Living alone is tough financially

[Addictedtofizzydrinks34]

If you have a mortgage or rent a home alone..maybe different if you're mortgage-free or perhaps only renting a room or something.
You have to make sure you can afford everything each month. If anything breaks/needs repairing, you foot 100% of the bill. All renovations are paid for solely by you.
You have to make sure you have money aside for various things.
Living alone has many advantages, but financially it's tough and I'm not sure I can do it for much longer. It's stressful unless you have a lot of savings I think.

Not necessarily, at least for council tax. There are 1 bed flats around here that are in a higher band than 3 bed houses. The others possibly, depends on usage though.

But the difference between a 1- and 2-bed flat might only be 8m2. It's not like a 2-bed is twice as big, so surely it's not that strange that the difference in price is also small, frustrating as it is for a single person.

As a single parent who's youngest has just flown the nest I'm terrified!! It's not so much the finances, although they are a perennial worry, it's the buck stopping with me and only me. If I need a new roof or boiler there's no one to share the worry. I hate being married so no option but to suck it up.

I think that way of looking at it is fair. Although, it does show that all the posters on here saying that it's cheaper for a single person as they have lower rent costs don't really have a clue. Assume a single person rent a 1 bed (because studios kill a lot of social life) at £1.1k then a couple rents a 2 bed for £1.3k. They couple are paying £650 each for a nicer and larger property than the single person. I think it just shows that there are limits to downsizing in terms of the financial savings.

When I was out of work I got nothing - £0. Absolutely fuck all. I have always worked and when I needed that safety net I was told nope. They actually said at the time to qualify I needed to be over 35 or have kids.

I got no basic needs met.

Council tax round here is the same banding for a 6 bed as 3 bed.
water rates same too.

Yes, to live by yourself you must be comfortable financially to begin with. However, if you have family to support it is so much more stressful if you do not have the means anyway. May be a couple can share a place but once you start having kids is another story. Which is why there are less kids born in big cities these days.

I wouldn't like to live alone and I know people at work who are single and struggling, so I would agree with OP.
Having a partner isn't just financially more secure, it's also having someone else to help with all the house maintenance decisions, someone who's car I can borrow if mine breaks down.
My husband and I share chores, look after each other when we're ill, spend time together reading, walking, just hanging out.
Must be tough having no one to rely on.

Nobody called you a bitch. I thought you said you "knew what they meant" when corrected?

💯 this. A SAHP can get a job and they also do all the household stuff. Single people have to do and pay for everything - and single women are often expected to do other caring duties for elderly family. IME, this can sometimes also include financial support to others.

Absolutely. DH and I live together in a 1-bed flat so per person our rent is very cheap. My neighbour is a single guy and has to pay the same amount of rent all by himself.

I do find it interesting that in my part of the world (Scandinavia) house sharing is quite uncommon except for students. Instead there are lots of 30-50m2 studios and 1-bed flats so even most people in their 20s live alone or with a partner. Even in more popular cities (except Stockholm maybe) there are studios at £4-500, and my 1-bed flat is around £800 including all bills (and no council tax to pay). Of course it's still more beneficial to be a dual income household, but it's not prohibitively expensive to live alone, unlike in much of the UK.

This is true plus they are taxed more. If two people earn 25 grand each they'll pay less tax than one person earning 50,000. I think tax should be equal and per household income not per person.

Living alone is equally a choice - and as others have pointed out, it comes with a cost.
After a year of house shares & renting before I bought my first home, and a brief period of living with a partner, a choice that I would make every time.

I think the people we need to listen to are the people who have lived both. Multiple posters have written how much worse of they are now their children are grown and they are living alone. Posters have also written how much better of they are now they have a family after living alone. Having a partner doubles income and gives a safety net for job loss or illness. Single parents although harder then couples still often get a lot financial help from benefits and also a safety net for job loss, illness. A single adult household with a mortgage don't lose your job or get ill as you will be screwed as there is no safety net so get used to working 80hrs a week and your ziplock fruit.

Why do people keep saying living alone is a choice. For a lot of people it isn't.

I lived alone for years. I found saving money so difficult and would be really hard on myself thinking I was failing despite earning an ok salary. Now I cohabit, I see how difficult it actually used to be living alone money wise.

The best thing a single, relatively healthy adult with a mortgage can do is look into critical illness cover. It can be expensive but you don't have to cover the whole mortgage. I have a policy for a lump sum of £50k. You can add a child for a couple of quid a month.

A SAHP can't get a job if they are responsible for providing childcare (that often costs more than a wage to buy in).

Yes, this. I don’t think people realise that in most of Europe, living alone is not as expensive as it is here, and most single people live alone easily, even in their 20s when they’re not earning that much. House shares are really only for students.

The fact that in this country some people in their 30s/40s/50s need to house share is a travesty imo. Everyone should be able to afford at least a basic one bed flat/studio on their own.

It's not a luxury!!!! You choose to get into a relationship with someone. Noone hold a gun to your head and made you. And for the majority its then a choice to have children. Often more than 1 and then they complain it's unaffordable.

Exactly this. Just the recognition alone would be great bit this thread shows there is not one ounce of empathy at all.

@mrsm43s of course they can get a job. Lone parents do. My ex left and I went back to work when my dc was only a few months old. And I had no help with childcare.

If you are affluent, living alone is a lovely luxury as you don’t have anyone to share your space or potentially jeopardise your financial security. Especially if you are someone who likes their own company.

If you are at all hard-up, it’s really tough with no financial buffer. I agree that some people stay in less-than-desirable relationship situations for financial reasons which is really sad

So single people shouldn't be listened to then. Only those who have lived both are worthy of being listened to. Just wow

Surely though you know the day is coming when you won’t get benefits anymore when they finish school? What if you plan?

My daughter leaves school this year at 18yrs and I will see a drop in child benefit, child maintenance and an increase in council tax. However, I came off benefits years ago and earn enough now to support myself and two children without them. Thankfully I’ll only see a drop in about £300 which is what her driving lessons are costing at the moment.