A
female
age
30-35,
*ovexkiss
writes:Me and my fiance have started new jobs and we both get just over £13k a year but want to get a apartment in the next couple of months thinking about £500 pcm fully furnished and close to our jobs about 15mins drive from work. we obviously are gonna split the rent and bills. But we wanna know will we have enough to survive on to last us the month, including 2 cars?were sooo desperate to move in together..Let me know thanks x
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female
reader, lovexkiss +, writes (2 October 2009):
lovexkiss is verified as being by the original poster of the questionwell we dnt drive yet coz were to busy working even though were nearly 22 haha! but we dnt go out anyway we spend our time mostly cuddled up infront of our tv,and ive spent 4 years at college with him on the same course and we used to work together sooo we saw each other everyday...sooo i know we'll servieve.
but yeh maybe we wont be able to move in after all unless we find a cheaper place to rent?
A
reader, anonymous, writes (2 October 2009): k_c100, perhaps I read it wrong, but I thought the OP said they were *each* making around £13k/yr.
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A
female
reader, k_c100 +, writes (2 October 2009):
 Ok from experience no, £13k is not enough to live on especially if you both have cars. Ignore what Old Guy said - £13k a year is around £887 a month after tax (I remember because that was what I was earning a couple of months ago!). So basing this on a 50/50 split - your rent will be £250 per month, then add your own other outgoings (mobile phone, car insurance & Tax, petrol, any other outgoing you might have like overdraft payments, loans, credit cards, gym membership etc). Then you have to think about bills - council tax, water, electric, gas, internet, phone bill.
Council tax can be worked out by going on your council's website and looking up the "band" that the property you want to live in sits in. Each apartment, house, etc is in a band from A down to G (I think!). It all depends on the area you will be living in and the size of the property - I rented a 2 bedroom newly built flat in South Manchester last year and that was £99 a month in council tax (just to give you some idea).
Water, Electric and Gas are paid quarterly normally however you can get them set up to go out monthly. It really does vary on how much you use and the size of the place, and whether it is a new or an old building. But just to give you an idea of what I was paying - I used to put £145 each month into a joint account and that pretty much covered everything but in the winter we were a little short on occasion.
If you want internet and a landline phone in your house that will cost you too - it all varies on who you choose as a supplier but you can research the costs online. BT charge just under £12 a month for line rental for a landline (you need it for internet too) and then you pay your phone provider for your call usage on top of the line rental.
Dont forget food shopping - I think for 2 people a budget of £60-80 per week is about right depending on what you eat and how much. Any less than £30 each and you will struggle really, your quality of life will be pretty poor.
While the apartment will come fully furnished, you need to think about the things they dont provide. Like a TV, kettle, toaster, microwave, pots and pans, cutlery, glasses and tablewear, pillows + duvet...the list goes on and on! Setting up a house for the first time costs quite a lot of money - I would say you need at least £200 to get your apartment kitted out to a basic level.
The you have to have a decent amount of savings before you move in together - you will need to put down a deposit (normally 1 months full rent so in your case £500 or £250 each) and often you have to pay 1 months full rent up front too so thats another £500 or £250 each. So combined thats £1000 that you and your boyfriend need upfront before you even move in.
So in total for my old apartment in Manchester where I used to live with my now ex-boyfriend, these were the costs per month:
Rent: £325
Bills (Including council tax): £145
Food: £120
Total house outgoings: £590 per month
So that left me with £297 per month but that doesnt include my own personal outgoings like mobile phone, gym, credit card etc.
I dont have a car so I didnt have that expense but I really struggled when I lived with my ex, he earnt nearly £30k but we splt everything 50/50, so while he had loads of money left I was really struggling and had no money to do the things that normal 21 year olds would do, like going out, buying clothes, holidays etc.
Realistically you need to be earning about £15k + to live comfortably. On £13k and living together yes you probably could survive but you would be doing literally that - surviving not living. You would have no spare cash whatsoever, you would have to sacrifice a lot of things you do now so you could live together. And while you think it will be worth it because you will be together - moving in changes everything. If you dont have the money to get out of the house once in a while and spend time with friends then you will drive each other mad - the key to success when living together is having seperate interests and seeing friends often so that you are not with each other 24/7. Thats what happened with me and my ex - I had no money to go out, he had no desire to go out so we ended up spending all our time together when we were not at work. We ended up hating each other - you cannot spend all your time with one person confined in one building, it just doesnt work!
So if you are going to be realistic about this, the best thing you could do would be to wait until you are a bit older when you have a better job and earning more money. Because money will become the main issue if you do move in together - who is spending what takes over your lives when you dont have much spare.
But it is up to you what you do - if you do the sums and it all works out that you can afford it (just) then you can give it a try, but you have to be aware that when you are financially struggling and living together it becomes the main source of arguments and puts a huge strain on the relationship. So is it worth being broke every month just so you can live with someone who you will end up arguing with over the money you dont have? Or would it be best just to wait until you can afford it and maintain the happy relationship you have with your boyfriend right now?
I hope this helps and good luck!
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A
female
reader, anonymous, writes (2 October 2009): When me and my boyfriend move in together I make $1200 amonth and he make $1300 amonth. I have my car lone and our rent is $635 included everything(utilities,bed,stove and ect..) So,we made it.Plus we eat out often.(I don't know how to cook. so). But, in relationship if you work like a team you can pass any problem together.But one thing you just have to thinking smart everything.My advice is try to find better job or go to school for make some big buck, before that don't have a child yet.Get it. Good luck and happy life with your partaner.
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A
reader, anonymous, writes (2 October 2009): I really doubt anyone here can give you the answer to that. I don't know where you are (other than the UK), so I don't have a clue what things cost. You're basically talking about £2,000/month income (is that before or after taxes?). Your apartment will take a quarter of that -- does that include utilities (electricity, gas, etc.)? Do you have existing debt -- credit cards, car loans and the like? Do you eat at restaurants often, or do you make your meals at home? What does it cost to fill the tank on your cars, and how often do you have to do that? What are you paying for car insurance?
Go through your expenses for the last few months to get an idea of what things cost. Add it all up, and compare it to your income.
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