Can I survive?

dipsy2006

hello
i am another newbie - been using the site for ideas for a while but due to a recent change in circumstances, i am now starting to get worried about how I will afford to live.

I have recently split up with my boyfriend and next month I will be moving into a one bedroomed flat by myself. Therefore, my outgoings are going to increase as there will be no-one to share my bills with! So, I have put together a SOA based on what will be when I move (providing guesses at some bills).

I estimate just about being able to cover everything (including DMP), but I wondered if anyone could offer some advice for making some improvements.


All per month:
Income: £1415 (soon to be increased slightly by about £40)

Outgoings:
Rent (will be): £695 per month
Gas (est): £20
Elec (est): £20
BT line & calls (est): £16.99 (this is a package that I have researched)
Broadband: £22.99 (with BT)
Mobile: £30
Petrol: £50
Food: £100
Cat food: £20
clothing: £30
car cost savings: £25 (for tax, mot etc)
Hair: £10 (get a cut every three months)
going out £100

Other bills: I have £600 coming to me in July and I intend to pay the annual amounts of the following:
Car Insurance (est £180-£200)
Pet Insurance (est £80)
Contents Ins (est £150)
TV licence (£130)
Water bill (£80 til april)
Council tax - to be paid by my Dad as a gift to help me out.

Debts:
I have had some contact with the CCCS and they suggested a DMP at £311 per month.

Obviously I will be shopping around for the best insurance deals, but I don't know if I can save on anything else? I have a £500 overdraft buffer but don't want to get into any more debt.

dipsy x

CLAPTON

i'm sure you wont want to hear this but to pay out 50% of your income on rent is not very viable....great that dad is paying the CT and you have a lump sum to pay water charge but your housing costs are very high..maybe a flat share would be better.

how will you pay the CT, water, car insurance, pet insurance etc. next year?

even so i make your spending totals to 1,140 without your year costs...by the time you add the DMP at 311 it becomes £1,451 which is slightly more than your income.

Landline: have you looked at BT landline only at about £11 and use call1899 and/or call18185 for calls

broadband ...there are loads of deals costing £15 or less.

you make no provision for presents, holidays ...are these significant?

Prudent

You seem to have enough for the intial period until annual bills are due again or unexpected bills come up. Could you cut down on going out and mobile costs? Your rent is massive in relation to income. Are you in an expensive area?

dipsy2006

Thanks Clapton.

I know that my rent costs are very high. Unfortunately, the change in circumstances was very sudden and I did not have time to look around for someone I felt comfortable sharing with. I have had quite a lot of stress and upset recently and this seemed like the only option at the moment. I just couldn't face living with a stranger at this moment in time.

I do intend to have a review of the situation next year though, this is just to get me on my feet again and hopefully help me to feel a bit happier.

i really wish it was cheaper where i live though to live on your own - i could rent a studio flat for less, and this was a consideration. In the end though, I thought I would go mad just having one room to live in - especially in the present time.

sorry to go on - it's just that i already feel like i've lost a lot (due to split with boyf) and my living space is important to me (esp. since I will have to spend more time at home due to budgeting). Holidays are not on the cards for the next year due to situation.

I am thinking about taking a second job to try and generate some more income - but i shall have to wait until i move to see what time will allow.

Anyway, i'm not sure about how to go about using call1899 and/or call18185 for calls - do you know where I can find the info? Also, broadband - i can't seem to find any cheap deals for that either!

tanith

sounds like you are going to struggle , as has been said your rent is astronomical compared to your salary... no chance of a cheaper place or perhaps renting a room with a family member? what you are asking can be done but you are going to have to cut back on all the luxuries to be able to keep it up for any length of time.......

dipsy2006

oh god. i am now starting to worry that i have done the wrong thing.

I can't live with a family member as my family live at the otherside of the country.

I don't know what to do about the rent situation. I have already paid a deposit and everything. My head is all over the place at the moment and I just needed to get it sorted as I have to move out of where I am at short notice.

I know I am going to struggle really badly - i know what i am proposing can be done but I just don't know how I am going to do it. I feel such a failure at everything - it's so hard, i am just trying to survive really. I don't really have any help from anyone (emotionally) - all my friends have their own lives to get on with and they don't really grasp the severity of my situation (why should they - they have their own problems)

I just feel on my own with all this.

The rent situation is how it is - i just need to figure out how to survive the rest of it really.

kuohu

Just a few comments...

dipsy2006 wrote:

Rent (will be): £695 per month

Others have commented that this is extremely high. I am single and pay £525 per month for a 2 bedroomed period terraced cottage, although obviously I know that rents vary a lot from area to area. Is there time for you to shop around a bit more and find something cheaper? What area are you in?

dipsy2006 wrote:

Gas (est): £20
Elec (est): £20

Again from my own experience, I pay about £20 in total for gas and electricity. Not £20 each.

dipsy2006 wrote:

BT line & calls (est): £16.99 (this is a package that I have researched)
Broadband: £22.99 (with BT)
Mobile: £30

My basic BT package is £10 a month, broadband £15 (Eclipse, but there are others at this price or a bit cheaper), and mobile is the O2 PAYG deal where you get free texts and mins for topping up £10 a month. I don't go outside my free allowance. You can get a free SIM card for this tarrif from O2.

Other comments:
- Is pet insurance necessary?
- Contents insurance looks really expensive. I'm sure mine is half that. (Although maybe you have some expensive stuff, I don't know).
- Debts: If you list all your debts and the APRS then the gurus on the board can advise you how to reduce them effectively.

Good luck.

.....
Edit: Sorry I wrote that at the same time as you posted about being tied-into the rent now.

Prudent

Hang in there. It is scary when you are on your own at first. Eventually you will realise you are doing ok financially and relax. In 2002 I found myself on my own with a ten year old daughter, an insecure and variable low income which on paper was far less than we needed. I now bring up daughter, look after two lovely cats and run a car and three bed semi on an average of £850 per month. We live well, thanks to this site.
My friends were fantastic and gave me massive emotional support - you may be surprised by how caring your friends are. My family also at other end of the country.

The anxiety about coping is often worse than the reality.

Mrs_Sparkle

Try not to worry hon. Yes the rent is a high proportion of your income but from what you've said I think it'll be money well-spent to have time and space to yourself. I'm assuming you've only signed up for a year, possibly with a break clause in the contract? If that's the case then you can start looking around for somewhere cheaper once you're settled in this new place. Like you said, you've had to find somewhere quickly and that's not usually the best way to get a bargain.

Good luck x

dipsy2006

Thanks Prudent - i think i put on a brave face to my friends really so it isn't their fault. Plus i haven't really seen anyone since it all happened so i haven't had chance to really talk to anyone.

I am really scared about how I will cope - but you are right - I know deep down that it will be okay and I will manage, but it's just the not knowing that it the worst.

Kuohu - thankyou for your comments - that's really helpful. I didn't really know how much to budget for gas/elec but if you think that it will be lower than my estimate, then that's good. The phones/broadband definitely need looking at and I will get on the case with that tomorrow.

Pet Insurance - well, I'm not sure about this. Vets bills can be huge and so i have been advised that it is best to be covered for this. I might be able to reduce that slightly though by shopping around.

Contents - i really don't have very much in terms of expensive furniture/equipment but can't seem to get cheaper quotes. A colleague told me that she pays on ly £6 per month but I can't seem to get a quote that cheap! Not sure what i am doing wrong with that.

I will have to list my debts at another time as i need to time to sort the other things out first. I am in the process of setting up a DMP with CCCS anyway, so at least they will start to reduce now.

Thanks for your help.
d x

barbie_babe

if you contact cccs and tell them how much you are paying out each month include in your budget everything even the things you are going to be paying off this year with your 600 pounds (as you will not have the 600 next year).then hopefully they will agree to a lower amount .i gather they must have told you 300 pounds a month when you were only paying half all the bills .
also if you go 02 as said before pay as you go you only have to top up ten pounds a month .(pm if you want an o2 sim i can pop one in post to you ).
i also would go with what the others have said and go for the lowest bt package .tiscali are doing broadband at moment for 12.99 a month so that might be a saving .
good luck with everything and i hope you get everything sorted out .