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I'm having a similar dilemma myself, so any advice would be much appreciated.
I think living alone always works out a lot more expensive. Me and my uni friends have just been looking for a house for next year. Our group of 6 pays about £75 a week for bills, the house everything but people on their own were looking at closer to a £100.
Then you need to add on money for food, and the essentials. I'd estimate it at about £20 a week if you're careful. But again you save a lot of money on food if you share it because you can take advantage of the bulk buys in supermarkets...
Then you need to add on money for food, and the essentials. I'd estimate it at about £20 a week if you're careful. But again you save a lot of money on food if you share it because you can take advantage of the bulk buys in supermarkets...
dreadnaut
food can be for me anything from £20 lasting 2/3 weeks to £40 gone in a week.
Depends if you eat meat I find - meat costs me a bomb. If your content to live off pasta,bread,noodles,and less meat food isnt really that expensive.
SAINSBURYS BASICS FTW
Depends if you eat meat I find - meat costs me a bomb. If your content to live off pasta,bread,noodles,and less meat food isnt really that expensive.
SAINSBURYS BASICS FTW
Frozen mince and things like whole chorizos and other preserved meats that will last ages are great for budgeting.
it can be really expensive as people have said.
As far as renting goes, it depends on where you live but one bedroom places tend to be more expensive, might be worth looking into a house share.
If your working you would also need to budget for council tax which varies depending on your area, if you live alone you get a single person discount which i think is about 20% off, if you live with students its 50% i think but again it might vary from area to area.
Again, food is usually £25 - £30 a week depending on how much you eat
then rent, gas, electric, water
you;d need to pay a bond when you rent a place and depending on the agency they charge an admin fee sometimes which can be around £75 upwards just to stop viewings and give you time to sort out the paper work. So basically befroe you even move out you'd need to spend a few hundred quid just to secure a place to live.
It's doable, but pricey, really depends how much you have saved and what your income is...
As far as renting goes, it depends on where you live but one bedroom places tend to be more expensive, might be worth looking into a house share.
If your working you would also need to budget for council tax which varies depending on your area, if you live alone you get a single person discount which i think is about 20% off, if you live with students its 50% i think but again it might vary from area to area.
Again, food is usually £25 - £30 a week depending on how much you eat
then rent, gas, electric, water
you;d need to pay a bond when you rent a place and depending on the agency they charge an admin fee sometimes which can be around £75 upwards just to stop viewings and give you time to sort out the paper work. So basically befroe you even move out you'd need to spend a few hundred quid just to secure a place to live.
It's doable, but pricey, really depends how much you have saved and what your income is...
I pay 495 a month rent
Something like 120 council tax
About 200 a month food (this is for 2 people though)
20 a month water
11 a month TV licence
11 a month line rental
17 a month for internet and sky
100 a month gas and electricity
Something like 120 council tax
About 200 a month food (this is for 2 people though)
20 a month water
11 a month TV licence
11 a month line rental
17 a month for internet and sky
100 a month gas and electricity
J-E-N-O-V-A
Has anybody else done this? Rather than going to uni or travelling straight away, got a job and moved into an apartment near work? I'm desperate to do this for some reason...I'm worried about costs though for renting an apartment or whatever. I've saved up some money from working during GCSE's and A-levels but not sure whether it will be enough...
Enlighten me TSR members...gimme some of your wisdom from independance.
Maybe uni students could give me some kind of budgeting tips and whatnot. For example, to those of you renting, how much is food expenses + rent per month? (approximately and on average)
Also, tell me the postives and negatives of living by yourself.
Enlighten me TSR members...gimme some of your wisdom from independance.
Maybe uni students could give me some kind of budgeting tips and whatnot. For example, to those of you renting, how much is food expenses + rent per month? (approximately and on average)
Also, tell me the postives and negatives of living by yourself.
An "apartment"
Get a flat like anyone else.
My advice to you would be to look for a house/flat share. This is so much cheaper, as landlords can RINSE the rent out of you!! In a house or flat share, depending where you are, you pay between £70 and£100 per week for rent. Sometimes that includes bills, and sometimes it doesn't, so make sure you know. As for food, I can get shopping for two (me and my boyfriend) down to £15 per week.... but that is because we buy litterally only the very cheapest and essential items, and we shop around A LOT... we use ASDA mainly, but then check out Lidl and Aldi, sometimes Netto too, for their offers, which are normally immense 
I also get cheap food from work, and he eats a meal a day at work too...
Where abouts would you be living?? and if I were you, I would go through the landlord, not a letting agent, but again, shop around, and make sure that they are council assured etc
Good luck xxx
I also get cheap food from work, and he eats a meal a day at work too... Where abouts would you be living?? and if I were you, I would go through the landlord, not a letting agent, but again, shop around, and make sure that they are council assured etc
Good luck
xxxI did this - went to uni very naive but by trial and error have found a well-paying job that helps pay all the bills and finance study etc. I'd recommend moving to London (where it's often easier to find a well-paying job then in many other areas of the UK), but live in an inexpensive area. Then it's all affordable. I'm 19 by the way, so it may not take you too long either.
SillyFencer
Wow... and you don't mind living like this?? Sorry, but that's not worth it just to have money in the bank as fair as I am concerned.
Nope, I don't mind living like this at all! And I don't have money in the bank!! I spend my money on other things, and I make sure that I have enough in a reserve account to pay for plumbers and the like.... Things ALWAYS go wrong in my house!! The cheap stuff, generally isn't bad, and I don't buy cheap meat, so its allllllllll good
I think the main thing people have missed out on is how lonely it can be to live by yourself. Some have suggested moving elsewhere, but then you won't have any friends around you or anything for quite a while (until you make friends of course). I live in a house with people but we don't get along and I spend most of my tim alone, it's incredibly lonely.
pinkaliengoo
I think the main thing people have missed out on is how lonely it can be to live by yourself. Some have suggested moving elsewhere, but then you won't have any friends around you or anything for quite a while (until you make friends of course). I live in a house with people but we don't get along and I spend most of my tim alone, it's incredibly lonely.
I think you are presuming because you feel that way everyone will. I would like to live alone and plan to in the near future.
As rent goes, I cant really comment as I'm planning to live in halls again next year. However, I can live perfectly happily by spending £10 a week on food. Inevitably I normally spend more than that as I buy additional "luxuries" like cheese and Bombay Mix 
but in an average week, that's all I spend on food which I need ie fresh vegetables, meat, fresh fruit etc. You don't necessarily have to go to super cheap shops, but watch out for special offers - there are always offers on in the supermarket; buy lots of whatever you want when it's on offer and freeze it. It's also a good idea to maintain a cupboard full of basics - stuff in tins, spices, pasta etc. Also, try and plan your meals roughly for the week and buy all you think you need in one go - I always find that on weeks when I go out more than once for food shopping, I spend more.
but in an average week, that's all I spend on food which I need ie fresh vegetables, meat, fresh fruit etc. You don't necessarily have to go to super cheap shops, but watch out for special offers - there are always offers on in the supermarket; buy lots of whatever you want when it's on offer and freeze it. It's also a good idea to maintain a cupboard full of basics - stuff in tins, spices, pasta etc. Also, try and plan your meals roughly for the week and buy all you think you need in one go - I always find that on weeks when I go out more than once for food shopping, I spend more.
i think it would be too expensive
i cant think of anything worse than working full time and having to spend all your wages on essesntials like rent bills and food.
im a saver so i wouldnt wanna waste my money
i cant think of anything worse than working full time and having to spend all your wages on essesntials like rent bills and food.
im a saver so i wouldnt wanna waste my money
I'll probably try to find a bedsit then, or maybe rent a flat will other people. Problem is I want to earn money in my year out 
SillyFencer
I think you are presuming because you feel that way everyone will. I would like to live alone and plan to in the near future.
I wasn't presuming everyone will feel how i do, that's why i said how lonely it CAN be, i'm sure loads of people enjoy living alone but it's definately a factor to consider when thinking of living alone
When I was 18, I moved out, but luckily for me, I was working as an Assistant Manager at a pub/restaurant and so lived rent free above the premises. The place was a dump, but it was free so who's complaining?!
If you have no immediate career plans, a lot of pubs and restaurants offer accommodation for staff (and you don't have to be at management level in some cases) so you could always look around for jobs like that?
Also, living above the restaurant, if I was struggling for money - there was always plenty of food around!!!!
Normally I'd spend about £15-20 a week on food though. Although when money was tight I could live off a lot less.
What you need to also think about is it takes a lot of "start up" money to live on your own. If you do rent, you'll need a deposit and don't forget you'll need to buy things like bedding and an iron and an ironing board and all the things you usually just have lying around at home.
Toilet roll! I was amazed at how much toilet roll I seemed to go through!!! Ha ha.
If you have no immediate career plans, a lot of pubs and restaurants offer accommodation for staff (and you don't have to be at management level in some cases) so you could always look around for jobs like that?
Also, living above the restaurant, if I was struggling for money - there was always plenty of food around!!!!
Normally I'd spend about £15-20 a week on food though. Although when money was tight I could live off a lot less.
What you need to also think about is it takes a lot of "start up" money to live on your own. If you do rent, you'll need a deposit and don't forget you'll need to buy things like bedding and an iron and an ironing board and all the things you usually just have lying around at home.
Toilet roll! I was amazed at how much toilet roll I seemed to go through!!! Ha ha.
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