How can you afford to live alone?!

Off-Topic Chat
1

Okay I know this is completely off topic but I'm looking for some advice about how people on here afford to live alone... without being too nosey of course!

Basically, I'm a student at the moment but in September I will be qualifying and it is very possible that I will get a well paid job (20k ish) when I leave uni. I won't come out with too much debt (7K ish) which is amazing compared to most students but I have no savings whatsoever.

I live in a very expensive area and at the moment I share a flat with someone, it's worked out well but she wants to move in with her boyfriend when we finish which is fair enough.

I would love to live by myself. I lived with my parents til I was 19, then a 5 bedroom houseshare and now a flatshare. It's all been a good experience but I do not want to repeat the houseshare ever again and I don't know anyone who I could live with. I'm tired of tidying up after other people, I just want to live by myself and have some privacy!

However, I have no idea how I could afford to do it. No savings at all and I'd just end up spending everything I earned on rent and bills so I wouldn't be able to save money to get on the property ladder.. I would happily move back home for a while to save some money but that's not an option as my family live 3 hours away.

How do people afford to live alone when you earn an average income in an expensive area?!

Any advice would be fab and again, I'm very sorry this is so off topic! x

2

When you say expensive area do you mean a town that is expensive to live in, or just an expensive part of town? If the town itself is overall an expensive place to live, are there options for moving a bit further out to cut the cost of living more than the cost of moving (i assume) further away from the job? Otherwise moving to a cheaper area would probably pay dividends in the long run as it sounds like you want to own your own place at some point, so now now would be the time to start saving.

In terms of cutting your costs, check out moneysavingexpert.com there is some great info on getting the best value for money that you can, especially for things like household bills.

3

Could you get on the council list ?

It is hard I'm on less than you and a lot of my money goes on bills ect but you have benefits of living on your own x

Good luck I hope you find somewhere reasonable x

4

Obviously I'm thinking wayy ahead at the moment but I'll start applying for jobs in March so I do need to start considering my options.

The entire area is very expensive, I will definitely have to move away from the city centre but even if I look at moving 30+ miles away from where I'll be working it's still mega expensive!!

I'll look into the council list, I didn't think that would be an option as I'd have a full time job...

Thanks!

5

Everyone is eliagble for council list I have a full time job , your situation determines the band your in for a house/flat x

6

Try housing associations too, and depending what your job will be, there are some 'keyworker' schemes out there too.

As for the general expenses, always check out Martin Lewis's website moneysavingexpert, loads of great tips, deals etc on there. Don't forget to claim the 25% council tax discount as wel.

No bones about it, it's expensive, I do it, and it's a struggle, but I couldn't give up my independence to save some cash, would rather be skint and have my own space but that's just me... Look at a slowcooker for meals, make in bulk and freeze, lots of rice, pasta and potatoes etc... Aldi and Lidl can become your friends without skimping on quality but it's about picking and choosing the right things.

Use these next few months to research as much as you possibly can to put yourself in the best place before you have to actually do it, good luck x

7

MissTerryCleavage wrote:

No bones about it, it's expensive, I do it, and it's a struggle, but I couldn't give up my independence to save some cash, would rather be skint and have my own space but that's just me... Look at a slowcooker for meals, make in bulk and freeze, lots of rice, pasta and potatoes etc... Aldi and Lidl can become your friends without skimping on quality but it's about picking and choosing the right things.

Use these next few months to research as much as you possibly can to put yourself in the best place before you have to actually do it, good luck x

Best advice ever!!! :D You can also freeze certain fruits which can come in handy in the winter, simply go apple picking (or buy a cheap lot in bulk), wash them, peel them, chop them up and stew and then freeze them in plastic boxes ready to be cooked at a later date to go into crumbles/strudels/with custard etc. We have a good fifteen boxes in the freezer for when we're in a fix. (Not just aples either, rhubarb works well too!)

8

dotdashdot wrote:

Okay I know this is completely off topic but I'm looking for some advice about how people on here afford to live alone... without being too nosey of course!

Basically, I'm a student at the moment but in September I will be qualifying and it is very possible that I will get a well paid job (20k ish) when I leave uni. I won't come out with too much debt (7K ish) which is amazing compared to most students but I have no savings whatsoever.

I live in a very expensive area and at the moment I share a flat with someone, it's worked out well but she wants to move in with her boyfriend when we finish which is fair enough.

I would love to live by myself. I lived with my parents til I was 19, then a 5 bedroom houseshare and now a flatshare. It's all been a good experience but I do not want to repeat the houseshare ever again and I don't know anyone who I could live with. I'm tired of tidying up after other people, I just want to live by myself and have some privacy!

However, I have no idea how I could afford to do it. No savings at all and I'd just end up spending everything I earned on rent and bills so I wouldn't be able to save money to get on the property ladder.. I would happily move back home for a while to save some money but that's not an option as my family live 3 hours away.

How do people afford to live alone when you earn an average income in an expensive area?!

Any advice would be fab and again, I'm very sorry this is so off topic! x

Come live with the turtle clan for a bit whilst you save! lol. Tis very difficult though, my sis and bro in law had to live back with the fam for a couple of years whilst they were saving for their deposit and they both work full time :(

9

With regards to getting accomodation -if you already have a home it may be difficult/long wait. Get on a council housing list straight away, the waiting lists can take a long time and your situation doesn't qualify as a strong eligebility -vulnerable people, the homeless, single parents etc will be housed before you.
I doubt you can afford to privately rent and if possible I would advise you to avoid this as it can cause so many problems, for example your landlord deciding they want their property back etc (though if that made you homeless you'd be given council/housing association property quicker, but it's not a nice place to be). If you truly 100% don't want to share then it may be a long list and a budgeting situation.

I have lived alone since I was about 17, through some of this time I have received benefits. If this is an option for you, then great! Hopefully (which is a weird word to use in this context as it'd be better for you to financially support yourself) you may be entitled to housing benefits if you are on a low income -council tax benefits/reductions will be offered too. If however the job you find does pay you enough so you have to pay your own rent, to be honest (depending where you live of course) a one bedroom flat on average in my town costs around say £70 a week.

With regards to having no savings.. How many household items will you need to buy? Essentials such as a cooker, bed etc? Then all the other stuff you will want.. I'd try and save as much as possible now while you can -it's not too late! Although I would advise you to buy electrical goods as new, keep an eye out for discounted/second-hand products, in charity shops, second-hand/junk shops, newspapers, online at places like freecycle (people literally giving stuff away for nothing!), ebay, pre-loved, gumtree etc, also, ask around!!

The most fun thing about being poor is getting an excuse to be thrifty! I love making things and cleverly decorating my home!

Budgeting will come into it a lot. Shopping carefully etc. I have a natural knack at it, and I don't mind checking out the reduced aisles for things which "go off" that day, as most of the time they don't! Just be careful with fresh products. As mentioned above, slow cookers are great, I particularly like that you can be cooking without actually cooking, if you leave it on a low heat whilst you are at work. You might be amazed at just how much you can cook with them as well! I was!
Try to get a big freezer as this will really help with your shopping bills to be cheaper -you can freeze items on the day of purchase, freeze leftover meals, generally have more space for things you will have more time to eat. Fruit is quite expensive, so buy pure orange juice to get 1 portion of 5 a day, stock up on tinned fruit as they count too, freeze as much fresh fruit as you can and just remember to eat it really, set a target to eat one peice at breakfast then take at least one to work to have at lunch. Ooh yeah and with lunch you can take any leftovers from your night before meal maybe?

Fun shopping... Just be more clever with your clothes, check out car boot sales, change your outfits by layering clothes, using different accessories etc. Lovehoney constantly have offers so hopefully you can still afford sexytime treats! When going out, if that's your thing, maybe set a guideline of to go to a fairly "important" night out once a month/fortnight, whatever, maybe a gig etc, then generally socialising, hopefully you can do this in a different way.

Travel -if you can walk or cycle, do it, if not, arrange your time so that you hopefully don't have to get a taxi again and you will be on time for the bus/train -buy weekly bus tickets/seasonal train pass -look out for deals. Ooooh does any of your friends have a tastecard??? Stay close to them! :) Look on magicfreebies and sites like that.

If you're really stuck financially, there is always help somewhere in your area, the CAB, the jobcentre maybe?

10

Hmm to be honest, I feel like living alone is hardly ever an option because renting and getting mortgages are hard. I always dreamed of buying my own property but I wasn't earning enough money (13.5k) to make it a reality in the rather expensive part of southern England I come from when I had nobody to share the costs with. It depends where you live, I suppose, but if you want to stay in the area you are and it's expensive, I feel like sharing might be the best way so you can share costs and maybe start to save for the time when you CAN afford a mortgage.

11

Get to know the internet (you are here already) to do some wise furniture shopping, there's always someone moving up, moving down. Look for house clearances (even if they're a little depressing) as you can often get some good quality furniture amongst all the chotchkiss for next to nothing. Buy just the minumum to start with to keep the clutter down and give yourself time to think as well as making the most of the small flat or studio you are likely to have rented.

If you don't have your own stock of pots and pans because you've been sharing, consider the IKEA starter packs to get the fundamentals (dull but practical) and don't be shy this Christmas about asking for Le Creuset! It'll last forever and you'll seldom buy it yourself, but looks good on a shelf in the kitchen if you've avoided the 1000's it can cost to buy a fitted kitchen and is excellent.

I'd echo the 'traditional cooking route'. Never buy or cook single portions of meats/fish/...avoid the ready meals. Eat good peasant food :-) Remember the Italians in Italy? Loads of pasta/bread/rice, and a little really great sauce made with super ingredients. Often expensive, per kilo, but v tasty and you actually use small quantities. Lovely quality and you won't feel cheap as you actually eat economically. Allow yourself a microwave (to take advantage of your own 'ready meals' from the fridge/freezer).

Then all the usual dull stuff like check your tarifs for phone internet power and gas are actually sensible, get a free credit card, even be radical and give up on the car if you live in a truly urban setting with half decent or better public transport. It is shocking how expensive even the cheapest car is week by week and if you spend a while you can soon show that you're better off without and then renting a car for trips, getting things delivered and so on. A big big step, but can save you a ton of money (and your license when you do go out for a drink or three, no peer pressure to drive now)

Then it's about downsizing..small apartment, clever and careful furniture that uses the space well, think in 3D as you plan, look at a high ceilinged old apartment and look at a loft bed, or storage above you. Look at Japanese / New York apartments in the web. Some will apall you, some will surely inspire.

Above all don't worry, but do think.

Wishing you luck and a nice, well designed space for your LH toys and passtimes

12

If you're talking about day to day living as opposed to just the cost of accomm then....

budget, budget and budget a b it more. Take care over spend versus bills until you get a clear idea of what the running costs of the home are: elec/gas etc......

take advantage of every reward scheme that you can - get a nectar card,. a tesco card etc....and check whether you can add unusual things to say the nectar ( gas/elec for example).....spend the rewards/points wisely where you get the best return for your points.

make a rough budget per meal and try to stick to it.......a simple spag bol for one is only about £.130/1.50 if you freeze the 3 portions that you dont have teh 1st night......

look at the long term picture....a saving on anything of £5 a month over 6 items/things/services is 360 a year...enough for a cheapie holiday!

diarise any online deals that you sign up to - like gas/elec/insurance and be sure to check for new deals when they come up.

check freecycle type sites when in need of goods like a bed/fridge etc......all for free aside from getting them home....

check hotdeals.co. when you need to buy goods, some amazing deals that you can find on there that arent common knowledge....( managed to buy a lappie last year that even teh staff at sainsburysd didnt know was on offer).....

and above all - within your budget allow a bit for emergencies to avoid teh dreaed credit card charges - but moreover, allow a fund for enjoying yourself. scrimping, being careful shouldnt be without a reward- otherwise life can get dreary.

oh and be preared to crunch numbers, be aware of the financial merits ( or not ) or living on the outskirts of somewhere with teh added cost of travelling in: car, bus - whatever.......finally perhaps you can quietly defray some costs by getting creative. If you rent a lace that has a garage and dont need it.....then maybe you have a pal that could sub rent ( yeah ok not strictly correct)...but in many places that'd be worth £60-70 a month, or more.......you could even get cheeky with pals who may want to impose themselves, a bed for the night in exchange for a cheap takeaway ( platonic not whoring!!)...

13

As you may have noticed, we are in difficult times at the moment. Whereas 20 years ago, every graduate might be excpected to get their own pad, it does not really work like that now. I've been renting in London since my student days (from 1996) not on my own, always in shared houses. What I would say to you is once you get older, sharing a house is not that bad. I pay £500 a month for a room in a nice house in Highbury, but honestly that is minimum. If you went north you could get a 2-3 bedroom flat for that, so think about where you want to be, but don't just excpect to get a place of your own without any income or savings. Think most people dont really get a pad now until their thirties, and that's with a partner so two incomes. Good luck.

14

Lots of fantastic advice already written.

Rentals for your own space is prob the best, have a look at new build apartments, a lot of people bought these at full price from the mass company but now that they are trying to sell them can't get back even 80% of the purchase price and so have put them up for rent at a reasonable rate. Also have a look at older style properties sometimes things that are a bit run down (old) go for cheaper. I'd also go with something that is furnished so you don't have to furnish it yourself. If the property has had a good run of tenants then previous tenants tend to leave some of their belongings behind - pots, pans, table wear etc

As for food, the good wholesome food can't be beat! I invested in a crockpot (I would try and buy one cheap at a car boat or eBay or even a discount site) an example of food I cook is - I make a bolognaise with a big pack of mince, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, tinned toms and a beef stock, adding the vegs really bulk it up when it's been cooking for a few hours I blitz it so it becomes a ragu then add a shed load of mushrooms. So I spend approx 5.00 on ingredients and it makes 10-12 meals! That's makes dinner around 50p a portion. Also bulk buy pasta, rice and potatoes!

As for fuel you can check which is the cheapest garage in your area before you set out. Keep an eye on when tesco are doing the fuel deals but be careful your not buying unnecessary food items to get the fuel discount that ends up not being cheaper because of what you bought in store (hoping that makes sense lol)

Heating costs at home - shop around- nothing beats shopping around! And when with a company make sure you are in their best possible rate! I would also advise investing in some decent snuggly blankets that you know will keep you warm- layers and blankets are your friends, instead of running your heating all the time to keep you warm have it at set times that you need it most and just wear warm layers indoors (I don't mean a coat, scarf etc lol)

If you still wish to maintain a social life but are worried about costs and hate saying no I can't do this or that, invest in a cineworld card- it's 14.99 a month and is unlimited to the amount of movies you can see. Advise friends to do the same so that while you can see your friends and the latest movies you aren't spending a small fortune for each night u see them. Also groupon sometimes have deals out etc and a lot of food places have deals aswell so if meals are planned out with friends, have a look for a voucher before you go out to see what deals you can get. And don't be embarrassed about it, it's the done thing now to produce vouchers at restaurants- they need your business more than u need their food!

Last but not least start to save money! I know that when you are budgeting the last thing you want to think about is trying to save money but emergencies do arise and instead of it making a massive dent in your months pay packet, savings set aside for emergencies can be used to cover the cost without Breaking you.

All I can say is good luck xxxx

15

Wow all this information is really useful, keep it coming guys! I often contemplate moving out of my parent's house but never have the gall to do it as we're all about "family first". My dad is severely ill most of the time and my mum is his full-time carer. Neither of them work and they have three children under the age of eighteen. I would feel so guilty if I moved out as I'm the only one who works and pays board money.

Maybe someday I'll have the guts to move out...

16

I personally would start with renting something smaller. even if it is one room with bathroom and just hall.

I currently live alone, but in my parents spare flat. But I do pay rent, so it is not free. What I find is look for the deals, especially when it comes to things like cosmetics and other household items.

Cook for yourself. I know it can be tedious and boring cookign for one person all the time, but I tend to cook meals for 3 or 4 days (I just put smaller portions into the freezer at times) and use it. I found cooking myself costs far less, unless I am spoiling myself once in a while with something like salmon. I tend to set a budget and stick to it as much as I can. I mean I sometimes do spoil myself by eg buying salmon or some other more expensive things.

Accept some help from family. I dont mean accept money, but eg. my grandparents have a large garden with lot of apples, so I never buy apples, because I can have them for free. My grandparents would never be able to eat them all, so I take them and enjoy them. The same goes for eggs. When they have lot of them, I take some from them. And I dont feel bad, why should I?

Ask for some necessities as gifts. My nighttable came from bazaar, was very cheap. Often at least here these are in relatively good state. There were some adjustments, by my parents, because they love working with furniture, but still its cheap and people love its look. IKEA is also a safe bet for cheap, functional stuff, although in my experience not all the kitchen ware is that practical.

But I would personally invest into bed. I honestly like my sleep to go on well, so good bed frame and maddress is a must for me.

I dont have car, I use public transport. When travelling outside the city I live in, I check for some deals, although not as many deals in this country as in the UK. But one company has their travel card, which gives you some money off the ticket if you buy credit on it and use the credit on the card to pay for your ticket.

17

When i lived alone it was daunting but i bloody loved it. I came out with £808 a month from my 9-5 job and spent £808. Every penny i had went, but i couldn't have been happier. I was lucky enough that i had bought everything with my ex, we had spent about £3,000 kitting out our lovenest with everything from a fridge to a tv to a new bed....and when she left my lovely landlord reduced the rent from £500 to £425 while i was alone. With rent, food, bills and transport to work i was skint to say the least but i was alone, free and happy. We do what we have to do i guess.

Unfortunatly i did get ill and have to give up my job which lead to giving up my home. But i am currently planning on living along again, i know i will have no money and i know it will be hard but will be worth it.

18

Wow thanks for all the replies everyone!!

I'm a student at the moment so I'm very good with budgeting especially with food. My food bill is very minimal but I still eat well just because I always cook from scratch, don't eat much meat, make big portions and freeze it!

As I work in health care I might be eligable for the key worker schemes I have checked it out before but it was more about buying your own place which I don't have the deposit for. I will definitely look into it more though as well as housing association. I'd really like to be able to do it all by myself and not go to the council if I can help it, but obviously it will all depend on what I can afford!

The flat that I live in at the moment was unfurnished so I had to buy a lot of furniture. I have a bed, TV, bookcase, microwave, toaster, kettle, sofa and all the cooking essentials so that won't be a problem. Lots of places come with white goods but I know you can get good deals on freecycle too.

Such great tips everyone thank you, it's very good to know that it is possible! I am very careful with what I spend as I have to watch every penny. I was mainly interested in how to pay such a massive amount of rent and if there was anything I could do to get help which I have definitely learnt much more about.

It's just very scary to think about throwing all your money into paying rent and actually not being able to save anything at all for the future!

Thank you thank you thank you!! :) xxx

19

budget budget budget! dont spend any more than you have to. i lost my job a few years ago and managed to live on 19.5K for 3 years on my own paying £600 a month on rent alone.

it was hard very hard at times but if you want to you can do it. but i must admit im back working in avation and things are a lot easier with twice the money coming in. still living alone well i have a cat and my OH has her own place.

even managed to buy my own place again now its only half the size of the house i used to own but that went with the divorce.

just remember if you want it bad enough you'll do it.

20

I lived on my own in Italy

But here forget it ! I dont earn enough and even if I did everything is so expensive I would love to go back home but if the Uk is on its knees (economy wise ) Italy is laid flat on its back !