The cost of being single

goodwithsaving

I can really relate to the council tax frustration, and the bills and can most certainly relate to the fear of being the sole income. That often keeps me awake at night.
Holidays are a major frustration. I'm at a time in my life where I should be enjoying myself and I have a decent income, but there's just never any money and holidays for one are just so expensive. Renovating a house on your own is no easy feat either, not just financially but also in terms of having another pair of hands.


My relatives are all married and don't understand that money is tight, or you just can't buy another car. At the same time, they don't understand how somebody on their own can acheive so much and (incorrectly) suspect parental help.



That said, despite the struggles I won't get a lodger. I value having my own home after dreading getting through the front door towards the end of my relationship and this home being mine and my safe haven. There's a fear of letting someone else in though, when you become so independent and everything is yours and yours alone it can be hard to imagine it being any other way.
And that scares me, because I'm still young-ish and don't want to be alone forever. But I also have too much to lose now.


For now, I'll continue to listen to music in bed, eat a cold can of beans for supper, dance my way around the house and wake up at 05:30. It costs more but I'm proud of what it has taught me. Not many get to live on their own, and it's so liberating.

onomatopoeia99

goodwithsaving wrote: »

There's a fear of letting someone else in though, when you become so independent and everything is yours and yours alone it can be hard to imagine it being any other way.
And that scares me, because I'm still young-ish and don't want to be alone forever. But I also have too much to lose now.

Know exactly what you mean. For me the first few years after the end of the relationship were a struggle, emotional and financial, because suddenly there was one income where there was two, and the mortgage was doubled to buy her out, and I had to pay more to her later as I simply couldn't get enough all at once. I really worked at getting the finances in order which took years, and having reached a point where I'm not living month to month any more, letting someone in who doesn't have that financial stability and their own home gets into really scary territory.


Having your own space, compeltely your own into which no-one at all can come, is very liberating though as you say, and nowadays I depend on it. Though I'm not "young-ish" any more :rotfl:

John_G_Jones

coffeehound wrote: »

I still don't see why they get a discount, though. A single able-bodied person between the ages of 31 and 65 is now the only person who pays full price on the trains

They get a discount as it encourages more people to travel.

It’s the same as the BOGOF deals in supermarkets that encourage you to buy a second item which you would not if they just halved every ticket price.

getmore4less

trailingspouse wrote: »

...
And I learnt a long time ago that if I want to go somewhere then I need to go on my own. I draw the line at going to the pub on my own (not sure why - maybe it's just that I'm old enough to think it's not quite nice for a woman to be on her own in a pub), but I've certainly stayed in hotels (and drunk in hotel bars) on my own, eaten out on my own and flown on my own.

I have friends that are up for a night out from time to time - I'm certainly not going to be staying in and thinking 'poor me'.
...

It does seem to be easier for blokes to do the walk into any random pub.

It can be easier if you have a place you could cultivate as a "local" where there are regulars you can hang out with but that can take a long time if you don't go a lot.


On the holiday front one sector that does have deals for solo passengers is the cruise market, sometimes not easy to find but can be very good value for money.

goodwithsaving

getmore4less wrote: »

It does seem to be easier for blokes to do the walk into any random pub.

On the holiday front one sector that does have deals for solo passengers is the cruise market, sometimes not easy to find but can be very good value for money.

It really is, although as a female I tend to go to the more cafe/bar places which helps.
The single rooms on cruises are usually for inside, small cabins with no view.

getmore4less

goodwithsaving wrote: »

It really is, although as a female I tend to go to the more cafe/bar places which helps.
The single rooms on cruises are usually for inside, small cabins with no view.

They also have offers where they sell of the regular cabins with no/low suppliments to 2pax pp prices.

On some trips cabins are cheaper to solos than they charge each passenger sharing.

If cruises are of interest then worth investigating further.

trailingspouse

To be honest, I've never fancied cruising (spent 3 years at sea in my younger days). I do however have a very long to-do list, with everything from Vietnam to Brighton on it. Once things have settled down a bit I'll be taking a few days away (off down to Hampshire to visit my son). And then I'll start planning where I want to go next time I can afford it!!

trailingspouse

maisie_cat wrote: »

The problem is that statistically you have suddenly become more of a risk in insurance world.
If you know how this works I'm surprised you have to ask

STBX has just spoken to his insurers, to take me off his policy. He also wanted to add someone else. They want an additional £130 to take me off, and a further £200 to add someone else! Does anyone really know how this works??

april_hunt

some insurance companies let you do it online for free - worth a check. Also with holidays and that its worth shopping about for sure.

janb5

trailingspouse wrote: »

One of my plans is to take in a lodger, under the Rent-a-Room scheme (I have a large attic, with two good sized rooms and a shower room), so that will go some way towards making the utilities and their standing charges less painful. Yes, I know they'll also be using the water and the electric, but there'll still be a profit.



If we get along, maybe we could get a 'Two Together' railcard...

Hi another single here. Could I suggest being a Theatre host? I rent out two of my rooms to `guests` and there is a theatre nearby. I always used to have lodgers but this is better and I have had some really nice guests. Google theatre digs booker. Message me if you`d like more information.