Could you live on 60 quid a week?

[TykeMerc]

Well good on ya TykeMerc. Out of interest, how much do you spend on lecky and gas per year ?

Varies on year obviously (weather) and I don't live in the warmest part of the UK. I've lived here roughly 5 years and my combined gas and electricity has never exceeded £800 in a year.
That's approximately 1/4 of the £60 per week budget set by the original question.

[TykeMerc]

Water, TV Lic, Insurance, .....

Not in the spec so not part of the project budget......

[Mich the Tester]

I guess we could chuck the handcrafted tailor made Dutch maple furniture on the barbecue and eat squirrels and hazelnuts. It would be a shame though; that dining table cost me almost as much as a new VW, so we wouldn't really be living off 60 quid a week.

[BrowneIssue]

I have a fair collection of herbs, spices and flavourings in stock.
I don't spend that much on clothes as I have a wardrobe full of shirts, trousers, suits etc.

Can I live on £60 a week? Yes easily,

I could live on £0 next week on what I have in the cupboards, fridge, etc.

But I could not live on £60 per week.

But could you go a year on £3,120? And for every week of that year, not know whether you would have a job the next week? And at the end of that year, still not know whether you would have to do it again for another year?

That's the hard bit. Even an MP can live on £60 per week, for one week.

It's doing it week in, week out, not knowing when you'll be offered a job. And having to make decisions ever time something goes wrong but without sufficient information to make good decisions.

When the washing machine packs up do you:
a) invest in an expensive A++ rating machine that will last a long time and be cheap to run?
b) pay a proper plumber £150 to fix it?
c) pay some bloke from the pub £50 to come and look at it?
d) buy a second hand one for £80?
e) start using the launderette (very expensive)?
It's easy to choose (a) when you're in work. But when long term unemployed stuff like that leaves you in tears; you literally cannot afford to make the wrong decision. But (e) might be the only option.

What would you do once your stock of herbs & spices have gone? And the cleaning materials? And your clothes are getting worn out? Living on £60 for one week is not the same as living on £60 per week.

[EternalOptimist]

I could live on £0 next week on what I have in the cupboards, fridge, etc.

But I could not live on £60 per week.

But could you go a year on £3,120? And for every week of that year, not know whether you would have a job the next week? And at the end of that year, still not know whether you would have to do it again for another year?

That's the hard bit. Even an MP can live on £60 per week, for one week.

It's doing it week in, week out, not knowing when you'll be offered a job. And having to make decisions ever time something goes wrong but without sufficient information to make good decisions.

When the washing machine packs up do you:
a) invest in an expensive A++ rating machine that will last a long time and be cheap to run?
b) pay a proper plumber £150 to fix it?
c) pay some bloke from the pub £50 to come and look at it?
d) buy a second hand one for £80?
e) start using the launderette (very expensive)?
It's easy to choose (a) when you're in work. But when long term unemployed stuff like that leaves you in tears; you literally cannot afford to make the wrong decision. But (e) might be the only option.

What would you do once your stock of herbs & spices have gone? And the cleaning materials? And your clothes are getting worn out? Living on £60 for one week is not the same as living on £60 per week.

Spot on BI.
I went fo option f)

put the washing in the bath with some soap and trample it for an hour. As far as the fridge and the wardrobe are concerned , TykeMerk is describing the 'fat' you have left over from working without realising what a massive boost it actually is.
£800 a year for heating etc is probably a very good stab, but there is a problem. When you are down that low it becomes very difficult to save up in the summer to tide you over through the cold months. So you have to come up with some pretty off the wall strategies.

[AlfredJPruffock]

Spot on BI.
I went fo option f)

put the washing in the bath with some soap and trample it for an hour. As far as the fridge and the wardrobe are concerned , TykeMerk is describing the 'fat' you have left over from working without realising what a massive boost it actually is.
£800 a year for heating etc is probably a very good stab, but there is a problem. When you are down that low it becomes very difficult to save up in the summer to tide you over through the cold months. So you have to come up with some pretty off the wall strategies.

If it helps you could save on heating bills by spending winter afternoons in the library - my local library is even open on Sunday afternoons.

Revel in your Time.

[BlasterBates]

So presumably you get £60 a week and your rent paid?

[expat]

As Mich points out, heating yourself by burning a table worth about the minimum wage for a year is not really living on £60 a week; and as BrownIssue points out, big expenses will start rolling in.

That's what screws budgets: you might be able to live one week on £60, if it were a week where no big bills came in, or you ignored them till later. But you cant do that every week, or your standard of living will sink inexorably even if you live as simply as you can. This is exactly what happens to a great number of people on low incomes: they can just make it week-to-week, but the irregular (or infrequent) big expenses just throw them.

I am seeing this, somewhat gently I am pleased to say, at the moment being on the bench. I work out how much money I need for a month, and put that into the personal current account. It includes mortgage and all the same amounts as normal for council tax, bills, food etc. It seems to me to cover all my needs. Then in comes a big one, quite often. OK, all foreseeable; but when I'm earning, I just cover those without thinking. I have a view over the year, I suppose, that I can live within my means, but I don't budget weekly. What I am learning is that if I wanted to do that, it would take a bit of work, and come out to a lot more than I think.

This does have consequences for retirement planning too.

[EternalOptimist]

If it helps you could save on heating bills by spending winter afternoons in the library - my local library is even open on Sunday afternoons.

Revel in your Time.

plus you get to learn a lot

library
I used to scavange for wood to burn for heat
nick fences and gates to burn
wear ten layers
scrunched up newspapers up sleeves,legs is excellent insulator
coats on bed
excercise, warms you up good
cafe or pub, a drink can last a long time


I never got close to getting hypothermia, but I know someone who did. They died from it


What you have to remember is this. No matter what strategies you use, sooner or later you have to go to back home to that ice-box

[Mich the Tester]

I never got close to getting hypothermia, but I know someone who did. They died from it

Was that the poor sod you nicked the firewood from?