9 Ways Single People Can Afford Rent and Utilities

Being single and living alone is not cheap. There is a mountain of potential expenses that pile up. Below are the 9 best ways single people can afford rent and utilities.

If you are single and looking to save money on rent or cut back on utilities, you came to the right place!

But how do single people afford rent and utilities? Single people afford rent and utilities by starting a budget, having roommates, cutting the cord, and starting a side hustle. Using LED bulbs and shortening shower time are other easy ways to save money on rent and utilities while single.

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How Do Single People Afford Rent and Utilities?

Here are the 9 best ways for single people to save money on rent and utilities.

1. Know Your Limit

When you are out and about looking for that perfect apartment or house, make sure to know your limit.

But what does it mean to know your limit? It simply means knowing the maximum amount you can spend on rent each month.

Luckily there is a pretty easy way to calculate how much you should spend on rent. It is widely accepted to spend around 30% of your income on rent. So multiply 30% or 0.30 by your monthly take-home pay and that’s the amount you should aim to spend on rent.

For example, if you make $3000 every month you should aim to spend a maximum amount of $1000 each month on rent.

If you want to save even more money you can aim to spend less than 30% of your income on rent. That way you have more money to spend or invest elsewhere.

2. Roommates

Getting a roommate is one of the easiest ways to reduce how much you spend on rent and utilities each month.

But one thing to consider when choosing a roommate is how well you will get along with them. You don’t want to get a roommate just to find out that the two of you don’t get along.

For example, if you are a very clean and tidy person, you might not want to get a roommate who is super messy.

However, this can be avoided by asking your potential roommate questions such as what is their daily routine, are they a clean or messy person, or any other somewhat personal questions you should know as a roommate.

3. Start a Budget

Another great money hack for saving money on rent and utilities as a single person is starting a budget. This budget should take into account how much money you make each month and any expected expenses.

There are a ton of free budgeting apps you can use. But if you prefer writing it out yourself, a piece of paper and pen, or pencil works just as well!

When people think about starting a budget they often overcomplicate it. Starting a budget really should not be stressful or complicated.

Think about it this way; you make a certain amount of money each month, all your doing is allocating where each of those funds goes.

Using the example from before with a monthly income of $3000. Perhaps $1000 would go towards rent, $1000 for any necessary expenses such as groceries, and $1000 for savings or investments.

This is a very simple budget. But if it works for you, that’s all that matters!

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4. Cut The Cord

If you are currently paying for any cable subscription, consider cheaper alternatives. Cable television can cost up to $100 or more each month. That’s at least $1200 that you could save every single year.

There are streaming services that cost around a tenth of that amount. By cutting the cord, you could be saving 90 percent, sometimes, even more, each month.

5. Start a Side Hustle

Side hustles are on the rise as more and more people realize that their 9 to 5 is not as “safe” or “secure” as they thought. Having multiple sources of income not only gives you a safety net to fall back on, but it can also help you increase your monthly earnings.

We always hear about diversifying our investments, or stocks. But we don’t really hear a whole lot about diversifying our income sources.

The truth is that starting a profitable side hustle that makes money when you sleep is the best way to become financially free.

Best Side Hustle To Start

But what exactly is the best side hustle to start? Dropshipping and affiliate marketing are both side hustles that are easy for beginners to start.

Dropshipping

As a dropshipper, you would want to find a product that you could buy for a discount and sell for a higher price. Simply make a website for your product, promote it for free on social media or use paid ads and watch the sales roll in.

When you get a sale, you ship the product directly from the supplier to the customer and keep the remaining profit.

If you are serious about starting a dropshipping side hustle, you will want to use SaleHoo to find the perfect product and supplier.

The right product can either make or break a dropshipping store. SaleHoo can help you find the best product to sell right off the bat.

Affiliate Marketing

As an affiliate marketer, you promote a product and after every successful sale, you receive a commission. Perpetual Income 365 is one of the easiest ways to start earning money from affiliate marketing.

How To Make Money From Your Side Hustle

Initially, both side hustles take some time to learn. But after a couple of months, when you learn everything about making money from your side hustle, the initial time investment definitely pays off.

I mean, who wouldn’t want to spend a couple of months learning how to start a profitable side hustle. Side hustle income can range from a few hundred to a few thousand extra dollars each month.

Anything more and you could scale your side hustle into a full-time business and maybe even quit your 9 to 5. It all depends on how much you are willing to invest initially.

A lot of people like to think about making an extra $10,000 a month. But not many people are willing to put in the work or invest any money upfront to achieve that goal.

6. Short Showers

Another way single people can save money on rent and utilities is by taking shorter showers. It’s crazy how much water we use every time we take a shower.

Shorter showers are the easiest way to lower your water bill and save money on utilities.

7. LED Bulbs

LED light bulbs use less energy but also last longer compared to incandescent light bulbs. Using LED bulbs instead of your standard lightbulb can save a single person a ton of money in the long run.

8. Coupons

Coupons can be a great way to save money on a ton of different items ranging from furniture to food. If you are single and looking for money hacks to save more money, consider using coupons.

You can find coupons in the paper, or use various coupon websites or apps to find the best discounts and deals.

9. Have An Emergency Fund

Having an emergency fund in place can be a huge financial life-saver. An emergency fund is simply money set aside with the purpose of helping you afford any unexpected expenses.

Unexpected things come up, random housing appliances happen to just break, we’ve all had it happen to us before.

However, these unexpected events can be very consequential for those not prepared. There are many people who do not have emergency funds and simply use a credit card to help them pay for any emergency expenses. This is not something that you want to do.

If you have an emergency fund of at least $1000 set aside, you will be better prepared if any unwanted expenses were to pop up.

Conclusion

Rent and utilities can be quite a bit for a single person to pay for. However, there are a ton of different ways to save money or make more money so any single person can afford these expenses.

If you are a single person looking to lower the cost of your rent and utilities, consider using the ways listed above to either save or make more money.

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9 Ways Single People Can Afford Rent and Utilities