Is £1800 enough to live on?

[AlpacaMyHandbag]

I've recently been offered a new job and I'm deliberating whether to take it or not. It's part time and the take home salary will be just shy of £1,800 a month.

My bills total £1,300 or so which includes mortgage, utilities and all food. So with the remainder I'd have to buy petrol and any other bits and pieces as needed. One child left at home.

Does it sound doable?

Yes. I would think so. We have similar left over after bills. 2 adults and 2 children and we have a decent lifestyle.

Impossible to say.

First point, what does your current job pay? If it’s less for the same hours then take the new one.

My current job is pays in chunks of money that can take months to arrive - I am self employed and in a weird sort of field.

So considering this for the regular income I can rely on

@AlpacaMyHandbag

My current job is pays in chunks of money that can take months to arrive - I am self employed and in a weird sort of field.

So considering this for the regular income I can rely on

Can you still do some self employed bits to top you up if you’re struggling or would that not work?

@Sexnotgender yes I certainly can do so that's a consideration

It's just so odd at the moment that we have to consider where fuel and energy prices might go

Should be fine I would have thought.

I mean, my gut feeling is yes, but we have no idea how much petrol you use! You could eat a long way into £500 with fuel.

Hard to say how much I spend. I'd say probably works out at about £25 a week give or take

That's loads more than I get for working full time, and I can afford to buy nice things and go on holiday, so it sounds good to me.

It depends what kind of lifestyle /days out you and your child have and if you want to maintain that or would need to make cutbacks . But if it averages out the same as you get now and you manage then yes .

Combined with bits of freelance work, that sounds like it should be very comfortable.
On the existing money:
£100 Petrol
£50 to cover increases in fuel, utilities, food
£50 clothes/shoes
£100 holidays
£100 unexpected expenses
£100 savings

Anything missing?

@MaizeAmaze no that sounds about right - holiday funds taken care of elsewhere so that helps

Youngest at home is 15 and does cost a fair bit tbh! Typical teenager really.

OK, so reassign holiday fund to teenage fund

It's doable. It wouldn't leave you anything for pensions, emergencies or holidays - obviously that's the same as many people, but it's not good so I'd plan to keep up your PT freelance also.

It also depends where you live

North/midlands yes

South? Maybe more difficult

Doable but tight. I rather that than sporadic tbh.

I've done a little bit less. Daily life is fine but saving for things like a rainy day, equipment breaking etc not so fine.

You might qualify for UC top up though so check that out.

£500 spare every month is more than enough unless you guzzle Champagne every night.

Yes that sounds perfectly doable. I earn less as full time and my fixed costs are about the same. If you can do some freelance on top, even better!

If you’re really frugal yeah. I wouldn’t be able to but you know what your lifestyle is like

I would take the job very good pay for part time.

You could always try and date your bills down... by switching to Aldi for a food shop and Son on to save money

Do you have any savings?

@LowlandLucky

£500 spare every month is more than enough unless you guzzle Champagne every night.

Does anyone ever just drink champagne? It is always either guzzled or quaffed.

Honestly I think that's going to be quite tight and will leave absolutely nothing after food, fuel and other mandatory but unexpected costs.