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Original poster

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

663 replies

Butterflyfluff · 09/10/2026 20:08

Yet it’s not really enough to live on 😢

My first job paid £7.5k per year and I thought I was loaded! And I’m not ancient.

Now 2 people on NMW earn over £50k between them yet it’s really not enough these days.

OP posts:
Constantrunner · 10/10/2026 14:11

GreenCa · 10/10/2026 14:09

Many will only leave a large inheritance due to the price of the property they lived in sells for. They are not necessarily rich themselves.

We do not have a large house. But we will leave a much larger inheritance than my parents did in their rented council house. We are not rich by a long shot. But when we die and our house sells it will provide a decent inheritance

GreenCa · 10/10/2026 14:09

Many will only leave a large inheritance due to the price of the property they lived in sells for. They are not necessarily rich themselves.

Finta · 10/10/2026 14:06

DdraigGoch · 10/10/2026 14:04

Have you seen the state of the job market these days?

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It's difficult and challenging but hey at least try?

DdraigGoch · 10/10/2026 14:04

Finta · 09/10/2026 21:15

Then get a job that pays more. Work towards improving your situation.

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Have you seen the state of the job market these days?

Scarlettpixie · 10/10/2026 13:45

Differentforgirls · 10/10/2026 13:23

No. Internet, broadband, tv packages, three mobile phones and a landline.

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Wow that's high. I just added mine up.

At the moment I pay
£3 Now TV entertainment
£0 Disney+ (used Tesco Clubcard)
£8 Prime
£45.00 mobile phones
£30 Broadband (reducing to £26 next month)
No landline.

Thats £81. Sometimes I add in Netflix at £13 or pay for ad free at £3-4. This is probably only 4 months of the year. I watch what I want and then cancel for a bit. That takes the total to about £85. Curious how you are managing to pay £230!

HappyViewer · 10/10/2026 13:39

It’s not too bad until DC come along.

Tharealkate · 10/10/2026 13:38

Superhansrantowindsor · 10/10/2026 13:05

I’m late 40’s. Able to buy a house at age 23 which has set us up basically. A few years younger we’d never have got on the housing ladder when we did. Have managed to buy and sell a couple of times to be in our current home. I am well aware that had I not bought the first house when I did for the price I did my life would be very different. It irritates me when people don’t realise they were lucky to buy a house pre 2003 when things started to go tits up.

This exactly. At least you acknowledge it.

Tharealkate · 10/10/2026 13:35

Housing is the biggest issue IMO. Until we can get that under control the paltry wage rises we have had just won’t cut it. It’s the same with all these threads - - lot of the people claiming to be okay on very low wages have little to no housings costs.

Superhansrantowindsor · 10/10/2026 13:34

Differentforgirls · 10/10/2026 13:23

No. Internet, broadband, tv packages, three mobile phones and a landline.

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Ah right. We are at 100 but only have two mobiles and don’t have sky. We have Netflix, Amazon and Disney plus. We do have a landline and broadband.

Scarlettpixie · 10/10/2026 13:33

I do think we have higher lifestyle expectations. If I think what I pay for that my parents never did, I start to see where my money goes..

TV streaming services (Now TV and Disney+ regularly, Netflix and things without ads on and off)
Broadband
Spotify
Audible
Books
Microsoft 365
McAfee
Apps
Holidays (one abroad plus a weekend or two in the UK - as a child we averaged a week in Mablethorpe in Sept when half of it was closed - some years we didn't go and once or twice we managed to go in the factory fortnight)
Concert tickets (once or twice year)
Takeaway monthly (although they did get fish and chips occasionally)
Wine at home
Mobile Phone monthly
Purchases like ipad, mobile phone, computer, smart TV (they rented), tumble dryer, Ring doorbell etc
Meals out (maybe monthly often treating my son and his gf)
Insurance and vaccinations for pets
Coffee/lunch (maybe monthly)

And that's just off the top of my head.

Edit to add

Pretty sure the only thing they did that I don't is smoke.

I reckon minimum wage is doable if you live a more basic lifestyle. I earn around 40K, I am a single mum (son at Uni) and have a big house with a small mortgage (partly due to being in my 50's and getting on the housing ladder early and partly due to some inheritance). I manage to do the above (just). Obviously if I cut these back I could manage on less.

Differentforgirls · 10/10/2026 13:29

TrickyD · 10/10/2026 13:26

Your geography skills seem lacking.

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I live in Scotland. The country. You live in England. The country. I think you don't know that the UK isn't England.

TrickyD · 10/10/2026 13:26

Differentforgirls · 10/10/2026 13:25

Yes so a different country.

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Your geography skills seem lacking.

Longtermmuser · 10/10/2026 13:25

What's even crazier is that a lot of professional jobs are now near minimum wage. Unskilled work in many cases pays more nowadays.

Differentforgirls · 10/10/2026 13:25

TrickyD · 10/10/2026 13:24

I have already said we live in the East Midlands. UK if you need more clarification.

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Yes so a different country.

Differentforgirls · 10/10/2026 13:24

AllIwantForChrismasIsAKitchenAidStandMixer · 10/10/2026 13:19

Uk here and exactly the same as this poster - they all have large family homes and tons of spare cash

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Uk? Which country?

VastMeridian · 10/10/2026 13:24

Where is national minimum wage £27k? I work in a uni and earn £25.7k for a 37.5 hour week.

TrickyD · 10/10/2026 13:24

Differentforgirls · 10/10/2026 13:20

Different country.

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I have already said we live in the East Midlands. UK if you need more clarification.

Differentforgirls · 10/10/2026 13:23

Superhansrantowindsor · 10/10/2026 13:15

£230 a month for phones???

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No. Internet, broadband, tv packages, three mobile phones and a landline.

Differentforgirls · 10/10/2026 13:20

TrickyD · 10/10/2026 13:13

No. East Midlands, same country but cheaper housing than in London.
à
No school fees for sons or grandchildren. If you work teaching in the state sector it behoves you to support it.

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Different country.

AllIwantForChrismasIsAKitchenAidStandMixer · 10/10/2026 13:19

Differentforgirls · 10/10/2026 12:57

You live in a different world from me. Probably a different country too.

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Uk here and exactly the same as this poster - they all have large family homes and tons of spare cash

Allrightonthenight1 · 10/10/2026 13:19

Bjorkdidit · 10/10/2026 13:13

You can get fast fibre broadband for about half that. Anyone paying over £50 pm for a phone contract is paying for an expensive phone so a luxury that's not an essential, especially when we're talking about people on low incomes.

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Not where we live. We could maybe get it down to £38 with a home phone line. DH checks regularly.

Lots of people pay £50+ a month for their phones. Complete madness in my view.

Allrightonthenight1 · 10/10/2026 13:16

Differentforgirls · 10/10/2026 13:14

Did you mean a year? We're £230 A MONTH.

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I did wonder if we were talking at cross purposes. Yes, £750 a year.

Superhansrantowindsor · 10/10/2026 13:15

Differentforgirls · 10/10/2026 13:14

Did you mean a year? We're £230 A MONTH.

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£230 a month for phones???

Differentforgirls · 10/10/2026 13:14

Allrightonthenight1 · 10/10/2026 13:07

😆 It's £45 a month for home phone and broadband (until recently paid by DH's employer) and 3 x £6 a month sim only packages. I don't know anyone doing it much cheaper. Most of my younger colleagues are paying £50 plus for one mobile.

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Did you mean a year? We're £230 A MONTH.

TrickyD · 10/10/2026 13:13

Differentforgirls · 10/10/2026 12:57

You live in a different world from me. Probably a different country too.

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No. East Midlands, same country but cheaper housing than in London.
à
No school fees for sons or grandchildren. If you work teaching in the state sector it behoves you to support it.