How can you save money if you’ve nobody to split the bills with?

When you live alone and have to pay all the bills single-handedly, saving might not be top of your list of priorities.

With the cost of everything from energy and food to insurance and council tax going up, putting money aside can seem a luxury you simply can’t afford.

If that’s you, you’re not the only one.

According to a poll of people who live alone by Aviva, more than one in three (37%) don’t save money regularly.

And more than half (58%) say they don’t think they could cope with an unexpected £850 bill.

Figures from Aviva also show that the average person who lives alone spends more than £1,200 on fixed costs.

In many cases, that won’t leave much for non-essentials, treats and occasional luxuries, like a holiday or meal out.

So it’s understandable that saving is well down the agenda for some.

How to make living alone more affordable

If you’re single and live on your own, there are a few ways to keep costs down, and hopefully be able to put some money aside for the future.

Don’t waste food

A few small steps like batch-cooking and freezing leftovers can make a big difference to your food bill.

We’ve put together some useful tips on how to keep costs down at the supermarket.

And check back here regularly for budget-friendly recipes that are ideal for batching and freezing.

Review your subscriptions

Do you have subscriptions you’re paying for but not using?

The average UK adult wastes around £170 a year on unused subscriptions, like streaming services, gym memberships and beauty boxes.

That’s money that you could be putting towards essentials like your food shop, energy bills or debt repayments - or help build a bit of breathing space in your budget.

Set a household budget

Review your income and expenses, so you can prioritise your spending and be sure you’ve got money available for vital costs like bills.

Check out our guide to how to create a budget to get started.

And give our budget planner a try - it’s free and easy to use.

Create a rainy-day fund

Unexpected expenses like an emergency trip to the dentist or replacing a broken washing machine don’t usually come cheap.

So if you live alone, you need to be confident you can absorb them without your long-term financial plans being derailed.

You can do that by building an emergency fund that’s separate from your regular savings.

Ideally, you should aim to have enough saved to cover around three months of your living costs - things like rent, bills, food and transport.

Check out our tips on how to build up a rainy-day fund to help you get started.

Make saving a habit

When everything seems so expensive, saving money might seem difficult or unrealistic right now.

But you don’t have to put huge sums of cash aside every month, and you can automate the process so you don’t even have to think about it.

Check our ideas and advice on how to get into a savings habit.

Find out what help with living costs you can get

If you’re feeling stretched to your financial limit, you may be eligible for support.

Use our benefits calculator to see what you could be entitled to claim.

It might be more than you think.

Use our household bills calculator

Our free and interactive household bills calculator gives you a personalised forecast of how your monthly costs could change, so there are no surprises when new bills arrive.

It takes just a few minutes to use and the results are tailored to where you live.