Living alone for the first time, tips needed!

ceridwen

Student cookbooks!

They come in very handy for singlies - as well as students. We have the same needs as students do foodwise in many respects - ie we are on our own, are probably busy doing other things and dont want to spend ages cooking, have less money ....(those higher bills for being single are a "killer" - 150% of the Council Tax rate that a "married" would pay:eek:) and an insurance and rent/mortgage bill that is much the same as a couple would pay:eek:. You dont want to be thinking of gourmet cooking - when the costs of being single are hundreds of £s a month extra...

Dont make the mistakes I did back when I started out. I bought "standard" cookbooks of the time (ie recipes meant for 4 people and a bit of an assumption that "someone" in the household wouldnt have a full-time job...so that they would have more time to cook). Trust me - you need to check that the majority of recipes in a cookbook can be prepared and cooked in no more than about 30 minutes. I also bought standard size casserole dishes (ie meant for 4 people).

Best to buy a couple of "casserole" type dishes of a size meant specifically for 1 or 2 people.

I often halve a standard "family size" recipe (ie meant for 4 people) and have half one day and half the next (or stick the other half in the freezer for the future).

Assuming you are the typical "helpless female" at DIY (as I am personally...ahem....), then you have several choices as to how to deal with this:
- helpful father
- sort of swopping favours help out arrangement with a male friend (maybe - "If I do some cooking/housework for you - will you do such and such a DIY task for me?")
- take classes in DIY specially organised for lone women

(guess which one of the above 3 I HAVENT done personally....ahem......)

Re housework - at least the plus side to "You'll be a LOT poorer than a 'married' " is single people dont have much housework to do and no nagging a Him Indoors to do his share. Work out a housework routine that you are happy with (how often you intend to do the hoovering/do the bathroom/do the kitchen/etc). At a guesstimate - theres probably a third of the housework a couple would have (ie no Him Indoors leaving his clutter everywhere and thinking YOU would pick it up for him) and a LOT less housework than a family would have. So - you need to totally ignore any housework threads based on a family house - its not applicable to us singlies (you knew there had to be some advantages to living on your own - well...thats the one...).

Jariya

I expect there's loads of tips in those links! I shall have a read myself later.

One thing I have thought of - which I did..cheekily..

I couldn't believe the cost of plastic containers with lids for use in the freezer so I went to a local takeaway, ordered something cheap and asked if I could have a few of their plastic containers.
They tried to give me about 20!
I opted for about 10..
They don't last forever - but I still have about 6 of the batch that I got for free about 4 years ago! :0)

HelenYorkshire

Don't be afraid to ask others roughly how much they're paying for gas, electricity etc - see if you're on the right track.

Stock up on tinned and dried goods if/when you can - though depends on kitchen storage. BOGOFs with friends always good IF it's something you'd use anyway.

I tend to use convenience foods, but by convenience I mean e.g. bags of frozen veg (so I can buy and cook a handful of carrot, instead of ending up with bendy carrot corpses in the fridge). Similarly, pre-packed salad is more expensive to buy, but then there's no wastage. These little tweaks would be something to find out for yourself depending on your diet/preferences.

I bought most of my furniture from charity shops / friends. The slow cooker is great for having a meal ready when you get home. If there isn't an oven, consider how much you cook. I'm moving again soon and rather than spend £200-odd, I'm looking at a £35 plug in hob and perhaps a mini oven/microwave combo.

Attempt freeview/freesat before paying for anything; and I'll be back to using a PAYG dongle for internet (my mobile is still PAYG).

Growing a few herbs on your windowsill can perk up potentially boring meals.

I have inherited a massive freezer, but I probably won't buy a fridge - I bulk buy and freeze a lot of meat, fish (and those bags of veg) but my fridge exists merely as a stepping stone between kitchen and freezer

If something needs fixing in your home, look around and see what you already have. E.g. the top half of that old fashioned dresser can be taken off and used as low shelving (perfect fit for DVDs ); I have a futon mattress sandwiched under my sofa cushions, giving me an extra squidgy sofa AND a spare bed if needed.

Don't believe the hype - you don't need half of the cr*p people will try to sell you

HelenYorkshire

Thought of more!

Get a subdivided folder and KEEP any bank statements, council tax bills, rent contracts, insurance documents, TV licence, etc etc. You may need them in future as proof of ID, address etc, and it's handy to lay your hands on them if any queries come up regarding whether you paid this, when that cheque cleared, etc. Keep instruction booklets/receipts for electricals. It makes sense to keep all the Important Stuff together but I never manage that....

Also, pick your battles. You WILL do something stupid; but let it go Example - no-one told me that the poorly insulated, expensive-to-run immersion heater was just a spare/back up. So I figured that the gas boiler must be running the central heating, and the immersion the hot water. Two years later the plumber asks why the immersion is on....... *d'oh*

missychrissy

Enjoy living on your own!

You can spread out in the bed and move whenever you like.

You can eat whatever and whenever you like and don't have to put up with criticism of your cooking.

You do not have to justify any purchases.

You can organise your time to suit yourself.

You can go out with mates whenever you like or are invited.

When you tidy up it stays that way until you mess it up yourself.

You have complete control of the tv remote.

Find the positives and you will enjoy it.

GreyQueen

Hello Fruglerock and congratulations on being about to live on your own. As the others have said, there is a lot to commend it as well as some pitfalls, but at least you are the mistress of your own destiny (as well as in total charge of the duvet, remote control, position of the loo seat etc etc)

You have to think slightly obliquely about many things to get the best value out of life as a singleton because loadsa stuff from council tax to food and recipe portions is set up with the assumption that you will be at minimum a couple, probably a family. How many recipes are captioned "Serves 4-6" ? In my experience; lots!

If you can, get yourself on a water meter asap (I appreciate you may not be able to do this if you rent). This will save you about £300 a year on its own.

You can look at doubling-up with a mate to take advantage of some deals/ memberships etc. You can have a chilled night in with a rented movie and a pal or two and snacks for a pittance.

If you can get a freezer or fridge-freezer, do so, as even a small amount of freezer space will enable you to split larger quantities of food into individual portions and to cook a big pot of chili and a big pot of rice (just as an example could be anything) and have some the first night then make yourself 4-5 ready-meals to have at hand for those weary and rushed nights. My Poundland sells those oblong clear takeaway-type containers 10 for £1 and mine have lasted for years.

I cheerfully put weird combos of foodstuff together and can report that leftover potatoes, put over a leftover pasta sauce thingy and covered with grated cheese and oven-baked is delicious, if not at all Italian.......:rotfl:

You can do something like my crowd used to do, which was to have a Sunday Lunch Club; we rotated about each other's homes, taking turns to cook a roast and it was great as a lot of us were at a bit of a loose end on Sunday afternoons at the time and CBA to cook a big meal for one.

I'd acquire furniture, appliances etc on a slow basis, by living without something for a while you get a chance to work out what really matters to your version of singleton style, which is bound to be different from mine or anyone else's.

Me, I like a comfy bed, something to sprawl on with a book and a kettle for the tea, all else is nice but not essential.

Good luck and have fun!

fairtrade

Cookbooks, frugal living books are all well and good, but they can be expensive. So, join your local library! Not only will you get the benefit of the advice - it will be free (as long as taken back on time).
If you find a good cookbook - get a copy for yourself. From most cookbooks the average reader will use less than 10% of the recipes or ideas - if you find one that you can utilise a lot - buy it, or get someone to buy it for you as a present.

spike7451

Make a big batch of mince base with a tin of baked beans,onions,mushrooms ect,portion it up & freeze it.You can them defrost portions & add 1/4 packet of a Chili Con Carne sachet (keep the rest in a little jar) to make a chili,same with bolognaise & do the same with a chicken base mix,You can also buy some ready made pastry & use the base sauces as a filling.If you can get a combination microwave,I got one from Curry's for £69.Much cheaper & quicker than putting a full oven or grill on to cook a couple rashers of bacon.
Shop in the local Oriental supermarket,you can get better quality products for a fraction of the price you'd pay in the likes of Tescos.For example,yesterday I bought a l500ml bottle of light soy sauce for £1.20,a pack of 10x ready made Lamb Samosas (same as you get in the Indian) for £1.80,pack of around 20 Pappads for 75p.
Hope it goes well.
Oh,and get yourself a cat from the rescue center,they're great company & fun as well.

pineapple

Just to say you have to be careful with left over rice - it accumulates some very nasty bacteria.
http://www.typesofbacteria.co.uk/bacillus-cereus-cereals-rice.html
One of the problems of singledom is wastage from items like lettuce, cabbage etc. I solved the lettuce problem by growing my own - the sort where you can remove a few leaves at a time and leave them growing. Cabbage I blanch and freeze in portion sized bags.
I second the suggestion not to eat meat/fish every day. Plenty of other possibilities. I sometimes make a tasty lentil dahl and have it with home made parathas. Finally if you are a decent 'instinctive' cook, recipe books aren't necessary in my opinion. Imo the best cookbook is the Readers Digest Complete Guide to Cookery. It is more a book about techniques rather than recipes. Everything you ever wanted to know! Out of print but reprints should be available on Amazon. Plus the internet has lots of info on just about anything. Also, you can get ideas just by looking at the ready meal concoctions in the supermarket. For example fried cabbage with cinnamon is delicious. I got that idea after looking at the expensive 'chinese fried seaweed' in Sainsburys and seeing that it was basically cabbage and cinnamon!
PS please don't get a cat. I live in a small community of 20 houses with at least 12 cats between them. Our gardens have become a killzone for the wildlife which is threatened enough as it is.

FrugleRock

Ahhh thank you everyone for your lovely words, taking the time out to reply and being so positive.

I'm having a nightmare in my own head about how things will turn out, one minute I'm excited, the next terrified. But I do know it's the right thing to do.

I will take all your tips on board xx