Monthly expenses for a single woman - how much do you spend?

I can eat in the UK for AED 10 a day but we are not there so there is no camparission. If you can do your entire monthly shop for cleaning materials, food and personal hygene items for AED 500 then write a book about what to buy, what to cook and how to do it. It would be a best seller and I would buy it. Cleaning items - Washing up liquid spongles Surface wipes scrub brush dishwasher soap wood cleaner glass cleaner toilet cleaner toilet blocks kitchen cleaner sink cleaner oven cleaner air freshener floor cleaner dusters mops shower cleaner Once in 3 months? replace most of the above within one month. I am no obsessive about cleaing either edited by madolecow on 31/07/2012 I don't spend more than 600AED a month on groceries, that includes cleaning items.. And [b'>I am a hungry girl[/b'>:) I should think you are if you only spend 600 a month on groceries !! lol Lol, I buy only local produce, shop at Geant and Union Coop, barely buy imported produce. I avoid expensive meats and stuff but in general buying local or regional really cuts the grocery bills. And I always have a full stomach:)

I can eat in the UK for AED 10 a day but we are not there so there is no camparission. If you can do your entire monthly shop for cleaning materials, food and personal hygene items for AED 500 then write a book about what to buy, what to cook and how to do it. It would be a best seller and I would buy it. Cleaning items - Washing up liquid spongles Surface wipes scrub brush dishwasher soap wood cleaner glass cleaner toilet cleaner toilet blocks kitchen cleaner sink cleaner oven cleaner air freshener floor cleaner dusters mops shower cleaner Once in 3 months? replace most of the above within one month. I am no obsessive about cleaing either edited by madolecow on 31/07/2012 I don't spend more than 600AED a month on groceries, that includes cleaning items.. And [b'>I am a hungry girl[/b'>:) I should think you are if you only spend 600 a month on groceries !! lol

I can [b'>eat in the UK for AED 10 a day [/b'>but we are not there so there is no camparission. If you can do your entire monthly shop for cleaning materials, food and personal hygene items for AED 500 then write a book about what to buy, what to cook and how to do it. It would be a best seller and I would buy it. Cleaning items - Washing up liquid spongles Surface wipes scrub brush dishwasher soap wood cleaner glass cleaner toilet cleaner toilet blocks kitchen cleaner sink cleaner oven cleaner air freshener floor cleaner dusters mops shower cleaner Once in 3 months? replace most of the above within one month. I am no obsessive about cleaing either edited by madolecow on 31/07/2012 where in the UK can you buy anything for less than £2 ??

1 bed in Motorcity - 50,000 per year Dewa- 350 AED per month Emicool - 300-600 per month Du- TV, net & land line- 536 AED per month Etisalat Blackberry package- 1000 AED per month Food & Toiletries & Cleaning Material Shopping- 4000 AED per month Rental Car - 1700 AED per month Fuel - 800 AED per month Petsitter - 1200 AED per month Petfood/vet/etc average - 500 AED per month Private Insurance at home - 2000 AED per month

Cleaning items - Washing up liquid spongles Surface wipes scrub brush dishwasher soap wood cleaner glass cleaner toilet cleaner toilet blocks kitchen cleaner sink cleaner oven cleaner air freshener floor cleaner dusters mops shower cleaner Lemon juice, baking soda and vinegar is an inexpensive and efficient alternative to most of the cleaning products. As a single person, or even a couple, a dishwasher isn't a necessity. Choosing not to have one would save on both water and dishwasher soap. Scrubbers, mops and dusters don't need to be replaced monthly if there are cleaned, dried and aired after use.

I can eat in the UK for AED 10 a day but we are not there so there is no camparission. If you can do your entire monthly shop for cleaning materials, food and personal hygene items for AED 500 then write a book about what to buy, what to cook and how to do it. It would be a best seller and I would buy it. Cleaning items - Washing up liquid spongles Surface wipes scrub brush dishwasher soap wood cleaner glass cleaner toilet cleaner toilet blocks kitchen cleaner sink cleaner oven cleaner air freshener floor cleaner dusters mops shower cleaner Once in 3 months? replace most of the above within one month. I am no obsessive about cleaing either edited by madolecow on 31/07/2012 I don't spend more than 600AED a month on groceries, that includes cleaning items.. And I am a hungry girl:) how??? What do you eat? and does that include lunch?

I can eat in the UK for AED 10 a day but we are not there so there is no camparission. If you can do your entire monthly shop for cleaning materials, food and personal hygene items for AED 500 then write a book about what to buy, what to cook and how to do it. It would be a best seller and I would buy it. Cleaning items - Washing up liquid spongles Surface wipes scrub brush dishwasher soap wood cleaner glass cleaner toilet cleaner toilet blocks kitchen cleaner sink cleaner oven cleaner air freshener floor cleaner dusters mops shower cleaner Once in 3 months? replace most of the above within one month. I am no obsessive about cleaing either edited by madolecow on 31/07/2012 I don't spend more than 600AED a month on groceries, that includes cleaning items.. And I am a hungry girl:)

Hi Lilia, Here's some idea of cost of living for a singleton in Dubai- these are averages of course- I was on salaries between 12- 16,000 a month during my single phase and was absolutely fine. 1 bed in The Greens- 54,000 per year= 4,500 AED per month Dewa- 350 AED per month Du- TV, net & land line- 279 AED per month Etisalat Blackberry package- 249 AED per month Food Shopping- 800 AED per month Eating Out- 800 AED per month Cleaning Products- 200 AED per Month Car- 2,000 AED per month Petrol- 400 AED per month Salik (toll charges) 200 AED per month Clothes, make up, toiletries- 800 AED per month Maintenance- a company like Jim'll Fix It will come out for a call out fee of 200 AED and then charge you parts and labour after the first hour on top of that- most things should be covered by the landlord though really. Check Carrefour website online and you can see all the prices of white goods on there- you can get a basic washing machine for under 1,000 AED- I got one for about 700 AED. Furnishings- prices vary widely- try Home Centre & Ikea- they have very reasonably priced items- if you want more expensive try The One and Q Home decor. Try and get somewhere that white goods are included- that can help save costs. You could do a whole flat from 5,000- 10,000 AED depending on your taste and where you shop! You also don't need to get everything at once- you can get the essentials and build it up over time. Ikea has their online brochure so you could cost it out from there to get a rough idea of the total cost for this and white goods. Deposits- usually 5% of annual rent to the landlord- if you use an agency there's another 5% agency fee to be paid as well. Paintng would be about 3,000 AED for a one bed apartment. Other costs would be flights home, entertainment, DEWA deposit- 1,000 AED...can't think of anything else! Hope this helps a bit!

MOC for a 1 bed I don't think she'd get through entire bottles of each item once per month - maybe for a big villa but certainly not a small apartment. I'd say each would last 3 months and I don't personally buy all those different kinds of cleaners - mainly bleach, floor cleaner, toilet cleaner, kitchen and bathroom spray, glass spray and not much else. White vinegar works best on taps IMO and cheap as chips! That said - I spend about 600dhs a month on a big shop for 2 of us (including all cleaning stuff, toiletries, household items) and then 300 - 400dh per week on groceries including meat, fish, veg etc. We shop in Spinneys because it's closest but if we went to Lulu / Union Co-op I'm sure it would be less. The other thing to bear in mind when living as a single lady is that you're still paying for things like all the cleaning stuff listed below just for 1 person, as well as Du / internet, any maintenance etc so it is expensive to live alone. When I got married, I was pleasantly surprised at how the bills seemed so much less per person, even grocery shopping as cooking for one sucks! I have OCD when it comes to cleaning ( ex army wife) and even i dont go through entire bottles of cleaning products once a month. Once every 2 months at a push and i am in a 1 bed apartment

I can eat in the UK for AED 10 a day but we are not there so there is no camparission. If you can do your entire monthly shop for cleaning materials, food and personal hygene items for AED 500 then write a book about what to buy, what to cook and how to do it. It would be a best seller and I would buy it. Cleaning items - Washing up liquid spongles Surface wipes scrub brush dishwasher soap wood cleaner glass cleaner toilet cleaner toilet blocks kitchen cleaner sink cleaner oven cleaner air freshener floor cleaner dusters mops shower cleaner Once in 3 months? replace most of the above within one month. I am no obsessive about cleaing either <em>edited by madolecow on 31/07/2012</em>

500 a month for groceries??? What about cleaning products, person hygene stuff and actual real food. A chicken breast is about AED 10, a steak is AED 15. You eat on a budget of AED 16 a day?? interesting What kind of washing machine can you buy for AED 600 nowadays? Some my friends planned menus in Europe how to eat for 100 euros per month. It's possible when eating whole chicken, local fish, local fruits & veggies... and I can also easily understand spending dhs1000 per week if buying salmon/hammour fillets from Spinneys etc. I'm wondering how much money everybody is spending on cleaning material since it has been mentioned here many times. The privious maid used to bring everything with her but currently I'm bying new products maybe once in three months and those are around dhs10 per item so doesn't add up more than dhs50. Washing powder dhs20/month. Toilet paper same. PM shampoo around dhs40. I bought Venus washing machine from Geant - and I was very happy with that. Ok, no Siemens quality but Siemens washing machines can last up to 30 years (my Grandmother had one) and my objective was not to buy a wachine machine for decades when I arrived to Dubai, only the one which will last for a few years. Sorry this is little out of the OP question but really interesting; maybe I should start to count how much money I spend / how much I could save...

OP says she wants 1 bed plus study to make into guest room so prices need to be for a 2 bed....

[b'>Monthly[/b'> Grocery shopping: 800 dhs DU: 300 dhs for internet, phone and basic tv package. The indian tv package is an additional 69 dhs per month. DEWA: 600 dhs if your in areas such as JBR A/C fees will be on top. Home furnishing: 1 bedroom apartment can be furnished in under a 10k budget from IKEA including every little thing you need. Rent: Barsha will be cheapest for rent, second cheapest will be Greens and most expensive will be Marina. Marina 1 bedroom will cost you 50k upwards. Deposits: 5% commission and 5% security deposit plus however many cheques are agreed. Curtains/blinds: Dragonmart

Food you can manage starting dhs500/month if you cook a lot by yourself and have one meal out five times per week. It also depends where you shop, Spinneys/Waitrose more expensive. Also at the beginning you have to purchase all kinds of pots and plates to the kitchen, are you happy with Ikea/C4 ones or you want to get more fancy ones? Insurance might be needed as well. Are you already taking care of the car expenses (petrol, insurance, service)? Dewa, a/c really depends whether the apartment has a/c included into rent or you have to use Palm Cooling or something like that (very expensive). I'd look for an apartment with fitted appliances, when you move out the appliances might not be fitting to the next one... Years ago I bought a new washing machine for dhs600 and after 4 years I sold that for dhs500 because the new place had a fitted washing machine! 500 a month for groceries??? What about cleaning products, person hygene stuff and actual real food. A chicken breast is about AED 10, a steak is AED 15. You eat on a budget of AED 16 a day?? interesting What kind of washing machine can you buy for AED 600 nowadays?

OK lets see.... [color=#FF3366'>Estimated cost per month 1. Water and Electricity - AED 500 2. AC fees if separate - AED 100 3. Municipality fees 4. Groceries - if I plan to eat at home 5 days a week - eating healthy, fresh fruits, veggies, meat, poultry - I dont drink or smoke so this may reduce the grocery bills etc - Totally depends on you. AED 500 a week for cleaning stuff and food but can double depending where you shop and what you eat. 5. Internet - AED 189 month for smallest package on Etisalat 6. Tv connection and rough idea on packages - looking for news, movie channels, music, general local dubai tv and indian channels as well - AED 389 for fancy OSN package with everything 7. Any additional maintenance charges per month in case of issues in the flat - unless covered by landlord 8. Set-up costs - rough costs of furniture for a 1+study (plan to convert the study into guest room) - looking for unfurnished apartment and also not looking at 2nd hand furniture so not sure where I can buy good quality furniture for with a modern look - Avoid Ikea - it is over priced cr@p and doesnt last at all. Depends on the size of the apartment as to how much you spend. I would say AED 15,000 at least 9. Set-up costs - Appliances (if bldg does not have) - looking for bosch/siemens type of brands - again don't want second hand! where to buy? Emax/ Carrefour - watch the brands though if you are watching your money, you can easily spend AED 15,000 on just a fridge, cooker and washing machine 10. Set-up costs - Curtains and blinds and decoration (painting - i don't want the regular white/magnolia paint and want to paint my walls a different colour in some areas - like a main wall in the living room and bedroom) AED 5,000 depending on how many windows 10. Any other expenses that I need to consider that I may not have covered above - moving costs, deposits for DEWA and TV etc 11. Deposit expected to pay to the landlord for a 1bed +study [/color'> - 5% deposit and 5%^ fee for agent

Food you can manage starting dhs500/month if you cook a lot by yourself and have one meal out five times per week. It also depends where you shop, Spinneys/Waitrose more expensive. Also at the beginning you have to purchase all kinds of pots and plates to the kitchen, are you happy with Ikea/C4 ones or you want to get more fancy ones? Insurance might be needed as well. Are you already taking care of the car expenses (petrol, insurance, service)? Dewa, a/c really depends whether the apartment has a/c included into rent or you have to use Palm Cooling or something like that (very expensive). I'd look for an apartment with fitted appliances, when you move out the appliances might not be fitting to the next one... Years ago I bought a new washing machine for dhs600 and after 4 years I sold that for dhs500 because the new place had a fitted washing machine!

I live in a one bed in the Greens At the height of Summer my DEWA ( which includes housing fee) is never more than 458AED Du is around 500AED however that includes internet, telephone and all the channels on the TV. ( showbox) Food, i cook alot and spend a fortune probably up to 1000AED a week ( this includes toiletries, cleaning products etc) however that is probably above the norm for most people living alone I paid 3000AED deposit to my landlady as i found the apartment without an agent I already had furniture so did not need to purchase that My rent is in 4 cheques I dont use a maid as i clean the apartment and do my own ironing Hope this helps

Most of this information you should be able to find out on your own, through a bit of online research, shopping, and asking your parents (or family who you are currently living with). TV Connection? - Info is easily available on the Etisalat/Du website or any of their counters. Appliances? - Lots of summer promotions, check out the usual spots like Lulu, Coop, Carrefour, etc. Furniture - Home Centre, Ikea, Pan Emirates, Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn, this really depends on your budget. Home decorating - This should be the least of your priorities at this point - if you're planning on renting, you shouldn't invest too much with painting and things like that. However, you can purchase curtains from some of the furniture stores above, Dragonmart, or get them custom made. If you do a search on this board, you will get a lot of recommendations of someone who will come to your apartment with books of material, take measurements, and install a few days later. Apt Fees - 5% of annual rent for security deposit. Most apartments no longer require that you pay the years rent in 1 or 2 cheques, you should be able to negotiate at least 4. DEWA - 1k refundable deposit.

When I rented a two bedroom apartment in the Greens I paid approx 500 dhs per month for DEWA (no additional AC bills). Any small maintenance issues we had were done through Emril, who charge a call out fee and then quote according to the repair costs, but you might get full cover from the landlord? For Internet, tv and telephone I got a package through Du. The overall cost for this will depend on what TV packages you want and also which Internet package, you should find the current package details on the OSN website. If you want to furnish the apartment on a budget then I would suggest looking at Dubizzle for secondhand or Ikea for new items. Curtains and blinds can also be purchased from Ikea or Dragon Mart. Sharaf DG, C4 or Geant have a good selection of electrical appliances. The deposit is usually 5% of the total rental value. You should also consider the agents fess and also the deposits for DEWA and DU. I think grocery shopping is difficult to estimate as everyone has different ideas of what is good value. One way to keep costs down would be to plan your meals so you only buy what you are going to use, or buy in bulk and make extra portions so they can be frozen. Also consider the location for public transport options if you don't drive.