Single Money Saver living on my own

Tessie_Balloon_Juice

P.S. Congratulations on the new job!

andrar

Thanks Tessie I'll look into those too - and thanks for the congrats, I'm so excited!

Tessie_Balloon_Juice

You're welcome

Can I just suggest that it might be worth ringing up a few utilities suppliers to find out what they estimate your bills at? When I moved in British Gas took information about my property, working hours, appliances, number or radiators etc and gave me an estimated cost. Obviously this might be difficult if you're not already in your house but you may be able to get a rough idea if you're sure about the type of property you're looking for (number of rooms etc) and the appliances you'll be using.

Oh and when you go to look at properties be sure to ask the tennants/owners what they pay for utilities. Its not going to be exactly the same for you because you're circumstances will probably be different, but it might give you a loose idea.

andrar

Thanks Tessie!

GreyQueen

winkle1 wrote: »

hiya, i have a flatmate but we tend to eat seperatley - mostly because I like to eat healthily and she ash takeaways every night!

Just wondering how much you spend on food a month/week? I'm trying to stick to £40 a month (this is my first month of doing it) is this realistic?

As a single householder I've been spending a monthly average of £79.13 in 2013. This does include a heckuva lot of storecupboard stuff.

On my lowest months, using a lot of stuff from the freezer and the storecupboard, it comes down to about £45. Oh, and this budget includes any cleaning materials and loo roll needed but not personal toileties.

I'd say that £40 per month would be do-able, but very spartan, and you'd have to watch your nutrition. It would be highly dependant on what kind of food you eat, and the resources you have at home already, and the type of shops you have available to use/

You can get a 4-pinter of milk from Icelund for £1, Sainsbugs Basics teabags at 27p/80 are very good.

Tonight's meal is a rib-eye steak (50p on yellow sticker) with h.g broad beans and h.g new spuds. Followed by stewed apricots from a batch of very ripe ones which I stewed down and have frozen the remainder of.

I'd be intrigued to have you report back at the end of the month on how you did, and what you bought. Remember to check out the closing times of your local supermarkets and be there when those price-reducing guns are out.

Best of luck!

madaminx

Hi All

I've been reading through a lot of posts recently about money saving and really enjoyed reading them. Feeling so inspired to be frugal myself . . . . however a lot of the posts seem to be from mums and partners of families and other halves.

I live by myself, a home owner, of 11 years with 14 years on my mortgage still to pay :-) and a car owner with 3 years to pay on it. On a reasonably decent salary however I do struggle too trying to stay within a budget for certain things have a credit card bill to pay off also.

So I was just wondering if there are other people similar to myself living on their own trying to be frugal and make do with less rather than more in order to build up a savings pool and pay off any of those daft debts you wish you'd rather not have.

Would love to hear from you with experiences, tips to share with others and myself.

Thanks

M :beer:

bargainbetty

I'm a single home owner too. I managed to get all but mortgage free last year, and it felt great! I had to stop being daft about my spending (I was very daft) and get my home in order.

The best thing about doing it alone is that you don't have to get anyone else on board. You don't have to convince someone that white vinegar won't make clothes smell funny, you don't have to meal plan for anyone's tastes but your own, you can live as frugally or messily or stupidly as you please, and it's all about you. Want to save on laundry by sitting on the sofa in your pants for the day? Go right ahead!

No one will spend the house-keeping by accident, no-one will make a fry up using the sausages you had set aside for a casserole etc.

It can be a bit lonely, because grabbing a duvet and snuggling down on the sofa instead of putting the heating on is much nicer with a person there, but you control your own life, so there is no reason why you couldn't find someone to snuggle with as well (I'd love someone in my life, just not on my mortgage).

My tip is to read the tips on here and try everything that appeals to you! I use white vinegar for laundry and cleaning, but I don't like stardrops. I meal plan and batch cook, but I do only what suits me and if I decide I want a bowl of pasta with random bits in, I don't beat myself up. The ready made meal will last another day.

Have a really good sort out of your stuff. Do a proper inventory of everything you have in the way of household and grocery stuff and be honest about whether or not you will use it up. Keep a check of what you need, and what you have, and don't buy household bits on impulse until you know you need them.

I realised I had 36 toilet rolls. 36 rolls. One bum. I now buy a nine pack, and I only buy a new one when I put the second to last roll on. It sounds silly, but you don't need half as much stuff in stock for one person as you do for a family, and I had grown up thinking my parents pantry-for-four was the norm.

Think about the budgets you struggle with and look at why. Do you overspend out of habit? Could you change your brands/providers? Do you really need whatever it is? Do you have things you could sell to clear some space and raise the funds towards future purchases/debts?

Best of luck, and sorry for the long post!

Out,_Vile_Jelly

Hello, I live alone in a small flat with limited freezer space, so the batch cooking ideas here are often irrelevant to me (also am vegetarian- it's annoying the way the yellow stickered bargains are nearly always meat).

My rent is my main extravagance, as I live in a nice garden flat in a nice part of town, but I think you can't put a price on security and peace of mind. I am hopefully in the process of buying a 2 bed house- just had some rather alarming survey results, so pausing for a rethink and to get quotes for repairs.

It annoys me that the single occupant council tax discount is only 25%; I use my local library a lot to ensure I get my money's worth.

circulartriangle

Gosh, this thread really struck a chord with me! I live by myself in a two-bedroom flat which I own with a mortgage. I work for myself and have been really struggling this year what with prices of everything seeming to go up, and clients being really slow to pay me.

Agree with Out, Vile Jelly - the 25% discount on council tax really annoys me - I don't use 25% fewer services than two people living together, I'm sure. Really unfair.

Anyway, thanks bargainbetty for the suggestion on doing an inventory, that is a great idea and one I'll be putting into action this weekend! My tip is cooking in batches, although it's not an original suggestion but it is great to have meals in the freezer when you're tired in the evening, and bulk cooking is usually cheaper.

Can't think of anything else now but will put my thinking cap on!

madaminx

Fantastic folks keep them coming . . . . . I try to stick to £50-60 per week budget inc petrol, however I always seem to slip over it plus I've a credit card bill that I would well do without. I normally shop in Tescos (to get points) and used to use their vouchers (the extra help ones) if you spend £30 or more and you get £3-4 off but now realise that this is a false economy as I do not necessarily need all the food there and then and I am now getting into a routine of buying when I need it and doing regular fridge and cupboard audits. Now also trying to ensure that I have rice, pasta, tinned toms, eggs, potatoes and onions in stock as most of my meals would be based on these basics and these are reasonably cheap.

Again keep the tips coming in really appreciate you all sharing . . . . :-)