Mirror journalist Jackie Annett says being single is great – apart from it costs so much more, because there’s no one to split the bills with. She’s found a way to beat the single tax and you can too
Living the single life definitely has its benefits, like not having to share the remote and having the freedom to do what I want when I want. But the single tax certainly isn’t one of them.
I’ve been a single parent for almost 16 years. My daughter is 18 now and still studying, so isn’t at the stage yet where she can pay her share of the bills.
It’s always irked me that single people have to fork out more just to survive, but rather than dwell on it, I’ve found a way to beat the system.
There’s not much financial help available to be honest – yes you can claim the Council Tax single person’s discount – but don’t even get me started on why it is only a 25% discount on your council tax bill and not 50%.
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And then there’s water bills, which have gone up around £123 a year,depending on where you live in the country. You may be able to save on these bills by installing a water meter – but you’ll need to check if it will benefit you first.
Water bills are often calculated based on the property’s size, so if fewer people live there than there are bedrooms, a meter could save money as you only pay for what you use. Most water companies offer a cooling-off period where you can switch back to unmetered billing if you find it is not saving you money.
One of the biggest costs if you’re a single person is housing and having no-one to split the mortgage or rent with. Of course you could move into a house or flat share, so that the bills are halved, but that can be difficult if, like me, you’re a single parent.
Over the years, I’ve managed to move into a bigger property so that I make an extra income from my spare space. If you own or rent a property with extra room (and your landlord/mortgage provider permits) you could take in a lodger under the Rent-a-Room scheme and earn up to £7,500 tax-free annually.
I take in foreign language students, which not only earns me an extra income, but also means we learn about new cultures and provides a safe space for these young adults – often on their first trip away from their parents. They prefer to share a room and help themselves to breakfast, while I provide an evening meal and a friendly face when needed.
And while there are only a couple of ways you can save money as a single person, there are plenty of ways you can make up the difference. Another money-making tip that I’ve tried and tested is to hire out your car. At one point this was earning me up to £500 a month but now I use it a bit more so it averages out around £200 a month (it’s a microcamper so I only hire it out in the summer).
10 ways I’ve saved and made £10k a year:
- Rent out a room/take in foreign language students = £7,500 a year
- Council tax = £500 a year
- Water = £150 a year
- Review energy usage: Use smart meters to track energy consumption, turn off lights and appliances and only heat radiators in certain rooms = £150 a year
- Batch cook meals: Prepare larger quantities of food and freeze portions for later use. This is more economical than cooking for one every night – it’s also a good idea to buy discounted bread and freeze it.
- Hire your car out when you’re not using it = £2,000 a year
- Rent out your driveway/garage = £500 a year
- House swap so you can still afford to enjoy holidays – just pay for the flights! = £1k plus a year
- Make use of cashback cards and sites = £300 a year
- Do a DWP benefits check = dependent on circumstances.
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