First time buyer

[SOSAGES]

Hello all -
Me and a young lady had a bit of a result on a 3 bed house for 150,000 and its time to move out of my dads place and be skint and have shouting games with her ..

So as i never actually moved house on my own before im here looking for some tips on how to save money
i need a 120k Mortgage - hsbc are sorting this for us
i have solicitors sorted (i hate them already)
and i also have insurance with hsbc if im ill / off work they pay the mortgage for me
So what else do i need to do and where can i find some bargains? there must be a few websites i can have a browse to see whats the cheapest for phones and gas etc etc

any money saving tips out there ?

and one last little thing what exactly do you have to pay for each month in the big world im about to join ? its very expensive to live
i spose i better get round to telling the bank i moved..

Thanks in advance

btw - going to setup a paypal donation thing

buildings insurance
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pay each month hmmm

Electric
Gas if applicable
Water
Council Tax

[nostra]

and then there is the ntl bill

phone
digital tv
and broadband internet

hint hint

[Mr_love_monkey]

Contents insurance would be good too...

Are you on a water meter, or is it rates?

What kind of heating you got there? gas central? a
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Uswitch.com is a good site to find best providers for gas, electric and so on

http://www.uswitch.com/

for utilty price comparisons.
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Damn - beat me to it!

if you on water rates and not a meter and there are only 2 of you consider getting a meter. The water board will tell you the rateable bill and there are sites around that can estimate water usage for you

[Millay]

If its any help to you, stay living at your dads, go to the bank every day and shovel vast amounts of your cash into thin air. then sleep on the sofa 2 nights a week, thats exactly what its like moving out...

Only kidding, don't forget to get a building survey done.. nothing worse than moving in to find out you need to spend £80 underpinning the house..

[paulyoung666]

shop around for your buildings insurance , in fact shop around for all your insurance

Originally Posted by Millay

If its any help to you, stay living at your dads, go to the bank every day and shovel vast amounts of your cash into thin air. then sleep on the sofa 2 nights a week, thats exactly what its like moving out...

Only kidding, don't forget to get a building survey done.. nothing worse than moving in to find out you need to spend £80 underpinning the house..

£80!!! thats cheap!!

Originally Posted by SOSAGES

So as i never actually moved house on my own before im here looking for some tips on how to save money

First thing: you probably don't have any major pieces of furniture, so hire a van and get some mates to help you move.

i need a 120k Mortgage - hsbc are sorting this for us
and i also have insurance with hsbc if im ill / off work they pay the mortgage for me

Before you fork out for the insurance, contact a few brokers and see what deals are available on critical illness/ life cover. You may find it's cheaper because you're not paying a commission for the guy at the HSBC!

So what else do i need to do and where can i find some bargains? there must be a few websites i can have a browse to see whats the cheapest for phones and gas etc etc

http://www.uswitch.com
http://www.switchwithwhich.com
http://www.unravelit.com

and one last little thing what exactly do you have to pay for each month in the big world im about to join ? its very expensive to live

Check what Council Tax band the house is in.

If the place doesn't have cavity wall insulation/ loft insulation contact contact your local Energy Efficiency Advice Centre for information on energy savings schemes and grants. You can find your local centre on 0800 512 012 or the Energy Savings Trust website at http://www.est.co.uk.

I'm also just buying a three bed house and it's going to cost me £150(!!) to get loft insulation and cavity wall insulation done because there's a good grant scheme available.

If you can afford it, get double glazing or, at the least, buy some cheap secondary glazing units from B&Q or similar because that will also save you money.

If you're going to install central heating, check that advice site above, certain types of installations qualify for 5% VAT instead of the usual 17.5%

Sweaters and warm socks are cheaper than running the central heating. So is snuggling up to a young lady

If you're not planning on using dishwashers etc and prefer showers to baths and don't need to do masses of washing all the time, consider getting the local water company to put in a meter, it may well be cheaper than a standard water rate.

Oh, and Sky's basic family package is five quid a month cheaper than NTL's!

[Millay]

ops i meant £80k

[etccarmageddon]

Originally Posted by SOSAGES

and i also have insurance with hsbc if im ill / off work they pay the mortgage for me

If you buy policies from the bank or building society you'll usually pay for a poor value deal. This also applies to home insurance.

I've just been to moneysupermarket and got a quote for one to pay out £750 for 2 years if accident sick or unemployed. This costs £40 a month with FT Walters. Most banks charge around £5 per £100 insured and only pay out for 12 months.

"Hitachi Capital Insurance Europe" also quoted me £23.25 for cover for 12 months - probably around 1/2 the price a bank would offer it at!

[aliferste]

Do you get sick pay from work?
If you do then consider not taking out the mortage protection. Not to me mixed up with the insurance. Mortgage protection is the thing wher eyou pay money each month and if you are off sick they will pay your mortgage. Sick pay will cover it.

[bopdude]

Originally Posted by Millay

ops i meant £80k

good bit of back tracking there but do you mean £80K or £8K

I'd say the last of the 2 perhaps
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If your looking at long term saving then energy saving lamps ....
Set any thermostats and time clocks too desired level so as to save on energy costs
Check all insulation, roof walls etc etc

[Millay]

Damn ive been caught Iwas pulling figures from thin air again....


...goes to sit in the corner