to think 40k isn't *that* high a salary?

[HexagonalQueenOfTheSummer]

Someone I know is constantly boasting that their DH earns 40k per year. Every time I meet up with her (she is in a group of friends), she will drop it into the conversation at every available opportunity. If someone admires something she's wearing she will say something like "well it was from X shop but I can afford stuff like that as DH earns 40k a year". It's difficult to explain how she does it, but somehow she manages to mention it several times each time I've seen her, not just to me but to everyone.

Now I know 40k is a decent wage compared to some, but its not that good really is it? Certainly not a wage to boast and brag about. By the time they've paid their rent (it's 1k per month, she's told us all that several hundred times too), bills and other things I wouldn't think they're left with a huge amount.

I really couldn't give a monkeys what anyone else earns but I'm just surprised that she seems to think its so unusual and so worth bragging about.

doesnotgiveafig - Many people on mumsnet seem to be very well off and have no idea how that is not common - I know this not just anecdotally but from statistics. Statistically £40k is a good wage.

Love in: Vulgar to boast about money at all, but you're right, £40k really isn't that much anyway

OP: I don't think anyone on here has looked down on anyone earning less than 40k

??

Laquitar has hit the nail on the head.
No wonder people are so feckin' miserable if they don't accept when things are going well or they're afraid to celebrate it for fear of people seeing them as being vulgar.

Life is hard and short. Shout every success from the roof tops I say. And surround yourself with folk who want to celebrate with you!!!

Isn't a 40K salary still in the 20% tax band?

LoveIn :)

It's different on an anonymous forum - it's a way of providing comparison without associating with your normal self.

It was just quite funny to read :o

40K with two parents working is different because half of it will go to childcare. With a SAHM is not bad imo.

£40k puts you in about the top 10% of employed people I think, so sounds good to me.

orm when I started working full time I booked tea ot the Ritz for my Mum and me. And my Mum told every waiter that her daughter had just started work in the city . I earned £16!!!

yabu
I think it is a high salary. especially when you think how much the MW is.

Presumably people whose joint salaries add up to £40k actually have a slightly higher take home amount than people where just one earns that, because of tax? Or have I got baby brain?

I find it really bloody demoralising that when we have worked out our maternity leave budget on just DH's salary we have so little left over for either fun stuff (eg the odd lunch out) or emergencies (the boiler packing in). I feel like he earns decent money on paper, it just doesn't seem to translate into much once the mortgage and bills are paid. So many friends seem to have endless glam holidays - I sometimes wonder how they do it. I know we're very lucky to be able to pay the bills but money seems to stretch a demoralisingly short way.

£11,856 with two parents working is different because ALL of it will go to childcare AND still leave a shortfall.

Two lots of personal allowance.

I'd love to see those who are saying "Oh, but £40K isn't that much really, is it?" trying to survive on NMW.

I confess to having been bursting with self-importance when DH got his first proper teaching job so that our joint income went up to what I thought was outrageous amounts! But much as I'd have liked to boast I refrained because that was how I was brought up - light/bushel sort of thing. Money is not a fit subject for conversation amongst friends (unless you are whingeing light-heartedly about being broke) .

Anyway we still seem to have much less spare income than most people we know though And that's what counts really.

Two lots of personal allowance is worth, erm, not very much when you are on a wage that doesn't cover basic living expenses. Which £40K does.

word - I'd have loved to say I worked 'in the city' regardless of my income. It just sounds so important! In fact as it is I have never even worked in a city, let alone the city!

heaxagonal - I have posted a link on mumsnet last week showing that the national average salary for plumbers is 28k - from national government stats. I understand in some areas of the country it will be much higher. But from friend who is a plumber, says that people who trained up as plumbers recently - there are a lot - have driven wages down.

I agree, it's not that high to brag about. I suppose it must seem high to her, individual circumstances and all that.

But she's more unreasonable and vulgar to be boasting at all, whatever the amount.

I should imagine she came from a very poor family when she was young . I have a friend like this who was telling me her dh earnt 32k like it was millions .. I felt a bit sad for her because she was very poor when she was young and is proud of him . But no 40 k isn't much especially if you live where I do .!!!

*I agree, it's not that high to brag about. I suppose it must seem high to her, individual circumstances and all that.

But she's more unreasonable and vulgar to be boasting at all, whatever the amount.*

ROFL at the vulgarity of your statement!

See I was brought up amongst the properly poor. If anyone got some cash, it was celebrated loud and clear. And everyone was chuffed for the person who got it.

I still treat all good fortune the same way. It would feel ungracious not to.

I'v enever understood the whole keeping things secret. It's not like poor people don't know. They may be poor but they aint thick.

And anyway, in my experience getting any decent amount of money together takes a fuck of a lot of work and risk and stress. So what's the point of that if you're then going to pretend that you don't have any?

But I would have to tell her to shut up of she repeatedly went on about it ..

bish what on earth is sad, about being happy that you're no longer poor and being proud of your DH????

DoesNotGiveAFig and anyone else I've offended - yes, sorry, I've already apologised for how my first post came across - it wasn't meant like that (I was posting in a hurry on my phone - always a mistake when trying to get a delicate point across ). It was supposed to put across that £40k is hardly banker's bonuses territory - good salary but not yachts or Dior (and based on our budgeting, probably not a small rowing boat or Boden either, unless we are just unusually useless with money ).

Interesting re plumbers - I had always wondered if the whole "oh, all plumbers are on £60k, we should all retrain" was slightly bollocks. Looks like it is!