Not to winge or anything...

tyllwyd

Doesn't your mortgage require buildings insurance at least? Or maybe since you are in a flat, there is insurance on the building as a whole - in which case, is there a monthly or annual service charge to cover that kind of thing?

Badger_Lady

Yeah - the flat's leasehold, so the landlord is responsible for buildings insurance and I pay an annual ground rent / service charge. Contents is my own responsibility... I just hope I don't get burgled or set on fire!

Bossyboots

Are you claiming the single adult occupancy discount on your council tax?

Badger_Lady

Hi BB - yes, I am! First thing I did when he moved out :-) Good tip though - I've met loads of people that didn't even know about that.

D&DD

Hi Badger lady do you have a clubcard if so do you get your petrol at Mr T's? The extra points add up which helps stretch the shopping bill.If you like salads and stuff why not make up a batch yourself from scratch for the fridge and keep in a tupperware save buying the ready made stuff.The Old style board is full of hints and tips for grocery reductions and there are lots of things you can start doing like using coupons to help reduce your bill (I have started doing this again and have saved a load!)There is also a daily newspaper thread which tells you which papers have coupons in..think its on the discount and vouchers board.Well done for asking for help

lynzpower

Hi there badger lady!

One thing I CANT believe that no one is suggesting for you as a movie lover is ditching the SKY package and going for trial periods with lovefilm/blockbuster/paradiso plenty of other ONline DVD rental packages. Most give you a month for free- at least. You get the films YOU wanna watch not whatever Sky fancies putting on! If you are double clever about it ( as I was this week ) Youll grab yourself a two week, 3 films at a time for free trial with blockbuster and by going via Quidco ( do a google for it) I'm getting a £25 payment for trying it!

After that, through Quidco there are other companies that pay up for a trial period too. If you are looking to save just 20 quid a month- Ive just saved you 18 :beer:

Badger_Lady

Thanks Lynzpower, that's a fab tip! I've just signed up with Blockbuster with £15 cashback! The Sky is up for renewal on Tuesday so it's good timing to cancel

Of course, the main point of this is not just to save £20 a month, but to start paying off some of this debt - so everything helps.

sparkle84

Have you budget for your maintainance charge I also have a small one bedroom flat and that work out at £50 per month have you received a maintainance bill yet??

lizzie666

Hi. I had a similar problem when i split with my ex. 1 bed flat. 2 cats 1 very large morgage!
I spoke to my morgage company (RBS) and sent them my bank statements and they were happy to transfer it into my name as long as I had my ex's consent. so i offered him £5 grand (thanks to my folks) and agreed to pay the legal fees (about £500)
he moved out, butwhile he was still part owner he kept on sending estate agents round to put the house on the market - I felt the same way as you.. there is no way I'm letting go of my home!!

I have no idea why they thought I could take on a £70,000 morgage on my income of £14,000 but they did. so maybe its worth giving it a go.

Scrap your landline if you have a mobile! And double check about your buildings insurance. My flat is leasehold, and I was advised that buildings insurance is a must.

It is a struggle on your own but I really belive it is worth it in the long run.
good luck.

Badger_Lady

Have you budget for your maintainance charge I also have a small one bedroom flat and that work out at £50 per month have you received a maintainance bill yet??

I haven't had a bill yet, but looking at previous years' it's only £80-£120 a year. I did look at flats that charged up to £80 a month! I think that's just extortionate - they must be doing a lot of maintenance for that kind of money.