Counting the pennies - how much do you spend?

[142094]

We sometimes hear the counter argument, when people are moaning about railway enthusiasts, that we pump a lot of money into the railways by travelling on them all the time and buying things associated with the railways. Basically this thread is to see how much we all spend on tickets and other items, just a rough estimate. You can include season tickets and other such things, as it all adds up.

I've had a quick calculation and last year I'd say I spent roughly the following:

Tickets - Around £1,500 including a 3 month season ticket
Food and drink at stations - Probably around £200, give or take £50
Other railway stuff - £75 for books and magazines

On top of that add on petrol money driving to photting sites, and of course batteries and film for the cameras.

It is quite amazing when you realise how much you spend, and this is even going for advance and low price tickets. Still, for all the money spent it is worth it simply for the enjoyment of the hobby.

 

[Ivo]

SHORT ANSWER: Too much :?

MEDIUM ANSWER: Too much, especially given a lot of it is wasted on sausage rolls :?

LONG ANSWER: Too much, especially given a lot of it is wasted on sausage rolls, never mind the fact that I'm a student :?

Seriously though, I reckon that I've spent somewhere in the region of £350 - £500 since I left home in September. This is undoubtedly a lot, but when you realise that there are things like £15.20 for 155 minutes travelling First-Class in a 222 inclusive of four cups of tea and some wine if I'd wanted it... [and a hot waitress to serve it all ]

 

[Jordy]

Makes a change from the usual student spending reasons anyway!

I daren't even attempt to work out how much i've spent, but its a lot!

 

[Ivo]

I'll take that as a challenge! Time to work it out (as close as I can, i.e. using tickets at hand and memory)... and not counting journeys to and from Southend

I estimate £440 :?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
£350-ish, allowing for some Advance journeys I haven't yet made (which include, among others, going to Leeds and back to stay with a friend for the weekend [20/21 Feb]).

 

[Dai.]

It's not really the railways I have to worry about haha.

I do spend too much on railways

But clothes, shoes and music im worse with.

(AND IM A GUY!)

 

[Ivo]

Dai, Dai, Dai... Honestly. No offence intended, but have you got a female mind or something?

I can safely say that February 2010 will comfortably be my most expensive month with regards to rail travel ever - and by some distance at that.

 

[142094]

What I've started doing recently is going places and staying the night in a hotel, which has increased the cost a lot more than just going for the day. Off to Liverpool in a couple of weeks and then Inveness in April. In between is a day to London (with the newspaper tokens) and whatever else comes up!

 

[poshbakerloo]

I spend waaaay too much!

about £100-ish a week on nights out and about £30-ish on travel to/from work! and a whole lot more on shopping sprees to the Trafford Centre haha

 

[Lampshade]

Urgh, I don't want to even think about what I spent last year hock:

This year so far it's £36.50 on tickets alone.

Also I've spent a fair bit at the Starbucks and KFC at Piccadilly station.

 

[Ivo]

KFC at Picc...

:roll:

I should probably add that, until December, my idea of a day out by train was to run a fairly similar idea to the PTE challenges - cover every reasonable line in London, NR or TfL (inc. DLR/Tram), in as short a time as possible. I did seven in all, I believe, including one specially timed to coincide with the last day of the East London.

Then I had the idea of going to Cardiff.
...And Swansea.
...And Southampton.
...And Exeter.
...And Sheffield.
...And Birmingham.
...And Leeds.
...And Edinburgh.
...And Poole.

It builds up. The last four haven't even been yet. Hell if I know how I'm going to sleep over the Half-Term week! Even if I am coming back from Scotland on the Caledonian!

 

[142094]

That is the problem, as soon as one place is marked off the list another 5 replace them! I'm looking forward to Liverpool as I've only been once before to Lime Street and didn't leave the station, so should be a good little jaunt.

 

[Ivo]

Oh, my list doesn't even include areas nearby that I visted (or will visit)! This Saturday for instance, which is "Birmingham" [the LM Great Escape], I'm actually covering everywhere from Birkenhead HSq to Wembley Central, starting at Bristol TM and finishing at Bath Spa. And that's just an example!

See why I'm confident of a top-end finish in the Mileage Competition?

 

[devon_metro]

Last year I spent £170.35 on train tickets, plus £20ish on a Railcard. My annual pence per mile was 3ppm!

 

[142094]

Of course, forgot about the railcard as well. Add another £65 on to my total.

 

[Muppet]

At present for this year I have spent around 800-900 of the Queens English Pounds.

284.00 on MOT And replacement bearing
204.00 on replacement drive shaft ( 5 days after MOT :/ )
100.00 Petrol ( Do a lot of short city driving )
250.00 On General Living and Leisure stuff :/ sucks being a student, Gotta love that overdraft though

 

[HSTfan!!!]

too much - monthly
£420 - mortgage
£100 - Council tax
£100+ - various other bills
£80 - petrol
£50 - credit card
etc etc

 

[Drsatan]

I only try to spend about £20-30 quid per week (I'm a student) on expenses, but I end up spending more than that on pints down the local and other unforeseen expenses!

I don't spend that much on rail travel since I've no real need to travel for business. I've spent about £30 on rail fares this year though, although that includes a £20.90 AP return to Romsey.

 

[90019]

Definately too much last year, took rather a chunk out of my savings;
Probably about £100-140 or so on the railways.
Petrol must have been at least £200.
Clothes and things, not really sure, but I'd guess about £100.
Things for me and for others, probably about £300+.


Spent almost nothing on the railways so far this year.

 

[Tom B]

My total spend on tickets this year has been, er, £1.25!

(OK, OK, I'm just about to buy £100 worth of tickets - but someone else is paying for £70 of that, and I've a £22 RTV...).

 

[Ivo]

I only try to spend about £20-30 quid per week (I'm a student) on expenses, but I end up spending more than that on pints down the local and other unforeseen expenses!

See, said "unforeseen expenses" are half the reason I can afford to make such ridiculous journeys. I don't pay to use buses (usually), I have a 16-25 Railcard (courtesy of NatWest ), and I don't drink or anything like that. I even went as far as joking (at the start of the year) that what most students waste on nights out I will waste on sausage rolls!

Just wonder if I can hit 4,000mi by the end of the month, not the 3,200 I was originally envisaging... I have today off, courtesy of a lecturer's illness, so maybe I should take advantage of it...!

 

[Lampshade]

Last year, including my railcard, I spent £385.15 on fares, but that's not including credit I used on my Oyster or journeys where the barriers gobbled my ticket, so it's probably nearer £400 hock:

And yes, I have just gone through all of last year's tickets and added them up.

 

[Techniquest]

Wouldn't surprise me if I spent well in excess of £500 a year on tickets. Have spend around £135 so far on tickets this year, but also spend a lot on food and drink whilst out on the bash. Last time I did a Heart of Wessex Ranger, for instance, I spent £11.18 on food and drink, more than the cost of the ranger! Trying to keep spending to a minimum on this rover, although it's not easy. Takeaways and hot drinks in this cold weather mount up a lot. Thankfully I have a Bite card so it isn't quite so expensive

Estimating at least £500 on tickets alone this year, would not be surprised if it was more.

 

[142094]

Ah yes, the ubiquitous Bite card. Not sure if this is really worht it though, unless you have to stay in the station or have to catch a tight connection. The price of a sandwich can be exorbitant - especially when you think that you could probably get a meal deal of sandwich, crisps and drink for the same price a 10 minute walk along the road.

Has anyone actually received a free meal in the station due to staff not giving you a receipt? Most of the Upper Crust etc things have the little notices, but I always manage to get a receipt! Perhaps I should 'mend' the receipt printer the next time I'm there!

 

[Techniquest]

I don't like most of the food in Upper Crust et al anyway, so I go to a chippy or shop somewhere for my food normally. Bite cards are extremely helpful for discounted tea/coffee or even soft drinks (although soft and cold drinks with the weather the way it is lately is not recommended!), I've saved quite a bit of money using it.

Not all food is expensive on the rails though. 28th December 2009, we went to the Lickey and got some breakfast in the Pumpkin at Cheltenham Spa. £2.99 for a medium coffee and bacon roll, not bad. Even cheaper with a Bite card!

 

[poshbakerloo]

I'm gonna try and budget a lil bit better when I'm at uni next year!

 

[SouthEastern-465]

£843.00 on my model trains.

and £96.00 on add-ons for MSTS & RS.

But as for railway tickets I have lost count!

 

[43021HST]

£843.00 on my model trains.

and £96.00 on add-ons for MSTS & RS.

But as for railway tickets I have lost count!

WOW!!!!!! where do you get the money?! Have you got some kind of get rich quick scheme, please tell me, I do a paperround and I only get £17:00 every two weeks which gets spent on my modal railway, and tickets and no money left for train games.

 

[Mojo]

I think I spend way too much although I do have to buy food for myself and pay for a lot of things. My new financial policy involves my current account never being in credit (I have a £500 authorised overdraft) and when I'm about to hit £500 I transfer £500 across from my savings account.

So I can quite easily work out, by checking that, and my wages, that I've spent £1,000 since Sept 2009, although I did spend around £300 on a holiday! That has been food, train tickets, clothes (not very many) and going out.

 

[HSTfan!!!]

I don't like most of the food in Upper Crust et al anyway, so I go to a chippy or shop somewhere for my food normally.

Indeed, when I was in hereford not so long ago, I was hungry and I remembered you recommending mr.chips - stunning! lol

 

[Techniquest]

Glad to hear they lived up to the recommendation then