“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. 🤯

Well yeah, most people don't have a lot after all their tax and bills have gone out 🙄

You still get the benefit of what all those bills are going towards- i.e. a decent house, food, car, ability to turn the heating on without worrying, and even after all essential outgoings its probably still a lot more disposable income than everyone still paying those bills on a third of that.
Or do you think people on £30k get free Internet or something?

I didn't realise most of the 5% population who earn above £100k were on Mumsnet 😂

Anyhow it's all circumstantial. Although I earn well less than half of £100k, I'm a solo parent, no mortgage, holidays during most school terms, Newish 5 bed house and no loans, nor any gov benefits. So swings and roundabouts and all that. No money worries, but not a high spender either, other than holidays. We certainly don't struggle and can't complain.

These types of posts are click bait, you probably know this. Honestly, linked in is a pile of crap atm.

It’s all relative isn’t it? My kids are at private school where their fees are paid for by an inheritance. My DH earns about 100k per year and I earn a LOT less. The vast majority of our friends at the school have at least double, if not triple, our household income….

We don’t really discuss it in all honesty - it’s not anyone’s business, but I think to many of them they would think an 100k salary was crap. Personally I find it pretty appalling how so many key workers are paid so badly and yet other, less valuable industries command astronomical salaries…

Genuinely shocked at that.

I'm a SAHM myself and I only know one other.

Doesn't seem like the norm to only have one person working in a household at all. Unless it suggests that most households have 2 working parents on a much lower wage than average?

My ex (a GP) used to say he was living on ends meat on his salary.
Same man used to order Ubers for most meals for himself daily which easily came to £60 a day. He’d also refuse to take public transport and wore designer brands.

Trust me, without family or a huge bursary, help nobody in London or the South East on £100k has kids at private school.

@daisydayandnight Supply and demand. None of our friends who are running essential services ever wanted the high paying roles. They were not interested. Plus who pays the most tax to pay for the state roles? Oh yes. The highly paid folk. No highly paid people, much lower tax take!

They don’t need to engage with the tax system, it’s of interest to them what other people pay to cover them. Not sure I can actually think of anything more entitled?

Why didn't you quit your job and get your rent paid by the council and your nursery fees paid by the government? If she was clearly living the easy life why not do it too?

These threads always go the same way. Obviously it depends on the essential outgoings. If they are high relative
to your total income, your salary is irrelevant. Also, generally you don’t get paid 100k for nothing. These are usually high stress, high expectation jobs.

I would never post and moan about my salary. Not because I think it’s insensitive, but because it’s total down to me what I earn and spend. If I want to change then it’s my job to fix it.

They already have - two posts above 😠

@cadburyegg OP, I believe this article is from the Telegraph. The Telegraph has chosen to disconnect itself from planet earth, and ascend to its own fictional lala-land where only looney and insane people live.

The Telegraph had this other gem of an article: We earn £345k, but soaring private school fees mean we can’t go on five holidays

No, that article was not satire.

Now, out of touch middle class people will no doubt flood this thread and claim that £100k is not a high salary because that salary gets taxed into oblivion.

Anyone who writes that is a pathological liar.

People pay money into their pension pots by means of salary sacrifice. Salary sacrifice bypasses all tax. So anyone on a £100k salary will not be taxed on all of that money as a substantial sum will be going straight into their pension pot.

I guess I would agree with the statement was then qualified by something to the effect of £100k not being very much for the CEO of [insert name of FTSE 100 company, Microsoft etc]

Stop spending so much then. My partner and I combined bring in 80-90k (varies due to self employment) and we’ve been on/are going on 3 months worth of holiday this year including several long haul, exotic destinations. And we live in London! If you want holidays prioritise putting money aside for them. I don’t believe you have nothing spare for a week in Spain on upwards of 125k take home unless you’ve saddled yourself with an enormous mortgage, in which case it’s entirely down to your own choices.

That article was fake - the interviewee was making it up to troll the telegraph and demonstrate how ridiculous this narrative is

£100k is like winning the Lotto to many of us minions....there now, does that make you feel better?

I dunno about that, Starmer will have to find a way to fund increasing benefits, I believe a reduction in benefits was decided against - last week? https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq6my6v81z4o.amp

There will be a number of nhs workers who are topped up by universal credit, and even teachers if they are single parents. No idea why you’re making it seem so crazy.

But 100k isn't a big salary, if you live in London or the SE, where most jobs paying those salaries will be located.

You're taking home just over £5500 a month from that salary after tax, but you'll also be paying into a pension, so it will be less than that.

Average rent for a two bed flat in London is about £2500, before council tax and bills. So that's well over half your salary gone on rent and bills. If you've got a child in nursery, that's another £1000 at the bare minimum. Leaving you with about £1000 or less a month to buy all food and essentials, pay towards any student debt or other debt, and put some money by.

If you've got two earners on £100k in a household in London, or you're earning £100k in a part of the country where rent is £1000 per month, you should be having a very good quality of life, sure.

But if you're the sole earner for a family in London on £100k, you're going to be struggling to put anything by month to month.

And when you consider that many jobs that pay £100k+ do so because they require very long hours and a lot of stress, it's no surprise that people on that salary might feel a bit aggrieved that their hard work and stress doesn't get them a particularly luxurious lifestyle in some parts of the country - contrary to other people's expectations.

How wealthy you feel is all relative and while I can appreciate it might feel galling to see people on considerably more money than you complaining that their salaries don't go very far, it doesn't make it any less true for those people.

And for those saying 'oh on your 100k salaries paying for private school etc' - I work in a private school and the fees are so high after VAT that the school fees alone are £4k per month now. And that doesn't include lunches, school bus, trips, etc. I can assure you, no one on a £100k salary with a mortgage is able to pay for school fees as a sole earner.

One thing that jumped out at me is Council Tax, I pay £135 a month as a single person living in a Band A in a rough area (think fly tipping, litter strewn streets because our council is bankrupt and there is no money to clean up, visible drug dealing and street drinking ). I pay the same as two people splitting the cost of the council tax for a Band D home. It is a grossly unfair and regressive tax. my pre- income tax income is £21k p.a., so around a fifth of £100k

@lifeonmars100 Do you remember Mrs Thatcher and the poll tax. This was trialled with all adults paying a contribution. Not just a household. What happened? Riots. Read about it! Of course paying should be shared out but it won’t happen.

It really is a lot. Just earning that for one year would change my life.

It's all relative. So, in some circumstances it isn't very much at all.

Yeah, but after a year you'd be up shit creek again. I speak from experience.