Anyone on here on an ‘average’ wage with an ‘average’ job living and ‘average’ life?

[Handcreamqueen]

Before I start, I want to say that I am not knocking anyone. I am just being nosey/inquisitive.

I’ve frequented MN since the birth of my ds, 18 years ago.

Back then I don’t recall people discussing their lifestyle and salaries etc (but maybe I was looking more on the baby topics to much!?).

So many threads these days start with ‘My husband earns over £100k+‘ or ‘We have a joint income of £160k+‘ and asking questions about luxury cars, private schools, exotic holidays etc.
It has me wondering if most Mumsnetters from high earning households these days?

I only work very part time, that’s mainly down to some health issues I suffer from and I also care for my mum who has dementia. DH works very hard as a road engineer and also covers the road gritting in the Winter to boost our income (he loves his job and has been doing it for over 30 years). We have an extended 4 bed semi (which dh built himself to save money), we both drive older (but paid for) cars, own a touring caravan so holiday in the U.K etc. All distinctly average.

Our 18 year old ds is training to be a bricklayer and 15 year old dd is still at school. Neither want or wanted to go to uni.

Before anyone jumps at me though, I’m not jealous or envious, I am happy with my lot and appreciate being a high earner is not all milk and honey (We have a few friends who earn ££££ and know how exhausted they are at times) but it often has me wondering, how many people on MN these days are regular, average earners living a regular life? The average household income is around the £35k mark which puts us just above but not by much. How many of us fall in that category?

Are many of you like us living an average life, not a super earner and have a ‘job’ as opposed to a ‘career’, with an ‘average’ car and ‘average’ house but are happy and content?

Hello to you if you are on here 😊

Single parent on a total of £40k gross

Although we live in a cheaper part of the UK, I feel quite well off and very happy to earn what I do after many many years under £20k

We have a small 3 bed house, we go on holiday once a year and I've taken the kids to Disney world.

Older but still decent car. We never have to worry about affording food or bills and the kids never go without. I do do things on a budget and find ways to save where I can but overall feel very lucky

But don't forget that is after tax and ni

Try this calculator. See where you are.
im bottom 6pc.

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/incomeandwealth/articles/incomespendingandwealthhowdoyoucompare/2022-03-09

New to all this but I would say we are below average, I got a very well paid job BUT after a year I missed weekends with my kids and putting them to bed at night! So took a really but paid TA job and hubby does mornings to be home foe the kids! I am a lot more happier just plodding along

I didn't suggest any such thing. However, anyone who thinks a household income of £100k is anywhere near average is out of touch with reality. But perhaps that just says something about the typical mumsnet demographic.

Ha! I come out at 50% so I guess I am average after all

For a household to be on 35k that id 17.5k per adult. Would 17.5k not be below the minimum wage.

Me. Below average income. I'm a cleaner, single parent, no child maintenance, no car.
We go on holiday to Llandudno.
Shop in Asda and Aldi, walk everywhere, my clothes are eBay or charity shops.

I don't want a career or a fancy anything really. I'm very happy.
Council flat. Allotment. Little dog. Life is beautiful.

Yes but you could have only one earner, 2 pt earners etc

Is it umreasonable that I read the thread title and immediately started humming Denis Leary's Asshole song? 🤣🤣

The OP also posted the median household income, which is £35k. Yours is almost x3 that, and how you 'feel' about it is irrelevant.

Of course you're entitled to post what you want where you want, but don't be surprised if other people suggest that you've missed the entire point of this thread.

kitsuneghost I think with most ‘average’ households one partner works longer hours than the other so that balances those national
average figures out. Most of my friends and family have one partner working more hours than the other.

Is that 35k pre or post tax.

50s divorced live with partner in rented house. No kids one car no holidays or expensive hobbies. No pension. I earn £40k fte which is actually £1200 ish a month as I do 14 hours. Oh I think earns about £36k. Full time we are definitely below average of our neighbours who have Porsche and Tesla Mercedes's cars etc campervans kids and dogs. But I feel we are lucky compared to many people. We don't worry what we spend on food etc but are at the whims of our landlord if he chooses to sell. God knows what happens if we have to retire as we can't pay the rent on state pension

Have you claimed all you are entitled to in benefits, child benefit etc. That seems very low if you have kids. Do you not get any universal credit , help with rent etc. Just full time min wage job plus child benefit for 1 kids is 21500.

@Devilsmommy We are the same. Do you not claim UC as well to top it up because we do?

Are you paying a lot into savings?
As when I put in £100k - 2 adults 2 children. It comes out as top 10pc

Thats because its the net figure you need to put in not the gross.

Anyway it's getting too mathsy on here and derailed from OP so I'm off

I’m below average! Small house, small wage (12k), small & cheap car! Every single thing I have, I save for ages to get! I can pay my bills & have food & a roof over my head.

I’m rich in happiness though & health ok upto now touch wood. I have my DD, my dog & great friends. That’s what really matters to me.

In RL I'm pretty sure earning over 100k puts you in the top 7% or something like that. On MN you could be forgiven for thinking it's an average salary!
My take is that a lot of the time people earning average or low salaries will be doing practical work (cleaning, building, creative industries, nursery/childcare, HCPs, retail, factory, hospitality, teaching etc) and won't have access to their phone/laptop throughout their working day and thus won't participate in the "what do you earn" threads....or when they do, there are already 25 pages of people earning 80k + and they'll self-exclude from that topic.

I earn around 26k, DH is SE and his earnings vary, last year was above average but its not always.
We have 1, maybe 2 holidays a year. This year we went abroad but we don't every year. DD is hoping to go to uni next year and I imagine DS will but they are 4 academic years apart so hopefully won't have 2 at uni at the same time.

They're all on netmums op

In all seriousness though op, I always assume there are a fair proportion of people who are pretty creative with the truth (it not outright fantasists) on Mumsnet. But also I enjoy Mumsnet precisely because the average Mumsnetter writes with more intelligence than you would find on somewhere like (say) netmums, and it's not surprising therefore to find they are more likely to be quite highly educated/high earning.

see I think this sounds unbelievable in the opposite way to all the 'all my circle earn at least £100k/it doesn't go far in London threads.

How can you not even know anyone who earns £30k? It's below the average full time wage and loads of really 'normal' jobs pay that. Do you not know any teachers, nurses, police officers, lower management, local council workers?

Fair enough to say that would be considered a good wage within your social circle but I can't believe it's SO good it's unachievable except for bosses!

I am truly warmed to see so many of us happy and content as average or below average earners. Goes to show many things are more important than money.
I love MN but do occasionally log off believing I’m doing something wrong in my life!

Agreed, even our admin staff earn approx £27k (plus good pension), and most find ways to progress in time

Also dont most people mix socially with a diverse group? I have friends earning millions , friends with inherited wealth and friends scraping by/on benefits . I thought that was fairly normal but maybe it isn't