7 ways to save £3,389 a year when living alone
No matter how you look at it, being single in the UK is staggeringly expensive right now. 8.2million people are living alone in the UK as of 2021, a rise of 52K when compared to the year previous.
Stagnant wages and record-high inflation rates mean that living alone is now more expensive than ever before. The cost of being single means Brits are having to face the rising costs of groceries, energy and rent without the benefit of splitting bills with a roommate or significant other.
7 ways to save £3,389 a year when living alone
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That being said, the folks at Vouchers.co.uk have uncovered 7 ways you can cut the cost of living by yourself:
Stipulate you live alone to your local council to save £492
If you live alone, you’re entitled to a 25% council tax reduction. What some people don’t know, though, is that you can still apply for this reduction anytime you live with people that don’t have to pay council tax, such as students.
Join a dining club and save up to 50% on eating out
Even when you live alone, dining out doesn’t have to be off limits. Some loyalty schemes such as Tastecards can still save you over £226 per year, even if you minimised eating out to just once a month.
Not only do they give you eating-out benefits, but you can reduce your spending on cinema tickets, takeaways and give you shopping discounts.
Supermarket loyalty cards save you £120 on shopping per year
Depending on how much you spend in-store, different loyalty supermarket cards can give you different benefits. In their supermarket savings research, MoneyEdit found that Lidl offered the best saving over any other supermarket. Spending over £200 a month enabled £10 off coupons and the chance to get shopping freebies.
Switch to a sim-only phone saves you over £610 annually
Believe it or not, you don’t need the new iPhone. A new iPhone can set you back over £56 a month, but Vouchers.co.uk found that keeping your old phone for longer and swapping to a £6 sim-only deal can save you over £610.
Ask a friend for their Netflix details and save over £80
The benefit of living alone is you have an excuse to bug everyone else for their streaming log in details! Jumping on just one account can save you £6.99 per month, or £83.88 per year.
Install a water meter and save £660 per year
If you’re living in a home with less people than there are bedrooms, you could save money on a water bill. Estimated water bills are done so by basing average water cost on the size of your house and how many people they believe should be living there.
However, installing a water meter tracks your real usage. Some members of the MSE forum discovered that by changing to a water meter, they saw savings of £660 in just one year.
One-person household benefits – saving £1,149
If you’re on a low income, you may be eligible for a benefit to use towards your living costs. The average housing benefit payment for a single person is £95.77 depending on your living situation, summing up to £1,149.24 – just make sure to check the benefits calculator to ensure you’re eligible.
