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Lone living = discounts etc

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ska_lover
ska_lover Posts: 3,773 Forumite
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in Old style MoneySaving
Hi there

I am currently helping a relative to move into a flat - it is her first time living alone, and she is on benefits through ill health

Looking for ideas on how she can save money

So far I have come across:
  1. Possible 25% council tax discount
  2. Possible 'warm homes' discount, through gas or elec company

Does anyone else know of any single living discounts, a lady in this position could benefit from?

Many thanks
The opposite of what you know...is also true
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  • Purple_kitten
    Purple_kitten Posts: 3,031 Forumite
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    It will depend on what type of benefits, and whereabouts they are living, there is a scheme called Watersure, which can help with water costs. I'm not sure if this is available all over country though.
  • Owain_Moneysaver
    Owain_Moneysaver Posts: 11,357 Forumite
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    If over 75, free TV licence.

    Single bedding sets are cheaper than doubles (but usually only come with one pillowcase).

    She won't need so much crockery?

    I don't think there are many discounts for singletons, hence the saying 'two can live as cheaply as one'.
    A kind word lasts a minute, a skelped erse is sair for a day.
  • Frith
    Frith Posts: 8,155 Forumite
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    I!!!8217;ve been single for nearly 14 years and have only ever found the council tax discount.
  • bouicca21
    bouicca21 Posts: 6,514 Forumite
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    Worth investigating a water meter. Some flats can't have one but in that case one cane be deemed to have one. In my case that nearly halved my water bill.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 17,413 Forumite
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    as above I have been widowed for just over 15 years and apart from the reduction in council tax and my water meter (which definitely saved me cash ) I can't think of any other discounts at all. Less food to buy I guess ,but the rest of the utilities cost the same

    JackieO x
  • moneyistooshorttomention
    moneyistooshorttomention Posts: 17,940 Forumite
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    Agreed - I've always been single - and have been so now for decades.

    What I get is paying 75% of the Council Tax bill (as opposed to the 50% I'd be responsible for as "half of a couple") and that is it.

    That's all we get - ie being charged half as much CT again as we would if we were in a couple.

    Agreed to make sure there is a water meter - and there should be water savings.

    Basically - we are currently still expected to pay darn nearly as much for our bills as a couple do between them - even though I read that there are 7 million of us.

    Realistically - all she can do is shop around re who her suppliers will be for fuel, broadband/phone, insurance (though none of them will give single discounts either - but at least she will have made sure the bills are as low as possible).
  • Prinzessilein
    Prinzessilein Posts: 3,257 Forumite
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    I am a single person, on disability....

    The actual benefits your relative will get will, of course, depend on her specific disabilities...make sure she gets advice to ensure she is claims everything to which she is entitled. (There is, for example, a severe disability premium if she fits the conditions which is added to ESA...but not if she is on UC)

    Charity shops are a good place to get some basics...I remember I got a decent set of crockery form a charity shop -...some charity shops also sell small electrical goods....and they are terrific places for picking up a few bits and bobs to make a new flat/house seem more like a home...a vase or two on the windowsill, a picture on the wall, a pretty photoframe, it really makes a difference!

    I would seriously advise getting a slowcooker...minimal cooking skill needed, and they really pay for themselves...especially if you have a freezer!...I can cook four portions of curry and freeze three....home cooking is generally speaker cheaper than ready meals (and tastier!)
  • midnight_express
    midnight_express Posts: 1,272 Forumite
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    If she is on benefits she should claim council tax reduction.
  • CIS
    CIS Posts: 12,260 Forumite
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    What I get is paying 75% of the Council Tax bill (as opposed to the 50% I'd be responsible for as "half of a couple") and that is it.
    That is a quirk of how council tax is set up - only half of the charge is based on the occupiers.
    I no longer work in Council Tax Recovery but instead work as a specialist Council Tax paralegal assisting landlords and Council Tax payers with council tax disputes and valuation tribunals. My views are my own reading of the law and you should always check with the local authority in question.
  • VfM4meplse
    VfM4meplse Posts: 34,269 Forumite
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    Frith wrote: »
    I!!!8217;ve been single for nearly 14 years and have only ever found the council tax discount.
    JackieO wrote: »
    as above I have been widowed for just over 15 years
    moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »
    Agreed - I've always been single - and have been so now for decades.
    As another one that pays her own way, the joys of having your own space and no-one to answer to make up for the fact that no other discounts apply. I take the view that if I use it, it's fair that I pay for it. I may not see much of an immediate return on CT compared with some, but society does.
    Value-for-money-for-me-puhleeze!

    "No man is worth, crawling on the earth"- adapted from Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio

    Hope is not a strategy :D...A child is for life, not just 18 years....Don't get me started on the NHS, because you won't win...I love chaz-ing!
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