Cost of running a house!

[Bailes1992]

Evening 406oc'ers,

The prettier half and I are weighing up our finances for when we buy a house.

So far we've 'estimated' the following per month,

£500 for Mortgage
£100 Council tax
£100 Water, Gas & Electric
£50 Mobiles
£15 TV Licence (Obviously we'll pay this yearly)
£50 Broadband, Sky and Phone

We have given ourselves £1000 per month for bills.
Plan is to put the Missus pay in one account and use it to pay bills.
Then use my pay for living on (food, fuel, savings etc).

We're looking to buy a medium sized 2-3 bedroom semi.

So...
If I'm not being too cheeky could I have some information off you lot?
Would like to know what sort of house you have, how many of you are living there and generally what your bills are like.

Thanks, Sam.

[GingerMagic]

I have a 3 bed semi with 2 adults and 2 kids. Our Mortgage is higher, Council tax is higher and so are the amenity bills, but not by much.

Not sure about Wales but we have 2 water bills 6 monthly ( water and sewer ) at around £130 per year.

You will also need to add Insurances - contents, building and personal - probably another £50 per month.

Don't forget to add running car costs to your total budget - may as well look at total spend...

[lozz]

House, 795 pcm.
gas 50-60 week (pre-pay) depending on weather,
elecy 30-40 week (pre-pay)
council tax £3199.85 a year,
water, between 1200 -2k plus (damn them water meters,)
Broadband phone- 12quid and month then cost of calls, and bts line rental on top

Mobile phone-nil irefuse to top them up,

& then any costs of repairs,

[grasmere59]

Well I live in a 3 bed terrace on me own as you know Sam and my gas/lec/water are about £130 a month although in the summer I turn the boiler off and use the immersion for water,i was £287 in credit for the gas beginning the winter months but that'll probably be used up so it's swings and roundabouts.As there will be only 2 of you make sure you have a water meter fitted because that should save a bit.Obviously it depends on your sky package as to your broadband etc,mine is £70 a month with phone/broadband/line rental etc.

[Bailes1992]

Jesus Lozz that's insane!

GM, not taking house insurance or car costs into consideration as the chances are these will come out of our 'savings'.

Brett, not too interested in a water meter as we both like silly long showers and I love washing cars

Looks like I will have to up our energy and water budget slightly though!

[lozz]

yes it is insane,but thats the way it is,
if iwas on my own id use less gas elecy,but kids is kids, lights have to be left on even in daylight,
heating on full (when it works)

water? ithink they must think its free, tap left running, im on my toes all the time turning stuff off but ...pffft..goes in one ear out the other,

its hard work mate, sacrifices have to be made too, new tyre for car or new trainers for kids sort of thing,

they have you with the council tax mate, ithink you may have underestimated with the 100quid council tax,, but each town as differnt rates,
so you might get yours cheaper idunno, but up here we get shafted,
bedroom tax too, bastids they are,

[jasper5]

Up your energy/water estimate to £150 or more...we pay £170, but are always in credit.

Our council tax is £103 monthly which is lowest band.

Have you taken food costs into account?

We don't have a mortgage as our house is paid for.

We pay £570 each into a joint account every month (my wife and I) which covers every household expense including money we still owe on the 407 (nearly finished) for the 3 of us.

[Bailes1992]

I think £150 per month for water and energy is acceptable.
Neither of us like the heat and if we are cold we'd rather chuck an extra jumper on.

Food will come out of my pay. We expect food to cost between £50-75pw.

Will have to look more into council tax. I know on the two bed bungalow my parents own they just paid 6 month council tax at a tad over £500.

[scotty73]

council tax £3199.85 a year,

I think Sam might be a bit better off than that because he's not buying Buckinham palace (geez Lozz that's mad mate)... Sams estimate of about £100 is probably 5 or 10 quid short of the mark or it could well be spot on.
I bitch about mine at £75 pcm

[scotty73]

To avoid any confusion the price stated above is full price, no council tax reductions here.

[scotty73]

Not sure about Wales but we have 2 water bills 6 monthly ( water and sewer ) at around £130 per year.

(

Ours are billed yearly in March and combined it's about £30 a month for 10 months for me two bed end terrace.... I'm hoping they'll knock my neighbours house down so i can call it detached and build a garage in there.

[lozz]

iwish mine was 75pcm a month mate iwouidnt moan about that.

iwas in council office a few months back and heard some waffle from achap in the que,
he was in flames because his council tax and his rent on council house had gone up about 10 quid amonth,

ithought for feck sake - if they gave me a nicy tidy council house like this lot up here have id be over the f*cking moon and just pay
the rent out right, no loose slates or f*cked combi boiler and pipes to worry about,

[Harshan]

no house mortgage (land/house own by me ),
council tax LKR 1000 (£4.6) per annum
electricity LKR 4000 (£18.6) per month
water LKR1000 (£4.6) per month ( plus most lands have access to free well water )
gas ( cylinders, no mains supply available) approx. LKR 2500 (£11.6) for 12.5 kgs which is sufficient to run little over a month.
no sewage charges as sewage tanks are within the land
plus all phone charges sums up to about LKR 5000 (£18.6) per month
car revenue license LKR 8000 (£ 37) per annum for 407, LKR 6000 (£28) per annum for golf.
No MOT.
full insurance is not mandatory but covering the third party is at LKR 1000 (£4.6) per annum
Cost for the emission test is LKR 1100 (about £5) per car per year
Price of diesel LKR 122 (£ 0.56) a liter


welcome to Sri Lanka..

[mjb]

House £700/mo
Council Tax £120/mo
Gas+Electric £200/mo
Water £50/mo (unmetered)
Sky £40/mo
Mobiles £40/mo
Internet covered by work

Bailes: I think you're severely underestimating the cost of utilities. Our house is pretty well insulated, but my last one wasn't and that cost me over £400/month in gas alone just to heat it in the evenings/mornings. Be aware that gas prices are climbing like nobody's business too

[Welly]

Modern insulated house:

Mortgage £275.00
Council Tax £180.00
Elec/Gas £125.00
Warty £52.00
Insewerance £20.00
TV Licence £12.00
Food £880.00 (2 adults. 2 teenagers)
Dentist Account £33.00
Internet £20.00
Sky/Home Phone £55.00

Then there's 2 x cars, House maintenance/Improvements.............

Whatever you budget for there's always something else, don't forget the cost of Haircuts, Birthdays, going out?, Macdonalds, clothes.......

We get through £3,000.00 per month but writing down all the outgoings it's nowhere near £3K