opticians, car breakdown and weddings.
Really good content and makes me hope we are on the right track. Thanks for sharing.
You sound like you have a lot of good categories
I have to say a big thank you to both you and Mike, I always thought I was frugal but since following your channel and using your tips and systems I have increased my saving amounts month on month. I also feel less stressed about money and now do not feel guilty when I spend my fun money allowance as I have given myself permission to choose what I want to spend this small amount of money on. I am going to join you in the October no spend month and try to put at least an extra £100 in to the savings pot. I have a large project than I am planning to do in the new year and want to have as much put away as possible towards it.
I’m glad to hear you’ve increased your savings. It’s good to have some money put aside for goals and maybe events
This was really interesting Jane. I love to see facts and figures. It's inspiring.
You’re welcome and I’m thrilled that you watched
@@FrugalQueeninFrance I really enjoy your videos. :-)
Thank you for all the info and great videos
You’re welcome
I'm playing catch-up with your videos, and finding them very interesting - thank-you.
It's now late November 2021 and your Subscribers total over 11,000 - well done!
Thanks Val,
Hello, I just added up our health insurance costs here in Ohio USA, both of us are retired, and on Medicare with a supplement and medication insurance. Oh My... almost $9000 per year! $750/ month. I wish my health insurance was what yours is.
66% of our healthcare comes from taxation so we just need to top it up. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Great video Jane, we are living off 1 salary at the moment to save for a house deposit.
I don’t envy anyone trying to buy a house these days.
@@FrugalQueeninFrance it's beyond painful trying to find something in a non crime ridden area below £180k :( we are trying to buy for less than 120k but will have to move away from our current area.
That’s why we worked in Plymouth and lived in Liskeard, we couldn’t afford Plymouth so we commuted 2 hours a day
@@FrugalQueeninFrance we work from home now thankfully so the only wrench will be leaving the people we have here.
@@nikki27ish Leaving friends and family is very difficult. It took me many years to adjust.
Another wonderful episode ...I'm currently doing our budget ! This is a miracle !!! Thank you so much for all your experience and wisdom that you willingly share so articulately and enthusiastically .I'm new this week but feel more peaceful ,so thank you both very ,very much ❤️
You’re welcome and good luck with your budget.
Thanks again Jane and Michael. Always appreciate your valuable information that you present in an easy-to-understand format.
Happy to help and thanks for watching
Great video 👍 so helpful 🏴
Thanks for watching
Thank you for sharing with us all. Hope you are having a very blessed day. Maria from South Carolina
You’re welcome
Thanks so much for this, very useful. I've been budgeting for years since first reading your blog, helped me so much get through over the years. Definitely need to fine tune my finances again though as I've not been so on the ball recently ,I need to start accounting for every penny again. Thanks for the inspiration keep up the good work xxx
We all need to start accounting for every penny, no matter what we earn.
Hi Jane thanks for sharing your thoughts and giving us all the motivation to do and be better
Thanks very much
I found this fascinating.
I'm definitely going to try to breakdown my budget like this. Your explanation was clear and I'm sure that I can do something similar. At least I would have a better idea of where my money is going. Thanks so much.
I also love the food videos.
Have s blessed week 🙏
Happy to help. We decide at the beginning of every month where our money is going to go.
very helpful video, plus I love your scarf and sweater!
Thanks
Interesting. I actually 'pay myself' as a priority: my monthly savings is a set amount that I pay into at same time as essential payments such as insurance, council tax, all paid at the beginning of the month.
Thanks for sharing.
I always enjoy seeing your budget and what things cost in France. Thank you for another great video. 👍🏻
Thanks for watching
@Jane kindly tell us about going out to dinner or for a treat
@do you spend on snacks
We go out for lunch on our wedding anniversary. We don’t eat snacks, just meals
You really know how to break it down so everyone understands. This is teaching me a lot! Thanks Jane!
You’re welcome and I’m happy to help.
I just cannot get over how much more affordable it is to live in Europe, than were I live in the US.
Equally, we earn less and pay more taxes. Food, clothing, household items are very expensive in relation to what we earn.
Dear Jane, I love your videos. Could I please ask how you record money taken out of your sinking funds and the balance remaining for each sinking fund? Thank you very much. 🙂
Most of the sinking funds are for specific bills such as house taxes, we save and it comestibles out in a lump. Clothes, I keep a running total in our budget book.
@@FrugalQueeninFrance Thank you. 🙂
A very interesting video also in order to compare prices in different countries. I have a dilemma: cheap food-shopping versus a good quality food/product. Basically here in the Netherlands it is about buying either cheap and by doing that support an intensive and powerful bioindustry or to pay a real price and support organic farmers and nature/animal welfare. To put it simply: either you are purse-friendly, or eco-friendly. The situation might be different in France though as it has more arable land......
It’s your choice to make. It’s a free world .
I also have that dilemma. There is an Aldi near my home but like you I do not like buying food that often has many air miles behind it. There is a wonderful covered market in town where you can buy most foods that are produced within the South West area of Wales. The basic root vegetables are grown within 10 miles.
Grow as much food as you can, even if you can only grow in pots. It's about finding a balance that works for you and if you cannot really afford organic food, then you can balance that with some homegrown food. You could also support your local farmer's market, and perhaps you know others who are producing food who would swap it for cash or services? Another suggestion is to buy organic for the the items your kids consume a lot of (if you have kids) eg bread and milk and just do your best with the rest. The idea is to get less pesticides in their bodies this way. Also there should be a 'dirty dozen' list for your country online which tells you which foods have the most chemicals in them, as well as a list of those with the least.
I've struggled with this for years, but have come to the conclusion that guilt is not helpful, and we are very very lucky to even be questioning this when billions don't have enough to eat. So I now grow most of my own food and just do my best with the rest because if you can't afford it, you can't afford it!
@@madeleine7729 thanks for a very encouraging answer. And you are right: what a luxurious position we are having if we can ponder these questions.
@@bettygraham818 a weekly market is also my way to deal with the issue.
I am amazed that your health care is so cheap ! I pay over $700/month for lousy insurance here in the US. I'm jealous. Good budget though, I do about the same.
66% of healthcare is provided through taxes. We just pay a top up.
Thank you for the breakdown of your extreme budget. There are so.e things in there I hafnt considered but will now be paying more attention to and adding. Thank you Jane and Mike🌞
You’re welcome and thanks for watching and commenting
Hi all. I am a bit confused by the long term savings. Does this mean Jane and Michael make sure they have 20,784 Euros (1732 Euros x 12 as this would be equivalent to one year of essential expenses) in their long term savings fund at all times ?? Could someone clarify please? Love the channel btw.
No, we have 12 times the basic bills, which on average amount to 800€ a month. We keep that amount in a savings account and treat it like zero. We also keep savings on top that we need that year or within three years. We don’t touch our emergency savings. Jennifer, there’s no production, just us, so you can just ask us.
Your budget posts are extremely helpful. Thank you so much.
Happy to help
Love this update.
As an aside, I tried to make the lemon drizzle cake and it sunk in the middle while also being runny even after extended cooking time. :( I was using American metrics, so perhaps that’s part of it, but any other tips? I’ve got to figure this out because $4 for a slice from Starbucks is the opposite of thrifty!
Every oven is different, yours wasn’t cooked hot enough or long enough, do you have a fan oven?
Hello. I can confirm that UK/USA/Aust have different capacities for cup size in recipes. So if you are from one country and using a cookbook from another country things can go wrong! I would prefer metric/imperial measurements which are easier to translate.
You inspire me to be even thriftier.
Valerie in SC
Happy to help.
Your smile assures me you are on the right track. I love the content.
Could you be so kind to do a class on pie dough?
Grateful thanks.David JENSON Chicago
At the beginning of this video, I make pastry or pie dough as you'd call it. th-cam.com/video/IU32zeI1nR8/w-d-xo.html
We use YNAB for our budget and love it.
The best tool is always the one that works for you. Thanks for watching and sharing
Another very interesting video. Great to see the subscribers are creeping up. I have lumped all my sinking funds together but moving forwards I am going to split them in to separate areas like household, social , personal, ect
It’s good that you’re making financial plans of where you want your money to go and what you want to do with it,
Hiya Jane, thanks for this video. Interesting to compare it with other money ones that you have made. I have sinking funds - one for the car, one for house maintainance etc. But interesting to see what other folk put into theirs. I really must enter the minefield of getting a life insurance but I so hate pushy sales folk!!
It’s a good thing to have. Thanks for watching and commenting
Thank you for another terrific video. By the way, you look great in that pretty scarf.
Thank you and thank you.
Thank you for sharing. I am amazed at the differences in phone, internet, and insurance expenses are between us. I'm in the US and pay 3 times your amounts, although my electricity is much cheaper. I love your practicality and making do! How do you manage the fluctuations in exchange rate?
Google Adsense pay me in euros, my teaching was US dollars and my UK pension is paid in euros, it fluctuates by 5-10 euros a month.
Hi! How old is your house? Why do you decide to move Brittany? Rather than any other place, I love your videos
Really useful as usual, thank you x
You’re welcome, thanks for watching and commenting.
❤️
This is so inspiring and helpful, Jane. I was wondering, why 3 sinking funds rather than all in one lump, and are these in separate accounts?
It’s just how we name them, it helps us
Thank you very much for walking us through your budgeting method. I'm a young adult and appreciate this education. May I know whether you have separate bank accounts for sinking funds or just set aside cash for sinking funds?
We have three accounts. 1 main current account and we keep a month's bills and money in that. 2. We each have a savings account and we split our emergency fund and sinking funds across those. However, we are about to set up some online bank accounts with separate account names within it for more detailed savings accounts.
@@FrugalQueeninFrance Thank you for the tips!
Hi Jane
Good video I love the money ones the best along with the cooking ones
I always wonder what you were saving long term thanks for sharing xx
Thanks Paula, it goes on top of our emergency fund.
You do really well Jane xx
You are so good at managing your money. I hope things get easier for you. Are you experiencing the climbing grocery prices? Are you finding some things not available due to shipping problems?
With the exception of tea and coffee, all the food I buy is produced in France, we’ve not seen massive increases. I shop all the sale items, so when I buy meat, I only buy what’s the best price
Good morning from the USA.😃🌻
Welcome
I got online to see euros to US dollars to get an idea. It said one euro was 1.16 dollars.
So, our pay plus pension for us both was $2286
I love the fact that your money image is South African Rands when you live in the Euro zone. 🤪
It’s symbolic of money.
@@FrugalQueeninFrance I know, just not sure that many people recognize the currency, so it fun to see.
How do you the three different sinking funds totals, long term savings, and day to day expense accounts segregated if you only have 3 bank accounts? I am having trouble setting up a banking system that keeps all these amounts separate, yet not have too many accounts which is costly in banking fees.
Spread sheets, I keep personal records. I don’t have more as I don’t want to pay anymore, I’m already paying 12€ a month to the bank
@@FrugalQueeninFrance Would love it if you could show us how... thanks Jane... am learning so much from you!
Very much enjoying your channel. Just wondered regarding your various sinking fund budgets. How do you organise this? Do you have separate bank accounts for each one?
We have three main accounts, one main which is our current account and two savings accounts and we spread our sinking funds and emergency fund in those. We also have an assurance vie which is a long term and difficult to access account into which we put a lump sum for the future.
Always enjoy, finally getting my sinking funds going.
It really helps.
I’m curious- when setting up a sinking fund, until you have a substantial balance, how do you draw down on it? Do you put a lump sum in initially??
Initially, paid that bill, then immediately started saving. We don’t touch it until it’s full, then we spend.
Also, you mention that you ay 127 in taxes every month, plus 250/year in taxes. What different taxes are these?
As I said in the video, we have 127€x4 which is our income tax for the year based on earning after our joint tax allowances. The 250€ a year is property tax. Thanks for watching
Oh, no offence intended... just wondered if someone shares the dilemma when going to the supermarket
Hi Hana, I don’t understand your statement. Do you have a question. Thanks for watching.
I thought of one question afterwards when you put the money aside for sinking funds a b and c do you have separate bank account for them or do you just keep a log book showing which account you're putting money into or taking money out of and keep it all in one account?
All one account for sinking funds.
I have half an emergency fund saved ( aiming for a £1000) but the fridge freezer is on it's last legs, continually icing up and not at all energy efficient. Would you replace the item now thus depleting EF by half, or wait for the estimated 25 weeks ( 6months) until the original goal is reached ?
I’d look out for something on Facebook market place or put a shout. Out on a Facebook community group asking if someone was giving one away.
@@FrugalQueeninFrance You have given me a good idea ! I have had some bargains from Gumtree in my area and freecycle so I think I will start there. Thank you Jane.
I have found a couple of second hand ones but there is a hitch. The cost of transporting to my house and then the cost of having the old one collected for correct disposal. It was worth trying anyway so I shall keep looking and saving !