How much are we looking at for starting out?

[PurplePixi]

Hey all, preparing for a move into my first flat with my boyfriend (no kids!) later this year and I'd like to try think of every possible expense I may have before moving and after I've settled in so that we can get our savings in order so... Throw whatever expense you can think of at me with estimates please! I have no idea what I'm doing

(We'll be looking for a small 1 or 2 bed flat in Colchester, Essex for up to £600 a month, preferably £500. All expenses below are at a maximum estimate rather than average so that I over estimate rather than under. Estimates for bills are from my mother based on what she pays for the house.)

My list so far:
Initial costs of flat (first months rent, deposit & one month in advance) - £1800
Tax - £90 month
Electric - £90 month
Gas - £90 month
Other Bills - £100 month
TV License - £11 Month
Phone Line - Unsure
Internet (dongle?) - £25 month
Home Insurance - £300 year?
Water Rates - £50 month?

Food - £75 week (grossly over estimated I promise!)
Gym - £100 month (gross over estimate again)
Outings - £50 week (pft.)
Savings - £20 week

What else is there?

Deposit for flat might be 6 weeks rent not a month, and you might have other initial expenses when signing the tenancy agreement - am pretty sure you may get charged for the letting agent checking your references and for signing some agreements too.

What about travel expenses? Petrol?

Tax - £90 month + council tax probably about right
Electric - £90 month + way to much if you have gas heating, maybe if flat all electric (gas is a third of the cost of elecy per unit)
Gas - £90 month + way to much more like £40 if heating with gas
Other Bills - £100 month
TV License - £11 Month actually £12.12
Phone Line - Unsure don't bother if you can get hold of a dongle, use mobile phone
Internet (dongle?) - £25 month
Home Insurance - £300 year? Around £25-30 per month for both building and contents
Water Rates - £50 month? maybe right

Food - £75 week (grossly over estimated I promise!)

For two you should be able to get by on £50
Gym - £100 month (gross over estimate again)
Outings - £50 week (pft.)
Savings - £20 week

Thank you on the tenancy agreement and agency, didn't think of that!

Mum just reminded me about travel expenses; I'm planning on buying a car if it works out that I'll have the spare cash for it but I'd likely use the trains as a primary form of transport for work as my work place in clacton is only ten/fifteen mins walk from the station and my parents house down the road from work. If I had shifts within a day of another I'd likely stay at my parents so that cuts it down too.

I thought that gas and electric would be high as it's based on Mum's house rather than a small property, though it's reassuring to know I definately went ott on that estimate!

£12.12 for the telly? That really sucks, I may debate not getting a license as I rarely watch TV anyways (and if I want to watch something I'll find it online I'm sure).

Are dongle's reliable and fast? I don't want super fast internet but I'd like to be able to watch programmes and things on the internet? If I can find a fast one I'll stay with my mobile and forget a phone line.

Insurance is expensive as well then :/ Don't think I'd risk going without though!

On food I think we'd get by on less than £50 even tbh, but I'm estimating high still.

So added:
Train Travel - £50 week
Letting Agents Costs - ??
Tenancy Agreement - ??

Car Related (if I get one)
Car - £800 max to buy one
Tax - £200 year??
Insurance - £1200 max year (female driver aged 20 with no previous driving experience apart from lessons)
Running costs - £30 week
Repairs Saves - £50 month

You wont need buildings insurance if you're renting. It's the landlord who pays that.
If the flat's un/part furnished you could be looking at £2-3000 to kit it out. Even if it is fully furnished you will still need extras such as linen/towels, crockery/cutlery/utensils, pots and pans, glasses, mirrors, lamps, clocks, tools, extension cables, bins and possibly lampshades/curtains/lightbulbs/rugs,toaster, kettle, hoover/mop/bucket/brush/shovel etc... the list is endless.
Maybe you should write a list of the things each of you can/will be taking with you and then add to that what else you need.
You also need to have a monthly budget for clothes, presents/Xmas, holidays, leisure, alcohol/cigarettes/lottery (if applicable), replacing lost/stolen/broken items, hairdssing/beauty, toiletries (usually a lot more than people think), dentistry/opticians/prescriptions, gadgets etc. Then when you have a budget add an extra 10% contingency. Hope that helps.

Do they really pay the insurance?! that'd be handy if so! Is that all landlords or do some not?

Y'know I've been thinking about furnishing and didn't think to write it down (my sister just moved into a flat with her boyfriend in Writtle last week and was moving her washing machine and things which is what made me think of it!) Would £2/3000 be enough? I am planning on buying the extra bits in the meantime and stocking up rather than buying it shortly before I move to make the costs easier

Didn't think of toiletries and the like (though in the past it's been my only 'bill' as such so should have thought of it really).

Thanks for reminding me of the basics!

I think tomorrow I will walk through the house and note down everything I see so that I can start a list on the essentials that I can start stocking up on

All landwords will pay for their buildings insurance, you will only need contents insurance

Some flats will have white goods like fridges, washing machines etc, and curtains/blinds as well. You will definitely need pans/crockery/knives etc, plus duvets and towels etc.

Other items may be available in a flat, like a sofa/table/bed etc but this depends on the flat, and it is very unlikely that any flat will include things like TVs.

I'd go ahead on the buying of things like duvets and bedside lights etc, but would hold off on the bigger items as you won't know what your flat will have in it until you see it.

For what it is worth, whenever I rented a new flat it always seemed to involve a trip to IKEA/B&Q to get extension cables, a mirror, a clothes airer, bathmat and tablelamps. Every single time

Haha, what happened to the original mirrors and cables and things that made you ahve to replace them each time?!

So contents but not buildings, check

From what I've noticed 'furnished' seems to mean the 'white goods' as you call them but nothing else, so I think that I'd likely take my bed from home and just buy a cheap sofa/chair set to start out with We have most bedroom furniture already so it'd mainly be the small bits which I'll buy in bits.

Btw thank you all, very very good points her! I've already saved the page to my browser bar thingie on Firefox so that I can come back