How we budget on less than minimum wage & save! - Our April Budget
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- Опубліковано 18 чер 2024
- Time to run through our monthly budget showing you the real figures about our financial life in France
Frugal Queen in France
We are a British couple living in Brittany on a budget.
Frugal recipes, days out, home renovations and day to day making do in France.
We’ll give you hints, tips, advice and an insight into our life in France.
Website www.frugalqueeninfrance.com/
Instagram / frugalqueen. .
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Editing : iMovie on a Mac mini
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Dear Jane thank you for sharing. Thanks to you and all your websites advices, we are debt free since yesterday. No more mortgage. Thank you so much.
Wonderful! Congratulations
Congratulations!ludmillaaud
Wonderful!
Well done!
Wonderful!
I am glad you included what is NOT in the budget. That is so important. My living expenses are about equal to your monthly savings plan. Single person. Not complaining. I am happy and have everything I need. According to government reports (USA) I am almost poverty-stricken. Not true! Not true!
In theory we live in poverty but we’re really happy
Same here!
Hello, yes, income wise im down there at the pivertynline too( usa) I have everything
I need, even a few wants!😊
Me too! I'm in the UK and apparently living below the 'absolute poverty' definition of the UK government, I do so much that Jayne does but she has inspired me in so many ways - especially in the department of eating simpler meals! Thank you!
Words can’t describe how grateful I am for your advices on frugal living and budgeting… thank you Jane and Mike!
Our pleasure!
1yr ago hubby/I retired at 58/59yrs old. People asked us how did you do it!! Our response “living under budget and saving, saving every penny”. No one wants to make sacrifices but envy those who paid a price to live a fulfilling lifestyle at retirement! I am the 4th child out of a family of 6 and the only one retired…2 of my siblings have live so above their means that they can’t even retire and as sad as that is I feel extremely frustrated at them because they never took head to my advise to stop spending and save for a rainy day. I can’t fathom living life with the fear of losing everything if life presents an unpleasant “hiccup”. 😢
Absolutely agree with everything you said.
Thank you for sharing. Finally understand the sinking fund idea is different than an emergency fund and long term savings.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for supporting your viewers who have a different budgeting system. We all have our own ideas about what we want to include in our budget because of our own unique living situation. Thanks for sharing your personal budget...sometimes I get ideas to try because you share. ♥
You are so welcome!
Prior to watching your videos, we were just putting all our savings into one big pot each month. Now we have it separated out into sinking funds for vacation, Christmas,car bills etc. in addition to our emergency fund. I have found it a lot easier to keep from going over in certain areas now that we have specific savings goals. Thanks!
That is awesome!
Jane, I very much appreciate your listing the US dollars in addition to the euros, since I live in the US. At the moment, I am trying to recover from not having budgeted the annual deductibles for medical and drug expenses. I did rob Peter to pay Paul, so I'm doubling up my monthly allocations to pay Peter back for these deductibles. I am having to eat mostly from my stockpiles (freezer and pantry), since Peter is in charge of the food budget 🙂and that's where I got the money for the deductibles. I should be back on track by mid June. It's a mistake that hurts, but I have now learned to be more careful to capture all my expenses. Mike's and your diligence in planning for every penny you have really inspires me to do the same. Diane in NC
I wish you well
There is an end in sight 🎉 and it’s not to far away.
Thank you for sharing your life w/us. It is a help and gives me good ideas. And, your graphics are excellent as well as the video editing. Your videos are never boring and they have a nice, energetic flow. Shout out to all that excellent content. I can see all the hard work that goes into these videos.
You are so welcome!
Thanks so much for explaining your budget so clearly and sharing. I just went and redid my own budget as I’m retired and on a fixed income and it makes so much more sense now. 😀
You are so welcome!
Thank you for sharing. It is always helpful to see how other retirees living on a pension manage their money. Having savings and sinking funds help to make retirement much more enjoyable.
Glad it was helpful!
You've inspired me to take a new look at my April budget to see where I can save a bit more. Thanks for that! 😊
You can do it!
Good evening. What a discipline you have. It pays off and provide peace of mind. What's better than living with no major worries? Your budget skills we all know it by now,but what I like in you,is that you are feeling content with what you have and do with your time,hobbies,everyday chores,etc. You know what it's coming to you and make the best with it and out of it. That's a great mental example to follow in general. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you
I am big on savings myself. I love to prepare.
Another great video and I watched all of the advertisements! X
You're the best!
I love seeing your dogs wave (their tail) goodbye!
Hiya, thanks to you I started, in February, a little budget book. It was when you said that when you came from the shops you immediately wrote down what you spent. Well, i am now doing the same. At the end of March, i resolved to cut 10% from many of my budget categories ( for example - take my peyrol budget down to £50 from £55). At the end of April I will let you know how this goes! This is following a previous suggestion of yours. Thank you so much for the inspiration and your honesty.
Wonderful!
Thank you so much for sharing , I have learned so much from you all. Thank you, Jane Mike and Puppies.
Our pleasure!
Thanks for sharing the details of your budget. It seems we live very similar lives financially . BTW...I remembered to let the ads roll!
Thank you and thank you for your support
Great video, i love listening to different people on how they budget and save money, ive been frugal for 15 year's and just recently retired... im soon to be 35 so im excited to travel and see the world....my etf dividends more then cover my lifestyle.. anyone can do this with smart saving/investing.. have a good one.. look forward to the next video ❤
That is awesome! Well done.
hi. We have a german shepherd dog and make most of his food instead of buying it. we feed her mostly dark meat chicken and sweet potatoes and a few assorted vegetables like green beans, carrots and peas. we cook the chicken without salt in water and make great bone broth for her and moisture for her meal. she like to have a bit of a crunch so we give her a cup of high quality dry dog food. but mostly her food is home made
That’s great
i think it saves money, but i know it is healthier for her
Fruit is good for dogs also.
Hi Jane - it’s so interesting to see your budget. I am a single mature woman in the USA, still working, and trying to get to debt free. I look at your budget and figure it on my one income, to see if it’s possible. My income will change drastically when I stop working. Your videos are inspiring for me.
Happy to help and I wish you well
Now is a good time to plan how you will deal with your change of income.
Thank you both. Helpful, clear and well presented information Much appreciated.
Our pleasure!
thank you for a very informative video. single and found myself really needing to budget this year and really need to start preparing for retirement in less than 15 years. time to make a budget plan and stick to it.
Glad it was helpful!
Hi Jane and Mike. There's nothing like being organised. 😃
So true!
Thanks for sharing. I use a lot of your ideas. Health care, car insurance, homeowners, mobile phone and internet seems less than in the US. Electricity and fuel seem similar. Our lives are different but I gain ideas from you. At 72 I will finally retire from my part time job, tutoring reading to young children, that I have loved. But time to go! I have a state pension and good health care from my state. We have SS and my husband has small IRA. He has a very small parttime job to fund his hobbies. But I know we will soon have less income. But because of you and a couple of other youtubers I have a good savings and sinking funds.
❤❤❤❤
Enjoy your retirement
Excellent video, Jane and Mike! You explained your process in a way most people should get it. A cornerstone of your budgeting library of videos. ☺️
Thanks
Thank you for sharing Jane. A delight to learn from you. God bless
Yes, everybody’s budget is going to be different but you have described a simple financial plan to live by 👍
Thank you Jane and Mike for sharing another great video 😊
You are so welcome!
Hi Jane and Mike! I’m an LA Gal currently visiting Sweden and got to visit my first Lidl. It was so great to see where you have been shopping, thanks for sharing your personal life and finances with us!
Our pleasure! Enjoy your trip
@@FrugalQueeninFrance thank you, Jane!
Now that is a seriously thrifty budget! You two are inspirations. 🤓
Thank you for your feedback
Love your budget videos!
Glad you like them!
All good advice, Jane and Mike. We are now doing the sinking funds, which are working well. We have no entertainment budget either! Lots of long walks, and now weather is better, some gardening. Thanks as always for sharing.
It's all possible with intention
Bonjour! Thank you for an excellent and informative video. We are retired American educators, on a fixed passive income, looking to move to France or Spain. The French public healthcare is available after three months if we move there with a Long Stay Visa. Whereas in Spain public healthcare is available after one year. That is one difference we have noticed. The French culture and climate is much different than that of Spain. Renting costs in Spain, along the coast, seem cheaper than that of the French Riviera. I love both languages. It does appear that we could buy a modest house near Limousin, but it seems a bit far from a decent hospital. Lyon has a good hospital, like in Paris. Since we like trains and streetcars, I guess we need to live in different regions to find the warmest, cheapest, best medical care, regions. I like the free public healthcare, saving us $3000/year. So many choices. Thanks again for sharing your experiences!!! Dean & Cindy
I wish you well
Thank you Jane and Mike for another great video. You have prompted me to save more for my next car.
Our pleasure!
We give interesting names to our various saving funds eg. Health & Fun, Big Things, Holibobs!
Somehow it makes savng a little easier. Goodness only knows what the bank thinks!!😂
Thank you for sharing. I hope to be able to retire early enough to enjoy my retirement, as you have. It's helpful to see what you and your husband have done and not done to make that happen. Thanks again.
Best of luck!
This was a great video. Plain and simple! Very well said!
Glad you liked it!
As always, love your work, Jane and Mike. x
Many thanks!
I so enjoy your videos! Always great information we can apply no matter what country we live in!
Thank you
🙏🙏🏡🏡Great inspiration, as always.
Thanks so much!
Thank yoy for sharing lov your budget vids 😘. Bless u and 🐶 always 🌝 ❤
You are so welcome!
We are fortunate that in the past couple of years we can afford to eat out, we were married fifty years in 2023, and spent a fair bit on it, In the past birthdays were celebrated by dinner out that was it, so now it is great to relax the rules, and have a budget meal out once a week. We also have a budget though a bit different from yours but it works for us, we like to travel and I spend a lot of time on the internet finding good deals. In June we are having a mid week break in a caravan near Grange-over sands for £550. The old saying look after 5he the pennies the the pounds will look after themselves still stands today. All the best enjoy your retirement
It’s a better world for us all being different
Many financial advice people are now saving don’t worry about the pennies, worry about the dollars. They mean the large expenses like mortgage, insurance, car, etc. Though I agree, I think the pennies are important also.
Thanks, great video! ❤
You are so welcome!
Thank you for sharing your budget always helpful to do mine.
Any time!
Thank you for the video you are helping me a lot❤❤❤❤
You are so welcome!
A great video, thank you. 🇨🇦
Thanks
My social security comes in on 22nd of the month that I budget for the next month. My small pension comes in on the first of the month.
Thank for sharing ❤
You are so welcome
Thank you for sharing.
My pleasure!
Jane and Mike, great video as always!
Glad you enjoyed it
I like your ideas, I do aqua fit , normally twice a week, an expense as it helps with my Parkinson’s, and I’m adjusting my ‘out’ coffee spends.
Also I save monthly my direct debit, and do save the change, which yields approximately £400 yearly, which I use as hol spending money,
Only visit family abroad Spain or Italy few days a year.
I no longer drive tho do have a ‘free’ bus pass due to health, tho live very near the centre of a town, currently started online supermarket deliveries tho
Always make sure to let the adds run through now .😊
Thanks
Thank you for sharing your budget and being so transparent. It is always helpful to see how others plan. We have followed the Dave Ramsey plan for years and budget every dollar and save for all the expenses that do not occur monthly as well. As we approach retirement in several years, we are looking at what will change in our budget and how to account for it so we don't have surprises that aren't planned and budgeted for.
You are so welcome!
We wish you well
Your hair looks great. I always enjoy your videos
Thank you for this video. Always interesting to compare to what I spend.
Thanks for watching!
Wonderful budgeting ❤
Thanks
Yes, you are mature money savers.❤️
Thank you
Thanks for sharing! It gives us a better understanding of how to be more frugal! We are in the US so things are a bit more expensive but a good idea is a good idea! Thank you for that.
Glad it was helpful!
Great video.
Glad you enjoyed it
Wonderful again.
Thanks again!
Thank you ❤
You're welcome 😊
Thanks, Jane. I am really trying to budget as best as I can here in the Cayman Islands. It's really expensive and like you have said the salary is not going up 😊
We all forget, even through it’s a tax haven, ordinary people live there too
I live in Panama and like Cayman Islands most things are imported so there are very few bargains and tinned items are so expensive. Coffee is cheap, local and very good, but we do not grow sufficient of the basics even. The end of date and damaged packaging offers have reduced drastically, maybe they are going to elderly care homes etc. I am starting a garden, on my patio and already have celery, zucchini, squash and bush beans growing. Pole beans and onions did not even start. Today sowing tomatoes, bell peppers, cayenne peppers and aubergine. I am using and old paddling pool to collect rain water.
👍👍👍
I can usually keep spending low retired live in America collect a pension watch my spending I also work part time which I love it gives extra padding to save I have no debt and my health ins comes out of my pension I am not old enough for social security but my part time job is giving what I will collect I like the excised and people at work so it's a win win for me thank you for openness and honesty 😊
Thanks
Thank you for sharing your budget! I am working diligently to budget off of last months income. Haven’t made it there yet. I am about halfway… The buffer that’s needed is quite large when you’re not used to doing that.
You can do it! You will get there. A no spend month on no essentials can help buffer building bit by bit.
❤
💖💖💖
Thanks
I have a CD fund, and it's for my 2025 Viking vacation that needs to be paid in May 2024. It's my first time on Viking pricey, but it's for my 75th birthday.
Happy Birthday Gladys.
You’ve thought of everything!
We try our best to
Great video! Inching closer to 35 K! Was wondering where you would put the expenses related to your garden. Also will you have associated expenses with repairing the greenhouse due to the bad weather you experienced last year and weather you will be adding more vegetable beds or fruit shrubs or trees this year to increase what you can consume or put away for the colder months.
We bought a roll of generic duck tape to repair what is left of the green house. 3€ we have a garden budget of 360€ a year.
I'm in awe of your supermarket budget! I think I have some work ahead. My food spending has sadly gotten out of control 😢
You can do it!
Great video, thanks so much for all of the great information. When you are older will you get something similar to social security in addition to your pensions
Yes, at 67 we will get our UK state pension and due to contributions here as well very small French pensions too
I am remembering you commenting in the past about a monthly discretionary fund for you and Mike . I liked the idea and I am wondering if you still do that and also do you ever save for and go on vacation ? I love your channel and it has helped me get a grip on my finances .
We've had no discretionary funding this year, no holiday last year or this year. The cost of living crisis.
I really appreciate your content! Could you please do something about young families in France or suggest a channel that does? God bless you!
I watch youtube.com/@MamanEconome?si=7MmgS5myMR8xzdFM
Maybe you could talk more about how health care works there. Here in the US, health insurance is expensive. People here argue that you in the UK and Europe must pay exorbitant
taxes to get healthcare. I'm not so sure. Here's what my husband and I pay (we are 74 and 89 years old). His Medicare part B is $170, his gap plan is $459 a month (he has a number of health issues), and his part D for prescriptions is $54. My Medicare part B is $170. My monthly premium is $25, but the plan has a $5,000 deductible.
Eye exams for disease is covered, but the plan only pays a little toward glasses. We have no dental coverage. We also purchase a long term insurance plan in case of
long term rehab or nursing home costs. As you can see, our monthly expenses for health insurance comes to $1178. We research extensively for cheaper plans, but
the fact that my husband has health problems leads to higher premiums. These expenses are killing us. How much do you pay in taxes, and what medical costs are covered?
We pay social security payments of 22% of gross income for healthcare, pensions and a social safety net for everyone so people gets paid maternity leave, bereavement leave, and all other social benefits. We have no deductibles or co pay. We're completely covered.
For your glasses I would suggest getting a prescription from your Dr and getting the glasses on line. If the glasses frame you have are fine you can just get the new lenses.
Dental insurance. My son doesn’t have dental insurance but there are online dental insurers that are relatively inexpensive and cover quite a bit. His dentist also had pamphlets of insurers.
Hope this helps.
Thankyou Jane for sharing such a good breakdown of where your money comes from and goes to.
I’m Aussie and in some videos like your shopping hauls, you mention prices in Euros and cents. Could you please explain how that works. Many thanks, Lorraine 💁♀️
In Google in the search box type in the amount of Australian $ in the amount of euros that I mentioned.
Jane, I didn’t mean about converting amounts to Australian dollars , just how do you have Euros and cents in the French economy.
@@lorrainewilby2085 France switched to Euros January 1st 1999.
@@FrugalQueeninFrance I should have looked at Google earlier Jane. I didn’t know there were 100 cents per Euro. Thankyou.
i have an unusual question - more a request I guess. Would you be able to show us the equipment you use to film these videos, the programs you use, the process you go through - I am fascinated by all of this :D
We film with an iPhone, we edit with iMovies. We have no camera or special equipment. No microphone or any lights.
I am curious about your electric bill, do you have an availability charge? That's what it's called with our cooperative power company here in Northern Michigan, US. We pay $18.75 per meter. We have one for the house built in the 1960s, and one for the garage and pole barn built in 2018. I remember when it went from zero to $5 per month back in the mid 1990s when this was our cabin. We are blessed to have 13cents per KWH, they just upped our service charge last winter and we will be seeing another raise this year.
We have what we British people call the standing charge, or the connection charge and it’s 50 cents a day including the tax.
Great video (as always). Did have a bit of difficulty hearing you volume wise in the kitchen area (although I adore your kitchen)…perhaps there was a glitch of some kind or maybe if you buffer the area with some fabric it might come in clearer. Not a complaint…just a notification.
Thanks for the tips!
Your hair is gorgeous kid
Thanks
I know that you retired in your early 50's and are enjoying your early retirement. As for my family my husband chose to work until 67 so our retirement began after that. Since working those later years we were able to save money that we couldn't when our kids were growing up. So we are in a different place than you are. We don't have to live on less, but we do, since it's the way we always lived our lives. We budget at the beginning of the year so that we know our estimated costs for living and extra is saved already so we don't have an official emergency/sinking fund since everything other than essentials are taken out of savings, earned those later years. We live a comfortable life but are thrifty and frugal because that is our lifestyle, not because we have to. Just a different way of living, different from you. No scrimping but just frugality to continue saving money as we can.
Thanks
I would really like to start budgeting, but how do you start sinking funds when you have no sinking funds? There is always something that needs to be paid each month which leaves very little or no money to save in a sinking funds. What is your advice please?
I'll make a video about this on Sunday
Dear Jane,
Would you mind to share how much you paid for your property in France? Thanks a lot
In 2018, it was 45k including legal fees and we spent 100K to date in renovations which includes the land and the barn. It was derelict and hadn’t been lived in for 50 years when we bought it but it had a new roof. So, it cost 145K
Hi Jayne , I have worked in a French hospital for 40 years , and as most people in France I have a mutuelle on top of the Secu deductions .i am now a 73 year old widow, my mutuelle costs me a 137€ a month . I have been to different places to see if I can pay less ,and they have all told me to stay with the MNH ( mutuelle for hospital workers )as they could not give me a better price with the same garanties, I was wondering what mutuelle do you have as I am sure that you have found a cheaper one than me .
Ours are 106 for both of us with generali
@@FrugalQueeninFrance Thank you for answering me , I have never heard of that mutuelle but I will certainly go and find out about it , as that is a fantastic tarif .
Hi jane & mike, would you help out family members if they need help with a bill or emergency ( and they would pay you back) . It’s a dilemma for us at moment as its not so much an emergency just they spend more than they have always
Your last words of your final sentence would form my decision. I will not enable stupidity.
Jane, do u buy a new/used car every 6 years? Do you trade in your car that you now have and get another with approximately 5,000 dollars down getting another car with no payments?
We will sell our car before it depreciates too much. The more it loses, the more we have to save. We save 5000, trade in and have no payments
Hi Jane- I’m still unclear about your long term savings. Is it an un-dedicated savings/large sinking fund? Do you ever dip into it? Where do you keep it? Savings account? Mutual fund? Index fund? Also do you have a nest egg that you never discuss? You never mention interest or dividend income? I assume you reinvest that if you have it? Just curious about all things Jane and Mike. Love your channel!
Undedicated - we have pensions which means the money we put in for years will pay us a pension/dividend every month until we die and that's index linked. They hold the fund not us. We have a years emergency fund and our regular savings we add to. There's no lump of money.
Thanks for your straightforward response! You’ve done a very good job of planning your life out!
I'm curious, do you also have any kind of investments? Or do you live month to month, with the only savings being in your long term and short term savings?
We saved all our working life into occupational pensions and will receive an index linked amount from those until we die. We treat that like income and save 20% each month for projects as well as having short term savings for things we need. So no investments as in a lump of money. The pension company has our lump of money.
Is your tv all in French? Do you speak French fluently? Is your business tax paid in England or France or both?
Yes, no, France
@@FrugalQueeninFrance Thank you!
What does "sinking fund" mean? I have never heard of this term.
Sinking funds are money you set aside each month for specific savings goals. They allow you to save for infrequent expenses and plan for large expenses over time. Having sinking funds can help prevent you from withdrawing money from your emergency fund or going into debt to pay for things.
So our monthly trash bill went from 50$ a month to 67$. That’s just crazy . No idea why
No water.or sewage or garbage for.you there? Is that paid by the country?
Water bill, rubbish are paid annually and saved for in sinking funds. Water 260€ a year, rubbish is 210€ a year