Page 20 | To wonder how people are coping?

CobbleWobble · 2025-09-18T14:07:27+00:00

We are very lucky, I know this. We are "Mumsnet rich" both have professional jobs with good salaries (£170k household income) and yet this last 12 months: - removed children from private school - changed how we do the weekly shop to reduce costs - cut subscriptions (like Disney+ etc) - reduced what I bought in the back to school shop - decided against a holiday in October half term - concerned about our usual Christmas food order What is going on? I just don't understand why or how prices are rising as they are or how people on less than us are coping! I'm extremely grateful we have the things to cut that we have but we've also had to remortgage this year which has doubled our mortgage payments and then our utilities have increased and the food shop has just got insane. We have other things we can cut - a holiday in the UK, Netflix, the monthly takeaway but its just miserable to think we may need to do that just not to be living. Happy to post spending particulars if people are finding it hard to see where I'm coming from. So AIBU to think that as a country we cannot go on with prices rising like this? How are others coping?

sminted · 18/09/2025 18:53

take home!

My predictive text is wild

sminted · 18/09/2025 18:52

@CobbleWobble do you stuff your pensions because your tax bond doesn't make sense.

Bunnycat101 · 18/09/2025 18:52

Thing is though- whether down to overcommitments, debt etc, someone on a high income shouldn’t be feeling the pinch. I think you need to look at the amount of people on these sorts of threads cutting costs at all incomes. It isn’t good for the economy if high income households reduce service costs like cleaners or gardeners. It isn’t good if they reduce going out to restaurants etc. it’s easy to scoff at these sorts of threads but you want higher earners to be confident spending.

AmpleLilacQuail · 18/09/2025 18:52

CobbleWobble · 18/09/2025 18:37

They're legally required for our jobs. Like a doctor or nurse being registered with the accrediting bodies. If we didn't have them, we'd be fired.

Show quote history

You might already know this, but if your employer doesn’t reimburse your professional membership fees you can offset it against your tax for the year. See here - https://www.gov.uk/tax-relief-for-employees/professional-fees-and-subscriptions

Claim tax relief for your job expenses

Claiming tax relief on expenses you have to pay for your work, like uniforms, tools, travel and working from home costs.

https://www.gov.uk/tax-relief-for-employees/professional-fees-and-subscriptions

sminted · 18/09/2025 18:52

private school was only going to be tight on 7k

MaudlinGazebo · 18/09/2025 18:51

Sounds tough to me @CobbleWobble Thats not much left after a high salary. I would have thought you’d have much more disposable income and tbh you deserve to have more. Seems very little point grafting and studying etc to earn that sort of salary then not be able to have fairly basic “nice” things like a Disney plus sub.

Imperativvv · 18/09/2025 18:51

WimbyAce · 18/09/2025 18:40

Agree, I'm not sure what the UC threshold is but at one point our joint income was under £40k and we didn't qualify for anything.

Show quote history

There isn't one. That's not how UC works.

The threshold for any given household depends on their childcare and rent costs. That means a family with a higher income than you could still get UC when you don't. It's absolutely possible to get some UC on more than 40k, you just need high childcare and probably private rent costs.

Original poster

CobbleWobble · 18/09/2025 18:51

Tam285 · 18/09/2025 18:46

If your kids are at school and you work from home how/why are you spending £950 on childcare?

Wrap around and holiday clubs.

I'm not sure what jobs allow you to do the school run in the school days and have kids at home whilst you work, but ours certainly don't! When I'm at work I can't be looking after kids. It wouldn't be safe for them or appropriate for my job or DHs job.

Do people seriously do that!?

OP posts:

DressOrSkirt · 18/09/2025 18:51

CobbleWobble · 18/09/2025 18:28

I'm genuinely relieved that other people are feeling comfortably off and not so affected by the cost of living rises.

I've misrepresented our income - it's £160k, I calculated it based on my FTE and I only work 32 hours. Apologies.

Yes, our mortgage is huge - it wasn't when we bought the house but we had to borrow more to fix a big issue that wasn't picked up on the survey and insurance wouldn't cover, and then the interest rate has more than tripled. This happened at the same time as the 25% vat on school fees, which at our school was passed directly to parents. So we had to withdraw them.

There's also a big difference in income between two people on £80k and one person earning the majority of our income (it's about a £9k per month in scenario 1 and £7k in scenario 2, which is our scenario).

And yes, we've always been comfortable where we haven't really needed to watch our spending where as now we very much do.

2 adults, 2 children, 1 dog and 2 cats.

Basics expenses:

Mortgage 2500
CT 240
Utilities 430
Broadband 50
Childcare 950
Children's activities 200
Car expenses Inc petrol 300
Phone 30 (previously 60)
Subscriptions 40 (netflix, prime and TV licence - previously 75)
Home & contents insurance 60
Pets (food and insurance)100 (previously 170)
Cleaner 140 (we've reduced the hours, previously 240) - this will be next to go.
Food/ toiletries / household items 600
Professional memberships 250
Commuting 80 (we both work mainly from home but need to go in to the office twice a month each)

Which leaves £900 for day today spends, adult hobbies and savings/ Christmas/ birthdays/ holidays etc. This is after we've made savings, it was a lot less. When we bought the house our mortgage was £975 and the extra we borrowed brought it up to £1200 which was affordable, but the huge increase in interest rate has scuppered us massively. Also council tax jumped up either last year or this. It's just the jump in everything pushing on stuff.

I'm not sure moving is an option at the moment - as we've just remortgaged we'd have to pay a huge fee (around £20k) to pay off some of the mortgage, but if we still feel like this once the fixed term is closer to ending then it's definitely something we'll look in to, though our house is very averagely priced for our area.

In the next 18months my student loan will be paid off which will give me back about £120 a month.

This £900 for day today spends, adult hobbies and savings/ Christmas/ birthdays/ holidays etc covers too many things. You need to separate it out to see where it's actually going.

sminted · 18/09/2025 18:50

@Londonmummy66 I'm aware of the tax cliff edges but that doesn't explain why @CobbleWobble has less than 7k. 115k is still 6.1k take home.

AmpleLilacQuail · 18/09/2025 18:49

WimbyAce · 18/09/2025 18:30

To be fair, the rates haven't gone mad, just returned to a more normal level. I think the trouble was they were low for so long that some people thought that was normal and didn't account for them going up.

Show quote history

Agreed rates are at a more normal level now, but the average rate almost tripled in the space of a year, so I’d say that’s pretty “mad”!

Londonmummy66 · 18/09/2025 18:48

sminted · 18/09/2025 18:41

@CobbleWobble I don't understand why it's so low even if one earner was on 120k & one was on 40k so tax punitive it should be higher?

There is a marginal rate of tax/NIC on income between £100 and 120k that is 62% - its because the personal allowance is clawed back at that level of income. Quite a good explanation here. financial-advice.co.uk/2025/06/stay-away-from-the-edge-tax-traps-for-the-unwary/ Its actually worse than that if there are young children in the mix due to the loss of the free hours. The really stark differential is between a couple on £60k each and one earner on £120k as the couple get child benefit as well as the free hours whereas the high earner pays the marginal rate of tax and loses the CB as well as the free hours - so both households have the same gross income but one has a significantly better disposable income than the other.

NebulousWhistler · 18/09/2025 18:47

Deepbluesea1 · 18/09/2025 15:19

you are not just rich, you are extremely well off. It takes some balls to come here and play the fiddle. If you are struggling on that amount, you obviously live beyond your means/are crap with money. No amount of ridiculous pay can fix that.

Show quote history

So what, you can’t voice concerns about changes impacting your lifestyle unless you’re in food bank territory? People have financial concerns at all levels of wealth, not just those who are worried about where their next meal is coming from.

OP we earn a fair bit more than you and I am definitely noticing that things have increased where I’ve never noticed before.
if you’re in London in a bog standard £1.5m Victorian terrace (yes that’s how much a bog standard house in parts of London costs) I am surprised on your salaries that you could afford private school in the first place or that you had much left over post tax/NI/mortgage payment/school fees. Where I am, prep schools are now £30-£35k per child.
Get the streaming services with ads! They’re about half the price.
Also sign up to giffgaff instead of an expensive monthly phone plan. I pay a tenner a month and have never exceeded my data or calls.

Original poster

CobbleWobble · 18/09/2025 18:46

LBFseBrom · 18/09/2025 18:07

I have no idea what you mean by 'Mumsnet rich'. You have a good income, obviously live up to it which most people do.

Changing your children's schools is extremely drastic, imo, unfair on them.

You could economise in other ways. Be less extravagant with your food, cheaper things suffice and are often just as nutritious. Don't have expensive holidays but have a reasonable holiday in the summer. Look at what you can do without, that does not cause you hardship. A monthly takeaway is not extravagant, it's normal.

Everyone is feeling the pinch at the moment, it won't last but you'll manage if you are sensible.

Moving our childrens school was not a decision made lightly and one we really struggled with.

Last year we struggled to afford it and made a number of changes in lifestyle and used savings, but the 25% vat was something we couldn't afford, no matter how much we cut things.

The same year our (only) car died a spectacular death and had to be replaced, which we did from savings, buying a second hand car, again the price of cars has gone up a lot as well. That plus some essential home maintenance decimated our savings - I'm just so glad we had them to fall back on.

OP posts:

Tam285 · 18/09/2025 18:46

If your kids are at school and you work from home how/why are you spending £950 on childcare?

BauhausOfEliott · 18/09/2025 18:44

If you can’t afford £10 a month for Disney+ on a household income of £170k, I don’t know what the fuck you’re spending your money on. I’m going to hazard a guess that you run two expensive cars and have a colossal mortgage or, for some reason, a ton of debts? Because otherwise I can’t see the issue. Our household income is only just over half of that and we manage fine.

Meadowfinch · 18/09/2025 18:44

OP, you made me laugh.

I'm a single mum, working full time, with an income of about £50k. I have one ds, at independent school on a 50% scholarship. We never had a Disney,or any other subscription. We have a tv licence. Parkrun rather than gym membership. Do all my own grooming.

Certainly things have tightened over the last 18 months. I'm coping by buying own-brand, making my own bread, jam, sauces. Growing and freezing veg & fruit for the winter. I cook from scratch, learn to cook cheaper cuts of meat. Nothing goes to waste.

Making clothes last an extra year. Repairing shoes. Making my car last a decade or more. Relying on a wood burner for warmth on cool evenings.

Decent healthy food and my ds' education have priority.

Onemorepenny · 18/09/2025 18:44

sminted · 18/09/2025 17:22

@Onemorepenny our nursery savings just got eaten up by extracurriculars although they weren't as high as yours.

For a couple of months they were nearly 3.5k...so glad to be out of that phase!

sminted · 18/09/2025 18:42

eg that would be 9k, but are pensions & student loans really 2k a month?

Londonmummy66 · 18/09/2025 18:42

KateMiskin · 18/09/2025 18:35

Do you really need the professional memberships? Food bill could also likely be trimmed.

I imagine given the salary that there is a lawyer/accountant or similar in the mix in which case no professional membership means no job.

sminted · 18/09/2025 18:41

@CobbleWobble I don't understand why it's so low even if one earner was on 120k & one was on 40k so tax punitive it should be higher?

WimbyAce · 18/09/2025 18:40

EatSleepDreamRepeat · 18/09/2025 18:34

Just recently got a new job and £15k salary increase. Prior to that was on total household income of £45k, 2 adults, 2 children. So about a quarter. Didn't qualify for UC, tax credits, social housing, or council tax support on that salary.

UC I believe is £1534 p/m for a couple. So £18.5k. So a tenth.

Show quote history

Agree, I'm not sure what the UC threshold is but at one point our joint income was under £40k and we didn't qualify for anything.

DaisyDukesAuntie · 18/09/2025 18:40

speakout · 18/09/2025 15:51

OP- please, just don't do this.

You have no idea what poverty is.

Nailed it

DressOrSkirt · 18/09/2025 18:39

CobbleWobble · 18/09/2025 18:28

I'm genuinely relieved that other people are feeling comfortably off and not so affected by the cost of living rises.

I've misrepresented our income - it's £160k, I calculated it based on my FTE and I only work 32 hours. Apologies.

Yes, our mortgage is huge - it wasn't when we bought the house but we had to borrow more to fix a big issue that wasn't picked up on the survey and insurance wouldn't cover, and then the interest rate has more than tripled. This happened at the same time as the 25% vat on school fees, which at our school was passed directly to parents. So we had to withdraw them.

There's also a big difference in income between two people on £80k and one person earning the majority of our income (it's about a £9k per month in scenario 1 and £7k in scenario 2, which is our scenario).

And yes, we've always been comfortable where we haven't really needed to watch our spending where as now we very much do.

2 adults, 2 children, 1 dog and 2 cats.

Basics expenses:

Mortgage 2500
CT 240
Utilities 430
Broadband 50
Childcare 950
Children's activities 200
Car expenses Inc petrol 300
Phone 30 (previously 60)
Subscriptions 40 (netflix, prime and TV licence - previously 75)
Home & contents insurance 60
Pets (food and insurance)100 (previously 170)
Cleaner 140 (we've reduced the hours, previously 240) - this will be next to go.
Food/ toiletries / household items 600
Professional memberships 250
Commuting 80 (we both work mainly from home but need to go in to the office twice a month each)

Which leaves £900 for day today spends, adult hobbies and savings/ Christmas/ birthdays/ holidays etc. This is after we've made savings, it was a lot less. When we bought the house our mortgage was £975 and the extra we borrowed brought it up to £1200 which was affordable, but the huge increase in interest rate has scuppered us massively. Also council tax jumped up either last year or this. It's just the jump in everything pushing on stuff.

I'm not sure moving is an option at the moment - as we've just remortgaged we'd have to pay a huge fee (around £20k) to pay off some of the mortgage, but if we still feel like this once the fixed term is closer to ending then it's definitely something we'll look in to, though our house is very averagely priced for our area.

In the next 18months my student loan will be paid off which will give me back about £120 a month.

You have 3 pets and are only spending £100 a month on them?

Original poster

CobbleWobble · 18/09/2025 18:38

sminted · 18/09/2025 18:37

@CobbleWobble I wouldn't say your mortgage is huge. What's your monthly net income?

£6998

OP posts: