I have no idea how to get by on my budget

MovingForwards

Here's the link I referred to above

https://www.lemonfool.co.uk/financecalculators/soa.php
Format it for MSE if you want to post it up for us to look at and make suggestions on where to cut back, but filling it in for yourself will show where the money has been spent.

Olinda99

£40 sounds a lot for mobile phone unless of course you are paying off a handset purchase as part of that.

ZeroSum

£150 council tax sounds a lot given that I'm assuming there'll be the 25% single discount & a low band property 

blue.peter

You might find this thread helpful.

Brie

the big killer I've found for a lot of new moving outers is lunches and coffees at work.  I've even fallen into this trap occasionally where it's just so very much easier to pop to the shops for a £3-4 meal deal and maybe a Starbucks every morning and afternoon.  Suddenly you're looking at £10 a day which is £200 a month. 

Instead spend £10 on a decent flask/travel mug and a lunch box (something fun/snazzy!) Take your lunch/coffee/tea.  Have a box of muesli bars in the car if you don't have time to make breakfast before going to work.  Having a couple of packs of cup of soup at work will tide you over when you haven't managed to pack a lunch.  If you don't have a desk/locker at work then leave things in your car and take in what you need on any given day.  

Nothing the matter with having a treat occasionally - lunch out on a Friday, coffee with a friend once a week.  But not every single day.  If anyone questions this just laugh and say you're saving for a holiday, down payment for a luxury flat, Ferrari, whatever.

Ksw3

Is your phone still on contract? I've moved to a sim only deal with GiffGaff for £6 a month. 1GB of data is more than I need as everywhere I go has WiFi. Its not much but would help. 

Absolutely agree with doing a proper breakdown. It's so easy to get into the habit of spending little bits here and there that soon add up. 

penners324

Good tip is to have all your essential bills paid on Direct Debit the day after pay day (assuming you get paid monthly). Usually easy to set up with each provider.

Also look at your bank account on a far more regular basis, like daily

TripleH

I used to plan my meals for a week in advance and produce a shopping list with an estimation of how much each item would cost before I went shopping. It is so easy to fritter away money in a supermarket if you don't plan in advance. I've lived for a week on what some people could spend in a single meal. Yes it requires discipline and batch cooking. I would repeat meals several times in a week but then not have that meal again for months.

I found it easier as a student to budget than when I was working because 'with a job, you get paid in a month so you can be less disciplined' so even being careful I could overspend.

blue.peter

I agree wholeheartedly that meal planning and batch cooking are very helpful in sticking to a food budget. I've been doing it for 40 years, and have no plans to stop. (I'm not so sure about repeating the same meal several times a week, though, even if I wouldn't then eat it for months. I prefer to freeze portions and spread the batch over several weeks. These days, I use Tupperware boxes for freezing portions, but I started by using the aluminium trays from takeaways, with aluminium foil for lids.)

Meal planning doesn't imply not having takeaways or eating out at all. It means thinking of them as treats, and planning in advance - e.g., "next Friday'll be takeaway night".

MrFrugalFever

Firstly, some of these posts sound like they are telling you off. I would like to say that many are wise AFTER the event. 

The good news is it seems like you may have had a lightbulb moment BEFORE you end up becoming a debt free wannabe.

I would go through ALL transactions from the last day you got paid (assuming you’re paid monthly) and establish what is essential and what is non-essential.

Is your council tax changed for single person discount (if applicable) and have you changed to 12 monthly payments as opposed to 10?

Is there anything else you should be paying that you have left out as I don’t see anything like contents insurance / car tax / car insurance.

How much is the £70pm on credit cards actually paying off and how much is owed to them?

If you are paid this week, make a significant change NOW before it spirals out of control.