Can´t survive on salary without benefits. Doesn´t seem right.

[Fashionesta]

Just wondered if anyone else was in the same boat as feeling a bit miserable. Recently started new job, 31K a year, felt happy with that, potential to grow. Having done all my calculations and bills, if it were not for getting some money towards housing, I would be 300 pounds a month short :(

After pension I get around 1800 per month. Rent is 950 and I have one of the cheaper properties in my area so no ability to find anything cheaper - its me and DD in a 2 bed. No luxuries at all. Basic mobile phone on giff gaff 8 per month, no SKY etc, old car although paying off car loan of 150 month which bumps outgoings up. By the time I have paid all my bills, council tax, loan, after school club for DD and swimming lessons for her which I feel is essential, if it weren´t for the fact that I get some help towards rent, I would be -300 per month.

I generally feel like I earn a decent wage and panicking a bit about the situation. Not asking for a solution really as I think I am quite frugal, also sensible so pay for life insurance, car insurance, pet insurance and house insurance. Pay TV licence and so on. Shop at Tesco.

Anyone else don´t feel like they are getting by on what I actually consider a decent wage (although I realise in MN terms I am probably not earning much at all).'

Argh I just hate feeling poor all the time and I shouldn´t have to rely on benefits when on 31K surely!

My husband is a full time NHS nurse, I work 20 odd hours a week as a carer and we still qualify for tax credits! Wages in this country are a joke and the cost of living is scary!

@Tessabelle74

My husband is a full time NHS nurse, I work 20 odd hours a week as a carer and we still qualify for tax credits! Wages in this country are a joke and the cost of living is scary!

I don't know how that is possible on a Nurse wage unless you have loads quite a number of kids?

Or is it childcare costs maybe that make you qualify?

@2bazookas

Looking at your outgoings, I'd suggest you can't afford a pet because of the cost of food and insurance; and you can't afford swimming lessons.

Sorry, benefits are not provided to pay for pets and hobbies.

Oh you'll be saying she should be in sackcloth and eating stale bread next. How dare she want a little pet for her child. Are you priti Patel?

But how can the dad not pay anything? HOW? He doesn't get to pick? I don't understand

You only have to read this thread to know how. Children are women’s responsibility. Poor men shouldn’t have to support them, behave decently or even do anything at all as a parent. Sure, the CMS exists and secures some money for some women some of the time. But it’s statistics make dismal reading. I have been waiting for payment for 14 years. What would make my ex pay would be shame - he wants the world to k ow what an amazing father he is. Unfortunately, there is no shortage of women who will live with him and encourage his non-payment of maintenance. The CMS is just a toothless tiger. There is no political will to make maintenance actually happen 100% of the time.

OP- it sounds like you are a fine, upstanding member of society, a loving Mum, and fab at managing on a budget.
I totally agree that wages are shit against the cost of living.
I am a senior NHS Nurse, with many years of experience, and take home a similar amount.
My husband is in a senior safeguarding role at a school.
We still live on a very tight budget, and can't afford a holiday, and worry about money every month.

The financial piety on Mumsnet is really loathsome at times. You really should either be earning a solid 100k plus, or happy to survive a no frills existence and survive on bread and water.

Just a thought, can you reduce your insurance premiums? If you're renting you should only be paying CONTENTS insurance for your own property in the house. Your LL will have buildings insurance.

Given the severely reduced car travel this year, car insurances are offering discounts. Negotiate on everything. Shop in Aldi/Lidl.

I would be surprised if you would even be entitled to benefits on that wage. It's normally an £18k cap

@LovelyIssues

I would be surprised if you would even be entitled to benefits on that wage. It's normally an £18k cap

It really isn't !! There is no upper limit really on Universal credit if you have high rent, numerous children born before April 2017 and childcare costs you could be getting a significant amount of Uc even when earning 30/ 40K.

@LovelyIssues

I would be surprised if you would even be entitled to benefits on that wage. It's normally an £18k cap

What would possess you to post such inaccurate information?!

Sorry, benefits are not provided to pay for pets and hobbies.

What a judgemental statement. The OP does work you know, and even those solely on benefits need some comforts.

I think some posters are getting confused regarding the benefit cap. This does not refer to a claimants’ income - the cap is on the amount of benefits which can be claimed annually in one household.

@babyroobs we have 4 children but no childcare costs as I only work school hours. My husband is only on 27k a year at the bottom of band 5, the lowest he can be on. It's a shocking amount of money to start with, but 10% of that goes straight to his pension, then his student loan is deducted etc. We only get £30 a week in tax credits but it pays for school lunches for our eldest

@2bazookas what should she do with her dog?

[quote Tessabelle74]@babyroobs we have 4 children but no childcare costs as I only work school hours. My husband is only on 27k a year at the bottom of band 5, the lowest he can be on. It's a shocking amount of money to start with, but 10% of that goes straight to his pension, then his student loan is deducted etc. We only get £30 a week in tax credits but it pays for school lunches for our eldest[/quote]
Aah ok. At least the pension is a good one, I believe the NHS match it with another 10%.

[quote Butwasitherdriveway]@2bazookas what should she do with her dog?[/quote]
Some kind poster has already posted about not paying for pet insurance because she can have it put to sleep when it becomes ill !!

Wow.

@babyroobs it's a very good pension yes, one of the few reasons for staying in the NHS and not jumping to the private sector, but with the way things are financially, it may be case of him having to do that

[quote Tessabelle74]@babyroobs it's a very good pension yes, one of the few reasons for staying in the NHS and not jumping to the private sector, but with the way things are financially, it may be case of him having to do that [/quote]
If he is newly qualified though there are so many opportunities to climb the ladder as well as earn extra doing unsocial hours. I was a Nurse for 35 years and to be honest it was the male nurses who always climbed the ladder very quickly ( if they wanted to ). I'm not sure why, but they certainly did. I have a friend whose son is a male Nurse - within a couple of years of qualifying he has become a band 6 in his speciality.

Successive governments starting with Blair, have lain waste to the benefits system, picking on easy targets for cuts because it’s too difficult to tackle the real fraudsters. UC is a perfect example of how the more they tinker, the more complicated it gets. The coalition government were very successful in initiating the media campaign to brand all benefit claimants as scroungers in order to get swingeing cuts through, introduce disability benefits designed to withhold support rather than provide it, and in doing so they effectively pulled the safety net out from under every working man and woman in the country - the benefits ‘scrounger’ attitude still prevails today. I’m disabled and despite having worked full time, I have had people shout ‘scrounger’ at me in the street. And while all this is going on, big business, aided and abetted by said governments, pay shite wages so that the tax payer has to pick up the tab in top up benefits - not to mention the astronomical sums landlords are getting from housing benefits. The very system that was designed to support those most in need has been hijacked - don’t see many people carrying banners protesting about that !!

@pam290358

Successive governments starting with Blair, have lain waste to the benefits system, picking on easy targets for cuts because it’s too difficult to tackle the real fraudsters. UC is a perfect example of how the more they tinker, the more complicated it gets. The coalition government were very successful in initiating the media campaign to brand all benefit claimants as scroungers in order to get swingeing cuts through, introduce disability benefits designed to withhold support rather than provide it, and in doing so they effectively pulled the safety net out from under every working man and woman in the country - the benefits ‘scrounger’ attitude still prevails today. I’m disabled and despite having worked full time, I have had people shout ‘scrounger’ at me in the street. And while all this is going on, big business, aided and abetted by said governments, pay shite wages so that the tax payer has to pick up the tab in top up benefits - not to mention the astronomical sums landlords are getting from housing benefits. The very system that was designed to support those most in need has been hijacked - don’t see many people carrying banners protesting about that !!

Nothing infuriates me more than tax payers money in the form of Housing benefit and Universal credit rent element going to enable others to pay off their mortgages on buy to let properties, thus inflating house prices and pushing home ownership further out of reach for others. I too am amazed that there is not more of an outcry over this. The savings thresholds on Universal credit now also mean that with current house prices it is virtually impossible for anyone on UC to save to buy a house. We have a two tier system where those still on tax creidts can have as much in savings as they like and those on UC are penalised for any savings over 6k.

I'm a lone parent with 4 children, ex pays nothing as he has MH issues so is unemployed and hardly sees the kids, I'm working fulltime at the bottom of band 5 in the NHS so take home 1500/month.
My rent is 875 a month for a 3 bed (I'm 'entitled' to a 4 bed) (Midlands) and my landlord has just informed me he wants to put it up to 900 from June 1st. Moving is not an option as I have one doing GCSE's next year and one the year after, schools will not accept transfers from year 10 onwards. Also, my salary multiples don't add up to be able to pay the rent I am paying, let alone any more, so I am effectively unable to move.
I get no housing benefit as our council earnings cap is £16k for any help, I get the council tax 25% discount but that's it.
I shop in Aldi, we have 1 week in a caravan every other year for a holiday, basic tv package, there is nothing left for birthdays, haircuts, new clothes. It all goes on rent, utilities and food. My wages will not increase for 2 years either.

I agree it is ridiculous and frustrating that a single wage cannot meet the basic needs of a family. I'm paying more than half of my take home wages in rent. It also incenses me that their father pays nothing and doesn't have to.

Feel your pain. Have always worked always paid my way. Never seem to have enough money.... not got a fancy house not got fancy things. It sucks the big one op.

I’m on minimum wage no where near as much as you and am always playing catch up. The benefits do t even cover it with my wages, it’s just me and 2dc, cheep rent (A’s house is damp and falling to bits) I work hard and my heart breaks every day as I feel I am failing my children. I’ll never get over what a aquatence said a year or two ago ‘well your a single mum, you’ll never have a good life’ it’s very true for me indeed no mater how hard I work.

as many have mentioned the cost of housing is crippling otherwise most people would be ok (not rich but doing fine). My 1st house the mortgage was nearly half my wages and got into debt. I sold up out of the South East and managed to buy with less than a third on housing costs (over hundred miles away). It was a change of job but my quality of life is so much better . Best move I ever did and am now almost debt free. Obviously OP's circumstances are unique to each person. I would suggest cutting back where you can and hope to progress onto a higher salary.