Advice for the newly single?

warnski

Hi everybody, hope this thread is in the appropriate section as its the most relevent part of the forum as far as i can see...

I am in the middle of a (reasonably amicable) breakup with my long term partner. We are not married, but have lived together for 6 years and have a joint bank account and many shared possesions.

The plan is that my partner will move out (eventually) and I will move back into the house, at least for the short term, in order to gradually sell off some of our joint posesssions and take care of our finances etc, splitting everything down the middle.

Basically, being alone in the house even for a short time is set to put a strain on my finances, as we've always been a 2 income household, so I am looking for general advice, tips and maybe even weblinks to help me minimise my outgoings.

I am already a big fan of this site, and am pretty much on top when it comes to Martin's big ways to save etc .... I am looking for advice specific to the newly single / living alone ?

Hope this makes sense, many thanks in advance !

asparagus1968

well,start by claiming 25% council tax relief(single person).
really look at your gas/electric/water usage-its going to reduce anyway but really try and be conciencious (thats SO not spelled right!)on which lights are on,what appliances can be switched off,turn heating down/off (get a hot water bottle now you' re single:) )
send in your meter readings online monthly as the company will reassess sooner for you.
meal plan-its a god send,just go through what you have in the fridge/freezer/cupboards and invent meals around what you have.
accept all invites to peoples houses for meals,for the food and company.
would a short term lodger be appropriate? or a monday to friday one?
pesume you have aleady done a statement of affairs to see what your budget is?its over on debt free wannabe if you need a template.
as well as ebay for selling stuff,have a look at musicmagpie for CD/DVD/games etc.
use cashback sites whenever you can (topcashback/quidco)
good luck anyway,will pop back if i can think of anything else

asparagus1968

also,pop over to the OLDSTYLE and DEBTFREEWANABE boards,they are both fab!

msb5262

Hi OP,

I'm glad your breakup is fairly amicable - long may it continue that way.

You might consider keeping a daily diary/log of everything relating to the house and to your ex...then you make a brief note of everything you agree with your ex, any calls you make regarding the house (e.g. ringing local council re. council tax) and any money you've spent, which will be useful for your own records and would also come in if you need to split any costs with your ex. Also it will be handy as a source of information in the future e.g. who was that plumber who never turned up? how much did it cost to hire that van? etc.

HTH

MsB