How much do you earn and are you struggling?

[AG1210]

touchy subject I know.

we have a monthly income of just under £3000. We have 2 kids.

DH earns just under £2000 a month.

ds gets DLA, I get carers allowance, child benefit, small amount of tax credits and £30 PW maintenance off ds's dad (he probs should be paying more but I haven't got the energy to sort this!) brings us to just under £3000 a month.

but we are always skint!!

house is mortgaged and it's currently £350pcm which is cheap. If we were renting we'd be on our knees. But we've had a lot of necessary house repairs in the last year which hasn't helped - boiler and heating repairs etc.

we don't spend about our means.

like anyone, bills have shot up but we have been struggling for a while, so even more so now. Always over drawn by the end of the month.

we don't spend above our means. Don't go out to eat, drink alcohol or smoke.

we also run 2 cars. we took out a loan for our newer family car (not brand new!) which we are still paying back. The other was bought outright 15 years ago before dh met me. . 2 cars is a necessity where we live as there is little public transport and dh works unsociable hours. But if dh car goes wrong (it's not looking good atm) we are screwed as can't afford another. This is a big chunk of our income gone.

we have some credit card debt - about 2 grands worth buy could be worse I guess.

we've cancelled Netflix and other subscriptions.

not had a holiday in 7 years.

we have recently spent our on annual passes to a local theme park which cost nearly £200 but thankfully they are valid for a year and it's only a few miles away so will give us something to do with the kids at the weekends - hopefully they don't get bored of it.

made cut backs with food. Food has gone up but I'm buying less to compensate.

how do you get by each month?

we shouldn't be struggling so much should we?! Is this just life for everyone now?

I totally appreciate that there are families much less off than us and I can fully sympathise.

I am just at a loss on what to do.

there's just always something extra we have to pay out for too!!

any money saving tips??

@Keyboardconundrum221 their advice isn't really helpful either though is it - be mortgage free and then sit under blankets, don't go out or go on holiday. Everyone should be hoping for more than that in life surely?

berksandbeyond why are you being so unpleasant? They were very kind to share how they manage on their low wage. You have absolutely no idea why they're on a low income. I actually found their post really helpful. I have a chronic disease which is making my working life really difficult however I know that the nature of the illness means I'll never qualify for PIP. We might have to survive off DHs wage. Of course I 'hope for more' from life but this is the reality and its actually a huge comfort to know that we would be ok. We could still pay the bills, eat and keep the roof over our heads.

The OP might also have found their advice useful, the OP is struggling and the poster pointed out some ways to save money, to be more frugal and to not have to get into debt. They also shared advice on how they managed when their DC were young. You've contributed nothing but a snide remark.

@Keyboardconundrum221
Ok, if you think it's helpful to know you can survive on £1200 a month when you don't have a mortgage, then I am glad that helped you 🤷🏼‍♀️

berksandbeyond yes it was very helpful. Even without a mortgage you'd have to budget carefully on £1200 as the poster described. I really don't understand your issue.

Have a detailed budget is where you need to start. Be totally honest and realistic and you should be able to figure out where your money is really going.

agree that sounds dire

One persons dire is another persons bliss.
A simple life can equal happiness.
High earners with a two hour commute or city workers living in a house share might long for privacy , freedom, and fresh air.

A simple life pottering in a South facing garden, time to cook simple meals with fresh ingredients, no car but ability to walk to the shop with your basket, chat with your local shopkeepers, time to enjoy long dog walks or just enjoy rambling in the park or woods .
Many people with a healthy bank balance choose a simple life.

Note the "not struggling".
Peace of mind is extremely important and more valuable than a new car on finance.

I earn £6k take home a month and my husband around £3k at the moment as he’s just changed careers. I budget TO THE PENNY, but we are really feeling the pinch. Our biggest killer is a £1200 nursery fee, increasing mortgage interest rates which hiked our mortgage up £400 a month. Our weekly shopping budget is around £100-£150 and we shop at Aldi. Life is hard at the moment and it’s not fun. I feel for families having to choose whether to eat or feed their kids, the government have to do something to save our country.

I earned £11K last year. That's not a typo. Yes, we are struggling. We claim UC (we did claim tax credits before then but it wasn't enough) so get about £1.5 - 2 grand a month altogether. We have applied for DLA for our ds, who has ADHD and struggles with school, homework, social skills etc etc, so dh doesn't work. He was made redundant after COVID and is now his main carer; however, we haven't yet heard anything from the DWP regarding the claim so can't yet apply for carers' allowance.

Ah sorry I've just seen the dates of this thread. @conjourbonjour why resurrect a thread from almost a year ago just to show off how much you earn with your fake, "Look how much I care about the poor people," post?

Oh whoops I didn’t even realise (as you didn’t either)! It was on the bottom list. Hilarious that you think I’m showing off hahahaha brilliant.