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Original poster

Absolutely rinsed in this budget - almost £1k a year worse off.

740 replies

Mushroo · 26/11/2025 13:43

Honestly in despair at this government. On a very high level calc, we are so much worse off!

We both pay a lot into pensions, so the NI change is about £700 a year worse off.

We have an EV car, so based on our 4k a year mileage, it’s about £120 a year. (Although how it will be enforced I have no idea).

Stagnating tax thresholds, probably about £100 a year between us.

Council tax F house (4 bed end terrace, not a mansion, needs renovating). So risk of revaluation after having paid a fortune in stamp duty. We didn’t get first time buyer stamp duty relief because we bought about 2 years too early, and we moved before Covid so no relief there either. So overall we’ve paid about £30k in stamp duty already over our lifetime.

Weve already had the private school hit (which is a separate debate and we’ve accepted that) but wow, we are just being kicked on all sides.

We are classic ‘middle earners’ - earn about £70k each, but have mahoosive mortgage and pay over £2k a month in nursery fees already.

Every measure just seems to have a negative effect on our lifestyle, which is ‘comfortable’ but increasingly squeezed.

OP posts:
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Bushmillsbabe · 26/11/2025 14:51

If your mortgage is 2.5k I doubt you have a house worth over 2million to pay the 'mansion tax'? That's a mortgage of around 350k I think.

GentleOlive · 26/11/2025 14:51

Anyahyacinth · 26/11/2025 14:47

That’s what the nazis believed about the disabled 🤢

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Sorry, but equating every opinion that doesn’t align with your far left views with nazism has had it’s day. People have moved on.

Growlybear83 · 26/11/2025 14:51

Mushroo · 26/11/2025 14:07

Our take home is c.£7k
Nursery fees £2k
Mortgage £2.5k
Commute x 2 £500
Food / petrol / misc £600
Council tax, bills £500
clothes, activities for family of 4 per month: £200

Leaves £700pcm for ALL savings, so holidays, Xmas, birthdays, emergency fund.

Like I say, we’re comfortable, but we absolutely watch every single penny and £84 a month is a lot to us! And not the lifestyle I would imagine if you told me what we earn. It’s just hard working full time, in a high pressure job, not seeing the kids.

Genuinely thinking of leaving the SW, buying a cheap house, and taking a part time job as I’d be less stressed, see the kids more and be about the same per month!

Quite honestly if we had £700 per month left over after paying all bills, I would feel like I’d won the lottery. That’s £8,400 every year - that’s a lot more than comfortable! If your life is so difficult and you don’t get to spend time with your children, why not stay at home to look after your children and move to a cheaper area or a smaller house?

HeadyLamarr · 26/11/2025 14:50

To claim you're rinsed by this budget when it's 0.7% of your income means you either can't do sums or don't understand what rinsed means.

Anyone with £700 left each month after paying all their bills is well off.

user927464 · 26/11/2025 14:50

TillyTrifle · 26/11/2025 14:25

As I understand it they will identify the homes worth £2million plus by re-valuing all band F, G and H homes for the first time since 1991. While many of those won’t be worth £2million (certainly where I live there are plenty of Band F homes worth under 1 million, the re-valuation hanging overhead could make potential buyers of those homes pause and wonder things like is it going to be re-banded to G which there have been lots of rumours about doubling council tax for? I think it’s just generally uncertainty about whether anything will change for those properties as a result which might make owners or potential owners nervous and make them harder to sell.

I think, I may be wrong!

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Correct.

They will be revaluing all houses in bands F G and H. The primary purpose of this is to see whether they are worth more than £2m. However in the process those houses will be put into the correct council tax bands and so there will be many people who have homes worth less than £2m who will see their council tax rise fairly significantly nonetheless.

Daisydoodlepoo · 26/11/2025 14:49

I honestly cannot understand the purpose of your post. Noting your circumstances, surely £1k per annum worse off is insignificant? If you cannot absorb that, then you need to consider your options to move house and review other lifestyle choices that will provide more disposable income if that is the issue.

Alpacajigsaw · 26/11/2025 14:49

I’m surprised it was even worth you getting an EV in the first place for driving a paltry 4k miles a year

FlippityFloppityFlump · 26/11/2025 14:49

Mushroo · 26/11/2025 14:07

Our take home is c.£7k
Nursery fees £2k
Mortgage £2.5k
Commute x 2 £500
Food / petrol / misc £600
Council tax, bills £500
clothes, activities for family of 4 per month: £200

Leaves £700pcm for ALL savings, so holidays, Xmas, birthdays, emergency fund.

Like I say, we’re comfortable, but we absolutely watch every single penny and £84 a month is a lot to us! And not the lifestyle I would imagine if you told me what we earn. It’s just hard working full time, in a high pressure job, not seeing the kids.

Genuinely thinking of leaving the SW, buying a cheap house, and taking a part time job as I’d be less stressed, see the kids more and be about the same per month!

You're paying £28k between you into pensions. Equivalent of £1400 per month in take home pay.
Yes saving for retirement is important but I'm sure you can pay in a bit less to give you more take home if needs be

Happyjoe · 26/11/2025 14:49

Everyone wants not to pay tax. But they want a functioning NHS, potholes filled, good schools, NHS dentistry, good councils, streets kept clean, free childcare... and in the case of the OP, she wants to keep the household income of £140k all to themselves.

Make the complaining about tax make sense?

Duchyorg · 26/11/2025 14:48

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Limered · 26/11/2025 14:48

The problem is you’re trying to live beyond your means. Earning £140k as a couple with multiple children is nowhere near private school territory. And if you have kids in nursery AND private, you’ve even gone for a private primary school - which is unusual. Unless you have lots and lots of kids. Which you shouldn’t have had if you can’t afford it!

Anyahyacinth · 26/11/2025 14:47

GentleOlive · 26/11/2025 14:45

OP is spending her own money. Earned by herself. The people she is giving to, are doing anything but.

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That’s what the nazis believed about the disabled 🤢

Duchyorg · 26/11/2025 14:47

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

randomchap · 26/11/2025 14:47

@Mushroo

You said you've already accepted the VAT increase with the private school, but you've not put the costs in the spreadsheet

Which part was incorrect? Are you paying for private school or not?

nonevernotever · 26/11/2025 14:47

EasternStandard · 26/11/2025 14:00

Labour will be pleased. They should do a targeted tax for a few thousand a year to SM posters who say this.

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And I would pay it. I believe in a fairer society and properly funded public services, and if that means that higher income people like me pay more then that's good.

Allisnotlost1 · 26/11/2025 14:47

Mostunexpected · 26/11/2025 14:45

The top 10% are people on over 72k.

Yes OP has 2 very decent incomes in their household, but regardless it isn't people on OPs earnings who should be funding the budget changes, it's the super rich.

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We’re all funding the budget changes, through a wide range of taxes. The super rich should pay their fair share but so should everyone else. People worse off than OP are also caught by income tax threshold freeze.

Duchyorg · 26/11/2025 14:46

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shuggles · 26/11/2025 14:46

@Mushroo We are classic ‘middle earners’ - earn about £70k each

You are high earners, not "classic middle earners." Please come back to reality.

Bambamhoohoo · 26/11/2025 14:46

Someone earning £70k a year considering private school is so beyond my frame of reference that I am struggling to believe it’s real

Anyahyacinth · 26/11/2025 14:45

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Or people could abandon their disabled children and a US corporation will do that WORK and it will cost taxpayers £250,000 a year. Get a grip you’ve fallen for divide and rule

GentleOlive · 26/11/2025 14:45

Allisnotlost1 · 26/11/2025 14:40

To be fair it sounds like OP has bought into a lifestyle she can’t afford, if an increased cost of 1k a year is upsetting her. Private school, nursery and a ‘mahoosive’ mortgage? Over extended, was always going to end badly.

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OP is spending her own money. Earned by herself. The people she is giving to, are doing anything but.

Peridoteage · 26/11/2025 14:45

You won't be hit by mansion tax unless your house is worth over £2m

Stagnating thresholds doesn't change your outgoings unless your pay rises and you are comparing to if the bands had changed.

The salary sacrifice change is years away

DoneTeachin · 26/11/2025 14:45

Op you have young children and a big mortgage. This is the toughest time in your life financially. Its true for everyone.

You earn above average and need to pay your share of tax, remember your kids will cost the taxpayers over £5k a year, each, in state school costs alone. Tax payers are paying for your decision to have kids, and you are one of them. Thats how a decent society works.

Munchymunch · 26/11/2025 14:45

You are not a middle earner on £70k. We earn similar amounts between us, and will be hit by various aspects of this budget, but would never dream of describing ourselves as middle earners (or claiming to be struggling) because, due to both being in jobs where we experience people who are genuinely struggling, know how lucky we still are!

Mostunexpected · 26/11/2025 14:45

EuroTour · 26/11/2025 13:52

Considering the top 10% earn more than 59,000 a year, I'm struggling to believe you're in the squeezed middle. You take home 8.5k a month between you...

The top 10% are people on over 72k.

Yes OP has 2 very decent incomes in their household, but regardless it isn't people on OPs earnings who should be funding the budget changes, it's the super rich.

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