Being single costs £860 a month

[RubyToogood]

The old adage that two can live as cheaply as one turns out to be truer than you might think. New research states that living alone as opposed to in a couple costs you £860 a month, or around £10k a year.

The main costs are housing and bills, and lower costs in things like food don't offset that much at all. If anything food is also more expensive as everything comes in family or couple sizes and you have to buy a whole one.

Added to which the tax system favours married couples, and the council tax discount is only 25%. The government doesn't even monitor single /coupled status in its poverty calculations, and food banks report that most people using them are single.

I have to say that hearing about this research put things into a different perspective for me.

 

[The39thStep]

The old adage that two can live as cheaply as one turns out to be truer than you might think. New research states that living alone as opposed to in a couple costs you £860 a month, or around £10k a year.

Wondered where my money was going

 

[muscovyduck]

And it's worth every penny

 

[gentlegreen]

Obviously rent, bills and local taxes are shared .. an extra body emits 150 watts so helps keep the house warm ...

A polling organisation yesterday asked me what I would accept for a partner in terms of income / debts ...
If I'd met the partner of my dreams at 20, retirement plans would be much grander - though they would doubtless have insisted on bathing and heating and holidays and stuff ..

 

[mojo pixy]

I don't even earn 10k a year lol

 

[muscovyduck]

I agree with the cold hard maths but also think it's more complicated. I don't think most women really get that money back if they're in a relationship. I'm definitely financially better off on my own, and most of the time when I've started seeing someone you could see early on they'd switch from spending their own income and instead start spending assuming dual income was imminent, which really meant on some level mentally spending my money for me.

 

[TopCat]

Living with a lover erodes my soul. Eight hundred sovs a month seems value.

 

[RubyToogood]

I don't even earn 10k a year lol

Well it's averaged out obviously. To balance you out someone somewhere is earning over £100k. HTH.

 

[TopCat]

The £800 figure is about right for me.

 

[gentlegreen]

My outgoings for ever (aside from housing) has been about £300 for food and £300 for bills - but I skimp on a lot of things ...

 

[Ax^]

hmm seeming as i still have have cheap digs as I'm lazy to move out yet and supposedly saving for something

last ex i lived with would spend around 300 a month in weed alone


so its cheaper for me to be single

 

[muscovyduck]

The cost of me being single is probably £650 per month not including hours that could be saved if household chores were split. Not ideal but I'd get a housemate before another live in partner if I needed the money back

ETA: Assuming ideal partner rather than someone from my actual current dating pool

 

[mojo pixy]

Well it's averaged out obviously. To balance you out someone somewhere is earning over £100k. HTH.

Thanks, I was aware of that, once again I attain facetiousness fail. Anyway we all know it's having children that really fucks the finances, alone or not.

 

[Elpenor]

And it's worth every penny

If I had a partner I’d be willing to pay them to not live with me (And yeah I realise how dodgy that sounds but I really prefer my own space!)

 

[Ax^]

aye if you have kids living together will save you money, stress and a bunch of other things

saying that know more than one unofficial couplings with kids that save money by not living together

but being together with different job status zero hour contract or no job with one partner with a salary can cost you money

to many different combinations for it to be true across the scale of most people

 

[Sasaferrato]

The old adage that two can live as cheaply as one turns out to be truer than you might think. New research states that living alone as opposed to in a couple costs you £860 a month, or around £10k a year.

The main costs are housing and bills, and lower costs in things like food don't offset that much at all. If anything food is also more expensive as everything comes in family or couple sizes and you have to buy a whole one.

Added to which the tax system favours married couples, and the council tax discount is only 25%. The government doesn't even monitor single /coupled status in its poverty calculations, and food banks report that most people using them are single.

I have to say that hearing about this research put things into a different perspective for me.

The married couples allowance went long ago.

 

[Ax^]

If I had a partner I’d be willing to pay them to not live with me (And yeah I realise how dodgy that sounds but I really prefer my own space!)

if i was earn 100k that would be an option lol

Elpenor wishing to be a sugar mommy/daddy

 

[Elpenor]

The married couples allowance went long ago.

there are M suffix tax codes where married partners can receive tax allowance from their other half, if one is a basic rate payer and one earns below the PAYE threshold

 

[gentlegreen]

DINKYSH

 

[Sasaferrato]

there are M suffix tax codes where married partners can receive tax allowance from their other half, if one is a basic rate payer and one earns below the PAYE threshold

That is available to civilly partnered as well.

I must do it.

 

[Raheem]

So, instead of interviews at the job centre, it should be compulsory match.com

 

[Magnus McGinty]

And it's worth every penny

Money well spent.

 

[Ax^]

So, instead of interviews at the job centre, it should be compulsory match.com

love on the dole

 

[Elpenor]

That is available to civilly partnered as well.

I must do it.

It’s still favouring those in relationships over single folk which is what the thread is about

 

[muscovyduck]

So, instead of interviews at the job centre, it should be compulsory match.com

Funnily enough this was how I got trapped last time. I explained to my partner that I was giving up my entitlement to benefits by moving in with them so if that was what they wanted I expected them to pick up the slack. Did they fuck. Trapped for two years, almost ended with me being part of the 2 women a week statistic. After that I said never again and went through hell and back making sure I was true to my word

 

[Ax^]

been in similar crappy set ups never good

 

[Sasaferrato]

It’s still favouring those in relationships over single folk which is what the thread is about

Indeed. Holidays are pro-rata more expensive, hotel rooms etc.

 

[friedaweed]

aye if you have kids living together will save you money, stress and a bunch of other things

saying that know more than one unofficial couplings with kids that save money by not living together

but being together with different job status zero hour contract or no job with one partner with a salary can cost you money

to many different combinations for it to be true across the scale of most people

I was a lot better off and less stressed as a lone parent with my two kids ten years ago. That was a different time to now obvs and my income and outgoings as well as my lone status have changed considerably since then but I was doing ok on WFTC and a full time job. I'm pretty sure I could not survive on that same income now though and it wont have risen much by comparison to the outgoings.

 

[xenon]

On the plus side you die earlier so it’s a saving in the long run. Probably.

 

[RubyToogood]

On the plus side you die earlier so it’s a saving in the long run. Probably.

Which you need to do because you're a lot less likely to have a decent pension or a house.