How do middle-class people attain those lifestyles?

[YourPoisedFinch]

Young professionals on 30k a year, multiple holidays a year, parties, concerts, outings etc. ... how do they afford it?

What's your situation op? Are you comparing like for like? Are you the same age? In a professional role?

Dh and I had quite a bit of disposable income pre kids because we had a smaller house and very little expenditure so we were able to have quite a few holidays. As soon as the babies came along our costs went up (didn't want to drive them around in an old banger, needed a bigger house etc) and I went part time and we were utterly skint for some time. We've come out the other side of that now and also our salaries have gone up. We both had professional jobs but both have traditionally working class backgrounds. You'd probably describe us as middle class though now. Not sure wealth has anything to do with class anyway these days...nor does being in a professional role either.

No children

Credit cards, inheritance, always being in work from 18 with no break or no student loans, parents paying for things?? There's all sorts of ways people appear to have more disposable income than you expect.

Where do they live, with parents, mortgage, rent etc?

Earn more than you think
Credit cards
Inheritance
Bank of mum and dad
No kids
Renting and no property maintenance

The answer to this question is always the same.

Between one and all of they've got more money than you think, the things you mention cost less than you think, and some people carry debt.

Worth pointing out as well you're seeing the expensive things they do not the cheap things. So if they got really budget flights and stayed on a friend's floor, you probably won't pick up on that part of the trip.

My daughter falls in that bracket. Partner’s parents are in a position to hand over a house deposit beyond my wildest dreams so no frantic saving. I’m torn between being really proud and happy for her, she has worked hard to establish herself professionally, and really a bit jealous.

My husband was born middle class but I'm very working class, it's been obvious throughout our marriage that we just have different attitudes to money. I will spend what I have and not really save much, he will save a lot and works very hard, I don't really know if we're middle class now but I can definitely see a difference between my childhood and what we can do for our son, multiple festivals etc isn't something I would have ever dreamed of before.
That being said I'm convinced a lot of what people do now is credit cards and Klarna, I'm guilty of it myself.

Which people and which age.
I rememeber when I was 'young' early 20s, rent was low as lived in a house share. My dad was still giving me money for travelling and holidays and cars and I also had a shit ton of credit card and loan debt.
Had a much more fun lifestyle than now, but I had minimal overheads, access to credit and when you are that age you can find a lot of free drinks events, I had friends who worked in high end restaurants or other industries where we would get invited to free drinks events and parties. I worked in sales for a media company and we went all over the world basically for free and fully paid for. Went to Monico, Marrakech, Milan, Rome, Barcelona all on thr company fully paid for all food and drinks and late partying with clients.

I used to go to ibiza every summer and blow my bonus, once spent 10k in a week there, buying VIP tables and champagne. We eould always get invited by men to things for free, we spent a day on a super yaght once with a bunch of guys who just wanted some prettg girls to make them look good. I ate in high end restaurants weekly but never paid a penny, was all friends getting us chef tables or taking clients out.

I do think about if I had been sensible then I could have been in a much better position now though!! Although, I did have the time of my life doing it so....

How do you know they’re only earning £30k?

That’s only £4K above minimum wage. £30k isn’t a middle class young professional salary.

My graduate starting salary over 20 years ago was more than that.

if they are middle class it's likely general wealth.

generational!

It’s kids that cost money. When I go on holiday with my kids and my partner (we don’t live together no shared finances) , I’m always struck by how much cheaper the trip is for him. He pays for one flight, I pay for 3, so my travel costs alone are 3 times what his are. At home I’d say more than 50% of the driving (and therefore petrol costs) relate to DS2’s sport. The heating has to be on at home when the kids are home, even though I’m at work. They each have a phone and an Xbox, both of which end up needing upgrading every 3 years or so. My own phone is old and cheap. The amount teenage boys eat is phenomenal. We have family season tickets to a local team that I wouldn’t have if I was on my own.
Looking back at my single youth, the only extra cost I had then that I don’t have now was pubs, clubs, restaurants etc. I never really had any money worries when I lived alone in a small rented terrace in my 20s and early 30s.

Credit cards.
Or they don't put anything into savings.
Or they live with their parents.
Or they earn more than £30k.
Or £30k is their trainee salary and they know they'll be on £70k in a year or two.

People earn more than you think

Not really salaries are pretty crap in the UK. Earning over 100k puts you in the 4% or so of earners so the majority aren't on that & those that are aren't mainly 30...

I'm not young or professional, and not sure what class I'm part of.
We are childfree and have saved enough to have income from rentals. I work part time and do what I want at any time.
Having a kid costs £230,000 to raise to 18.
I chose a peaceful life instead.

Also a lot will depend on housing costs, are they renting or own & crucially when did they get on the ladder.

My DS earns in excess of 50k per year and a hefty bonus .Still in his 20s works for a multi national company .I dont think 30k is a "professional " wage these days .Many like him I expect .

In my 20s, I had a lodger and a lot of friends living in places you'd want to go on holiday.

trainees straight out of Uni are on £35k-£40k with pay rises of a few thousand every year, so looking at £50-£60k after 3/4 years since leaving Uni.

Thats really only a 10k increase after allowing for inflation plus 40% tax on that increase.

Yes my dc earn this. Have own flat with their partner in London, money in savings, pay into pension, travel 5 or 6 times a year. No children!!!

Not ever having used a credit card isn't a flex when you're receiving £500 and £1000 here and there!

Maybe in the south they're on a lot more than £30k, it's not true everywhere else.
If you look at any standard job site the graduate and entry level jobs outside London aren't that much. Marketing manager jobs are £30-35k for example and you wouldn't be walking into that in your early 20s.

I think it’s probably quite difficult for a single person, anywhere. But a couple each earning £35,000 are going to have a household income of around £4,700 a month. Making up an example and taking Leeds as the home of two mid-late twenty-something creatives working in brand marketing or communications or tech or design with that household income, renting a stylish city-centre apartment: they’d be spending about £1,000 a month on rent, perhaps another £500 total for their utilities and broadband and phones etc, they’re right in the centre of things so no major transport costs. Between them, they’ve still got over £3,000 a month to save and spend. And no children to finance. A spare £36,000 a year covers a hell of a lifestyle.

Depends what area they are living and how well they can budget. In my friendship group we dont earn as well as some of our friends but we live in a cheaper area, our child is school going age so have no childcare fees, we're both minimalist in terms of beauty/clothing so we tend to have more nights out/ holidays than the rest of our group.