Working households - Living costs and lifestyles - what is essential?

Owain_Moneysaver · 3 July 2018 at 9:01PM

I approximate decreasing order of cost:

Broadband
TV Licence (legal requirement)
Dentistry
Water (included in council tax here)
Prescriptions, Eye Tests (in areas where not free).
Mobile phone (but it's insignificantly small for me)
Bus fares (no car)
Toiletries and cleaning stuff (not required often, but noticeable when they do have to be bought)
Hair cuts (although I do my own)

Xbigman · 4 July 2018 at 8:31AM

If you want to split it down to three groups as essential near essential and non essential.
Not an exhaustive list.

Essential
Food
Council tax
Water
Electric
Gas
Broadband (OR mobile)
Insurance (although it is possible for single people to have nothing to insure)
Basic transport (Bus, Bicycle, etc)

Near essential
Car costs or non basic transport
TVlicence (not needed if you don't watch live TV or iplayer)
Cloth's (there are free charity cloth's available or self repair/patch old ones)

Non essential
Haircuts - I do my own.

Darren

hollie.weimeraner · 4 July 2018 at 8:54AM

| used to collect paperwork for people entering into Individual Voluntary Agreements and it always surprised me when they listed Sky TV packages as a necessity along with the 60" TV's on the wall

Former_MSE_Andrea · 4 July 2018 at 9:47AM

Hi folks, RR4353 has permission from us to post this.

PasturesNew · 4 July 2018 at 9:55AM

The biggies are:

Transport to get to/from work, whether that's car ownership or season ticket costs.

Internet connectivity and communications, whether that's broadband or mobile/devices and whatnot.

Just those two can be staggering sums ....

After that it's: Unexpected costs of replacing or fixing household appliances or the structure when it breaks or fails .... just the wind blowing down a stretch of wobbly fence down can rip £400-500 from your pocket. Water leak? Blocked Drains? Tiles off the roof? Bit of loose brickwork? Door needs replacing? Freezer died? Washing machine jammed? Boiler on the blink?

After that .... it's my cigs

RR4353 · 4 July 2018 at 11:43AM

Thank you, I did mean to put water in that initial list, thanks for spotting it wasn't on there

RR4353 · 4 July 2018 at 11:49AM

Thanks for all the comments so far, this is really helpful.
I think to sum up most agree on the absolute essentials and then there's this idea of 'near essentials' as one person put it - the things that may not be essential to survive but that have pretty much become part of everyday life - would we miss them?...would we miss the costs?

As I thought might be the case, internet and mobiles, laptops, tablets, etc. are important to many and very much a part of daily life - is this for work, keeping connected to friends/family, entertainment - as an alternative to having a TV for example......or a combination/any other reasons?

How do people tend to pay for mobiles, etc. - monthly contracts or outright?......how does this affect your budgets?....what would you be able to do with the money if these items weren't 'near essential'?

sparks6 · 4 July 2018 at 11:51AM

Travel costs, internet, healthcare costs ( medicine, prescription)

Sapphire · 4 July 2018 at 12:02PM

RR4353 wrote: »

Thanks for all the comments so far, this is really helpful.
As I thought might be the case, internet and mobiles, laptops, tablets, etc. are important to many and very much a part of daily life - is this for work, keeping connected to friends/family, entertainment - as an alternative to having a TV for example......or a combination/any other reasons?
How do people tend to pay for mobiles, etc. - monthly contracts or outright?......how does this affect your budgets?
Thanks again

Presumably this is the next question. My thoughts:

I use a computer for work, so have to have one. I don't use social media at all, apart from on this site, if this is social media, or things like gambling sites, computer games, buying 'stuff' on the Internet, so usage of computer (and mobile) is low, apart from checking facts, sometimes. I try not to buy over the Internet due to concerns about security, tracking, etc.

I rarely use my mobile – its best use is for taking photos and checking the weather, plus the occasional phone call and text. I am thinking about getting rid of it, in fact, especially due to increasing concerns about Internet security, like being tracked and so on. I have a monthly contract, though it is not expensive due to low use. Consequently, it does not affect my budget.

I don't use a computer as an alternative to TV, and have a flat-screen TV that is hidden away when not in use.

[Deleted User] · 4 July 2018 at 12:10PM

Essentials - Pet food / insurance

As for how I pay my mobile its Sim only contract

Working households - Living costs and lifestyles - what is essential?

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