Hi all, t’is I, the great TruckNet material robber of old Redcar town!
Next on my T&D list is a feature I’ve been looking forward to doing, not least because it was my idea about two years ago - so if you’ve ever wondered about the lead time on some of the articles you guys have suggested, there’s some perspective for ya! Anyway, as it happens it’s really pertinent now what with HMRC starting to fiddle about with night out money, so I guess that makes it worth the wait.
Anyway, enough of my whining… …How much do you guys on nights out spend down the road and on what? How often do you eat out and where? How much do you spend on dongles, personal hotspots and unlimited phone minutes to keep in touch? On shower tokens not included with parking? On topping up meal vouchers? On meal vouchers employers deduct from tickets? In other words, what does it REALLY cost to be a tramper?
I’ve got a rake of info from last year’s Pay Survey to use for this, plus some input from various friends, but the more I gather the more accurate the feature will be. Also, beware thinking self-catering means you don’t spend extra - I thought that as well yet our shopping bills dropped by £30 a week when I came off the road and I no longer need to take out cash every week!
I used to cook my own food, and spend around £100 a week on the odd breakfast and takeaways, and beer. Depends a bit on which pub you can park near… Chichester, Corby, Evesham, Bristol are amongst the cheap nights out. Oh, and Willenhall.
I cook mostly all my own food bar the odd meal and spend around 30eur pw self catering, one gas canister will last a week at under 2eur. Other bought meals approx 25eur. A regular run with one stop halfway is free and the other at Calais or Reims is spent at the yard where they have showers/canteen ect and thats obviously free as well. Fuel though is another matter…1480litre tank…
On the road, nothing other than £10 max all week for showers. Very rarely eat out at all, self catering is much cheaper, tastier and healthier. I can succumb to the smell of a good fry up once in a while though. Can’t even remember the last time I paid for parking, though I get it back minus any meal vouchers.
It costs me around £30 on food and things for the week prior to going away.
Well this should be good now the facts come out like people who go to work to scrimp and scraping through there whole week just to earn a living depriving them self’s of a normal life living on scraps and leftovers and thinking they are been smart
Can’t wait to hear the replys
I started a new way of spending and living at work in January and so far it’s paying off.
So it goes like this.
I do a food shop for things in tins for instance, beans, ravioli, curries, stews ect and tinned veg. Packet foods like rice and pasta, cereal and teabags which usually comes to around £20 per month. I then also buy fresh meat and vegetable ingredients to make stews, casseroles and brothes to freeze usually around £20 per month. A gas bottle for around £24 (will last for around 8/9 months).
Each week I buy 1 loaf and 2 pints of milk and fresh stuff for sandwiches around £5 per week.
I’ve got a flask I fill daily to save on the cost of buying expensive service station tea.
So my initial outlay per month is around the £50/£60 mark.
I then limit myself to £50 per week so I’ve got a tenner to spend a day. I’m learning myself to save for myself now a days and not having a wife that took every single penny for herself.
So on a 4 week month my outgoings on a working month is roughly around the £300 mark but this is now where I make savings. By limiting myself to £10 a day I don’t overspend. So for instance this is currently my working week.
Sunday £10, don’t spend a penny as I’ve got my flask and fresh food for sandwich and a home cooked meal with me for tea at night when parked up.
Monday £10, £4 for breakfast, got me flask and fresh food for sandwiches and a home cooked meal with me for tea at night when parked up.
Tuesday £10, £4/£5 for breakfast and me flask and you get the idea about the days sandwiches and something tinned for me tea when parked up.
Wednesday £10, £5 for breakfast, flask and sandwiches something tinned for tea.
Thursday £10, £5 for breakfast, flask usually a crisp sandwich during the day and a meal at home with the girlfriend.
So there you have it. I can save around £30 a week to put a way if I don’t spend any extras which I try not too and I’m currently on savings of £400 since January.
I don’t drink due to medical reasons and I don’t smoke either.
I used to spend around £500/600 per month with no savings before I started this idea and it definitely is working for me.
Adonis.:
On the road, nothing other than £10 max all week for showers. Very rarely eat out at all, self catering is much cheaper, tastier and healthier. I can succumb to the smell of a good fry up once in a while though. Can’t even remember the last time I paid for parking, though I get it back minus any meal vouchers.
It costs me around £30 on food and things for the week prior to going away.
Weekly Shop for Food Etc= £50
Weekly Meals Allowance = £20 (2 treats per week max)
Weekly Bits and Bobs = £10
Monthly Phone Contract = £32
Not sure about washing costs of clothes as its some sort of magic the wife does with a white machine thingy that spins around a lot. Suppose that why wedding dresses are white to match the appliances.
Parking paid by employer approx £50, mix of truckstops, depots and secret spots.
Just an average really, doesnt account for surprise nights on the lash.
Adonis.:
On the road, nothing other than £10 max all week for showers. Very rarely eat out at all, self catering is much cheaper, tastier and healthier. I can succumb to the smell of a good fry up once in a while though. Can’t even remember the last time I paid for parking, though I get it back minus any meal vouchers.
It costs me around £30 on food and things for the week prior to going away.
A.
I wish I had your discipline.
A big part is avoiding parking in services or truckstops, if the temptation isn’t there you can’t get tempted There is also the fact most places have utter crap food.
A good breakfast helps too, usually cereal and fruit or scrambled eggs if I have the time.
I’m going back to tramping on Monday, doing event work in UK and European. I usually do a big shop before I leave, about £50 per week. I don’t park on services even though I’m sure this time it would be paid for. I cook in cab for the most part. This keeps costs to a minimum.
I know that living in the USA is completely different to back there but I can compare the two. Living and working in the UK and Europe I spent many nights away, in my last job there it could sometimes weeks away and I honestly have no idea what the costs were, basically because the company eventually repaid every penny spent LOL. I do know I was drunk most nights.
My previous job involving nights out was the Matchbox / Fed Ex job, I would be away Monday to Friday and I spent a lot of money, about 30 quid some nights, which was a lot back then.
Here in the USA I am away Monday to Friday, I take a basic amount of $100.00 every week. I am shocked sometimes when on a Tuesday I look in my wallet and count only $60.00 or less This is because I forget that on my way down to NYC I stock up with a few food supplies in case I find myself stuck in some out of the way place with no food available, even then I stop and buy a meal en-route. Some weeks I come home on a Friday and am skint and have had to use a credit card to eat on that morning, other weeks I may have $30.00 left… The obvious difference is that unlike in the UK I do not get drunk
Never park in services or truckstops. Maybe treat myself to a burger or fried chicken meal once a week. Use free showers where ever possible. Spend about £10 a week on food, water, milk and gas etc… do a lot of my cooking in my slow cooker so a gas can lasts my a couple of weeks. Phone contract is £32 a month with unlimited texts and calls and 20 gig of data so in total I reckon I spend about £30 per week by the time you’ve factored in the cost of a few cans of beer.
This is because I forget that on my way down to NYC I stock up with a few food supplies in case I find myself stuck in some out of the way place with no food available, even then I stop and buy a meal en-route. Some weeks I come home on a Friday and am skint and have had to use a credit card to eat on that morning, other weeks I may have $30.00 left… The obvious difference is that unlike in the UK I do not get drunk 
