bluestreak
HomosexualityIsStalin’sAtomBombtoDestroyAmerica
I lived on shit all for years. It's necessary to do so in London if you're just starting a career or in a low-paid sector (or both as I am).
What's the min. you can live on in London?
- Thread starter shakermaker88
- Start date
Brainaddict
slight system overdrive
£12k is do-able as a single person. £15k is more relaxing.
You have to think about whether you can afford certain luxuries or nights out on either of those amounts - this may or may not be a hardship, depending on your point of view (i.e. how spoilt/consumerist/socially insecure you are
).
You have to think about whether you can afford certain luxuries or nights out on either of those amounts - this may or may not be a hardship, depending on your point of view (i.e. how spoilt/consumerist/socially insecure you are
).AnnO'Neemus
Is so vanilla
I know, I hate threads like this.
I am actually crap at money management. I mean really crap. I'm Aspie (Asperger's Syndrome, on the autistic spectrum), and I have executive dysfunction traits, so I'm useless at bills and budgeting and stuff. I really need help.
Recognising that you've got a problem is the first step in sorting it out.
In a lot of areas, the CAB has a financial advice section. Seeing as they do debt counselling, they should be able to help you, but you'll probably need to make an appointment.
In a lot of areas, the CAB has a financial advice section. Seeing as they do debt counselling, they should be able to help you, but you'll probably need to make an appointment.
Fries with that?
20 k really. to have a fairly good time. you still have to live in a flatshare. good luck btw
TBH I think it's fine when sharing. The real issue comes when thinking about having a family. If I was working for a low salary and we were trying to rent a two bed flat, we'd be buggered, assuming my missus couldn't find a job. Up here, a 2 bed flat is about 500 a month, in London it's more like a 1000 and that's by far the biggest differential in costs. eating out, pubs, transport, etc are really not very differently priced.
scifisam
deleted
£15k would easily be enough unless you have huge debts. I'm assuming that, having just finished uni, you're not expecting to have a 2-bedroom flat to yourself and eat at a posh restaurant every week. You couldn't manage that on £15k, but you could get a decent houseshare in a decent part of London and still have loads left over for food and the pub and so on. If you have to travel a long way for work that adds to the cost quite a bit, but since you're looking for a job and then moving, you should be able to find a place pretty close to work.
Quite a few people on here live on less than £15k in London, and it's not that bad really.
Yeah, cause there are no free museums or anything in London, off licences cost more and nobody ever has house parties. If you earn under £20k you might as well be housebound!
Quite a few people on here live on less than £15k in London, and it's not that bad really.
Yeah, cause there are no free museums or anything in London, off licences cost more and nobody ever has house parties. If you earn under £20k you might as well be housebound!
AnnO'Neemus
Is so vanilla
But most of the suggestions involve sharing, and what if you're over the age of 30 and you're thinking you don't want to be living like a student in houseshares for the rest of your adult life? How do you find somewhere affordable? 
scifisam
deleted
But most of the suggestions involve sharing, and what if you're over the age of 30 and you're thinking you don't want to be living like a student in houseshares for the rest of your adult life? How do you find somewhere affordable?
That is more difficult, but the OP has just finished uni and hasn't mentioned being a mature student who's used to living alone.
I know plenty of people over 30 who happily live in houseshares; the trick is finding people you like living with. After a while living in the same city, that becomes more feasible. Of course, some people really can't stand houseshares - in which case they either have to find more money or rent a studio/1 bedroom flat, which is expensive but not always as bad as the press will say.
It's not also not completely impossible for a single person (without disabilities, kids or special requirements in general) to get a housing association flat. At least, I know a few people who have them - who else are the housing association going to put in one-bedroom flats on the second floor and above? They're not the kind of flats you give to families (not long term, anyway) or people with disabilities.
Housesharing isn't really a 'student' thing, anyway, I wouldn't have thought. Living alone is a relatively new phenomenon.
I'm always shocked at how much money I waste at the supermarket. When I was growing up, my parents would spend around £100 a month on enough groceries for a family of 6 (excluding school dinners for 4 of us). I seem to spend around £100 a month on just myself.
EastEnder
Brixton Barnacle
Indeed. I'm 33, single and thoroughly antisocial. Really can't be doing with irksome house shares any more, although I had to until quite recently. Now I can just about afford to pay through the nose for a crappy little 1 bed flat. I may be left with minimal disposable income, but at least now I can sit around in my pants, farting with impunity.But most of the suggestions involve sharing, and what if you're over the age of 30 and you're thinking you don't want to be living like a student in houseshares for the rest of your adult life? How do you find somewhere affordable?
This website is good for tracking your spending... http://www.spendingdiary.com/
starfish2000
Well-Known Member
Well
I look at it this way
look at what you'd want then work out the wage
I would want £150 a week in terms of feeding myself & going out money
transport £30 a week
My mate rents a dog kennel in Zone 2 for £1000 a month
Bills & C/Tax £300 maybe
So thats a take home wage of £2 grand a month really, if your gonna have a pension and save then more
I'm basing this on being a 40 year old man who doesn't want to live in a houseshare
I look at it this way
look at what you'd want then work out the wage
I would want £150 a week in terms of feeding myself & going out money
transport £30 a week
My mate rents a dog kennel in Zone 2 for £1000 a month
Bills & C/Tax £300 maybe
So thats a take home wage of £2 grand a month really, if your gonna have a pension and save then more
I'm basing this on being a 40 year old man who doesn't want to live in a houseshare
Ms T
Honey-coloured ramparts
Ever heard of inflation?
Funky_monks
Neo-Rustic
I manage to look after my wife and baby on £200/week (pre tax) plus flat.
I live in the Cotswolds, and Stow-on-the-Wold Tescos (my nearest supermarket) was recently named as being one of the most expensive outside London.
Grow all the veg you can (and think about it - I try to grow expensive stuff/staples), take up homebrewing (I can brew beer for 20p/pint). Scrimp and save, make-do and mend. The world is your lobster.
I live in the Cotswolds, and Stow-on-the-Wold Tescos (my nearest supermarket) was recently named as being one of the most expensive outside London.
Grow all the veg you can (and think about it - I try to grow expensive stuff/staples), take up homebrewing (I can brew beer for 20p/pint). Scrimp and save, make-do and mend. The world is your lobster.
pinkmonkey
2.4 hour party person
Yup. I think when people say they can't manage it's because they've got loans to pay. I was far worse off when I commuted into the West End and earned £45k. Because I owed £27k in loans and on credit cards.
It's so easy to get into the debt trap in London (it was for me, anyway). I really don't feel hard done-by earning what I do now. I don't sit there thinking 'poor me', because I chose this and it works for me.
I know I'm lucky coz our boat mortgage is cheap (£350 per month) and the mooring is cheap for London (£250 per month). I know plenty of boat dwellers in London on small boats with no moorings, paying £500 a year license, very cheap in summer (and very cheap in winter if you can be arsed to collect wood for the burner), but if you choose that, whilst it's cheap it can be even more basic than squatting - probably why most of these boaters are ex-squatters. Infact so many are doing this now, its getting a bit crowded and rumours are that BW are going to do something about it.
Epona
Radar 2006-2020, Sonic 2006-2022, Jakey 2007-2024
Great idea, but not always doable on a low income in London. I'm living in the only place I can afford - an upstairs flat without so much as a balcony. Access to even a shared garden can push rent/mortgage up too high to be realistic. 10 year or more waiting list for allotments. I'd love to have a small garden, always used to grow my own veg.
marty21
One on one? You're crazy.
Indeed. I'm 33, single and thoroughly antisocial. Really can't be doing with irksome house shares any more, although I had to until quite recently. Now I can just about afford to pay through the nose for a crappy little 1 bed flat. I may be left with minimal disposable income, but at least now I can sit around in my pants, farting with impunity.
i wouldn't house share again , even though I enjoyed it when i did, I stopped when I was 29, farting with impunity in your pants is worth a little extra imo
spacemonkey
I Love Noodles
Cardiff has officially got the highest cost of living relative to salary. It's quite expensive here and the wages are shocking.
I'm on minimum wage and only managing to get 30 hours a week but I am making it work. I moved into cheaper accomodation, and now have about 60-70 quid a week for spends. This is enough to be able to go out and have fun, travel wherever I need to, buy things I need. I have a good life, I think. Yeah, I wish I had more money but if we're talking about what you can live on in London then look - I can live on this.
Before anyone brings up the roaches none have been sighted for weeks and weeks. And that mouse was a one off!
Before anyone brings up the roaches none have been sighted for weeks and weeks. And that mouse was a one off!
EastEnder
Brixton Barnacle
I'd like to see a first timer buyer on 18K get a mortgage for anywhere in London these days! with or without a teenager in tow!I survived on £18k for over a year with a teenager and mortgage in London....it was hard going
depends on getting your housing costs paid though. my rent's £425/month.. my council tax is covered by c/tax benefit, but my housing benefit is £90/week - the maximum LHA allowance for a room in a shared property apparently.
their letter about why they turned down my discretionary payment application (to get the difference covered) stated that it's because i 'get the maximum LHA amount available' atm.
erm, that's the reason i applied for the discretionary payment
so the £35/month difference is meant to come out of my ESA. which is the minimum amount of benefit i'm meant to be able to 'live' on...
expect a 'WTF?' thread to be started later (along a request for housing advice).
depends on getting your housing costs paid though. my rent's £425/month.. my council tax is covered by c/tax benefit, but my housing benefit is £90/week - the maximum LHA allowance for a room in a shared property apparently.
their letter about why they turned down my discretionary payment application (to get the difference covered) stated that it's because i 'get the maximum LHA amount available' atm.
erm, that's the reason i applied for the discretionary payment
so the £35/month difference is meant to come out of my ESA. which is the minimum amount of benefit i'm meant to be able to 'live' on...
expect a 'WTF?' thread to be started later (along a request for housing advice).
how did you get on today?
(I tried to pm you earlier but your box is full......as bloody usual
and I'm betting you've lost yer phone again too or you'd reply to my txt! 
)
it's empty now
(and i've not lost my phone, just used all my credit)
back to the thread...
last year i was earning 19.5k, living in a shared house with my ex, covering rent/bills/transport and a bit of debt repayment on my part... left us (he refused to go on the dole or apply for housing benefit) with about seventy quid a week.
(and i've not lost my phone, just used all my credit
)back to the thread...
last year i was earning 19.5k, living in a shared house with my ex, covering rent/bills/transport and a bit of debt repayment on my part... left us (he refused to go on the dole or apply for housing benefit) with about seventy quid a week.
it's empty now
(and i've not lost my phone, just used all my credit
Well, I wanted to pm you earlier. I might not want to pm you now
softybabe
one merlot then two....
I'd like to see a first timer buyer on 18K get a mortgage for anywhere in London these days! with or without a teenager in tow!
I know!
it wouldnt happen!!!I was lucky that i already had one and my mortgage is low (ish) considering living in London
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