How do single parents budget their money?

[louisejanep]

Hi lovely mumsnetters.

After a recent split, i am currently living back with parents with my DD while were waiting on a council house (were in quite a high band so feeling hopeful). I was with my partner for 10years and he had complete control over finances. So I am literally starting from basics. I’m worried because I haven’t got a clue how many things I will need to pay out for in terms of bills etc.

I was just wondering on average how much you budget for certain things? Luckily living back Witt parents means I am able to save up and I have sofa, bed, TVs all stored here. I have started buying basics like cutlery, long life foods for now so it’s not so much of a shock when I first move in.

Any moving in and budgeting tips would be very much appreciated :)

For house furnishing I combine community furniture and charity shop finds with Ikea bits. Although you do need time to browse charity shops and usually a car for Ikea.

You'll need kitchen appliances - cooker, fridge, kettle, microwave, so I'd make those a priority. Also ironing board and iron. And towels, bedding.

Are you working? Receiving maintenance? Tax credits?

Rent
Council tax
Gas/electricity
Food and household cleaning/laundry items, toilet roll, toiletries, etc. Cleanliness is expensive!
Home contents insurance
Tv licence
Tv/internet package (obviously not essential)
Mobile phone

Look on money saving expert, lots of good plans there.
Or do yourself a spreadsheet, put all income and all expenses on there. Everything.

A lot of areas have Facebook groups where people buy and sell home appliances. I used to be on one years ago (no longer on Facebook) and people were always selling household goods.

Speak to your parents for a comprehensive list of all bills. Gas and electric, council tax, water, insurance, rent etc and then overestimate what it will cost. After a few months you'll have a fair idea of what your fixed outgoings are. Also need to check if you're eligible for any benefits and it may benefit you to at least work part time as good get universal credit and start to build a career for when your child goes to school.

Then look at how much you need to budget for food, transport etc and see what you're left with.

I pay for my tv licence weekly
I also have payment cards for gas, electric & water
I pay my sky bill, phone bill and insurances by direct debit monthly - although I have them spread out across the month
Poundland for cleaning products and shop at Aldi for food

Moving out - I bought bits slowly whilst still living at home.
Ikea, charity shops, boot sales, eBay& Facebook selling sites I got loads of bits from

@Musti @poppingoff yes I work around 25-30hours PW in 2 jobs and I’ve just started my PhD at university (part -Time)

I’ve applied for universal credit I find out on Tuesday how much I will be entitled to. I don’t understand the whole universal credit but will see what I’m entitled to.

Ikea is a good idea, not been there yet. I have been looking In charity shops (never been in before and I am now hooked :) ) I’ve been stocking up on cleaning products as they really do add up don’t they. Hopefully there are some local boot sales I can go and have a look round.

Hoping it’s not going to be too much of a struggle, I am literally super scrimping on everything at the moment so it’s not such a shock.

Good for you, OP. Onwards and upwards. Sounds to me like you'll do fine financially as you have your head screwed on, and even better emotionally now that you only have yourself to answer to. Good luck!

you universal credit amount will change once you have housing but the website entitled to does the maths for you so will show the amount you would get towards housing. check out council tax deductions when you move to as you might be eligible.

Hi there, I've been running the house alone for the last 18months after splitting up with my ex......

I had to sort out my finances and found some great stuff on Money Saving Expert and I also got some great advice from StepChange, which is a debt charity (not saying you're in debt) but they have a great tool which works out your living circumstances and then works out how much you should expect to spend/budget for - www.stepchange.org/debt-info/how-to-make-a-budget.aspx

The ways I save money are to buy things on 241 or in bulk, but only stuff that I really need. Not just randomly chucked in the shopping trolley.

I plan meals and try to use the slow cooker a lot, means I can batch cook and I've always got some extra portions to take to work or for another meal. I rarely eat at the work canteen now and this has ended up saving me £6/7 a day which adds up over a month!

I always negotiate with suppliers, car insurance, phone/TV suppliers etc. Every little helps.

I always make a shopping list before I go shopping, this minimises unecessary spending and definitely saves me money.

You don't say how old your DD is.... But one of the things I had to do while I was straightening out finances was to change our "days out" - I actually started getting creative about the things we go to and realised that we don't need to spend a fortune on days out to have a great time... We do movie nights at home instead of the cinema, check out things happening locally for free or cheapish and get out into the great outdoors more often. Also, I was just honest with my son about sometimes not being able to afford to do things all the time and he was fine with it..... (He's 6 by the way).

Good luck to you.... A fresh start is always a springboard to something better. 🌈

*Spreadsheets for finances
*Shop around for things like gas, electricity and internet providers
*Batch cook and freeze meals
*Plan meals ahead and use a shopping list for the weekly shop to avoid unnecessary items
*Try not to buy cleaning products from supermarkets unless they are on offer (they are generally overpriced compared to places like home bargains/wilko)

I set up all my bills so that they were a fixed rate (where possible) and all paid by direct debit on the same day of the month (the day my rent went out and also nursery fees). Been fudged up recently, but plan to get it back to that ASAP
Works fairly well with universal credit and wages, but worked less well on the old income support/housing benefit/tax credits system.

All of the small things add up when you move house. I'm thinking the things like curtain rails and curtains, an iron and ironing board, blinds, light bulbs and that is on top of the big things like flooring. I would also save up for decorating costs as you don't know what condition a council house will be in, it doesn't need to be too expensive a few cans of paint might be enough to freshen a place up.

A basic tool kit would also be a good idea, a couple of decent screwdrivers, a pair of pliers and hammer is a good start.

Facebook groups are great, look for facebay in your area, I see a lot of people giving things away for free. Also freecycle or similar free groups.

I have a spreadsheet with all my income and all my outgoings on it. I update it regularly and I log all my spending on it. (Sometimes I make pie charts .) I check my accounts online nearly every day.

I put aside the money I need to pay for fixed bills first, and the rest is divided up into what I can spend on groceries, extras and savings.

I don't touch the bill money. Rent, council tax and utilities are top priority. I am working and get paid monthly so direct debits and standing orders work well for me. It might be helpful to have two accounts, one for the bills with direct debits etc going out of it, and one you use for groceries, everyday spending, so you don't accidentally spend bill money.

I try to save for things rather than use credit. It's slower but avoids getting into a spiral. I have several little saving accounts, one for the car, one for Christmas, one for replacing appliances/furniture, one for trips. (There are probably higher interest rates other ways, but this works for me.) I'm not necessarily putting loads away but it's a little cushion.