# What is a liveable salary for a single person with no dependents in London?



## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

Now I've typed it, liveable doesn't look like a proper word, but I'm sure you get my meaning.


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Jan 31, 2012)

Do you mean being able to survive without eating out, going to the pub, going to the cinema, going to the gym etc., or do you mean being able to do all the aforementioned comfortably and still be able to pay your bills without any worry?


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## Thora (Jan 31, 2012)

I think the London living wage is just over £8 an hour/£16K.


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## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> Do you mean being able to survive without eating out, going to the pub, going to the cinema, going to the gym etc., or do you mean being able to do all the aforementioned comfortably and still be able to pay your bills without any worry?


somewhere in between. hand to mouth isn't what i had in mind, but neither is unalloyed luxury


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## colacubes (Jan 31, 2012)

It's £8.30, so just over £17k on the basis of a 40 hour week.

Take home = about £1400 a month.  So working it out I guess rent £600 (maybe less), £150 for bills and council tax, £100 for travel would leave £650 a month for food and everything else.  Which would be alright with no dependents or other outstanding debts.


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## Ted Striker (Jan 31, 2012)

It is never enough.


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## colacubes (Jan 31, 2012)

nipsla said:


> It's £8.30, so just over £17k on the basis of a 40 hour week.
> 
> Take home = about £1400 a month. So working it out I guess rent £600 (maybe less), £150 for bills and council tax, £100 for travel would leave £650 a month for food and everything else. Which would be alright with no dependents or other outstanding debts.



ETA and of course you can take off travel costs if you cycle, which I think you do OU.


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Jan 31, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> somewhere in between. hand to mouth isn't what i had in mind, but neither is unalloyed luxury



Big factor would depend on your rent.  In the last few years when I've been working (doing only around 30 hours per week due to caring for someone), I reckon I was under £15k, went to pub regularly, went on holiday once a year etc. but then I didn't really ever eat out, am not into clothes and makeup, don't drive etc. and housing association flat, so therefore cheaper rent


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## Paulie Tandoori (Jan 31, 2012)

The 2011 revised wage is £8.30 per hour, a 5.7 per cent increase on 2010 and a 24 per cent increase since its introduction in 2005.

http://www.london.gov.uk/publication/fairer-london-2011-living-wage-london


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## Badgers (Jan 31, 2012)

I have lived cheaply before. It really varies on the living space you want, commuting costs and such things mainly. Lifestyle is a factor but I doubt you will be on charlie and champers more than 3 nights a week.


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## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

Thora said:


> I think the London living wage is just over £8 an hour/£16K.


that's £1103 a month after tax.
so:
Rent: £600-800
Council Tax & Bills: £100ish (?)
Food: £80-100
just about doable I suppose, or am I missing something out?


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## Paulie Tandoori (Jan 31, 2012)

if you live in a house of multiple occupation i.e. sharing, then you're not liable for council tax, the landlord is.


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## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

nipsla said:


> It's £8.30, so just over £17k on the basis of a 40 hour week.
> 
> Take home = about £1400 a month. So working it out I guess rent £600 (maybe less), £150 for bills and council tax, £100 for travel would leave £650 a month for food and everything else. Which would be alright with no dependents or other outstanding debts.


ah, cheers, better than my quick calculation.
how did you work out the bills? mine was just a guestimate.


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Jan 31, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> that's £1103 a month after tax.
> so:
> Rent: £600-800
> Council Tax & Bills: £100ish (?)
> ...



I'd think about that Council Tax and Bills figure.  Council Tax, Water, Gas, Electricity, Landline Bill (if you have one), Mobile Phone Bill, Internet Connection, TV Licence etc.


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## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> Big factor would depend on your rent. In the last few years when I've been working (doing only around 30 hours per week due to caring for someone), I reckon I was under £15k, went to pub regularly, went on holiday once a year etc. but then I didn't really ever eat out, am not into clothes and makeup, don't drive etc. and housing association flat, so therefore cheaper rent


i'm looking at places (sharing) that are up to £600 a month rent.


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## colacubes (Jan 31, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> ah, cheers, better than my quick calculation.
> how did you work out the bills? mine was just a guestimate.



Same as. Mine are more (about £200) but was guessing you'd be in a smaller place/sharing so have less CT/leccy etc to pay


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Jan 31, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> i'm looking at places (sharing) that are up to £600 a month rent.



Well that would have been a lot more than I could have afforded on my wages, so I'd have either have to give up socialising in the pub or give up my yearly holiday I reckon 

eta:  As mentioned by Nips though, you'd be saving on bills by sharing


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## Ms T (Jan 31, 2012)

Paulie Tandoori said:


> if you live in a house of multiple occupation i.e. sharing, then you're not liable for council tax, the landlord is.



Really?  We always had to pay council tax ourselves in shared houses.


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## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> Well that would have been a lot more than I could have afforded on my wages, so I'd have either have to give up socialising in the pub or give up my yearly holiday I reckon


well i don't go to the pub a huge amount and i'm not fussed about holidays.
£600 a month is in the lower end of what's available by the way! (for 2 people sharing)


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Jan 31, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> well i don't go to the pub a huge amount and i'm not fussed about holidays



Then I reckon you can survive, unless you're into designer clothing


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## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

Paulie Tandoori said:


> if you live in a house of multiple occupation i.e. sharing, then you're not liable for council tax, the landlord is.


what about a flat in a multi-flat house where you're sharing with one other person?


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## Kanda (Jan 31, 2012)

Paulie Tandoori said:


> if you live in a house of multiple occupation i.e. sharing, then you're not liable for council tax, the landlord is.



Council Tax has always been in the tenants name in every shared house I've ever lived in.


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Jan 31, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> well i don't go to the pub a huge amount and i'm not fussed about holidays.
> £600 a month is in the lower end of what's available by the way! (for 2 people sharing)



These London landlords need shooting for what they charge


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## Badgers (Jan 31, 2012)

Kanda said:


> Council Tax has always been in the tenants name in every shared house I've ever lived in.



In a HMO an all-inclusive bills basis it is the landlords responsibility to pay the council tax.


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## Paulie Tandoori (Jan 31, 2012)

it's a bit of a legal minefield, see this http://www.mglewisandson.co.uk/hmo-houses-in-multiple-occupation/hmo-and-council-tax-2


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## editor (Jan 31, 2012)

I think where you live can make a huge difference to how well you can get by if you like going out and socialising (which is certainly important to me). Brixton is brilliant for tons of free stuff so you can get by on a lot less cash than if you live in another area where everything costs more or where you have to get public transport to where the action is.


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## Badgers (Jan 31, 2012)

Paulie Tandoori said:


> it's a bit of a legal minefield, see this http://www.mglewisandson.co.uk/hmo-houses-in-multiple-occupation/hmo-and-council-tax-2



From that...



> In an HMO the tenant/licensee occupies only part of the property and is only liable for rent for the part they occupy. An example would be where the tenant is liable for rent on an individual room basis and shares a bathroom and toilet with other tenants. The council makes the decision about a property’s desgination as an HMO and the landlord is liable for paying the tax. The landlord can appeal the decision to the Valuation Tribunal, which is an independent body.



It is not black and white but self contained units are much more closely regulated these days. More will be paid by the landlord than not.


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## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

editor said:


> I think where you live can make a huge difference to how well you can get by if you like going out and socialising (which is certainly important to me). Brixton is brilliant for tons of free stuff so you can get by on a lot less cash than if you live in another area where everything costs more or where you have to get public transport to where the action is.



can't say there are many free things in Brixton that I would want to go to. Brixton is too dear for me now. I am searching the cheaper areas surrounding it.


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## editor (Jan 31, 2012)

Really? I can think of all sorts of free events that are well worth checking out.
This is just the gigs:
http://www.brixtonbuzz.com/calendar/


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## ymu (Jan 31, 2012)

nipsla said:


> It's £8.30, so just over £17k on the basis of a 40 hour week.
> 
> Take home = about £1400 a month. So working it out I guess rent £600 (maybe less), £150 for bills and council tax, £100 for travel would leave £650 a month for food and everything else. Which would be alright with no dependents or other outstanding debts.


You haven't deducted tax from that. Gross pay is ~£1400/month, take home is ~£1150.


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## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

editor said:


> Really? I can think of all sorts of free events that are well worth checking out.
> This is just the gigs:
> http://www.brixtonbuzz.com/calendar/


if you're into going to gigs, fair dos!


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## _angel_ (Jan 31, 2012)

Move back to Leeds and save a fortune.


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## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

_angel_ said:


> Move back to Leeds and save a fortune.


there's even less opportunities. and even if i managed to get a job, i'd be bored to death.  I have no friends in Leeds and the club scene is rubbish compared to London. My life is here, not in Leeds. I went a bit mental when I stayed there over the summer.


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## Badgers (Jan 31, 2012)

editor said:


> This is just the gigs:
> http://www.brixtonbuzz.com/calendar/



Know any with a cheap bar?


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## ruffneck23 (Jan 31, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> that's £1103 a month after tax.
> so:
> Rent: £600-800
> Council Tax & Bills: £100ish (?)
> ...


 
i was going to say 17k is not £1400 a month

your council tax may be a bit higher than £100 quid too , all depends opn the area really


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## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

ruffneck23 said:


> i was going to say 17k is not £1400 a month
> 
> your council tax may be a bit higher than £100 quid too , all depends opn the area really


i'd forgotten how much council tax was and was thinking it was something like a tenner a month


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## colacubes (Jan 31, 2012)

ymu said:


> You haven't deducted tax from that. Gross pay is ~£1400/month, take home is ~£1150.



Good point well made


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## colacubes (Jan 31, 2012)

ruffneck23 said:


> i was going to say 17k is not £1400 a month
> 
> your council tax may be a bit higher than £100 quid too , all depends opn the area really



It's £110 band C in Lambeth which is a 1 bed or small 2 bed place.


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## Paulie Tandoori (Jan 31, 2012)

oh, and don't forget that as a single man, provided you work over 30 hours a week, you may be able to claim working tax credit if you are on a low wage.

similarly, you could also (potentially) be entitled to claim housing benefit and/or council tax benefit, depending on your liability and income.


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## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

nipsla said:


> It's £110 band C in Lambeth which is a 1 bed or small 2 bed place.



fucking hell


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## Crispy (Jan 31, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> fucking hell


Split four ways in a shared house though, mind. For a band E/F (approx 4 bed house) in Lambeth it's 125/150 per month so 30/37 each


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## Miss Caphat (Jan 31, 2012)

what about savings/emergency cash etc? to pay for unexpected things/repairs/travel/christmas etc? I've often found this is one thing I've completely left off the budget, but ends up being more of a chunk of the monthly budget than I'd thought, and can really get you into trouble if you don't have it set aside.


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## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

Crispy said:


> Split four ways in a shared house though, mind.


four ways? huh?


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## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

Miss Caphat said:


> what about savings/emergency cash etc? to pay for unexpected things/repairs/travel/christmas etc? I've often found this is one thing I've completely left off the budget but ends up being more of a chunk of the monthly budget than you'd think and can really get you into trouble if you don't have it set aside.


dunno, i've never saved any money ever. but perhaps it is more advisable to do so on a lower wage. i would find it very hard not to spend all of my money every month though as i have very poor impulse control.


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Jan 31, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> fucking hell



I did suggest in Post 14 you rethink that Council Tax figure


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## colacubes (Jan 31, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> four ways? huh?



The CT is total for a property.  Eg it's £110 for my flat but as there's 2 of us £55 each.


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## Crispy (Jan 31, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> four ways? huh?


assuming you're sharing with three others


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## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

Crispy said:


> assuming you're sharing with three others


in a two bedroom house?


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Jan 31, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> dunno, i've never saved any money ever. but perhaps it is more advisable to do so on a lower wage. i would find it very hard not to spend all of my money every month though as i have very poor impulse control.



Do a direct debit into a savings account and give your card to someone else so you can't spend it


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## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

nipsla said:


> The CT is total for a property. Eg it's £110 for my flat but as there's 2 of us £55 each.


ah right, phew!


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## _angel_ (Jan 31, 2012)

nipsla said:


> It's £110 band C in Lambeth which is a 1 bed or small 2 bed place.


That could have been worse actually. I'm in band A Leeds and it's £18 a week. Only a tenner or so less a week.


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## colacubes (Jan 31, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> in a two bedroom house?



Prob not, but even if you're in a Band E house which might be 4 beds, it's £150 a month between 4 (so £37.50 each).  And they do it over 10 payments if you do DD so you don't pay anything in Feb/March usually.


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## colacubes (Jan 31, 2012)

Current Lambeth CT rates are here:

http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/Services/AdviceBenefits/CouncilTax/PropertyBandsAndCharges.htm

Due to be reviewed shortly but likely to be frozen for next year.  Key thing when you're looking is to find out which band the property is in and then you can work out how much it would be divided by those sharing.


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## Belushi (Jan 31, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> dunno, i've never saved any money ever. but perhaps it is more advisable to do so on a lower wage. i would find it very hard not to spend all of my money every month though as i have very poor impulse control.



Open an ISA and set a standing order for a small amount to go in each month.


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## Miss Caphat (Jan 31, 2012)

to me, these figures seem too low to be realistic. the only time I have felt I could live comfortably off what I was making and able to handle unexpected expenses was when I was making over $500 a week and paying a similar amount in rent _monthly_.

I've always thought of that as a good indicator: you can be comfortable if your monthly rent is equal to or a little higher than your weekly salary. (Obviously that doesn't work with very low salary/rent equations as you still might not have enough to live on)


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## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

Belushi said:


> Open an ISA and set a standing order for a small amount to go in each month.


i better pay my dad the money i owe him before i do that


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## Belushi (Jan 31, 2012)

Miss Caphat said:


> to me, these figures seem too low to be realistic. the only time I have felt I could live comfortably off what I was making and able to handle unexpected expenses was when I was making over $500 a week and paying a similar amount in rent _monthly_.
> 
> I've always thought of that as a good indicator: you can be comfortable if your monthly rent is equal to or a little higher than your weekly salary. (Obviously that doesn't work with very low salary/rent equations as you still might not have enough to live on)



It's very common in London for people to pay up to half their monthly take home pay in rent.


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## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

Miss Caphat said:


> to me, these figures seem too low to be realistic. the only time I have felt I could live comfortably off what I was making and able to handle unexpected expenses was when I was making over $500 a week and paying a similar amount in rent _monthly_.
> 
> I've always thought of that as a good indicator: you can be comfortable if your monthly rent is equal to or a little higher than your weekly salary. (Obviously that doesn't work with very low salary/rent equations as you still might not have enough to live on)


well it depends what you mean by comfortable. if i had a couple of hundred quid spare a month after rent, bills and food , i'd be reasonably content.


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## Thora (Jan 31, 2012)

Earning 30 times your monthly rent in a year seems to leave you able to live comfortably.  So £600 rent = annual salary of £18k.


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## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

Thora said:


> Earning 30 times your monthly rent in a year seems to leave you able to live comfortably. So £600 rent = annual salary of £18k.


this is the ballpark figure salary i'm looking at if i get a job. i used to earn loads more, but considered it as only just enough to live on. fuck knows what i spent it on!


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## Belushi (Jan 31, 2012)

£18k is a take home of just over £1200 a month.


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## EastEnder (Jan 31, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> well it depends what you mean by comfortable. if i had a couple of hundred quid spare a month after rent, bills and food , i'd be reasonably content.


Didn't you used to live & work in London? How did you manage then?


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## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

EastEnder said:


> Didn't you used to live & work in London? How did you manage then?


I just about coped then, but I was on £30K. Now I've been away from London and am back here looking for work, I've slipped down the salary ladder to the bottom rung again, so will be earning a lot less when I get a job finally.


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## Miss Caphat (Jan 31, 2012)

Belushi said:


> It's very common in London for people to pay up to half their monthly take home pay in rent.



does that include bills? that's a factor I wasn't thinking about. Here you're generally paying for heat (expensive in New England!) electric, sometimes water, phone, internet, cable, car insurance, rental insurance, etc. Oh and don't forget things like gym membership/other monthly/yearly dues


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## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

Miss Caphat said:


> does that include bills? that's a factor I wasn't thinking about. Here you're generally paying for heat (expensive in New England!) electric, sometimes water, phone, internet, cable, car insurance, rental insurance, etc. Oh and don't forget things like gym membership/other monthly/yearly dues


bills are on top of that! but luckily here, cars are not necessary to get about. they seem to be a huge expense on both sides of the ocean (more so on this side cos of fuel costs).


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## Miss Caphat (Jan 31, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> I just about coped then, but I was on £30K. Now I've been away from London and am back here looking for work, I've slipped down the salary ladder to the bottom rung again, so will be earning a lot less when I get a job finally.



how much was your rent at that time? maybe calculate the salary to rent percentage and apply it to your current situation to get a sense of what you can be comfortable on


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## Belushi (Jan 31, 2012)

I try never to pay more than a third of my salary in rent.


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## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

Miss Caphat said:


> how much was your rent at that time? maybe calculate the salary to rent percentage and apply it to your current situation to get a sense of what you can be comfortable on


it was only £500 at the time, as it never went up in the 10 years I lived there. I could be comfortable on much much less now. I must have wasted a lot of money on nothing at all. I reckon £18-20K will be sufficient enough for me and I could get by on a lot less. I wouldn't have thought so a couple of years ago.


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## Miss Caphat (Jan 31, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> bills are on top of that! but luckily here, cars are not necessary to get about. they seem to be a huge expense on both sides of the ocean (more so on this side cos of fuel costs).


true. and this is part of my "comfortable salary" equation. Because, for example, if your car breaks down the week before rent is due, and costs almost all the cash you have on hand to fix, then you still can pay your rent the next week, etc.


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## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

Miss Caphat said:


> true. and this is part of my "comfortable salary" equation. Because, for example, if your car breaks down the week before rent is due, and costs almost all the cash you have on hand to fix, then you still can pay your rent the next week, etc.


I'm glad I don't drive/need a car! I still worry about unexpected costs for my bike though.


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## editor (Jan 31, 2012)

Badgers said:


> Know any with a cheap bar?


Yes. The Albert. £7 bottle of wine, pint of lager £2.20


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## Belushi (Jan 31, 2012)

Yes, you definitely need to include a contingency for unexpected expenses in your budget OU, I seem to have something I hadn't expected to need to pay for every month.


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Jan 31, 2012)

editor said:


> Yes. The Albert. £7 bottle of wine, pint of lager £2.20



What lager's £2.20 a pint?


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## IC3D (Jan 31, 2012)

You could try Camelot, you live in an empty property for very low rent and some people I know have had pretty cool places in town.


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## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

Camelot?


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## Thora (Jan 31, 2012)

Professional squatters that keep homeless types out of empty buildings.


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## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

oh, i read an article about that. not sure about the ethics of that. plus, i think you need to be a salaried type, you can't do it on HB for sure, as you're the type they're trying to keep out


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## IC3D (Jan 31, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> oh, i read an article about that. not sure about the ethics of that. plus, i think you need to be a salaried type, you can't do it on HB for sure, as you're the type they're trying to keep out


Yea think you need a jerb just an idea. don't think providing cheap accom in an empty building is too naughty but I do see what your saying


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## Greebo (Jan 31, 2012)

Thora said:


> Professional squatters that keep homeless types out of empty buildings.


If you rent from Camelot you need to be able to move at very short notice indeed.


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## Badgers (Jan 31, 2012)

IC3D said:


> You could try Camelot, you live in an empty property for very low rent and some people I know have had pretty cool places in town.



They are cunts imo but this is correct. Only thing is that they have 100+ applicants per property and prefer to use security cleared people as tenants.


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## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

Badgers said:


> They are cunts imo but this is correct. Only thing is that they have 100+ applicants per property and prefer to use security cleared people as tenants.


are you implying i wouldn't pass muster securitywise and that i'm not to be trusted?


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Jan 31, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> are you implying i wouldn't pass muster securitywise and that i'm not to be trusted?



Goes without saying if you're dolescum


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## Badgers (Jan 31, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> are you implying i wouldn't pass muster securitywise and that i'm not to be trusted?



No. But people who have already been security cleared are easier for them to place. I know Camelot quite well through work and they give a preference to ex-forces people and the like in a lot of cases.


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## discokermit (Jan 31, 2012)

i was on nineteen grand a year when i first moved to london (04) and it was a struggle. that was paying £520 a month rent (inc council tax).


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## Meltingpot (Jan 31, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> well it depends what you mean by comfortable. if i had a couple of hundred quid spare a month after rent, bills and food , i'd be reasonably content.



If you add transport to that, I'd agree. Maybe clothes too (because those aren't cheap nowadays) and for a lot of jobs you have to fund presentable clothes out of your own pocket.


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## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

Meltingpot said:


> If you add transport to that, I'd agree.


aye, though transport needn't cost much if you have a bike


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## EastEnder (Jan 31, 2012)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> What lager's £2.20 a pint?


One poured in 1998. Probably flat now.


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## Meltingpot (Jan 31, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> aye, though transport needn't cost much if you have a bike



 Good point, though if you cycle in London you're braver than I'd be.


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## _angel_ (Jan 31, 2012)

editor said:


> Yes. The Albert. £7 bottle of wine, pint of lager £2.20


That's not bad for a bottle of wine in London. It really makes our corner shop look like a total pisstake tho (£7.99 for a bottle of rose wine).
I think the local pubs may be a smidgen less than that for a bottle and the pints are cheaper too, but u'd expect that.


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## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

it's about the same for wine. don't know about beer. spirits are cheaper outside london.


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## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

Meltingpot said:


> Good point, though if you cycle in London you're braver than I'd be.


nothing to it. just needs a bit of getting used to and common sense.


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## _angel_ (Jan 31, 2012)

Actually you can pay more than that in  a supermarket in london (was horrified at prices when we last came down, will have to import my own wine next time). £7, is it cat piss????????


Orang Utan said:


> it's about the same for wine. don't know about beer. spirits are cheaper outside london.


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## Belushi (Jan 31, 2012)

_angel_ said:


> Actually you can pay more than that in a supermarket in london (was horrified at prices when we last came down, will have to import my own wine next time). £7, is it cat piss????????



It's okay as pub wine goes.


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## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

_angel_ said:


> Actually you can pay more than that in a supermarket in london (was horrified at prices when we last came down, will have to import my own wine next time). £7, is it cat piss????????


no difference in supermarkets IME


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## _angel_ (Jan 31, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> no difference in supermarkets IME


Each and every one I went into was more than the average price. Tbh it's not just London, there's a branch of tesco in Baildon where inlaws live that I swear is the most expensive tesco I've ever been into.


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## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

_angel_ said:


> Each and every one I went into was more than the average price. Tbh it's not just London, there's a branch of tesco in Baildon where inlaws live that I swear is the most expensive tesco I've ever been into.


you're mistaken. they do the same offers in all the stores - all the 2 for 1 and discounted wines are the same prices. maybe it costs more if you spend more on wine than i do and go for non-offer wine, but i wouldn't know about that.


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## dessiato (Jan 31, 2012)

When I was in London I found it difficult on 40k, maybe I was doing something wrong! I certainly couldn't save at all. How do people manage on 15k?


----------



## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

dessiato said:


> When I was in London I found it difficult on 40k, maybe I was doing something wrong! I certainly couldn't save at all. How do people manage on 15k?


live in cheap accommodation, go out rarely, have a modest food budget - it's doable.


----------



## Miss Caphat (Jan 31, 2012)

another thing to consider would be doing some type of work on the side for extra spending/saving money outside of your regular job. is there anything you can do p/t that would be marketable? even something like ebay selling?


----------



## Crispy (Jan 31, 2012)

dessiato said:


> When I was in London I found it difficult on 40k, maybe I was doing something wrong! I certainly couldn't save at all. How do people manage on 15k?


Where did you live? What did you eat? Where did you go out? How did you travel?


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (Jan 31, 2012)

Crispy said:


> Where did you live? What did you eat? Where did you go out? How did you travel?



His rent was probably £2k per month


----------



## baldrick (Jan 31, 2012)

Miss Caphat said:


> another thing to consider would be doing some type of work on the side for extra spending/saving money outside of your regular job. is there anything you can do p/t that would be marketable? even something like ebay selling?


i had a saturday night bar job when i was on low wages.  £40 cash in hand goes a long way when you earn fuck all.  plus it keeps you busy on a weekend night - no pressure to go out and spend money you don't have.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

Miss Caphat said:


> another thing to consider would be doing some type of work on the side for extra spending/saving money outside of your regular job. is there anything you can do p/t that would be marketable? even something like ebay selling?


not really.


----------



## dessiato (Jan 31, 2012)

Crispy said:


> Where did you live? What did you eat? Where did you go out? How did you travel?


Small private estate, Surrey. Ate at home most of the time, eating out was only once a week usually, maybe a take-away once a week. Total accommodation costs was about 2k monthDidn't go out much, couldn't really afford to, but when we did it would be to the theatre or to see dance/contemporary ballet. Due to nature of job and places of work travelled by car. I was spending about £300 on petrol, jointly. Mrs D also had to have a car to get to work, again due to hours, nature of job, and location.


----------



## weepiper (Jan 31, 2012)

dessiato said:


> Small private estate, Surrey. Ate at home most of the time, eating out was only once a week usually, maybe a take-away once a week. Total accommodation costs was about *2k month *Didn't go out much, couldn't really afford to, but when we did it would be to the theatre or to see dance/contemporary ballet. Due to nature of job and places of work travelled by car. I was spending about *£300 on petrol*, jointly. Mrs D also had to have a car to get to work, again due to hours, nature of job, and location.



there's your problem.


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (Jan 31, 2012)

dessiato said:


> Small private estate, Surrey. Ate at home most of the time, eating out was only once a week usually, maybe a take-away once a week. Total accommodation costs was about 2k monthDidn't go out much, couldn't really afford to, but when we did it would be to the theatre or to see dance/contemporary ballet. Due to nature of job and places of work travelled by car. I was spending about £300 on petrol, jointly. Mrs D also had to have a car to get to work, again due to hours, nature of job, and location.



hah!  So I was right on accommodation cost!



I could only dream of earning £40k


----------



## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

and it's not even in London!


----------



## Ms T (Jan 31, 2012)

That's very expensive accommodation there.  40K is more than enough to have a comfortable lifestyle in London imo.


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (Jan 31, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> and it's not even in London!



I've never even taken home £500pw never mind spending it on rent/accommodation.

Even when I did a 96 hour week once, I still came home with less than £500 as I was taxed so much


----------



## Miss Caphat (Jan 31, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> not really.



babysitting? don't you take care of a relative's kid sometimes?
or teaching english as a foreign language?
gardening/yard work? I once put some flyers up offering help with that, intending to earn some cash on the side, and it turned into a full time business.


----------



## Pickman's model (Jan 31, 2012)

in a year or so a living salary in london will be round £21,000: the price of food, of fuel, of transport all shooting up.


----------



## Miss Caphat (Jan 31, 2012)

dog walking?


----------



## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

Miss Caphat said:


> babysitting? don't you take care of a relative's kid sometimes?
> or teaching english as a foreign language?
> gardening/yard work? I once put some flyers up offering help with that, intending to earn some cash on the side, and it turned into a full time business.


the only babysitting i have done is for friends/relatives and my nephew lives 200 miles away.
i would love to work in TEFL but I can't get any work/experience teaching it here 
gardening? no way!
dunno what yard work is but i'm not a practical, handy type person. i could work in bars, but to be honest i'd rather be skint than have no free time.


----------



## Pickman's model (Jan 31, 2012)

Miss Caphat said:


> babysitting? don't you take care of a relative's kid sometimes?
> or teaching english as a foreign language?
> gardening/yard work? I once put some flyers up offering help with that, intending to earn some cash on the side, and it turned into a full time business.


yeh, i've known people who did that, got a couple of thousand flyers printed and distributed them and ended up with years of gardening work as a result


----------



## _angel_ (Jan 31, 2012)

No some shops only get the more pricy lines. plus central london def mpp [qu
ote="Orang Utan, post: 10881611"]you're mistaken. they do the same offers in all the stores - all the 2 for 1 and discounted wines are the same prices. maybe it costs more if you spend more on wine than i do and go for non-offer wine, but i wouldn't know about that.[/quote]more


----------



## _angel_ (Jan 31, 2012)

On phone ffs


----------



## Monkeygrinder's Organ (Jan 31, 2012)

Ms T said:


> That's very expensive accommodation there. 40K is more than enough to have a comfortable lifestyle in London imo.



Well yeah. 40k is roughly the mark for the top 10% of earners in the UK. It won't quite put you in that band in London but it's still well over average.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

_angel_ said:


> No some shops only get the more pricy lines. plus central london def mpp [qu
> ote="Orang Utan, post: 10881611"]you're mistaken. they do the same offers in all the stores - all the 2 for 1 and discounted wines are the same prices. maybe it costs more if you spend more on wine than i do and go for non-offer wine, but i wouldn't know about that.


more[/quote]

maybe right in the centre of london, but where i've lived in london, supermarket wines are exactly the same prices as they are anywhere else (well, leeds is the only other place i know really).
i used to drink a lot of wine, so i know what i'm talking about


----------



## grit (Jan 31, 2012)

Monkeygrinder's Organ said:


> Well yeah. 40k is roughly the mark for the top 10% of earners in the UK. It won't quite put you in that band in London but it's still well over average.



I think it goes up to 50k in London.


----------



## nagapie (Jan 31, 2012)

OU, have you thought about signing up with a tutoring agency. I'm sure you only have to be a graduate.

Edit, I just realised you'd lose your benefits then


----------



## Termite Man (Jan 31, 2012)

Paulie Tandoori said:


> oh, and don't forget that as a single man, provided you work over 30 hours a week, you may be able to claim working tax credit if you are on a low wage.
> 
> similarly, you could also (potentially) be entitled to claim housing benefit and/or council tax benefit, depending on your liability and income.


 
tell me more about this please.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

Termite Man said:


> tell me more about this please.


i looked them up: http://uk.cameloteurope.com/


----------



## Termite Man (Jan 31, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> i looked them up: http://uk.cameloteurope.com/



not that, i meant the working tax credits for single men on low incomes.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

d'oh, oops.


----------



## Termite Man (Jan 31, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> d'oh, oops.


it doesn't matter I earn 'too much' apparently


----------



## EastEnder (Jan 31, 2012)

dessiato said:


> Small private estate, Surrey. Ate at home most of the time, eating out was only once a week usually, maybe a take-away once a week. Total accommodation costs was about 2k month


2K a month would pay the mortgage on a very nice house!


----------



## Greebo (Jan 31, 2012)

EastEnder said:


> 2K a month would pay the mortgage on a very nice house!


Quite.  As for _eating out only once a week_, talk about how the other half live!


----------



## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

eating out is an unfathomable luxury!
and so are takeaways


----------



## Crispy (Jan 31, 2012)

Expectations scale don't they. I bet even 100k earners  reckon they "just about get by" and utterly believe themselves.


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (Jan 31, 2012)

Greebo said:


> Quite. As for _eating out only once a week_, talk about how the other half live!



He's not told us what the bill was for this once-a-week luxury either?


----------



## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

in-fucking-deed.
i used to think £30K wasn't quite enough to live on


----------



## Greebo (Jan 31, 2012)

Crispy said:


> Expectations scale don't they. I bet even 100k earners reckon they "just about get by" and utterly believe themselves.


I think I may have told you before about relatives who reckoned they were hard up when they had to sell shares in order to afford a motorhome...


----------



## Thora (Jan 31, 2012)

Crispy said:


> Expectations scale don't they. I bet even 100k earners reckon they "just about get by" and utterly believe themselves.


Of course they aren't really rich because they have such big outgoings...


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (Jan 31, 2012)

Greebo said:


> I think I may have told you before about relatives who reckoned they were hard up when they had to sell shares in order to afford a motorhome...



Everyone *needs *a motorhome though don't they


----------



## Greebo (Jan 31, 2012)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> Everyone *needs *a motorhome though don't they


Tbf, they bought it because they wanted more than one holiday a year.  But even so.


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (Jan 31, 2012)

Greebo said:


> Tbf, they bought it because they wanted more than one holiday a year. But even so.



Oh that's nice that they can afford more than one holiday a year


----------



## metalguru (Jan 31, 2012)

£80 - 100 a month for food seems low to me. I seem to spend a lot more than that and don't shop very extravagantly.


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (Jan 31, 2012)

metalguru said:


> £80 - 100 a month for food seems low to me. I seem to spend a lot more than that and don't shop very extravagantly.



Maybe they eat lots of stir-fried food


----------



## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

I've been on £60 a month for the last few months though, so
I guess it's all about what you get used to. I used to spend more than £200!


----------



## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> Maybe they eat lots of stir-fried food


I never eat stir fries!


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (Jan 31, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> I never eat stir fries!



Maybe you should try then.  You could save yourself lots of money


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (Jan 31, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> I've been on £60 a month for the last few months though, so
> I guess it's all about what you get used to. I used to spend more than £200!



£60? 

What are you living on?  Or are you only eating once a day?  Or are you eating really small portions?


----------



## Orang Utan (Jan 31, 2012)

No, small lunch, massive tea. I eat chillis and curries mostly. Very little or no meat. It's boring but it keeps me alive.


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (Jan 31, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> No, small lunch, massive tea. I eat chillis and curries mostly. Very little or no meat. It's boring but it keeps me alive.



yeah, that'll be cheap enough.  I know someone who has spag bol every night.  How he doesn't get bored of it, I've no idea, but I bet his shopping bill's nice and small


----------



## mentalchik (Jan 31, 2012)

_angel_ said:


> That could have been worse actually. I'm in band A Leeds and it's £18 a week. Only a tenner or so less a week.



i'm in band A in Northampton (2 bed HA flat) and it's just shy of £25 a week....


----------



## Mrs Magpie (Jan 31, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> can't say there are many free things in Brixton that I would want to go to. Brixton is too dear for me now. I am searching the cheaper areas surrounding it.


I find free stuff all the time. Mind you, I'm almost old enough to be your mum so our ideas of fun, and how much of it can be managed in one calendar month may be wildly different. I can't remember how old you are....30s?


----------



## ymu (Jan 31, 2012)

Crispy said:


> Expectations scale don't they. I bet even 100k earners reckon they "just about get by" and utterly believe themselves.


Uh huh...


> "I see inappropriate self-righteousness when I pass those 'protesters' in their tents… Meanwhile people like my husband and I speed past them to work on our future, to make a contribution to society… We studied hard, now we work hard and we pay hard. Fifty percent tax and we don't mind. I do wonder how much those people would pay without grumbling if roles were reversed?
> 
> "You want me to estimate a starting teacher's salary? I don't know. Let me think, £45,000? Wow, it's really only £22,000? I had no idea. That really is too low, I could not live on that. Well, obviously this is something that has to change. I mean, these teachers have had to invest in their own education and are now educating the next generation, right? I am rather shocked by this, are you sure?
> 
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentis...-blog/2011/dec/30/bankers-wife-financial-work





Thora said:


> Of course they aren't really rich because they have such big outgoings...


Oh yeah...


> "I am working-class from the north. They went to private schools, they have nannies for their children. The other day a colleague turned to me. He had just worked out that after school fees, mortgage payments and everything, he was left with 'only the minimum wage to spend'. So I asked him: 'What do you think ordinary people on a minimum wage have left to live on, after they have paid all their bills?' He was really confused, and admitted that he had never actually realised that for ordinary people everything has to come out of the minimum wage, that it's not free money to spend on whatever you like.
> 
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentis...es-of-finance-business-analyst-vice-president


----------



## Ms T (Jan 31, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> I never eat stir fries!


You never eat any Chinese/Asian food?


----------



## ymu (Jan 31, 2012)

Ms T said:


> You never eat any Chinese/Asian food?


There's a bit more to it than stir fries!


----------



## grit (Jan 31, 2012)

ymu said:


> Uh huh...
> 
> Oh yeah...



The second interview quoted, cant fault her tbh.


----------



## quimcunx (Jan 31, 2012)

ymu said:


> Uh huh...
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Heh,  Once I've paid my mortgage and food, and bills and selfridges charge card and hairdresser and drug dealer and nail technician and masseusse and bar tabs and personal trainer and yacht mooring fees, and stabling for the horse and service charges on my flat on the algarve, and wine merchants I've barely got the minimum wage to spaff on cakes and coffees.


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 1, 2012)

Mrs Magpie said:


> I find free stuff all the time. Mind you, I'm almost old enough to be your mum so our ideas of fun, and how much of it can be managed in one calendar month may be wildly different. I can't remember how old you are....30s?


i'm 38. i'm not complaining about there not being enough free stuff to do though. i have plenty of things i like doing with my free time. i don't need much extra money to enjoy a full social life anyway. most of the things i do in my leisure time don't cost money. only clubbing costs £££ but i don't do it as much as i used to.


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 1, 2012)

Ms T said:


> You never eat any Chinese/Asian food?


not much. i cook curries a bit.


----------



## Puddy_Tat (Feb 1, 2012)

Possibly stating the bleeding obvious and certainly posted on other threads before, but may be useful to someone who falls over this here thread

entitledto benefit calculator - may be worth a play with actual or possible incomes / rent combinations to work out entitlement to tax credits / housing / council tax benefit.

housing benefit is not an "all or nothing" benefit, and can be claimed if you're working and on a low income - a lot of people (including those talking bollocks about benefit cuts for "work shy scroungers") don't realise this.

although housing benefit will only cover rent up to the local housing allowance limit for that area (the areas don't necessarily neatly cover specific postcodes or local authority boundaries) - more here


----------



## Miss Caphat (Feb 1, 2012)

Pickman's model said:


> yeh, i've known people who did that, got a couple of thousand flyers printed and distributed them and ended up with years of gardening work as a result


I only printed about 15 or 20. Word of mouth spread fast because I was working for a lot cheaper than the landscaping companies, and basically just did whatever the homeowners said they wanted and didn't make them feel like morons. I learned as I went, often from the people I worked for.
I'm in a similar situation now with teaching art classes for kids in my studio. Once I graduate (my major is not art teaching btw, just something I'm doing for extra cash and because I really love it) I should be able to have a full schedule of kids classes going, and no middle man to dictate what I get paid


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (Feb 1, 2012)

Ms T said:


> You never eat any Asian food?



He eats lots of curries


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 1, 2012)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> He eats lots of curries


mostly chilis at the mo, to be honest. beans are cheap.


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (Feb 1, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> mostly chilis at the mo, to be honest. beans are cheap.



Are you going hotter and hotter with the chilli peppers?


----------



## xenon (Feb 1, 2012)

nipsla said:


> Prob not, but even if you're in a Band E house which might be 4 beds, it's £150 a month between 4 (so £37.50 each).  And they do it over 10 payments if you do DD so you don't pay anything in Feb/March usually.



Are you sure? I know areas vary but CT surely isn't that cheap where you are? I'm paying IIRC circa 70 quid a month, single person discount, band A in Bristol.

e2a, been a long time since I had to pay CT in a house though. Maybe that's about right.


----------



## Wolveryeti (Feb 1, 2012)

ymu said:


> Uh huh...
> 
> _"I see inappropriate self-righteousness when I pass those 'protesters' in their tents… Meanwhile people like my husband and I speed past them to work on our future, to make a contribution to society… We studied hard, now we work hard and we pay hard. Fifty percent tax and we don't mind. I do wonder how much those people would pay without grumbling if roles were reversed?_
> 
> ...


That article is well LOL: 



> I do try to be sensitive. When asked where I got that coat or dress, I may say 'It's H&M, but last year's collection so I am afraid it's not in stores anymore'.


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 1, 2012)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> Are you going hotter and hotter with the chilli peppers?


yes!


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (Feb 1, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> yes!



Oh exciting.  How hot have you gone and how's your bum handling them?


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 1, 2012)

i usually stick 8 chilis in one big chili stew
i'm not talking about my bum


----------



## Detroit City (Feb 1, 2012)

250 quid a month, more if you want to eat


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 1, 2012)

Detroit City said:


> 250 quid a month, more if you want to eat


you don't know what you are talking about. please stick to what you know. i appreciate that this leaves you with only disgusting american takeaway food, but at least you're an expert on something.


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (Feb 1, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> i usually stick 8 chilis in one big chili stew
> i'm not talking about my bum


----------



## Puddy_Tat (Feb 1, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> i usually stick 8 chilis in one big chili stew
> i'm not talking about my bum



i must not skim-read posts on U75

i must not skim-read posts on U75....


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (Feb 1, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> i usually stick 8 chilis up my bum
> i'm not talking about my stew





Puddy_Tat said:


> i must not skim-read posts on U75
> 
> i must not skim-read posts on U75....



It's late.  It's understandable you could get things mixed up


----------



## Ms T (Feb 1, 2012)

xenon said:


> Are you sure? I know areas vary but CT surely isn't that cheap where you are? I'm paying IIRC circa 70 quid a month, single person discount, band A in Bristol.
> 
> e2a, been a long time since I had to pay CT in a house though. Maybe that's about right.


We live in a house and it's £150 a month. In London. Our CT is cheaper than my parents' in rural Lincolnshire.


----------



## Ms T (Feb 1, 2012)

ymu said:


> There's a bit more to it than stir fries!


Stir-frying is just a technique much used in South Asian cooking, innit.  Here it tends to mean lots of stuff shoved in a wok but it's much more sophisticated than that. I eat quite a lot of Chinese/Vietnamese/Thai but never call it "stir fry".


----------



## ymu (Feb 1, 2012)

Ms T said:


> We live in a house and it's £150 a month. In London. Our CT is cheaper than my parents' in rural Lincolnshire.


Richer areas tend to have lower council tax because they have more expensive housing. If you have to split a council's budget between mostly cheap housing (rural lincolnshire) it's going to be more expensive per housing unit than if it's split between mostly expensive housing (anywhere in London).

One of the many reasons why the Council Tax is shite.


----------



## Crispy (Feb 1, 2012)

I don't get it?


----------



## Ms T (Feb 1, 2012)

I'd budget at least £150 for bills btw.


----------



## ymu (Feb 1, 2012)

Crispy said:


> I don't get it?


If you have to raise money from mostly Bands A-C housing, then you will have to charge more for Bands A-C than a council which needs to raise a comparable amount from mostly Bands C-E housing.

Lowest council tax in the country tends to be in the richest parts of Tory London. Not that I've checked for years, but I'm not aware that anything has changed. Could be wrong.


----------



## Crispy (Feb 1, 2012)

Derp. Yes, I get it now


----------



## Thora (Feb 1, 2012)

metalguru said:


> £80 - 100 a month for food seems low to me. I seem to spend a lot more than that and don't shop very extravagantly.


I spend £120 a month for 2 adults and a child!


----------



## _angel_ (Feb 1, 2012)

Thora said:


> I spend £120 a month for 2 adults and a child!


That's ridiculously low! I remember spending about £15 a week when it was just me and a baby but that's nearly 15 years ago when food prices were low.

Wait till he's a teenager tho!


----------



## Detroit City (Feb 2, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> you don't know what you are talking about. please stick to what you know. i appreciate that this leaves you with only disgusting american takeaway food, but at least you're an expert on something.


apparently  you cannot see a joke if it hit you in the face


----------



## TruXta (Feb 2, 2012)

ymu said:


> If you have to raise money from mostly Bands A-C housing, then you will have to charge more for Bands A-C than a council which needs to raise a comparable amount from mostly Bands C-E housing.
> 
> Lowest council tax in the country tends to be in the richest parts of Tory London. Not that I've checked for years, but I'm not aware that anything has changed. Could be wrong.



Westminster or Kensington/Chelsea I think?


----------



## Puddy_Tat (Feb 2, 2012)

TruXta said:


> Westminster or Kensington/Chelsea I think?



Wandsworth say it's them.  (here)

They claim it's due to tory efficiency and such.

There is a suggestion that Wandsworth and Westminster, as 'flagship' tory councils at the time had their central government grants artificially inflated so they could set very low poll tax rates (I have a feeling that at one time, Wandsworth got its poll tax level so low that it decided if it cut out the poll tax collecting department, it did not need to levy poll tax at all so it didn't.)

I recall the leader of one council in the north-east arguing that if they got the same level of central government grant, they could have given money to every resident along with a bunch of flowers once a year.


----------



## TruXta (Feb 2, 2012)

Ah right....


----------



## ymu (Feb 2, 2012)

Wandsworth still holds the title, eh? Unbeaten champion of the wealthy. Why am I not surprised.


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 2, 2012)

i was supposed to moving into that borough this week. not now, after finding out what cunts letting agents are.


----------



## TruXta (Feb 2, 2012)

Cheaper in most of Lewisham and even Southwark surely. Rent that is.


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 2, 2012)

council tax?


----------



## TruXta (Feb 2, 2012)

Rent.


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 2, 2012)

oh for sure.
shame the person i'm looking with can't do those areas.


----------



## Puddy_Tat (Feb 2, 2012)

TruXta said:


> Cheaper in most of Lewisham and even Southwark surely.



If you mean council tax, it depends. You can compare "band C" (or whatever) between different boroughs, which is public domain or the average that people pay, which might not be (if it's the kind of place that has lots of band A properties, the average council tax could be lower than the band C rate.)

From memory, the banding was based on a very quick and rough estimate of property values in whichever year it was John Major's government realised they had to bodge something up quickly to get rid of the poll tax - in some ways it's surprising that the Blair government didn't want to sort it out - although the only real alternative was local income tax, and the liberals thought of that first, which I guess ruled that idea out...

If you mean rents, then yes, generally the further away from the underground network you go, the lower the property prices and therefore rents. (There are obviously some exceptions to this - Blackheath and central Greenwich tend to be more expensive, and bits of East & West Ham and that sort of direction tend to be cheaper)

ETA -  for clarifying what you meant while I was constructing the above


----------



## TruXta (Feb 2, 2012)

Ape, that's a shame. Do you need SW? Could look further south.


----------



## Orang Utan (Feb 2, 2012)

TruXta said:


> Ape, that's a shame. Do you need SW? Could look further south.


within moderate cycling distance from sheen


----------



## TruXta (Feb 2, 2012)

Ouch.


----------



## Minnie_the_Minx (Feb 2, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> within moderate cycling distance from sheen



Richmond?


----------



## Puddy_Tat (Feb 2, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> within moderate cycling distance from sheen



Oh heck.

SW London tends to be expensive - either because it's somewhere considered posh or demand generated through work at Heathrow...


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## TruXta (Feb 2, 2012)

Further south it is then, or cough up.


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## Orang Utan (Feb 2, 2012)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> Richmond?


not THAT way


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## Orang Utan (Feb 2, 2012)

TruXta said:


> Further south it is then, or cough up.


saw somewhere in norbury today. it was riddled with damp and one of the bedrooms was a single, but even if it had been acceptable, i really wouldn't want to cycle down streatham high road every day. it's a horrible road.


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## Orang Utan (Feb 2, 2012)

Puddy_Tat said:


> Oh heck.
> 
> SW London tends to be expensive - either because it's somewhere considered posh or demand generated through work at Heathrow...


eh? heathrow's MILES away


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Feb 2, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> not THAT way



Putney


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## Orang Utan (Feb 2, 2012)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> Putney


too far - balham/tooting is far enough


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## TruXta (Feb 2, 2012)

To Sheen isn't Putney closer?


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## Orang Utan (Feb 2, 2012)

TOO FAR FROM CIVILISATION (IE BRIXTON)


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## TruXta (Feb 2, 2012)

Mother Brixton eh?


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## Orang Utan (Feb 2, 2012)

aye, can't stray too far away from it


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Feb 2, 2012)

TruXta said:


> Mother Brixton eh?



The man has taste


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## TruXta (Feb 2, 2012)

We're obliged to say that aren't we? It's not a sin living elsewhere.


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## Orang Utan (Feb 2, 2012)

i don't want to be too far away from my friends. that's not too much to ask is it?


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## TruXta (Feb 2, 2012)

Course not.


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## Puddy_Tat (Feb 2, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> eh? heathrow's MILES away



depends which bit of SW London.  I was thinking of the Hounslow patch - which is on the SW London bus map, and isn't all that far from Sheen.

Although since it's north of the River, and has a TW postcode, whether it is really in SW London, or whether it really counts as 'London' could probably run to 3 pages at least of bickering.  I don't think I can face that this late at night...


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## Orang Utan (Feb 2, 2012)




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## TruXta (Feb 2, 2012)

__~ and off to bed. Night gents, gentettes and apes.


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## Teaboy (Feb 2, 2012)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> Richmond?



Actually Richmond isnt that bad compared to some of the areas nearby.  When I moved down here with my girlfriend we looked all over the west of London and found that we'd still be paying roughly the same whether we live in Richmond or Ealing or even Acton, obviously if you want to live on Richmond Hill its going to be a bit more.

My girlfriend and I have a one bed flat which costs £1k per month between us which really isnt that much, the council tax is a bit sharp mind at £1600 per year.


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## hmmph (Feb 2, 2012)

What about Norwood Way? Check out Norwood Accommodation on Knights Hill they always seem to have the really cheap rental properties and I know people who've gone through them and have been alright.


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## nagapie (Feb 2, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> oh for sure.
> shame the person i'm looking with can't do those areas.



Who you moving in with?


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## Orang Utan (Feb 2, 2012)

nagapie said:


> Who you moving in with?


Will PM you


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