To wonder how the hell people are paying for this?!

[Ifrreoo]

I have an average car and cost to service it is 525. My home insurance has gone up to 450 and my car insurance is 540 (yes I’ve called round endlessly). I have 18 years no claims.

I am a higher earner. I am going to massively struggle to pay for this. I don’t understand how someone on the average income could afford this? Am I going wrong somewhere? Why am i struggling to make ends meet? How do others do it?

We are in Northern Ireland and my car insurance is over £800 per year for a Renault. I guess the costs are all relative.

Is this booked in with a main dealer? It may be worth considering a reputable local independent garage as well. Despite the bad reputation garages get, independents are often better than main dealers in many ways. Labour costs are usually much lower, and a good garage will often advise you on work that may need doing in the future rather than waiting until it becomes an urgent issue, which helps you plan and budget ahead.

On a separate note, while regular servicing isn’t mandatory - unless the vehicle is still under warranty, it is extremely important. Missing services can lead to more serious issues over time and increase the risk of engine damage, which will usually cost far more in the long run.

Haven't read whole thread sorry but we have same car and I'm paying £25pcm. But it's on a drive, low crime rate area etc. plus 26 years driving

Ps my service this year was under £300

What car is it? I have a Fat 500 (am a higher earner) and it's £185 - so people who can't afford £500 probably don't have the same car as you. House insurance, again you are obviously in a different area than me but ours was almost the same this year as last year.

Shop around for car insurance - compare the market. Mine is £400 for 25 plate German car. - due this month. If your car is 2019, I’d service in local garage or one that specialises in Skodas. I wouldn’t do at the main Dealership once out of warranty. Though our house insurance is extortionate - I put aside each month ready to pay.

400 a month!! Do you like in Buckingham Palace!

I'm disabled and have to survive on benefits, so definitely not a high earner.
I'd give anything for my house insurance to only be £450.
Last year I moved from a 3-bed house in Birmingham where my insurance was around £250, to a 3-bed bungalow in Derby and my insurance is now over £900.
The value of the bungalow is only £10k more than the house was, and I was led to believe Derby would be a cheaper area.
On top of this, in Birmingham, because of my benefits status, I didn't have to pay council tax, but moving to Derby, I'm now having to pay around £1k.
Without all the current increases to the cost of living, just these 2 bills amount to around £2k, which is about £40/week.
I also run a car, but only have to cover fuel because it's a Motability car (I forfeit my mobility benefits, around £80/week to have the car), but even that is costing an extra £5-6/week.
How can I afford to pay these additional bills? I have had to cut back on almost everything. I only put one light on at a time around the house, wear extra layers rather than put the heating on, I've had to cut back on going out to use the car less, but this affects my mental health, I've had to cut back on what I can buy in the supermarket, and with prices constantly going up, I'm able to buy less and less every week. I cut my own hair, batch cook, grow my own fruit and veggies, the list goes on, but I'm still finding it really hard to make ends meet.

All depends on your other outgoings? How much you spend on commuting , food , leisure. You can't weigh it all up without knowing the whole story

Your house insurance is £4,800? Do you have diamond encrusted taps?

If you want your car to actually last and not have to fork out for tow trucks etc then it is best to get them serviced. Mine is 14 years old and only wear and tear with tyres etc in addition to the service.

I put money away every month to cover the service and MOT. And also insurance. I also have other pots to save for other expenses. It means when something needs paying I have the money to pay it - it’s called budgeting.

A significant number of people go without servicing and insurance (I don't have a car, by choice, so doesn't apply to me 😀) People also go without dentistry, new clothes, eating out, nice trips etc.

So your car insurance is £45 per month and your home insurance is about £37 per month? These don’t sound like big bills to me. Especially not for someone on a high income!

My car insurance is only £200 for the year. Admitted I drive a tiny Peugeot 107, but my husband has driving convictions (now off his license but still within 10 years) and drives a 1.6l car with less than £250 a year for insurance!

This. My car is now an 8 year old Volvo. I pay £170 for a service at my local garage. Every 2 years as I don't do very many miles. Same with OH car. Your insurance sounds expensive too. I am in a low area crime in the country so it is cheaper I guess but I'm around £25 a month. Shop around OP for both. We put away £50 a month for car costs like service and MOT.

Most people in London don't. That's 6 million or something people. And obviously those outside who can't afford to.

Car is a lifestyle choice and if you're broke you don't have one.

That’s not strictly true. The existing MOT runs until its original expiry date. If you continue driving it then you’re at risk of being done for driving a car in a dangerous condition (which has nothing to do with MOT status, this could happen at any time.) You can repair the dangerous fail and then continue driving it until the original expiry.

I have a 2021 Skoda Karoq and my recent full service and MOT at a local independent garage cost me less than £200 including VAT. For a time we used our local National Tyres for service and MOT on both cars but we paid in advance for the service and they would give us the cars back saying they needed brake pads, replacement tyres, brake fluid, spark plugs replaced, etc (an independent would do those things as part of the service, having checked the extra costs with us).

I think others are struggling. We are dipping into savings - a hard earned nest egg intended for retirement and kids university education that we've been scrimping and saving for since they were little.

We're high earners but you'd never guess from our lifestyle. Camping holidays in UK and France, modest 3 bed house with on street parking, shopping at lidl, always buy an old car amd run it into the ground.

Don't take this as a grumble. I'm really super happy with my lot. I'm very grateful, very lucky to be surviving, to have savings. I worked relentlessly when the girls were young to be in this position but I know some poor buggers work harder for a lot less. 😔

But I have friends who, through no fault of their own, are genuinely on the breadline. One is genuinely destitute and going to food banks. Two are single mums, professionals, but really struggling with aggressive narcissistic ex-partners. I can never see men in the same way after seeing the way love has turned to hate, enacted by mercilessly trying to screw theor ex-wives financially into the ground. Two very bad eggs really.

But again - people with higher expectations of life - underperforming their parents. Gen Xers.

Millenials seem better off, jobs and careers were achieved at a better time. Gen Z seem even better, career-wise, at present.

But everyone has a legit gripe - be it low income, high housing costs, high cost of living. We are living through externally tough times. Pandemic, wars, Brexit, political instability. Yet also a time where inequality is off the scale. Welcome to the end stages ofcapitalism!

You don’t have to service your car but you should really as otherwise you could end up with a big problem down the line. Use an independent garage though. They are a fraction of the price of dealers.

I put £200 per month into an account who's role it is to pay all these annual bills like car insurance, car tax, services, MOT, home insurance, etc so it just comes out the pot. Anything left goes into savings.

10 Year old Skoda owner here.
Once you get past the warranty stage then you don't have to have a car serviced.
I tend to have a service the first year I buy a car (so they can check it for any issues I might be unaware of), then I only have it serviced every other year.

Big services do cost a lot - I can easily imagine that to be £400+

I have a savings pot for anything car related. I put aside around £150 a month and that covers me for Insurance (£350 a year), Breakdown (£50 a year), MOT (£50 if nothing is wrong) Service every alternate year (About £200) and then the remainder is rolled up for repairs and things like new tyres, or the next car if this one dies.
Some places are very expensive for services and MOTs. I use a local place that I found last year. They just do the bare minimum to keep the car going, whereas the previous garage I took my car to would suggest changing things that were really not needed. I don't care if the pollen filter needs replacing for example.

Some years I get away with very little, other years its a lot (thankyou for killing my suspension potholes!)

I buy a burner car for around £3-4k and then effectively drive it into the ground. Much cheaper in the long run but doesn't look so pretty :-)

Our most recent service was £950 - timing belt change. (Also a Skoda) And insurance is £560.

My thoughts exactly. Not all services are equal.

My car insurance (5 yo Renault Clio diesel) is around £200 pa. My home insurance is similar. I have quite a lot of valuable jewellery but it lives in a VERY heavy Victorian fireproof safe and is going nowhere!
Never ever auto renew; always compare. The MSE tools are very good for all kinds of comparisons.