To think it’s crazy that National Minimum wage is £27k

I think I understand now.
You are comparing your 'net salary' to the OP's 27k gross salary! That's disingenuous.
I've done an approximate calculation and your net 30k plus the rent subsidy you receive from your MIL's friend actually equates to a gross salary of around £47k for 3 full people with only your DH working, so no childcare expenses needed. That is completely different to £27k.
I hate to hammer this home but, as I said before, what you posted was inaccurate at best and dishonest at worst. These sort of posts make other people, who are genuinely struggling financially, feel inadequate.

The amount of money we get is still the same. It includes the benefits we receive and all children of under 7 get free school meals.
I'm not sure why you think I'm lying about the amount of money that comes in to the house.
Yes with the rent we are lucky but I'm not pretending anything.
You seem convinced I get more money than I stated but I actually don't. Our household money includes benefits and it is £30k. Believe or don't. Doesn't bother me.

If you actually read what I wrote I said '3 full people'. Presumably your working children pay their personal expenses so you/your husband do not fully support 5 people.
I see that it's MIL's friend who subsidises your rent, not your MIL. You only pay 60% of the market rent.
You also claim carer's allowance, presumably DLA, probably UC, free school meals and child benefit too. Therefore your income is much increased and subsidised by the tax payer, as I said. All these benefits and the rental savings add up to a great deal, probably doubling your income in real terms.

I am not angry that you receive subsidies but it does annoy me when people post that they get by on a small salary when they do no such thing. It's simply dishonest to pretend that you do and are some kind of budgeting genius. It make others feel inadequate (not me personally because we are both earning very good salaries but plenty of others).

Take control of your own life and make your own success

But that's when properly thinking/researching career/professions comes into play.

If you're not a "people person", then don't study/apply for jobs/professions where a lot of person to person contact is needed.

I'm an accountant, and there are loads of options for those who want a "quiet" back-room type of role rather than a client facing/marketing role. I've been an accountant over 40 years and have worked with loads of introverted people, and a fair few with autism/aspergers - all in back-office "technical" types of roles where contact with clients wasn't needed (and many where contact with other staff could be minimised).

Ultimately, even working in a "quiet" back office role was too much for me, and I ended up giving up working for other people and starting my own practice, based 100% online via online software, websites, portals, etc., and now I can't even remember the last client meeting I had (must be 2 years) and the last phone call was probably six months ago - literally everything is email/portal so ideal for someone like me who's not really "in to" meeting people etc.

Thank you. It's so true thought isn't it?
I have a SIL who really isn't academic (she would agree) but she loves people, makes friends wherever she goes and is very popular/well liked and extroverted and earns a fortune....all thanks to her personality.
My DDs just gotten some brilliant GCSE results and now studying A levels college and will hopefully go on to Uni - but like me she's very introverted and shy and I do worry about her future ability to earn/career. Life isn't easy for everyone unfortunately

b) a personality/a face that fits that enables them

@EvieBB I like that you mentioned this. It’s often something that’s overlooked when we talk about someone’s career trajectory/earnings.

Ah, ok. Generally speaking though, people are lucky if they have
a) good health - physical/mental
b) a personality/a face that fits that enables them to climb the career ladder
c) good family support
I have lots of qualifications but have struggled with anxiety, poor self esteem, depression and chronic fatigue (childhood sa) so all these things can hugely affect your ability to earn/be successful financially.
So, yes, some people are more seemingly lucky if these don't have as many of these barriers in their way.

I meant my two are wealthier than my husband and I were at their age, due to their own income. Plus they don't have children yet and we did at their ages - them! 😀

They will get inheritance - maybe. But only from us and not millions!

Their Gran is one of the pensioners who apparently don't exist, the ones living on pension credit and her husband passed away young. My husband's Dad.

My parents have also gone. I got some money from my parents after they died but not the millions people on this thread think every "boomer" had. They were boomers.

Sorry that I mixed you up.

They were agreeing with the previous poster, saying it isn’t possible to live on 20k with new car etc…but the first one on that trail was dodging taxes.

Why would you say that? I’ve just looked at ours, we spend £900 a month on utilities and services, including water, energy, Tv licence, broadband, council tax, life insurance, home and contents insurance.

It isnt.

Exactly. And living in the North East makes it even harder, given the lower wages and fewer opportunities here.

I’m fortunate that I made some good financial decisions when I was younger, despite being relatively poor myself and working in a low-paid role. I bought my first home at 22 and a second property for my in-laws at 28. I’ve since managed to secure a reasonably well-paid job, and between that and the equity in the second property, I should have a comfortable retirement.

But we’re hardly talking about enormous wealth. The second property is worth less than £150k and generates around £500 a month in rent. I’ll be comfortable, but I certainly won’t be living extravagantly, and I doubt I’ll enjoy as many holidays as some of my older relatives have, despite having made financial decisions that should arguably have put me in a stronger position. And that’s really the point. My personal circumstances don’t change the wider reality for my generation.

For people from working-class backgrounds today, the opportunities to build a comfortable retirement are increasingly limited. When wages barely cover living costs, where is the spare money supposed to come from to build a pension, save or invest? Homeownership is significantly lower, meaning many will face paying rent throughout retirement rather than owning a home outright.

I was fortunate enough to get onto the property ladder young, even on a low wage. That same opportunity is increasingly out of reach for people today. Just because some of us managed to get ahead doesn’t mean we should ignore how much harder it’s become for everyone else.

And particularly those who are pensioners currently, should show more empathy and understanding towards the younger generations. Life is getting harder, and I really wouldn’t want to be in my son’s generation where it is 30k to attend uni, 60k if you don’t live at home. You end up with low job prospects even with a degree, especially anywhere outside of London (unless commutable) and one or two other major cities. And suddenly you are mid 20s still at home and don’t know when you’ll save up for a house deposit.

It really is desperate to try to use poverty as an insult and to show off about wasting water.
As it happens, we are very comfortable too, although I'm a younger Gen X. As you say, this is not about me/you or any other individual. There are clear statistics regarding generational inequality. I have mainly Gen Z children so can clearly see that finances for them are/will be far harder compared to those of my age. I have a great deal of sympathy with younger people, who have been politically discriminated against, in my opinion.

As already stated, your water is not free, you pay for your water through your council tax bill. Your marginal cost is £0, but that is the case for anyone.

I’m quite comfortable financially, thanks, but that’s entirely irrelevant. My own financial circumstances don’t change the fact that millennials as a generation face greater financial disadvantages than previous generations did at the same age. And that they will continue to do so into their retirement. That’s precisely why we use statistics rather than personal anecdotes.

We’re discussing pensioners and generational inequality, not my bank balance. The fact you’ve resorted to personal assumptions rather than addressing the evidence says plenty. And using poverty as an insult in a discussion about financial hardship is quite the irony.

Have a nice day 💐

I second this. You really have been exceptionally patient on post after post and produced statistic after statistic. There are some people on here arguing that black is white and they just don't stop and admit their mistake or lack of knowledge when someone presents them with facts. They are looking very foolish. One or two have been very rude and attacked you personally, which you have dealt with with exceptional patience and grace. Age and wisdom are clearly not linked, not on this thread anyway!

Ok you’re poor. I get it. Hope things get better for you soon. Btw, I could run my water all day every day and the actual water would cost me £0. 😊

“Are you trying to be funny? Seriously though? Because if you are I won’t bother to reply…I genuinely just thought you were oblivious to pensioner wealth because you lived in a bubble, now I’m not so sure you aren’t having a laugh at my expense.”

@Boreded you are being phenomenally patient, but I fear there is little good faith on the internet now. Anyone real in good faith knows exactly the economic situation and the fact of intrrgenerational inequality, it’s been discussed many times, and most of us are living it. These days you can’t even guarantee you’re not arguing with a bot let alone a half decent human. It’s sad, but the information-carrying and sharing capacity of the internet is greatly reduced. Don’t get too invested or engaged. Thats why I picked my username actually, to remind myself! 🙂

“Are you trying to be funny? Seriously though? Because if you are I won’t bother to reply…I genuinely just thought you were oblivious to pensioner wealth because you lived in a bubble, now I’m not so sure you aren’t having a laugh at my expense.”

@Boreded you are being phenomenally patient, but I fear there is little good faith on the internet now. Anyone real in good faith knows exactly the economic situation and the fact of intrrgenerational inequality, it’s been discussed many times, and most of us are living it. These days you can’t even guarantee you’re not arguing with a bot let alone a half decent human. It’s sad, but the information-carrying and sharing capacity of the internet is greatly reduced. Don’t get too invested or engaged. Thats why I picked my username actually, to remind myself! 🙂

Free personal care and a reformed care service will save the NHS and local authorities a lot of money. Loads of NHS beds are blocked by people needing care, and local authorities pay private providers a small fortune. It will benefit us all.

Well we get by nicely with kids,pets, new cars, holidays,no credit owed to anyone or anything. And get around £20k a year between us as I'm part time atm dh full..Takes good balancing and communication and we do fine and dandy