The OP didn’t ask “how do I get a better paying job?”; he asked “how do I live more easily on the income I have?”. A better paying job would solve some problems, but it *might only *result in going to see the girlfriend every weekend instead of every-other. In that instance the OP would continue to have the same cash flow problems.
Figuring out how to save money helps you at every income level.
I agree with the suggestion to look at getting a part-time job. Many companies are hiring seasonal workers right now.
Because it’s pat to say, get a better job. He wanted to know how to get the most use out of what he’s earning now.
I’m assuming [from what the OP has said about his travel to work] that he lives in a rural area and better paid jobs aren’t an option.
But still, £900 a month is a very low wage. In fact, if you are working 40 hours a week at minimum wage (£7.20 per hour) you should be making £1,248 a month, gross. I’m not sure how much tax and NI would take out of that, but seeing as you get a tax-free allowance of over £8,000 a year, out of an annual salary of less than £15,000, I can’t see that it would eat up £350 a month.
So I assume the OP is working part time? If so, he needs to try to increase his hours if at all possible.
And taking taxis to work when you are earning such a low wage is crazy. I still feel guity about taking occasional taxis (like, once or twice a month), and I take home three times as much.
OP: How far do you live from work? If it’s less than 10 miles, get a bike.
Also: if you’re in the UK, even “low-cost” flights to Ireland every couple of weeks must be costing you at least £100 a month, probably more with the high taxes these days. Can your GF not come to see you more often?
Minimum wage for over-21s is £6.19, and using this tax calculator, and assuming 37.5 hrs a week, that works out to a net monthly income of £895.
Sorry, my mistake, I got my figures confused and used the “living wage”, which is £7.20. But that’s a voluntary minimum which most employers ignore.
But my point stands that the OP is earning barely minimum wage. If he has “lived through his twenties” then he’s not a school-leaver, and he’s clearly literate. He ought to be able to make more than £900 a month.
I hope in five years the OP was able to figure something out, and that he’s not living in a cardboard box somewhere.
He hasn’t been around here for awhile IIRC. Hope everything’s OK with him,.
This is strictly from my own experience, but I found, after keeping careful track of my expenditures, that my food expenses were much higher than absolutely necessary. Many years ago, I got in the habit of regarding eating as a necessary function, and less a source of entertainment. I switched to a carefully-planned, but rather mundane, menu and saved over 60% of my food bill each month. Sure, I ate exactly the same dishes for 2-3 days in a row, but they were nutritious and filling. IMHO, too many people in bad financial shape turn to food as a substitute for other things they can’t afford. Take-out, junk food, dinners with friends soon become the rule and, at the end of month, it’s shocking to see what one has spent on “entertainment calories.”
If you can walk to work in 40 minutes, then you can probably bike in 15. That’s a plenty short enough time, and a heck of a lot cheaper than a taxi. Around here, you can get a usable used bike for a hundred bucks, or a good one for two hundred. It doesn’t take very many taxi rides to add up to that.
Ryan_Liam last posted on 11/15/17, so I think all is well.
StG