please critique my budget?

[cigarette999]

I'm an AO in the Civil Service. Earn 24.8k a year without overtime, however overtime is due to stop in the next month or so.

I'm about to move into my own 1-bed flat, by myself.
Mortgage will be £440 a month, then single person Council Tax band is about £100 in my area.
Electricity, water, internet, insurance etc..
Hard to say as I've always lived in places with fixed bills but I reckon it'll be around £800 all included.
I WFH 3 days a week which will increase my electricity bills.
Don't drive, bus is £4 return to work so only £8 a week.
After tax it's about £1700 a month.
So say £900 after mortgage and bills.
It might sound like a lot, but that's to cover phone bill, transport, medication, food, any repairs/maintenance, savings, credit card and any sort of going out etc.

I know people live on less, but people also live in a lot more.
I'm not a big spender by any means, but I'd like to put away savings in case of emergencies etc. And for repairs, and I'm sick of having to work just to get by, like anyone I'd like to treat myself a little and enjoy life.

CS salaries are not great, even though the Flexi and other benefits are very good. I am applying for EO roles and have got on the reserve list for 2, however not with great scores.
There's no consistency when scoring the personal statements and it's entirely subjective.

I spent ages on a HEO application for which I met all the criteria and received 1s across the board which means they probably didn't even read it.

I'm mid 30s and have a degree and a Master's. AO is an entry -level position. Was previously in teaching, thinking of going back for financial reasons despite the issues around it.

Bump?

£800 a month for utilities, internet and insurance seems wildly excessive to me based on one person in a 1 bed flat. Ours comes to about £500 and that’s 4 people in a 4 bed house, also WFH.

Sorry, but I’m not really sure what you want us to say.

You earn what you earn; it’s more than some people, less than others.

Your out-goings are all necessary. It’s not like you are spending £200 on flowers a month and eating at the Ivy every Friday night.

I’m left with out £900 to spend each month and I manage to save, although I am married with a child.

We could all do little things - don’t buy coffee out, take your own lunch when in the office, turn the heating down a degree or two, keep applying for better paid jobs.

What did you teach? Can you do private tutoring in the evenings and weekend to top up your income?

I can’t follow your maths I’m afraid, it’s not clear to me what you have left to spend each month, how much of that is flexible or not. If you want us to critique your budget it would be easier to tell us how much you spend on individual things and we can see if there’s anywhere you can cut back.

You have taken a huge pay cut, I am not surprised you are finding things tight. Is it worth trying Civil Service Fast Stream to get to better paying roles eventually?

I think the OP meant that is would be £800 including the £550 mortgage and council tax so utilities £250 a month.

I think OP is including the mortgage and CT in that, tho the post is a little confusing.

You’re not going to be rolling in cash, but £900 for all that is doable, you just need to keep a close eye on your spending. Run every bill and expense through money saving expert first to make sure you get a good deal!

Focus on getting that promotion. If you’ve been a teacher and are good at your job you’re definitely capable of working at EO. Find yourself a mentor who can critique your applications and help you with internet practice. Your department may be good or bad at linking staff with mentors - try previous line managers, members of thematic networks, etc.

£800 left sounds fine I'd budget around £300 food, £100 for the extra expenses. £200 for socialising/treats and save £200

Okay if you mean £900 to live on after mortgage and bills, I think that should be doable as a single person?

example of rough monthly living expenses and savings (based on my own spending as a single person)

food: £200
petrol: £100
other bills (phone, contact lenses, car tax, union membership etc) £100
social and gifts: £200
other random spending: £100
savings: £200

Sounds to me like you’re being very sensible. Unfortunately, if you’re paying all bills by yourself it probably doesn’t leave you loads given the cost of living has shot up. I agree with the pp that I’m sure you are more than capable of the next grade up.

Just to say that if you are getting 1s on competency applications then you are absolutely not meeting the criteria.

Every single application is always read and scored.

It doesn't matter how academically qualified you are, competency forms are a particular skill.

Are you using the STAR method, with really clear actions and outcomes

When broken down like that it looks quite manageable, especially as it shouldn't cost £300 on groceries for one person.

OP even though your salary is low, you're doing well that you're buying a property for only £440 pm and your essential transport costs are also low.

Definitely look into what's available for career progression within the civil service and what help you can get with applications etc.

Also minimise all your essential expenses where possible - look at the Moneysaving Expert budgeting advice - a few quid shaved off here and there really starts to add up to a noticeable amount.

Now you're not doing overtime, could you get a second job a couple of evenings a week or at the weekend? Even a couple of shifts in a pub etc will make a big difference to your disposable income.

You need to get out of the mindset that it's not consistent scoring. It will be different because its different jobs. You really need to tailor your application to each job

ah I see.

I'd allow
£50 per week food
£50 per week fun money / incidentals
£50 per week savings

Say that's around £600+

That still gives you around £300 a month to cover all your other costs and bills.

This.

Getting 1s across the board suggests there's something you're fundamentally not understanding about how to write an application and/or the job you're applying for.

Could do with it being broken down a bit more clearly OP.

Also are you entitled to any universal credit as a low ish earner? And make sure you claim single occupancy council tax

Budget sounds tight but doable.

Civil Service offers a really good pension scheme in the long run and from the outside always looks to be recruiting - can you can an internal mentor or some coaching on the application process so you can progress and earn more? I think the opportunities are there, but you need to get your head round the application and interview scoring process.

You’ve got plenty to live on. Re the promotions, you need to focus on getting higher grade examples. Receiving 1’s doesn’t mean someone didn’t read it, it needs scoring by 2 people for a start but means your examples aren’t HEO level. Volunteer for lots of things so you get stretch, it’s not too difficult to get promotions if you’re stretching yourself. Good luck

I’d really recommend YNAB for budgeting, you can learn the method through their YouTube videos.

If you've got on 2 reserve lists for EO you're doing alright, keep at it.

I wouldn't. It's a totally unnecessary cost.

As a single childfree person, the OP will have relatively simple finances, and most bank/credit card accounts will provide the tools she needs to manage her money without paying a subscription.

Plus she can split her money into pots or different accounts if she's the type of person incapable of not spending the mortgage money because it's there in her current account waiting for next week's direct debit.

Get salary paid into current account. Have standing orders set up to a spending account or even two if you're at risk of running out of grocery/bus fare money before the end of the month, plus a savings account for annual and irregular expenses. Leave money in the current account for monthly direct debits and otherwise do not touch it during the month.

Spend only from your spending account(s). If you need something covered by the savings account, move money across. If your spending accounts run dry, do without or decide what you'll need to give up to pay for it. Job done.

I've seen lots of useful advice on here about CS applications and interviews - maybe start a separate thread asking for help with that 🙂.

Good luck OP.