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Average bill prices?

I'm moving into my own place in a few months.

I've been paying £75 a week for rent for this year but that includes all bills so am completely unaware of how much bills actually are tbh.

I'm looking into living on my own (rather than with my friend but if I can't afford it then I'm going to stick with my original plan and share with her) so I'm just trying to work out if I'm actually going to be able to afford it.

I'm looking at £400/£500 a month rent (from what I've looked at) so I'm just wondering how much per month I should add to that. I mean, I want TV so I know I have to pay for a TV Licence. I also want an internet connection so how much would that add per month and if there isn't a phone line, how much does it cost to get one fitted so I can have one? Also, how much is council tax per month? I'm looking into living in Didsbury in Manchester.

How much is electricity, gas, water, etc? I wouldn't really use much as one person surely? Is there anything else I've missed? :confused:

Also, how much of my wage should I really be thinking about putting towards all this in terms of percentages? Sorry for all of the questions. I just wanna know what I'm doing at the time sorta thing and don't want anything going wrong!

I'm just trying to work out how much I should be adding onto my rent each month for all of the above really.
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Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Oh dear. I think you're in for a bit of a shock.

    75 a week is nothing compared to renting your own place.

    In addition to rent, you'd be looking at -

    150 quid for a BT line to be installed if there's not one already, otherwise I think it's around a tenner a month for rental.

    10-30 quid a month for your internet.

    Roughly 30-50 quid a month for each of the utilities.

    Council tax will depend, but 60 a month +.

    Then you've got to stock your house out with equipment and stuff, and maintain it all.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Aye. I realise that its not going to be easy, thats why I'm trying to get my head around it all now and to see if I can actually afford a place of my own. If not, I'll rent with my friend who a while (as planned) until I can afford it.

    Why on earth is gas, electricity and water gonna cost me £150 per month? That seems really expensive seeing as I don't use much.

    My phone bill is £35 per month too. Meh.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    More than you think, is the honest answer.

    We pay £30 a month for gas and the same for electricity (if you only have electricity double that at least). We don't use much gas or electricity, and our bills are lower than that of our friends.
    Council tax will be starting at about £100 a month, depending on the band of your property.
    The TV tax is £15 a month.
    Water is about £30 a month, more if its metered.
    Telephone line rental is about £10 a month. Calls are extra, although with most broadband providers you get free calls. Broadband is £20 a month.
    To install a BT line is £150. If cable is in your area and depending on your house you could get cable installed. Virgin Media do TV, telephone and broadband for £30 a month, with free installation.
    Contents insurance is about £25 a month.

    It all costs money.

    Generally if you are spending more than 50% of your income on your rent alone then you will very likely run into some financuial hardship.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Telephone line rental? Whats all that about?

    I'm not actually going to be using a landline phone. I just need a telephone connection so I can have the internet.

    Looking at these figures, I think I will be renting with my friend for a while :lol:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    You still have to pay BT for the use of the line in order to have an internet connection. I think the cheapest line rental you can get is £7, but that's incoming calls only and you can't have an internet connection on one of those as it's outgoing. Sooo I think it's £11 for the cheapest line rental for incoming and outgoing calls.

    Bills are horrendous. I hate having to pay them, particularly when I haven't reeeally lived in the house I'm renting at all.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    If you want the internet you will need a landline telephone connected to your property. You will also need to rent the line from a line rental company, usually BT, to pay for maintenance of it, etc. Some companies, like TalkTalk, charge their own line rental, but you still have to pay for use of the line.

    The only alternative is to get cable through Virgin Media.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Gawd. I forgot about insurance. Meh.

    Everything is so expensive :(

    I'm looking at about £300 extra per month aren't I? (Or £150 if I'm sharing with my friend)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Telephone line rental? Whats all that about?

    I'm not actually going to be using a landline phone. I just need a telephone connection so I can have the internet.

    Indeed. Unfortunately they don't give them away for free ;)
    Looking at these figures, I think I will be renting with my friend for a while :lol:

    It's worth seriously considering really, if she is a tolerable housemate.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well she is but I like my space. She doesn't even realise I'm considering this tbh. I'm only looking into getting my own place, I've not decided to.

    Tbh, going by these figures, I think I'm best renting with my friend for however long the tenancy lasts (6 months? a year?) till I get myself a proper job sorted out and get used to how much I need to pay each month and stuff. It scares me how much stuff I've gotta sort out though, it really does.

    It is just bothering me a bit that say one month, my friend doesn't have any money that I'll be landed with all the bills, rent, etc. I'd rather just have to worry about my own money rather than both hers and mine.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well she is but I like my space. She doesn't even realise I'm considering this tbh. I'm only looking into getting my own place, I've not decided to.

    Tbh, going by these figures, I think I'm best renting with my friend for however long the tenancy lasts (6 months? a year?) till I get myself a proper job sorted out and get used to how much I need to pay each month and stuff. It scares me how much stuff I've gotta sort out though, it really does.

    There is a bit to sort out yes. If you've not got a(n at least reasonable) job sorted though I think renting your own place is definitely premature. It's not an impossible issue though. Just needs a bit of planning.
    It is just bothering me a bit that say one month, my friend doesn't have any money that I'll be landed with all the bills, rent, etc. I'd rather just have to worry about my own money rather than both hers and mine.

    Well, yes, that could be possible, but your logic is a bit flawed because if she wasn't there you'd be doing that every month, and her sharing ain't going to cost you much more if you have to pay her bit one time. It would also give you someone who could maybe help if you are a bit short one month.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Aye, yeah you are right. Even if she drops out, there is loads of houseshare things going on in Didsbury. It scares me how much its gonna cost though, it almost makes me feel as though I'm getting a bargain at £75 per week (despite it being stupidly expensive compared to other student rents in Preston).

    ETA: It worries me about what Kermit says about the 50% thing.

    At the cheapest I'm gonna be forking out £400-£500 per month for everything if I share with my friend. Its likely I'll be in some shitty temping job for quite a while (till I get my feet on the ground) and at most, be earning £200 per week :( Minimum wage, 40 hours a week and all that :(
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    it almost makes me feel as though I'm getting a bargain at £75 per week (despite it being stupidly expensive compared to other student rents in Preston).

    Well, it should. Because you are.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Me and my other half have a house (mortgate et.c.) Mortgage is £450 a month, £112 council tax, plus another £500 to cover bills and food with us having to dip into our own pockets to bail the joint account out every now and again.
    Don't rent, if you can afford £500 in rent, you can afford a mortgage.
    A combined wage of £42,000 is enough to buy a £100,000 property.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I don't have an income and I'm almost 100% certain that I won't be on £100,000 when I do get a job:no:

    I finish Uni in May. I'm planning on renting a place with my friend in June. I have a few grand in savings but thats hardly gonna get me a deposit on a mortgage. I'm going to have to rent as thats probably all I'm going to be able to afford when I get a job. Got no choice really.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    makes me really appreciate student accom including bills!

    ...and really not look forward to having my own place when the time comes :p
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I was paying

    Rent

    Council tax i didnt have to pay as i am a student

    Elec 125 every 3 months

    Water 120 every 3 months

    telephone 40 a month with calls

    internet 24.00 a month

    then things like me mobile bill etc on top
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Why on earth is gas, electricity and water gonna cost me £150 per month? That seems really expensive seeing as I don't use much.


    welcome to the big wide world.

    that's how much they charge, that's why it costs that much. :thumb:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru

    telephone 40 a month with calls



    then things like me mobile bill etc on top

    :eek2:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    My boyfriend and i share a band b council taxed house in norwich.

    We pay £300 each a month in rent and put £250 a month each into our joint account, with which we pay for pretty much everything, including food. We do on occasion have to pay a bit of extra money into the joint account, but by and large we get by. But there isn't anything extra left in the joint account at the end of the month. I'm not saying we live badly - we don't - but it does cost the full £1100 a month to run the house.

    (our bills include £45/month for gas, £18/month electricity, £30/month NTL, £26/month water - which is cheaper than most, £100/month council tax, £20/month tv licence, £20/month contents insurance. We pay mobile bills seperately).
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    We live in a 2 bed house and this is what it costs us roughly.

    £330 every 4 weeks rent.
    £100pm council tax
    £58 for the gas and electric added together.
    £30 pm water (we are on a meter but are alot in credit)
    About £60 every 3 months for the phone, which we barely use.
    £17.99 for broadband.
    £40-50 car insurance pm
    £10pm contents insurance (which many landlords make you get)

    Thats all i can think of off the top of my head.
    I would say if you are on the minimum wage you best share with someone.

    ETA £12pm tv licence
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    For this joint account malarky, don't you need to be married to have one?

    Me and my friend aren't going to be able to have one are we? :confused:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    No you don't need to be married, i had one with my ex and we certainly wern't married. Just don't go getting an overdraft or anything together
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Replicant wrote: »
    makes me really appreciate student accom including bills!

    ...and really not look forward to having my own place when the time comes :p

    Heh. Same here although, I am paying alot compared to other students here. Some students are paying £50 per week including bills for what I get here! I'm paying for the location and what I get here.

    Although its going to be expensive, I actually cannot wait to move out of here and having my own place, even if it is with my friend. I think I'm looking at £400 per month including bills at least if I share with my friend. If I'm on the minimum wage doing 40 hours a week, thats about 50% of my wage so yanno. I don't know how long its going to take for me to get a proper job :(
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    rachie004 wrote: »
    I pay £650 a month in bills alone, then there's food, petrol, drinking to be paid for!

    Just for bills, how?!

    Does that not include rent?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Rent is a bill i would assume
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Also if you are student, when you start earning at some point you will have to start paying back your student loan if you had one i would imagine.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Personally:

    mortgage: £650 p/m
    water & drainage £35 p/m
    electricity £40 p/m (I am very economical)
    landline/internet/tv: virgin media: £45 p/m (free calls so bill doesn't increase)
    mobile: £25 p/m (doesn't change as i don't go over limits)
    insurances £50 p/m
    window cleaners / gardeners: £30 p/m
    food & household cleaning products etc £120 p/m
    council tax £60 p/m
    tv licence £12 p/m or something similar

    I'm sure I've left some out!

    shit, i need a job soon! lol
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Oh yeah forgot tv licence
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    rachie004 wrote: »
    :yes:

    I'm pretty sure I'm missing something out of that total too!

    £650 per month is good if you don't share your flat tbh :yes:

    Tweety - as for my loan, it all depends how much I'm earning. They don't start taking it off you until you earn at least £15k apparently. I don't know how much they take off you when you do :no:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I live with 3 other people in a big house.
    For rent, gas, electric, council tax, tv licence and water it costs us £260 pm each.
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