To think 2 adults can live on £800 a month not incl rent?

[abacucat]

Just that really. I think this will be perfectly fine to live on and pay bills.

This isn't a competition about who can get the cheapest bills, it's not up to me how much my water rates are (one of the most expensive in the country) or council tax, I do check around every year for a fixed term lowest price on gas and electric, insurance etc, and insurance isn't optional for me, we own our home and I can't afford to rebuild it from scratch if needed, my PILs friends had a lorry lose control and crash into their house (country lane) , without insurance they would've been screwed, I also couldn't afford to replace all of the furniture and fixtures in a three bed house if we had a fire, flood or burglary. I choose to insure my pets because it's the responsible thing to do, our cat has a heart condition and when first diagnosed and treated it would've cost more than £5000 if we didn't have insurance. We need two cars to both get to work, it's not possible for me to commute as I work nationally and it would cost DH more by train, we don't have expensive cars and we don't have them on finance. I could cut a couple of hundred out of my bills if I needed to, go low budget on food, we don't eat processed foods really, I'll buy lean steak mince instead of frozen 20% fat stuff, we eat lots of fresh fish, seafood etc, I get this is a choice and I'm grateful they are choices I am able to make. This thread is not about reverse snobbery to judge/gawp at people who don't live on thruppence a week. OP asked a question people are using their own outgoings as context to answer it. In a nutshell she could live on that, but long term it wouldn't be much fun, she'd have nothing for emergencies or future planning, so when things go wrong or become more expensive she'll experience huge stress, and not being able to afford insurance isn't 'fine'. A lot of people are trying to suggest financial advice or support based on her partner's health so it takes at least some of that pressure off of her.

I completely agree FASH84. Living on the breadline isn’t great or desirable and the longer you do it the more dangerous it becomes (as posters above have mentioned lack of insurances, lack of dentistry, lack of clothing and footwear, lack of basic care such as haircuts etc.)

It may be that there is no choice, and many of us have been there. But it’s not a choice people should be making, and it’s not admirable or desirable

All depends where you live and what bills you have

Ct 150
Water 50
G&e 90
Tv license 12
B&c 37
Life insurance 50
Sky 20
WiFi 25
Sofa 35
Car insurance 25
Mobile phone 25
Petrol 140

So over 640 for basic bills

Leaving £160 for food and anything else

So no

as posters above have mentioned lack of insurances, lack of dentistry, lack of clothing and footwear, lack of basic care such as haircuts etc

Since when is it necessary to purchase haircuts, dentistry and clothing every single month?

Unless you are literally throwing your clothes away each time you wear them I struggle to see the need.

Working out mine and DH's bills.

We spend:

£200 per month on groceries
£100 per month gas and electric
£140 per month council tax
£250 per month on transport (between two of us)

So that would leave £100 per month for broadband, TV, any clothes, shoes, entertainment etc which I think would be tough. No savings, no phone, no pets etc. I think I'd struggle.

I mean I have my nails shellaced every month and a facial, and hair coloured and cut every two mo the. These are not “bills” because these are choices I spend my disposable income on.

No one said you need a haircut every month. But if you get one every 3 months, that is still a monthly cost of cost/ 3 months, so say £10 a month. Just as your MOT is only due once a year but you would be wise to begin a monthly savings pot for if finances are very tight, rather than paying £50 in one go

A hair cut isn’t a luxury. It’s basic self care.

I spend £80 a month on my hair- that’s luxury. But a basic level of hair care is essential

A haircut is hardly a bill though because it’s not necessary to get one.

A haircut is not “haircare”, shampoo and conditioner is haircare.

I get my hair done every 8 weeks.

I wasn't being a reverse snob at all, I've just always been a low earner so obviously have to live within those means and seeing what other people pay is just really different to what I know. I don't live off lentils and pasta.

Since when is it necessary to purchase haircuts, dentistry and clothing every single month

Well of course it's not, but basic budgeting means that, averaging out over the year, you need to put some money aside every month for these things. If you think 'i don't need to go to the dentist etc this month, l can spend all my money on what I like' then when you do need the dentist, unless you have money saved from previous months, chances are that you're going to be short somewhere.

£800 wouldn't even pay for booze, petrol & food let alone non-essentials.....

We live on aboit £1000 a month with 3 children. So it is possible I would think.

We have about 800 after mortgage and bills... after food, nappies, transport etc it doesn't leave loads of wriggle room but we eat out a few times a month (cheaply! Just the Wetherspoons etc). If thst had to cover bills too we'd be screwed! The loan alone is 277 quid, council tax 95, phone bill 25, contacts 25, water 40, gas and electric 78... not a lot left over!

Just us two and not including rent- yes, doable. But leaving no wiggle room, having no ability to save, and meaning we would be utterly fucked if an unexpected large expense came along.

I spend 800 a month on fuel

Go on the money advice service budget planner. It's looks at all your income and outgoings then details exactly what you have spare a month. It all depends where you live I suppose but I live in northern England and can do it. I always buy insurance, change utility supplier etc on topcashback which is worth doing. You sound frugal enough but it would be worth (if you can) trying to build up some savings in case something breaks.

Interesting to see that some posters regard haircuts and replacing carpets as essential expenditure. Surely the first thing you'd do if you knew you were going to be poor would be to devise a low maintenance hairstyle? Either wearing your hair in a bun/coil/knot or learning to cut each other's hair. And who ever died from a worn carpet? I would worry about the lack of insurance though. That is where I'd be putting my money.

It would need careful budgeting each month to cover expenses and not leave anything for savings or "luxuries" like clothes, day trips or meals out.
In my option it wouldn't be a very comfortable life at all x

You can’t wear your hair in bun forever

I’ve known plenty of people too right to pay for haircuts and that fluffy rats tail look isn’t one to forget

I get my hair cut about twice a year at £30 a time, I wasn't aware monthly haircuts were considered necessary. I also buy new clothes about once a year. I prefer spending money on food and holidays though. These threads always highlight people's priorities.

We couldn't I don't think, certainly not in our current house and with our current lifestyle. But that's irrelevant to you really. There's people who live off much less and are fine and most thinhs are manageable in extremis.

We don't live extravagantly at all imo (no foreign holidays/no eating out/no drinking really/no cinema/no new cars/rarely new clothes/barely any beauty or hair/no gym membership/no sky etc) but we get through a lot of money! For us it's children's activities like swimming, dance, forest school, music lessons, brownies etc that really add up. Plus school shoes and decent outdoor wear as we live rurally. I buy almost everything secondhand but it still adds up.

Our council tax is huge and our water rates are known to be high nationally speaking. We get through a lot of fuel visiting ill parents and for work. Our childcare costs are ridiculous at times (like the summer holidays) and we've recently had big food bills due to visitors from overseas etc.

We have to pay for oil as a lump sum a few times a year, and our dog recently required a lot of dental work that wasn't covered by insurance. Our boiler broke and had to be fully replaced etc etc.

Everyone's situation is so varied, it's an impossible question really.

I feel a lot better about my own finances after reading some of these posts which is saying something as I consider myself bad with money. People really need savings and money left over "Just incase" even the best insurance requires an excess x