To think it's expensive being single

[rainyinnovember]

Mortgage / rent is more expensive
Council tax
Entertainment
Bills
Shopping

Or am I missing something

And yes, why isnt single persons council tax 50% instead of 25%

If four people are sharing a house then two move out, the remaining two get twice as much space and pay twice as much council tax (because it's now split 2 ways instead of 4). If one moves out, the remaining gets twice as much space - but this time only has to pay half again as much council tax (NOT twice), because as a single person they get special favourable rules.

(Not saying I disagree with the rules, but it seems bizarre to think they are unfair to people living alone, when they are tilted their favour over any other group size.)

It's really the

Mortgage / rent
Yes, you can live somewhere like a house share but it's not THAT much cheaper. You pay £380 for a room in a house. In a couple, I paid £350 for a mortgage on a whole house (£120,000 mortgage.)

Council tax
Yes, you get a discount on your own but you're still paying more.

Electricity, TV, Internet, gas, water, insurance
All split between two wages

Car
You might not be able to afford one car. I know plenty of people can't but some do.

Entertainment/holidays
Assume you're in a couple.

Queenliz- I wish! His business went arse up not long after I met him, and as he never sorted out the paperwork to be a limited company, he was held personally liable =bankruptcy.... I didn't by any means list things we tend to do, We don't tend to buy gifts for each other, but I think we're in the minority!

Enthusiasm is dead. that might be where I got the 5 from in my head. It might be £5 something and not £15!

oh shit hippo. that is crap.

So why can't you pay £350 on a mortgage on your own then? What's the problem there ?

Well, hypothetically Pisssssssedoffffffff :) I could, although getting a property for £70,000 might be a bit difficult.

This thread is weirding me out

I am sorry you feel that way. If you hit the little blue arrow you can hide it.

Breaking it down a little more to people who don’t seem to understand why it may be more expensive to be single:

My mortgage - this would be split 2 ways if I were in a couple
Council Tax - I pay about £90 as a single person, but if I were in a couple, it would be £135 – so I pay more than half
Electricity - you don’t use double electricity living with someone else, as you would still have the tv on, lights on the same amount of time as an example
Gas - as above. Heating/cooking etc would generally be the same amount of time spent, just would be split costs if I were in a couple
TV Licence - no discount for being a single person
Sky/BT/Virgin- a luxury maybe, but cost would still be split in two
Food - yes you can bulk cook, but it gets quite repetitive having to eat the same food every night. Meat especially is catered to buying for more than one – unless you go to the butchers (which is then more expensive anyway)

Just a couple of examples … You do go out more when you’re single aswell, otherwise how else can you meet someone. Anddddd, being single = harder to get a mortgage. My singular wage would go a lot further if I had another wage added to it to help me out. 5 x my salary doesn’t go very far sighs Also above, doesn’t take into account the money you would save on emergency house repairs, contents insurance etc etc

BUT hey, it's my choice to be single apparently, according to a PP, so what do I know

Looby, it's not that people don't understand, it's just different experiences is all.

When I was younger I was told off for being cynical when I said some people only coupled up for £ reasons!

I don't think people couple up for financial reasons but I think it's a big reason people stay in relationships.

Looby, it's not that people don't understand, it's just different experiences is all.

Of course. I'm probably talking from my own personal experiences but when I lived with my ex - I was definitely better off ... I'd rather be single and skint though than live with him again

As for christmas presents being more expensive, I've found I pay the same in a couple as when single. I pay for presents for my family (from both of us) ,he pays for his, so I'm paying exactly the same amount of people out of my money as before.

Yes, but then there are other considerations.

Definitely cheaper doing things as a couple.

I work in a business where it's unusual to own property unless you work in the highest paid jobs or unless you're in a couple or mum and dad have helped you out.

Being that I fall into none of these categories people are often shocked I own my flat and it wasn't because I got a windfall inheritance or something.

It is a lot harder when it's just you. If I was living with someone on the same income as me, we'd have a charmed life

I agree with you OP. I recently considered my options during a bad patch with DP (now resolved) and it made for grim prospects. My share of our mortgage is £250 a month on a 3 bed house,(he pays a bit more than half as proportionate to earnings) i wouldn't be able to afford the 500 on my own so would have to move out and I haven't got a cat in hells chance of finding anywhere for 250 a month.
And that's before you work out division of equity I.e. 2 of us putting in the same deposit allowed us a better interest rate, with my earnings alone I'd be allowed to borrow a lot less and so would be living either in a much smaller property or worse area.

Having someone to share finances with does take the pressure off. I've been able to go part time to allow me to concentrate on starting a business, that's a luxury I wouldn't have if I had a mortgage on my own because I'd need to work full time.

That said if I split up with DP I'd be travelling the world so probably wouldn't care anyway.

Completely agree about food...most value is in bulk buying. When I was single I struggled with fruit and veg going off in particular.

I could pay £350 on a mortgage and the bills comfortably.

I live in the south east. A one bed flat is £300k.

I cant pay a £1500 mortgage and the bills alone.

people who don’t seem to understand why it may be more expensive to be single

I've not seen anyone who 'doesn't understand' it can be more expensive to be single, but I do think you are being a bit disingenuous when you talk airily about your mortgage and council tax being less if you shared without acknowledging you would also only have half the amount of space!

I lived very comfortably in a tiny bedsit as a single person. If I could had moved in a partner I would have theoretically paid less rent (not half because landlords generally charge couples more than singles due to increased wear and tear) but I would have also gone mad attempting to live crushed in to that much space with another person.

In fact I still have less space than that now I live in a two bed (because 2 beds are not twice as big as a one bed...) with a partner. I pay less (but far more than half of what I paid as a single person) but I also get less.

I don't think people couple up for financial reasons but I think it's a big reason people stay in relationships

Absolutely spot on. Just looking at the body language of some couples suggest this Joking aside, I think a lot of men & women don't leave bad relationships as they're shafted left right & centre, either by not getting maintenance or being ordered to pay far too much & not being left with the money to buy, the actual pot, to piss in

So again we seem to be back to 'well, who cares if it's more expensive as a single person should just put up with a bedsit'

As if a single person might not want a garden etc :)

Nobody has disagreed that it's more expensive to live alone. Equally had my exh not met me he'd be living in a three bed town centre house in a chocolate box town and paying £200 a month on a £450,000 house. Due to interest rates and timing nothing else. So he'd be living the dream had I not given him his little darlings 😁

I don't think one person has disagreed OP. It's like trying to argue that grey elephants aren't grey. It's a fact that it's more expensive to live exclusively & you're paying not to have to compromise on anything in your own living space. People do buy properties with friends. It doesn't have to be couples

I'm sure they do from time to time but it isn't common.

Rainy, I feel like you're trying to make a point that I'm missing. Yes id love a house and garden, I can't afford it...such is life. ( actually I could afford it of I sold up here and moved somewhere cheaper but don't want to leave my people).

I do think council tax should be charged per person though.

Pissed, that really does sound like living the dream!