“100k isn’t a big salary”

[cadburyegg]

I’ve just logged onto instagram and YET AGAIN a post comes up headed “100k isn’t a big salary, here’s why”. I’m so sick of seeing it. Most of us earn nowhere near 100k. I don’t spend my time moaning on instagram about how hard done by I am and there aren’t news articles about it. I don’t even feel like I AM hard done by. I feel lucky to be earning less than half that and to have a reasonable flexible job. I’m not going to the press saying poor me poor me because I don’t feel sorry for myself. Yet there seems to be shitloads of “awareness” posts about how shit it is for high earners and how it’s so sad they don’t have free childcare. I know people can have high expenses and I know it’s all relative and I’m probably overreacting but I seriously do not care anymore. It doesn’t mean the salary isn’t high. I’m so sick of seeing these out of touch posts. 🤯

I think because you’ve been on the other end of things, you are probably more careful with your money and appreciate it more, whereas people who have always has money ‘expect’ a certain lifestyle and feel hard done by if they have to go without.

I was in a lot of debt when I was younger so appreciate my salary now and still don’t spend it just because I have it.

Yes, 100k is a lot. And anyone who thinks it isn't has simply got used to a particular standard of living.
If I were on 100k, it would be a life changer.

At the risk of being jumped on by other commenters it’s not a big or huge salary. My husband earns just shy of 100k and we don’t live a fancy life at all and nor are we reckless.
We live right on the edge of London, in a very deprived area, have a single 10 year old car and shop in the cheaper supermarkets. We don’t go out to eat every weekend and nor do we shop at expensive clothes stores. Our children’s clothes are from Asda and we certainly cannot afford to send them to private school as much as we would like to. We don’t have gym memberships, we work out at home using YouTube clips. We don’t have a cleaner / gardener and we have sim only phone deals which are less than £10 pm.
I have 2 autoimmune conditions and as a result I’m generally always cold. In autumn / winter I often wear a jacket in the house.
I feel incredibly guilty for spending money when going out.

Also before it’s suggested my husband has a very detailed spreadsheet of all our outgoings and we are not spending money where it could be saved. We also currently have no savings.

I strongly agree though that it’s relative of where you live and what your outgoings are as to how your salary is spent.

No point hating on people who earn more as they pay more taxes and don’t get very much back in return. Everyone is struggling within their own circumstances of which no one really knows or could understand.

Focus should directed towards the people running the country who are handling the people’s money without thought and where it’s needed the most resulting in reckless spending.

Perhaps we should also be more upset that they have two homes and claim expenses on everything rather than living off their tax payer funded salary, like the rest of us are required too.

The focus of everyone in my opinion is directed in the wrong place.

I'm retired now but it's more than twice what I was earning before I retired. I was a teacher and a single parent for many years. You are earning a lot more than most people.

@frozendaisy
tbf, I won’t be ‘choosing’ to pay £4k in childcare costs. It’s the choice of me able to work and be a taxpayer in a career I’ve worked to build up for 20 years vs. Not working (and then probably needing some government assistance).

I’d agree with you but… if paying childcare it doesn’t go as far as you think (particularly without any tax free childcare or free hours).

In London / South East with two in nursery you might need to spend £40-50k a year. Which is why they complain.

TBH I only think I’ve seen people complaining on these salaries when they have childcare costs.

So £100,000 isn't a big salary yet people harp on about people on benefits l

It is big
You are in the top 4%
that means 96 people in 100 earn less than you

but I do find people at that end often don’t appreciate what they have and are greedy for ever more and often are quite poor at money management and get less value per pound than many people on half their income

yes the childcare cliff egde should be dropped - taper the benefit for anyone earning over 90k shoukd sort that and perhaps tighten pension rules here

Objectively speaking, it's more than the vast majority of people in this country earn, so it is hard to argue that it isn't a high salary.

I think the issue is that people make expensive lifestyle choices and then wonder where their money has gone. I mean, if you choose to live in London, it will cost you much more than if you live elsewhere.

OP, like many people you think 100k is rich but it isnt anymore thanks to inflation and cost of living. A salary of £100k in 2000 is now worth £53k. Ask anyone if they feel rich on 53k.
100k used to be some golden salary which probably meant you could have a stay at home parent, kids in private school etc. Now in London it’s essential to still have two people working even if one earns 100k because everything costs so much and the Tories decided to tax people even more after this arbitrary point and also remove childcare help. Now more than ever, no one wants to earn 100k because it’s not worth it. It’s ridiculous.

Telegraph article explains it all https://archive.ph/Y7EAi

unfortunately we have ALL gotten poorer thanks to economic conditions and fiscal drag. You may not like people ‘complaining’ but their reality is valid as much as anyone else’s.

I earn significantly less than you, live in a mortgage free 4 bed detached house in a nice area, have no childcare costs and am very comfortable.

Our biggest monthly outgoing is council tax and we live nowhere near London. I have a senior railcard,a free bus pass, and our solar panels mean that we have very low energy bills.

No apologies for sounding smug, but I wanted to show that a lot of it is relative. I earn less but have minimal outgoings.

Yes exactly. Our joint income is about 120k and we have a ten year old car, self catering holidays, buy everything from vinted and shop in Aldi. I'm not complaining, we obviously have enough but it's hardly a luxe lifestyle. The goalposts have shifted loads over the last 10/20 years.

There are a very small percentage at the very top who don't get enough scrutiny imo.

@cadburyegg Comsole yourself in the sure and certain knowledge that there are a lot of fuckwits on the internet, and that poster is just one of a never-ending parade of them.

I am intrigued to know which jobs these people do - l am on less than a fifth of that and l live in the south east.
Totally agree op .

Just block them and say you don't want to see posts like that.

This. It can make a difference how salary is divided too. E.g. one person working on 100k supporting family has around £10k less post-tax income than say two people suppprting family earning £50k each.

They're not earning £100k salaries then though, they're earning considerably less than that as individuals.

It’s all relative. We live in the SE. £100k on a professional salary is not a huge amount.

You couldn't get a £600k mortgage on a salary of £100k so that's nonsense.

It’s a massive salary, especially compared to the average.
But it still doesn’t get you a lot, if you live in an expensive area. 4.5x gets a 450k mortgage, which is a two bed flat at a push where I am.

Honestly, OP, you need to learn the art of eye-rolling and scrolling past the stupid idiots.

There are always plenty of twonks who do not live in the real world and are absolutely blind to the world around them. Feel sorry for them, not envious.

I knew this would happen... people coming on the thread to say 'Oh actually, £100k isn't really all that much'.

I have childcare costs too. Childcare isn't a concern for only people on higher salaries. That's the point.
We still have to put a roof over our heads, pay for good and childcare. Having 100k allows you to do that a LOT more easily.

I agree, the point I was making was that amount of money doesn't go far. They will be no better off in five years if BF (son in law by then) has increased his earnings to £120,000, which is realistic for him, and dd has given up work to be a sahm. In fact they are likely to be worse off in that situation than with a combined income of the same amount.

Also, living in London or other pricey areas doesn't mean you suddenly get £100k salary. All it means is that it's much, much harder when you're on lower