100% mortgage?

anotheruser

Sit down and look at your outgoings.
You need to do this with your boyfriend, if he really wants to buy a house, he will do this with you. While buying a house is great, you don't want to waste your money or buy a rubbish house what you won't be very happy with as your first home together, so renting might not be that bad for now until you have a nice sizeable deposit.

As others have said, you both need to take every opportunity at work. Look elsewhere too. If you work in one industry look at other companies in the same and see if there are any jobs available, especially if they are closer to where you live.


Phone Costs
Not telling you what to do, but look at cheaper options. If you're stuck in the middle of a two year contract, there isn't much you can do about that but when it runs out, cancel it and get a cheaper deal.
Tesco have great sim only contracts, mine is 500 mins / 5000 texts / 1Gb / £10 a month.


Internet and Phone Line
Do you live in a cabled area? Do you actually make calls from the landline that you can't do from your phone? (Remember, there is Say No to 0870 websites for local numbers). Being in a cabled area means you can cut out the line rental thus saving costs.
Pick a lower internet speed. Unless you're constantly downloading movies and such, 10Mb - 30Mb is fine - netflix may require a fairly quick line.


What's Mine Is Yours
Are you really in it for the long haul? I assume so because you're thinking of buying a house together. Me and my GF have a joint account. We both get paid into our own accounts, then transfer 3/4 of the salary into the joint account, where household bills (gas, electric, water, rent, food, clothes for both of us, bikes for both of us). This leaves a small amount in our individual accounts for Christmas presents.
It shouldn't matter who earns what, especially at your salary levels. If one was earning £100,000 and the other £20,000 then yes, but that doesn't apply here.


Ready Meals
Sometimes, some instant foods can be much easier and cheaper. Plus, the chicken in foil trays are quite good. I try and aim for £1 per person per meal, but many times it does go over.
Maybe because you are buying things and making them from scratch, they are causing you to spend more in the end, despite what money saving programmes tell you.
Also, get down to a local market, you will get better value and can haggle.
If you buy snacks (like biscuits) stop. They are really unhealthy and a waste of money.


Water Meter? Get Water Saving Products
Many (if not all) water companies give you water saving things. You can only order a limited amount, so pick the most useful. I have a new shower head and tap inserts. Haven't noticed a change in the water flow. This will help cut bills, if only slightly.


Have Date Night!
Stop eating out.
Instead, replace it with a once a month "date night". This may also help in the romance department. Go out to the cinema or just a nice meal, hell even treat yourself to a "Dine in 2 for £10" from Marks and Spencers, or take it in turns to cook meals.


Buy Supermarket Own Brands
Smart Price cola is awful, but passable sometimes. However the Asda cola is fine. Try to get yourself out of eating expensive drinks and foods. Smart price chips are fine really and you'd only be on them for a while.
I think I spend about £100 per month per person on food. Every time I shop I look at the goods I have bought and what the most expensive things are. Then I wonder if I could actually do without. Usually yes.
Stop buying Twix and Mars bars, get the supermarket own brand and limit yourself to one chocolate bar a day, thus saving money and weight


Sky - My Mother Pays For This
Does she pay you the cash? If so, use that money for another bill. You can do without Sky TV. Yes, you may miss some games of football or whatever but Freeview does have a great choice of channels. While not suggesting anything, there are many people on the forum who have stopped paying their TV licence too. It seems so long as you do not speak to an officer and they can't see you watching TV, there is nothing they can do. However you would be breaking the law by doing so.


Home Insurance
It's all a game of chance when it comes to insurance. I personally do not pay for any hour or contents insurance. We don't live in a flood plain, nor do we have much crime (check on Police UK. £10 a month could do a long way.


Unions
I work in an industry which has a very high profile union. Am I part of it? No. I don't mind if I don't get a pay rise, I don't expect it so if the union secure one, I still benefit anyway. If you don't have holidays abroad then the travel insurance is useless really. Plus, have you used the unions services yet? If not, come out of it. You'll see, it's no different.


Your Boyfriend
Seems he is sucking a lot of money into things which aren't needed. You can do running and cycling instead of paying for a gym membership. Spotify isn't really needed. Just listen to the radio or transfer your CD's onto an mp3 player/your phone. He may see it as a small amount, but the £120 a year combined with saving elsewhere would really add up. Netflix, hmm. If you say you use it then fair enough but it's yet a bit more money you could save.


Just some thoughts