Living alone - costs?

LumpyCustard_2

10yrsoldersaver wrote: »

.Ryanaldo Tv license is compulsory if you have a tv connected to an aerial.

Having a TV connected to an aerial does not mean you need a licence.

You need a licence to watch or record live TV, and that's whether it's on a TV set or a computer.

456789

Though being connected does sort of imply that you are/can watch live tv...

Little_Vics

Halifax market is brilliant for fruit & veg, meat etc so your grocery bills might not be too bad.

PasturesNew

To keep it simple, just mentally set aside £250/month for bills, including council tax for living alone.

For most people (not being wasteful of energy) this would adequately cover: council tax, gas, water, electricity, TV license, telephone landline, broadband service, contents insurance.

property.advert

Fire_Fox wrote: »

If you are willing and able to cook you can eat a healthy diet including meat for £100 a month, if you are willing to go vegetarian and give up junk food you could get down to £60. No idea why PropertyAdvert suggested £200 a month!

You don't get a lot for around £50 a week or £6 odd a day. I have also found that people living in foreign countries spend more on food than the locals, largely because they want some home comfort foods which have to be imported.

£60 a month is laughable as is £100 or £3 a day. Perhaps £100 a month could be done but it would be near torture. In addition, the OP is going to be a student so there will be some eating out to do.

bitsandpieces

Other costs: if you go through a letting agent, you'll likely need to pay a fee. You'll almost certainly need to pay a deposit, whoever you rent through (though this should be returned when you leave the place in good condition).

If expenses are an issue, you could also look at renting a room in a shared house/as a lodger - tends to be cheaper and could also let you get to know Halifax before deciding where to rent in the longer term.

£2/day for food is quite doable if you don't eat meat and budget well. You get lots of veg, pasta rice and pulses for that if you buy carefully. I'd rather spend more on food (for choice and variety) but you can eat healthily for fairly little.

ceridwen

456789 wrote: »

Though being connected does sort of imply that you are/can watch live tv...

But in this country the basic premise is "innocent till proved guilty". So - I would imagine its down to the TV licencing people to prove that you ARE watching live tv on a computer - and not up to you to prove you ARENT doing so.

Its a stupid little glitch in the law here.

I dont have to pay a tv licence myself - as I only ever watch the odd tv programme I watch AFTER the event (ie on IPlayer or the like). I make a point of NOT using websites that allow for watching tv programmes live at the time they are broadcasting - so that I stay within the law.

ceridwen

PasturesNew wrote: »

To keep it simple, just mentally set aside £250/month for bills, including council tax for living alone.

For most people (not being wasteful of energy) this would adequately cover: council tax, gas, water, electricity, TV license, telephone landline, broadband service, contents insurance.

Yep...that sounds about correct to me.

Food-wise - that depends not just on whether you are vegetarian or a meat-eater - but also on whether you grow any of your own fruit/vegetables and make own bread/etc.

Assuming that you dont grow any food or make any bread/etc yourself (as most people dont do either) - then a realistic figure for food is probably about £20-£25 per week per person (thats as a vegetarian). "Happy" meat-eating would cost quite a bit more than that. "Not giving a damn how the animal has been treated" meat-eating would add some £s more. I dont know how much it costs to be either a meat-eater with a conscience or one without - as one of the reasons I dont eat meat is because I cant afford it.

Fire_Fox

property.advert wrote: »

You don't get a lot for around £50 a week or £6 odd a day. I have also found that people living in foreign countries spend more on food than the locals, largely because they want some home comfort foods which have to be imported.

£60 a month is laughable as is £100 or £3 a day. Perhaps £100 a month could be done but it would be near torture. In addition, the OP is going to be a student so there will be some eating out to do.

What is the point in being a member of MSE and then making that sort of nonsensical statement? I hold degree level qualifications in nutrition and work in the NHS so I am quite confident I eat a healthy diet, and I know exactly what I spend on doing so. I don't make everything from scratch (e.g. purchase bread and tinned pulses), I don't survive on Value products and I don't shop around much.

I can assure you it is perfectly possible to eat a healthy vegetarian diet on far less than £60 a month: read Weezl74's thread 'Eat Healthily on 50p per Day' (Old Style board) for inspiration. I believe Weezl is currently feeding her three-person-plus-bump-family on £90 a month (diary on MFW board). :money: I would agree wholeheartedly that her lifestyle would be torture as there is a lot of work involved!

Fire_Fox

10yrsoldersaver wrote: »

Apologies for jumping in.
Firefox, I noticed you mentioned PlusNet for broadband, does this (or can this)include landline calls, Im keen to avoid BT's extortionate charges.(just bought small flat where phone line needs re connecting for internet)phone wont b used much.Ryanaldo Tv license is compulsory if you have a tv connected to an aerial.

http://www.plus.net/residential/bundles.shtml