Any savings from being single occupancy?

[B@Th*nG]

Hi guys,

From the looks of things me and the GF might be going our separate ways. Sad as it is it's not entirely unexpected so I'm trying to remain positive and look at things objectively and one of the things which occurred to me is whether or not I can actually afford to live in the place we currently rent on my own.

I know you get a reduced rate for single occupancy from council tax, are there any other bills i could expect to get a reduced rate for? TV license anything like that?

B@

 

[Engram]

Nope, council tax is the only one.

Edit: Actually, you might be able to get a discount on water rates, but having a water meter is probably cheaper. (And most places have meters now anyway).

 

[FishFluff]

Nope, council tax is the only one.

Edit: Actually, you might be able to get a discount on water rates, but having a water meter is probably cheaper. (And most places have meters now anyway).

This isn't always true. I don't have a meter and pay £26/month. My girlfriend had one in her place before she moved in and was paying far more than that. I guess it depends on how much you use your shower. If you smell like a tramp most of the time then a meter could be cheaper I guess

 

[Beans on toast Dave]

As said above, I know severnTrent offer single occupancy discounts if not on meter

 

[Prophet]

This isn't always true. I don't have a meter and pay £26/month. My girlfriend had one in her place before she moved in and was paying far more than that. I guess it depends on how much you use your shower. If you smell like a tramp most of the time then a meter could be cheaper I guess

I shower every day, wash the pots once a day, washing machine 3 times a week plus the usual toilet flushing, hand washing etc.

My water-metered bill is £14 a Month.

Before is was £45 when I paid the standard monthly rates.

 

[Andy__C]

I've been there mate.


Just get used to being 'careful' which is far easier on your own - and makes huge differences with bills/money in general.


Council tax and all things on a meter helps (my water bill nearly halfed when in your situation. I shower in the gym also, can get away with putting the washing machine on less etc... When leaving the house the only plugs on are the fridge/freezer and PC. Its not hard to do!

Could you possibly do without TV altogether? I've been without TV nearly 5 years... so don't pay a licence, NTL etc.... Still watch movies, stuff on the PC.

Don't miss TV one bit actually!


Food savings are massive - I probably eat better as well... make meals in bulk, tupperware is your friend

Having a few years living on my own was probably one of the best decisions I ever made rather than sharing/house-rent-share etc....

 

[tres]

This isn't always true. I don't have a meter and pay £26/month. My girlfriend had one in her place before she moved in and was paying far more than that. I guess it depends on how much you use your shower. If you smell like a tramp most of the time then a meter could be cheaper I guess

Get a meter.

I look after the water supply here, and charge about 60 customers.
As it was a private water supply, we gave people the option of having it metered (at regular rates) or un-metered (same rates as a South-Westerly water supplier.

Apart from one large house with 7 occupants, EVERY household saved a considerable amount by metering.

 

[Admiral Huddy]

Are you kidding? Not having wife and kids will save you are fortune.. I'm going sell mine on readymadefamily.com for a financial boost.

 

[B@Th*nG]

it's not currently metered, but i'm renting and the landlord doesn't want that changing. But i'll see if they do anything about single occupancy

B@

 

[Energize]

Get rid of the tv licence.

 

[Sho]

Housing Benefit?

 

[zipp0r]

you should ask for a water meter and i remember the job centre saying as a single person in work you can get some kind of tax credits/relief

 

[Freefaller]

You can probably make some savings on gas and electricity since there will potentially be less use of it. I know it's knocked over £20 a month off my bill. Insurance can potentially work out less if there are less items to insure. Can't really think of much else you can make a saving on. Realistically though you're likely to end up paying more, because you're not splitting the bills 2 ways. So irrespective of whether or not you can make savings, you're likely to end up more out of pocket anyway.

 

[B@Th*nG]

...a single person in work you can get some kind of tax credits/relief

ooo, interesting! I'll have to look into that!

You can probably make some savings on gas and electricity since there will potentially be less use of it. I know it's knocked over £20 a month off my bill. Insurance can potentially work out less if there are less items to insure. Can't really think of much else you can make a saving on. Realistically though you're likely to end up paying more, because you're not splitting the bills 2 ways. So irrespective of whether or not you can make savings, you're likely to end up more out of pocket anyway.

Ye, i'll certainly be paying more there's no doubt about that, but a little bit less of the more would be better if you catch my drift

B@

 

[Freefaller]

Yeah I follow completely, and have been in the same situation recently. I've given all the ideas I can think of , hopefully you'll be able to minimise the extra expense!

 

[beamer]

You do not need a TV licence to watch the non-live iPlayer / 4oD / ITV Player content. So you don't need to miss much TV at all, if you don't want to. The TV licensing people have been very careful not to advertise the change from requiring you to have a TV licence if you had the ability to receive live broadcasts.

"The law states that you need to be covered by a TV Licence if you watch or record television programmes, on any device, as they're being shown on TV. This includes TVs, computers, mobile phones, games consoles, digital boxes and DVD/VHS recorders. You don't need a licence if you don't use any of these devices to watch or record television programmes as they're being shown on TV - for example, if you use your TV only to watch DVDs or play video games, or you only watch programmes on your computer after they have been shown on TV."

http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/topics/what-if-a-tv-licence-is-not-needed-top12/

There is even a link on that page to declare online that you don't need a licence.

You could save yourself £145.50 each and every year.

Could you possibly do without TV altogether? I've been without TV nearly 5 years... so don't pay a licence, NTL etc.... Still watch movies, stuff on the PC.

Don't miss TV one bit actually!