Contents
Their portrait
Anna and Christophe are at the head of a tribe made up of five girls (18, 14, 13, 8 years and 11 months), five boys (16, 12, 10, 6 and 4 years), a dog and a cat. He is a truck driver, she is a stay-at-home mom. They have € 3650 per month to live on.
It is in Lorraine, in a large house of 260 m², that this atypical family lives. Anna and Christophe are owners. They finished paying off their mortgage over ten years ago.
The couple are careful not to spend “unnecessary”. He prefers to grow his vegetables rather than buying them at the supermarket, to heat himself with wood rather than electricity, give to associations rather than waste. At the end of the month, Anna and Christophe manage to put some money aside. They reveal their budget to us.
Income: € 3650 per month
Christophe is a truck driver. His salary varies according to the seasons. He earns an average of € 1100 net per month in winter, € 2000 in summer.
Mother’s salary: 0 €
Anna is a stay-at-home mom.
Family allowances: € 2100 per month
This sum includes the Complement of free choice of activity from which Anna benefits, on parental leave for 16 years.
Personalized housing assistance: € 0
fixed expenses: 1437 € per month
Repayment of a mortgage: 352 € per month
Our large family lives in Lorraine, in a house of 260 m², bought for 130 francs (less than 000 euros) in 20. “At the time, there was only one living room and a lot of work. », Says Anna. Today, the home has six bedrooms and the couple has finished repaying their mortgage.
Anna and Christophe recently took out a new loan to acquire the barn glued to their land. They plan to fit out two new bedrooms and a games room.
Housing tax: 0 €
The couple no longer paid this tax from the birth of their fourth child.
Property tax: € 489 per year
Income taxes: 0 €
Waste treatment costs: € 936 per year
In their commune, the inhabitants pay two taxes per year for the collection of garbage cans and the operation of the waste reception center, in proportion to the number of people making up the household.
Insurance: 125 € per month for the house and three vehicles (2 cars and 1 scooter)
Fixed telephone + Internet subscription: € 40 + € 24,90 per month
Mobile phone subscriptions: € 35 per quarter
Christophe and the two elders have a mobile phone with prepaid cards. The children do small jobs (eg helping the neighbor to bring in her wood) to earn a little money. This allows them to finance, in particular, their phone card.
Electricity: 80 € per month
Water: 75 € per month
Gas: 162 € per year
The family uses about six bottles a year.
Heating: around 500 € per year
“We had planned the electrical installation for the heating, but ultimately our fireplace is enough to maintain a good temperature throughout the house,” says Anna. The family consumes twelve cubic meters of wood per year, at € 9 per unit. But it is also necessary to count the depreciation of the professional equipment of Christophe.
Fuel: 200 € of diesel per month
When full, the family travels to two cars: a Peugeot 405 diesel and a diesel 4 × 4 (seven seats).
Transport: around € 30 per month
This sum corresponds to the bus card of their eldest daughter, a student.
Childcare costs: 0 €
Anna and Christophe’s children have never known the canteen or the daycare.
Associative membership: 240 € per month
The family joins a Christian association which offers activities for children every week (bowling, canoeing, cycling, etc.).
Donations: 85 € per month to the Christian Mission
Random expenses: 869 € per month
Shopping budget: around 600 € per month
Anna goes to hard discount stores, sometimes the hypermarket (for household appliances or school supplies, for example). She makes the bread and yogurt herself, and does not buy ready-made meals “just to help out”.
The family grows their vegetables, raises animals and buys milk (14 liters per week) on the farm, at 55 cents per liter.
Animal budget: around 20 € per month
Christophe buys what to feed the hens, chickens and rabbits, directly on the farm.
Leisure budget: 16 € per year
Anna regularly takes her children to the library where the subscription is free up to the age of 16. Her own contribution comes to her at € 16 per year. The family also sometimes goes to the swimming pool.
Extra budget: around 30 € per month
“We mainly buy DVDs, books … This budget also includes birthday gifts for children,” she emphasizes.
Clothing budget: around 80 € per month
“A lot of people (friends, people from the village…) give us clothes for the youngest. So, I mainly buy shoes, socks and clothes from adults, most often on sale. “
Pharmacy budget: maximum € 30 per month
Hairdresser budget: 25 € per month
Only Christophe and the eldest son go to the hairdresser. From time to time, Anna improvises herself as a hairdresser, “but girls prefer to have long hair …”
Holiday budget: around 1000 € per year
Each year, the family rents a large house in Brittany, at 850 € per week. This year, there were no holidays, because work had to be advanced in the barn.
Savings: 350 € per month
Anna and Christophe manage to set aside € 350 each month, on their savings account. For now, this money is used “in case of emergency”, when the current account empties a little too quickly.
Their tips for spending less
Growing your vegetables
Anna and Christophe have transformed a large plot of land into a vegetable garden. The vegetables harvested (650 kilos of potatoes this year, but also zucchini, beans, sweet corn, tomatoes, etc.) are either eaten directly or put in the freezer for the rest of the year. Result: the family realizes big savings, especially in summer. In winter, Anna still has to buy some vegetables, but always “in season”.
Raise animals
The family raises chickens and rabbits for their own meat consumption. She also has about forty chickens. “We collect eight or nine eggs a day, which is not a lot given the number of hens, but enough to feed everyone! “
Do it yourself
Anna cooks a lot. Every day, she bakes an 800 g cereal bread, in addition to the four “bought” baguettes. She also makes her natural yogurts.
Heating with wood
“Wood is by far the most economical solution for heating, since we only consume twelve cubic meters per year, at € 9 per unit,” she explains.
Use washable diapers
“For my youngest child, I only used washable diapers, which are much more economical than disposables. “
Do you want to talk about it between parents? To give your opinion, to bring your testimony? We meet on https://forum.parents.fr.