Anyone live on £900 a month?

To all of you who 'scrape by' on 900 a mth, many have much less to live on, and no way of improving that after one or two years-Many do- AND with children or other family to feed. its starting to sound on here like a band of 'one- up manship'-with your 'home ownerships,and 'private pensions '- i dislike this attitude.I may just stick to the lighter threads in future.

I have to live on just over £800 per month every month. Its what I get. There is no choice. Don't think about going on holiday. Its too expensive. Don't eat out. Don't even have a coffee when I'm out. There are things you discover you can live without and I dread having to replace anything in the kitchen. Its not ideal but it can be done with care.

I lived on £700 per month, paying a mortgage, running a car, and paying bills, while on disability benefits. Lived on reduced food - ie when food had reduced price labels, not 'less' food! It is amazing how much you can cut back when need to. If hit with an unexpected bill, I sold stuff on ebay.

Could you go down the Occupational Health route to get an enhanced works pension if you’re retiring early due to ill health? You may then be entitled to an enhanced works pension, depending on who you work for and how long you’ve been there. Might be worth looking into.

The lady would surely be entitled to Attendance allowance and it’s not means tested. It’s to cover anything that helps her as she isn’t very well.

You might be entitled to ESA or PIP if you are retiring through illness?

Before I moved in with OH just over a year ago, I lived on much less than that. Just adding it up, it was around £650, which covered all the essentials, including running a car and about £60 for outings. Now there’s two of us it’s more overall but less per person.

I did live in a modern, well insulated house and the car was relatively new.

Once I had the luxury of time I was surprised at how much was free in terms of leisure or available at cut price out of peak hours - like the hairdresser.

So much depends on the lifestyle you are used to and what changes you will make.
For instance, I swapped meeting friends, for lunch or evening eating, with meeting for coffee and all the family knew that a presents would be limited to (a thoughtful) £10.

MaggieTulliver

Not eligible for PIP I don’t think and yes have done my sums.

You are eligible for PIP if you are suffering with your Mental Health. Also PIP is not means tested eg you could be a millionaire and still receive it.

£486 per 28 days without extra income and before any outgoings of any kind including the necessities of rent and utility bills. With a few pounds a week for luxuries. I'm lucky in living near an outdoor market though! One cannot buy the positive mental health that comes with retirement IF you are someone wishing to retire rather than dreading days without structure. Best of luck!

I manage on 660 with 2000 savings it depends on your lifestyle etc

We are a couple. Husband gets state pension and small private pension. We live on £1100 a month and our rent is £420 a month. We do not pay council tax

I live on £11,000 a year so without doing my sums that must be around £900 so my answer is yes I do and a lot less when I take birthday and Christmas presents out of the equation
I have finished paying for my house a good while ago and don’t run a car so yes I can manage easily I ve never really been interested in high price ownership so a lot of shopping is done in recycling or charity shops which I would still do if I had a million in the bank it’s what attracts me
I do keep small a pot of savings in the bank which would probably last me a year if I had to go into care but I hope I don’t my aunt lived alone in her home till 92 as did my Dad so I hope to follow in their footsteps
My lifestyle would be deemed simple to many I don’t yearn for cruises or expensive holiday a week in a tent under the stars would make me happier
I don’t feel I go without anything

MaggieTulliver

Thank you all. I’ve added everything up and £900 is the figure I’ve arrived at. I don’t take holidays and spend very little. If I supplemented my private pension with savings, I’d have 8k savings left when I get my state pension and can start saving again. I know it’s tight but my mental health (the reason I’d retire early), is absolutely awful.

Is your mental health condition directly related to your current job?

If so you might find that after a few months rest you could look for a part-time job, just so that you're not having to dig so deep into your savings.

Yes, I do

What helpful advice from you all! I agree 8k isn’t a huge amount of savings - Nannarose do you have savings? I run a car and have factored that in. Another option would be for me to downsize as my house is too big for just me but that would be a last resort.

I am inclined to agree with Casdon. 8K is not a lot of money to fall back on, the cost of small jobs add up. Would a part-time job be possible or could you rent a room? Maybe a short term rent to see how you were coping and if it was worth it financially.

If we ever return to normal, maybe house sitting would be an option for earning some cash? I do not know where you live but where I live, dog walking or sitting is also a lucrative job. Again in normal times, feeding a cat if the owner is away?

Good luck.

I think you can manage and that you will find some savings when you stop working (clothes, travel etc). On the other hand things like your heating costs will go up. I'd say do it. Have a period of complete rest and get over what has obviously been an awful time and then you may be prepared to take on something which may bring you in a small income. Even if you don't do that you will find just having time to yourself is so much better than having money.

Less

I’d struggle on that amount if I’m honest, mainly because of the unpredictable things that happen to derail carefully laid plans. In the last month, I’ve had a fence blow down in the storms, a piece of fascia board on my house fall off, and a puncture because the farmer had cut the hedges and left the clippings on the road.
I’d want to have more in reserve that the £8,000 you mention you will have by the time you draw your pension, or I’d be worrying constantly about what might happen, particularly if I had to draw on that lump sum to replace broken household goods or for maintenance issues. Would you consider retiring but taking up a part time job for a few hours a week just to build up your reserve, less stress than what you do now but just enough to keep you afloat?

Maggie, you have posted a few times, and I am glad that Gransnetters are helping you towards your decision.

We are a couple, whose basic outgoings are under £1000 a month, which includes some treats. Our house is easy to maintain and extremely well insulated, which helps, and you may like to look at that.

Although the cost of being at home is higher because of energy bills, you do find that you can live more cheaply as you have time to look for bargains, make things from scratch, repair etc. In normal times we have plenty of free and cheap things to do.

Do you know Martin Lewis' MSE site? It is wonderful for pointing out how to save money and get good deals. He has a great checklist for keeping expenditure down.
Without doubt, poverty is stressful, but as others have said, £900 a month is not poverty unless your bills are high.
You have savings for anything unexpected.

You don't say if you have a car, or need to run one, and that is, I think a major expenditure. You're not yet eligible for a bus pass, so you do need to look at that carefully, but you may need to run it a lot less than at present.

I do hope that this works out for you, I know quite a few people who have done something similar and are very glad to have done so.

Reading your update I wouldn't hesitate. Peace of mind is more important than working. I retired at 60 from teaching. I loved teaching but I was constantly exhausted. I was very ready to retire and I haven't regretted it.

I agree with Fanny. If you can scrape by, go for it.

If it's for the sake of your mental health I'd do it in a flash Maggie

Totally depends on the outgoings that are not considered essentials by the individual.

For us it's very doable to live on our state pensions and have a little left over for items not considered essentials. I also have a pension, all of which I save up for major things, eg this year, I suspect it will be a car or big repairs on current one. It's having its MOT today.

Go for it.

?? sf101. You sound very content.