Moving out of the parents house

[Az]

Me & the other half decided we'd move out together about three months ago, I basically lived at her parents & now that we're earning enough for somewhere decent we've taken the plunge.

We found an apartment that's ideal about a month a go and we're finally moving in this Friday!

The apartment is identical to this one, same rent amount, almost identical furnisher (it's a furnished apartment), same letting agency, even the same apartment block lol, our flat just has a slightly different layout.

Where's the best places to do food shopping? So far we're edging towards Asda, seems cheap enough & is local.

Which decent but cheap electricity supplier would u recommend? I've been told it's best to shop around and not continue the current tariff as you'll probably find it cheaper elsewhere.

I've looked on gocompare and there results seemed very reasonable for electric. Is there any other sites like gocompare for bills and internet/tv comparisons?

Any advice will be taken on board, thanks

[Raksha]

honest advice
get a freezer and fill it its cheeper.
shop around for what ever you can.
before you party pay ya bills when i moved out i parted then went oh shit to the bills.... it didnt end well

[Wonko The Sane]

do yourself a favour and sign up to www.moneysavingexpert.com for his e-mails and any question about home insurance (you'll want contents cover - your landlord covers the physical building) utilities etc

Supermarkets are a mix of personal preference and quality / price. The wife and I shop at Aldi quite happily with one or two bits Aldi don't stock bought from Morrisons next door.

We'd have to drive further to get to a different supermarket which would cost more in fuel and time, that and we pass these on the way home from anywhere.
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[stevo as b4]

With regard to utility bill's you can choose either option:

1, Shop around and pick the current cheapest provider for dual fuel (If you have gas?) and then get an internet billing account, with direct debit and paperless billing. (what I did.)

2, Spend hours of you time researching, money supermarket obsessing and changing providers every 6months or a year to save £20 and have endless switching hassles, getting cut off, pulling out your hair and getting phoned at work by stupid tits asking why you left their energy company, what they could do to make you come back and what special offers they could give you as a new customer etc.

Basically it comes down to how much of your time you want to spend living your life or not?

Plenty of quality insulation, sealing gaps, and foil behind the radiators all helps your home stay warmer once you've heated it, so it's worth looking at anything you can easily do to improve energy efficiency.

I like Asda for shopping, as unless you already shop at Lidl or Aldi, I bet you find yourself buying more different stuff that you've not seen elsewere just to try it, and so not really saving money etc. If you need a vehicle to get your food shopping, then just going to one place could maybe save more in fuel than supermarket surfing will?

[Az]

Flat has no gas, and speaking to the previous tenant they said u don't need to use the heating much, due to the size of the flat and that it's on the 2nd floor (apartments above, below and beside us).

Not fussed about saving £20 on bills in exchange for hours of my life.

There's no supermarket within walking distance, all shopping will be done on the bike (I'll use my throw over panniers). There is a local corner shop, where we'll buy the essential top ups (bread, milk, butter etc.)

Will check out money saving expert too.
Thanks both

[Tracey Suntan-King]

It's really useful to know how much electrical items cost to run. You can google how to do this. Each appliance has a rating plate which will enable you to do the calculations. You'd be amazed at how much power a tumble dryer or electric heater will munch through.

If you have an idea how much things cost to run you can adjust your lifestyle to suit.

In my experience it was energy costs that came as the biggest shock once I set up home myself.

Also council tax, make sure you pay it, or they come and take your stuff.

Good luck to you both in your new home.
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Whether you think you can, or think you can't, you're probably right

[sensi5446]

Or do your shopping online and have it delivered to your door, this stops you over spending and then you can do a whole shopping list at Asda, Tesco etc. and go with whoever is cheaper. Some have new customer deals on too like £10 off you first online shop.

I find Asda are the cheapest for most things but prefer Tesco for fresh pasta and sainsbury's for tin tuna steak and raw chicken breast.

As with changing energy supplier, I wouldn't worry about that until your in and get use to living away from home. Like its been said your not gonna save a massive amount anyway so just make sure you pay whoever it is supplying you and your laughing.

Good luck

[Az]

[Codemonkey]

[Az]

[Fowlersrs]

Shop online, then u buy what u need for ur budget and not what the supermarket wants you to buy. When shopping always go for there own brands on things like pasta and tinned tomatoes etc as it keeps costs down.

[andyscooter]

Shop at aldi but make list plan meals and stick to it

Used to cost 50to 60 quid a week in food for three of us no less then 40 most weeks
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[Dave70]

I spread my shopping mainly between Asda, Morrison's and Tesco to get the best deals, as some items are cheaper in one shop and others are cheaper in another. I am fortunate to have all three supermarkets pretty close though.

I would advise against using your local corner shop for topping up on fresh stuff though, as especially for things like bread and milk, you'll pay a lot more for and it does add up over the month. If you're out and about on your bike regularly, bring a backpack with you and stop off at one of the supermarkets (you can save 50p on an identical loaf alone).

Can't offer advice on utility suppliers as I've only used eon over here and it's a lot cheaper then the IoM was. The place I'm currently living in has card/key meters in and although I am lead to believe you pay more for them, it stops you getting a nasty surprise by way of a huge bill and I also find that it helps me cut down on unnecessary usage.
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There ain't no devil, there's just god when he's drunk.

2012: R125 killed by white van. 2016 R125 killed by 30,000 miles of redline. Current: 2016 Kawasaki ER6f.

[-Matt-]

Food wise I tend to find Aldi's best, although they don't always have everything so I still tend to goto Tesco about once a month (just happens to be the closest). Definately agree with what a few people said about avoiding the ' corner shop' to save money - paying extra for bread and milk etc can add up over a year vs the supermarket. Much better to just get a load of stuff at once and if possible freeze stuff you use and replace often in a cheap freezer.

Meal planning also saves a lot of money and hassle i've found - if you spend half a day cooking once a week or two and you can get loads of stuff made up and spread into freezer bags which you quickly reheat whenever. Stops the temptation to buy fast food etc on days you're busy or cant be bothered to cook. Theres loads of good websites and youtube videos about meal planning.

Bills wise its just like insurance really - shop around as much as you can each year and see whats best, most of the comparison sites should do the job Can set most stuff up as direct debits too if you want to save yourself having to remember and keep track of what needs paying when every month.

Its probably not an issue if your parents are going to get the old post, but its worth thinking who you might need to update your address with too - a mate moved and didn't tell anyone; months later he ended up finding out he'd been recieving various reminders for credit bills etc which had gone up quite a lot by then :p

If theres anything its not already furnished with that you want, keep an eye on freecycle and other similar websites. Its suprising what you can get for free if you're quick to respond

[covent.gardens]

All the big supermarkets price match each other anyway, so there's not too much in it.

I'd be wary of ASDA due to the number of angry ex-customers who migrate to us, however that could be a local issue - just because one ASDA store's online operation is a farce doesn't mean they all are across the country, etc. As bloke above said, you get money off for being a first time customer, so try them all and pick the one you're happiest with.

[panrider_uk]

Don't forget contents insurance.
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Current bikes: Honda ST1100 Pan European. Moto Guzzi V85 TT Travel

[defblade]

Aldi for 90% of your shopping. It's close to half the price of Tesco etc. and the food is mostly very good, even if it looks a bit pikey. Just try stuff; if you don't like it, don't buy it again. But that goes for every supermarket when you're setting out!

Don't be fooled by the "offers" in big supermarkets - the "offer" price is mainly the "real" price, they've just been flogging it at too much (possibly in just one store somewhere) for a while before, so they can claim it's half price afterwards - it's all complete bollox.
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[wr6133]

No idea about utilities I leave the wife to keep them sorted..... I suggest you train your other half in a similar way.

Food shopping though. Lidl and Aldi save ALOT of money, years ago they were a bit crap but now they stock pretty much anything you could want. I'm also convinced Lidl fresh fruit and veg is a lot fresher than Tesco or Asda. If you watch their website for the weekly offers too you can get some essentials super cheap... they often do good brand washing powder and arse wipe for 50% or more off so stocking up can save a lot over the year...... as you may be able to tell wife put me in charge of shopping

If you do use the other supermarkets, always go online beforehand and see what is on offer, then calculate if it is actually a good offer. It avoids that "ohhh it's on offer" impulse buying that way.

Avoid corner shop type places whenever possible, they cost more and going there just for a couple of essentials often ends up as more, when added up at end of month it can be shocking what it totals.

Good luck and happiness in your new place

[Ant132]

You probably know this already, but there is a Lidl, Aldi, 2 x Morrisons, Tesco and an Asda supermarket all within a mile or so of Digbeth. They're all open dead early in the morning and close anywhere between 9pm and 11pm (if not 24 hours).

We've tried all of them, including the click and collect and home delivery, where available. Prefer home delivery personally, while the wife prefers shopping in store. We found click and click to have a few errors and changes in our shopping but that may well have been the store or out of their control.

I don't actually think theres a lot in it whatsoever, just try a few, see where you're happy and go with that, switch it up now and again and test the water.

All depends on your budget of course, would recommend making a list of incomings and outgoings for the pair of you, prioritising the important things such as rent and bills and working through what you will or expect to spend to (hopefully) reach an amount of disposable income for pissing up the wall. Spread it over a period (3 months / 6 months) and also include everything you know coming up (birthdays/are you planning for a holiday/MOT on the bike/Insurance renewals etc.) and that way you will have most things covered.

Good luck - you'll be fine and most importantly, enjoy!
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1980 Suzuki TS50 ~ 1984 Honda CB400N ~ 1992 Triumph Trident ~ 1998 Suzuki Bandit 1200

[Ste]

[Tracey Suntan-King]

BCF housewarming party?
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Whether you think you can, or think you can't, you're probably right

[CaNsA]

[dydey90]

Have a look at Utility Warehouse, they say they're the cheapest and have offers on if you do find somewhere cheaper. Plus it's lots of bills into one so its easier to manage.
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This post is probably not serious and shouldn't be taken literally.
Past: CBR125,ER6f NINJA 650, ZZR600 Current: VFR750

[ride_to_die]

Get on the Cheap Energy Club website. It's run by the MoneySavingExpert people. It's what I use to compare my gas and electric.
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I'm not here for a long time, I'm here for a good time.

[Llama-Farmer]

Comparison websites for things like contents insurance and electricity providers.

Do what you can to reduce those costs.
Wearing jumpers and slippers can mean the difference between not needing to put the heating on in an apartment.

I found that for 6 months a year, if I put my electric blanket on for 10 minutes then that'd keep me warm enough in bed til I fall asleep. Meant I wouldn't have to put the heating on upstairs at all. Probably saved a fair bit.



As for shopping, most supermarkets are pretty much the same price for the same things now, give or take. Places like Lidl can have cheaper non-brands but they don't always have everything you might want.
Aldi & Lidl special buys can be very good for gradually kitting out your home with stuff you need though.
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