Ok folks..doing a survey here...and yes, i'm serious..want to know...what do you, on average, spend on groceries, going out to dinner and clothing, per month? Break it down into categories if you could, please..Thanks!!
Mila, I'd like to believe (since I do the same) that the rest 8 things are pretty harmless and essentials. LOL. (Harmless in terms of budget going haywire)
Mom_me, dont you think woman done worse then men in grocery shopping??? if i want to go to get some two items, i am pretty sure I will end up with ten items in my hand.
Everybody is right and Everybody is wrong, its depend where you stand
Agree, Skd. That's the reason why I never trust hubby with grocery shopping. If I ask him to bring bread, chances are he will either bring 5 kinds or croissant and one odd 'electrical something'.
Think: If you eat one whole chicken in each meal then I can understand your budget of 1000 being OK'ish. Your chicken budget in that case will be about 550 - 600 QR a month. It is still within 1000 for one person.
One should keep checking for useless spending.. which we tend to do anyway in hyperstores.
Do one exercise (dont remember who... but this study was conducted by a market research company in US).......
the things we all buy in any carrefore / walmart / Mega mart has 20%30% things that we never required OR were never in the list of actual requirements.
If you cook at home most of the times then only. Also cooking home does not mean you get pre cooked foods.
1000 is enough Think...
BTW: Now it is gone way too above and not able to even calculate. I have become like the other person of my own above joke.. credit card comes out in last week each month
for all the input...now I'm going to be doing a bit of personal research and see where MINE is going...ouch...hate doing that, cause then I realize how much I fritter away on silly things...like bringing my beloved car over here...sighhhhhhh....I sure do miss her.....but for the time being, perhaps its a good thing because I'd end up with a ton of tickets if I was driving her instead of my trusty Mitsubishi Gallant and its hamster-run engine...
based on your calculation the person should have an income around at least QR 20,000/month (in case we make monthly expenses calculation, including car expense, some extra expenses such as repairing, hair styling, dentist, saving for vacation/travelling, and lot more..).. and you are the one who always fighting and arguing that QR 4000-5000 is a "decent" salary to live well in Doha???
your present calculation is much closer to qatari reality, then all your previous debates! Specially I liked your "Housing = 8,000", while earlier you always tried to convince that QR 2500-3000 is more than enough for accommodation.. you are growing, man!
you spend more on clothes in one month than a I do in a year....
My fetish is food.....hehehe... as my late mom (may she rest in peace) would have said... I look so good,cause I eat so good.... (any South African will know that advert...lol...)
*cough, cough waving arms around to get the smoke away*...jauntie, are you serious...you don't go out to eat? May I ask why?_______________________________________________________
and I still owe you a night out for your birthday, girlie...so we can go to the Ritz if you wish...but we can also go elsewhere and have more to celebrate with too..matterof quantity over quality (not really tho..as alcohol is alcohol!) and the glasses are straight not tilted...
I don't buy clothes (that's fairly obvious) although I DID invest in a couple of pairs of trews from M&S a few months ago. That would account for something like ... QR 5 per month for a year
I spend about, um, QR dunno ... on groceries a month - say QR 1000? (maybe not that much, would have to check bills)
That booze place is a killer! Not even going to touch that one, but we DON'T go once a month, so it seems more than it is.
Hair and nails etc I do myself
Don't go out to eat.
Got crucified for about QR300 last Thursday though - not going to The Ritz again unless it's my birthday!
Will take stock and keep an account for the next 4 weeks, including memberships to clubs etc
I'm the world's worst at heading to the store, hungry..and buying all sorts of stuff that I have no idea what it is..then trying it when i get home...Think I am going ot have to limit it to one new item per trip...save tons of money that way!!
Ok.. so as not to hi-jack this thread, let me try and be serious here...
My housing and utilities is paid, so basically that leaves me to pay my car, food, entertainment, and lets not forget my 2 four-legged housemates expenses....
Currently, I have nothing left at the end of a month, and cannot wait for salary....:-)
I also send money home to South Africa....
I would love to budget.... but I have a terrible habit.. if I see it... I like it... I buy it.... simple....
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Water and Electricity not more than QR500/- per month.
How much do you guys pay for utilities each month for, say, a 2 bedroom flat with the aircon on all the time, including during the day?
The humming bird.(j/k LOL.) (As a woman I will never accept that I am not a wise spender. Khallas.)
who says so ??[img_assist|nid=60386|title=.|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=|height=0]
Skdkak, it may be interesting to you that statistics say men outnumber women in Qatar.
You didnt google for the research yet or you wouldnt have said what you said above.
Maximum shoppers in any mall/hyper stores are females. so occassionally men might do hyper shopping but most of the times it is women who buy.
[img_assist|nid=60386|title=.|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=|height=0]
Mila, I'd like to believe (since I do the same) that the rest 8 things are pretty harmless and essentials. LOL. (Harmless in terms of budget going haywire)
Mom_me, dont you think woman done worse then men in grocery shopping??? if i want to go to get some two items, i am pretty sure I will end up with ten items in my hand.
Everybody is right and Everybody is wrong, its depend where you stand
Agree, Skd. That's the reason why I never trust hubby with grocery shopping. If I ask him to bring bread, chances are he will either bring 5 kinds or croissant and one odd 'electrical something'.
Think: If you eat one whole chicken in each meal then I can understand your budget of 1000 being OK'ish. Your chicken budget in that case will be about 550 - 600 QR a month. It is still within 1000 for one person.
One should keep checking for useless spending.. which we tend to do anyway in hyperstores.
Do one exercise (dont remember who... but this study was conducted by a market research company in US).......
the things we all buy in any carrefore / walmart / Mega mart has 20%30% things that we never required OR were never in the list of actual requirements.
[img_assist|nid=60386|title=.|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=|height=0]
[img_assist|nid=60386|title=.|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=|height=0]
You're right, skdkak, the food I cook is not pre-oacked food. I'll try to reduce that budget and save more ... a more satisfied :o) ...
Think2
I just came back from leave in China. for me, it is below:
food: QR 800
cloth: mostly bought them in China, cost QR 500
taxi fee: QR 200
others: QR 500
housing: 0
----------------------------------------------
share your life with me as we are different:)
If you cook at home most of the times then only. Also cooking home does not mean you get pre cooked foods.
1000 is enough Think...
BTW: Now it is gone way too above and not able to even calculate. I have become like the other person of my own above joke.. credit card comes out in last week each month
:(
[img_assist|nid=60386|title=.|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=|height=0]
Hi,
Not a house, it's a master bedroom in a shared apartment with coworkers.
skdkak, I like your joke. I also want to learn spending QR1000 on food only :o\ You don't feel hungry? Just kidding.
Think2
hmmm... noticed nobody mentioned school tuition fees for children...so I'd probably not suited here..hehehehe:)bachelors huh?:)
Think2 where can I get a house for QR 3000/- ?
Hi,
I am a penny saver ...
Food - Around 1500 (almost always cook at home)
Household - 500 (with cleaner cleaning once a week)
Transport - 300 (need to point out I don't need transport to work)
Entertainment/shopping - 300
Utilities - 500
Rent - 3000
The rest sleeps well on my bank a/c back home :o)
Think2
Hubby just asked me to prepare a rough budget and I stumbled on this thread. Loads of question circling in my mind, I am already having a headache.
I understand Zada you mean month... but could u again chk ur post and remove year in the 2nd but last line.
I think Scar will have more clarification that way
I spend all my money on Buttercup...
I'm just kidding
Geeze you people...
You can't teach experience...
ok big spenders!!
我听见 我忘记; 我看见 我记住; 我做 我了解。
You can't understand until you walk a mile in someone else's shoes.
At the beginning of each month, this is what i spend.
-Groceries: 3,000QR
-Restaurants: 1,500 QR
-Clothes: 1,000QR
-Villa: 15,000 QR
-Phone bills: 1,000QR (YEAH I KNOW!)
-Entertainment: 1,000QR
Alltogether thats about 22,000QR at the beginning of each year. But i dont know where i spend the other 5,000QR
My mail id is there in my profile. However, it is [email protected]
You can PM me too
..**.. ""They walk among us. They vote & they even reproduce"" ..**..
any e mail to contact you on skdkak ?
please write to me at [email protected]
You remember that joke, someone in QL had written about 2 persons at the same position in a company. 1 is western expat and the other an Indian.
Indian is paid 5K and western 50K
At the end of the month Indian sends 3K to India and western starts using credit card from 20th of the month..
Its just a joke and I am like a typical Indian.
For your survey...
Rent - 0
Food - 0.. just put 50 before that zero
Milk in a bar sometimes - 500 ish
Misc... 500 including mobile recharge of few hundreds
Rest all goes home
Mind you I am alone.. I will hardly survive after family joins me.
..**.. ""They walk among us. They vote & they even reproduce"" ..**..
for all the input...now I'm going to be doing a bit of personal research and see where MINE is going...ouch...hate doing that, cause then I realize how much I fritter away on silly things...like bringing my beloved car over here...sighhhhhhh....I sure do miss her.....but for the time being, perhaps its a good thing because I'd end up with a ton of tickets if I was driving her instead of my trusty Mitsubishi Gallant and its hamster-run engine...
@qatarisun, because I consider my standard of living to be high.
THis is now that I'm a successfull business man and lawyer. (or I hope so anyway)
I used to live on 700 GBP a month max. Average was around 4000QR
If I were on a budget, this is what I'd spend (and be happy too, but just not get lovely designer brands)
Cafe's = 100 a month.
Groceries (I do a big shopping once a month) = 500
Going out to eat dinner (real restaurants not fast food) = 1000
clothing 200 (what I spend now is too much anyway and it's because I like brand things)
Petrol = 200-400 (depends on the car and the plan)
Cinemas and fun = 300
Telephone bill = 600 (I dont call alot but I call international alot) (again, I call international, but I really should use Skype more)
Housing = 8,000
I've mentioned that 3,000 or more is more than enough, especially if accomodation is covered..... Come now, please don't omit words.
However could you please PM me where I said 2500 is more than enough for accommodation.
My 8,000 flat is a 2bed room sea view by the way.
So lets not pick the words that we want and look in context.
We can all survive on a certain amount, it's what we get that changes our standards.
if I made 60k a month, you'd better believe I'd live in a nicer place and spent more (if I didn't invest it)
__________________________
based on your calculation the person should have an income around at least QR 20,000/month (in case we make monthly expenses calculation, including car expense, some extra expenses such as repairing, hair styling, dentist, saving for vacation/travelling, and lot more..).. and you are the one who always fighting and arguing that QR 4000-5000 is a "decent" salary to live well in Doha???
your present calculation is much closer to qatari reality, then all your previous debates! Specially I liked your "Housing = 8,000", while earlier you always tried to convince that QR 2500-3000 is more than enough for accommodation.. you are growing, man!
you spend more on clothes in one month than a I do in a year....
My fetish is food.....hehehe... as my late mom (may she rest in peace) would have said... I look so good,cause I eat so good.... (any South African will know that advert...lol...)
I like to go out to very nice places. I'll try to rate them by star when needed.
Job = Lawyer (In Authority/Ministry)
Cafe's (***** and ***) = 400 a month.
Groceries (I do a big shopping once a month) = 700-1000
Going out to eat dinner (real restaurants not fast food) = 1000
clothing (depends on my month) if in the mood to spend on designers 3000-4000 otherwise just 800-1000
Petrol = 200-400 (depends on the car and the plan)
Cinemas and fun = 300-500
Telephone bill = 600 (I dont call alot but I call international alot)
Housing = 8,000
__________________________
my guy does...lol...
If we weren't living and earning in Doha I wouldn't be able to afford much in the UK these days. Tooooooooo expensive there.
I spend waaaay to much, but then again my husband and I eat out every night since we are both busy all day. It's nice have a date after a long day :D
I will say that we spend much less in Doha than we do in the US. Anyone who complains about the expensive cost of living in Qatar, I don't get it!
tra la la
they just love that old myth, made famous by Harry Lauder (a Scottish music hall comic) that they Scot's have 'short arms, and deeeeep pockets' :o)
I actually had to stop my hub buying The Big Issue on a daily basis! Heaven forbid! :D
ROFL, J, I have heard that the Scots are a bunch of tightwads but you know that I abhor generalising :)
The Scots I have met are completely charming people who would give you the shirt off your back.
Anyway, this part time frugality of your husbands means that you can splurge when you want to...so not a bad thing, eh?
_______________________________________________________
Love is the answer...
some Scots have a different view on what is expensive and what isn't.
My husband thinks going out to eat is a waste of money, however, he took me to Oman for a week for my birthday and we ate like Kings.
He gets upset if half a dozen eggs costs more than he considers OK, but then doesn't deny me the odd bottle of champers.
I have learned not to be confused.
*eyes swivelling exits stage left!*
Oh I forgot cigars...300 QR maybe...
You can't teach experience...
Food = 0
Clothes = 0
Housing = 0
Alk = 3,500 QR
Women = 2,000 QR
Gas = 200 QR
Internet = 200 QR
Savings = 30,000 QR
That's all I can think of...
You can't teach experience...
*cough, cough waving arms around to get the smoke away*...jauntie, are you serious...you don't go out to eat? May I ask why?_______________________________________________________
Love is the answer...
but i could be wrong...
ohh my and the ciggies...definitely owe you some of those!!
money somewhere...
and I still owe you a night out for your birthday, girlie...so we can go to the Ritz if you wish...but we can also go elsewhere and have more to celebrate with too..matterof quantity over quality (not really tho..as alcohol is alcohol!) and the glasses are straight not tilted...
per month
SHEESH now you got me thinking!!!!
cheap, very cheap ..
I don't buy clothes (that's fairly obvious) although I DID invest in a couple of pairs of trews from M&S a few months ago. That would account for something like ... QR 5 per month for a year
I spend about, um, QR dunno ... on groceries a month - say QR 1000? (maybe not that much, would have to check bills)
That booze place is a killer! Not even going to touch that one, but we DON'T go once a month, so it seems more than it is.
Hair and nails etc I do myself
Don't go out to eat.
Got crucified for about QR300 last Thursday though - not going to The Ritz again unless it's my birthday!
Will take stock and keep an account for the next 4 weeks, including memberships to clubs etc
I'm the world's worst at heading to the store, hungry..and buying all sorts of stuff that I have no idea what it is..then trying it when i get home...Think I am going ot have to limit it to one new item per trip...save tons of money that way!!
give or take a bit.... thank the lord for my credit card....;-)
Ohh fiddledeedee.....
i love sheesa...
so...xena...money speaking here..figures...how much do you spend on food. entertainment, and clothes...
hmm... could do with that right now...
Ok.. so as not to hi-jack this thread, let me try and be serious here...
My housing and utilities is paid, so basically that leaves me to pay my car, food, entertainment, and lets not forget my 2 four-legged housemates expenses....
Currently, I have nothing left at the end of a month, and cannot wait for salary....:-)
I also send money home to South Africa....
I would love to budget.... but I have a terrible habit.. if I see it... I like it... I buy it.... simple....
making me move my stuff all over creation...sheesh..
Ohh fiddledeedee.....
shouldnt this be in the cost of living forum? so's newbies looking for info will find it?
actually I think amnesia has something similar on his website
don't want to rain on your parade, sorry :o( was just a thought.
You can always edit it and 'move' it to cost of living, leaving a 'shadow' here for peeps to follow?
*being too grown up, must remember not to be*