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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to wonder how anyone can live off 15k a year?

116 replies

SheelaNeGig · 03/09/2012 09:28

Is minimum wage actually doable?

I mean, can you pay rent, run a car, eat, ordinary bills etc. Nothing fancy, just live. Can it be done?

Is it feassble for a single person with no children?

And if not what the bloody hell do you do?

OP posts:
ethelb · 03/09/2012 09:29

If you were a single person sharing a house it is possible. My DP did it on £16k a year in Guildford before he moved in with me. No car though!

He paid a lot into a pension too.

BeeBee12 · 03/09/2012 09:30

Yeah cause people can live on that.Loads of people I know live on the minimum wage.Its good if your on your own as you dont need muchbjust money to get pissed on the weekend.

horsey01 · 03/09/2012 09:31

I used to before marriage and dc. I earned £800 pm and had a car loan of £80 to pay out of that plus a 60 mile round trip commute. It wasn't easy and of course things are more expensive now.

horsey01 · 03/09/2012 09:32

Also had own home although cheap mortgage about £260 pm.

PureMorning · 03/09/2012 09:33

We are a family of four on 20k

You cope because you have to.

Original poster
SheelaNeGig · 03/09/2012 09:33

Just pessimistically planning ahead for DD2s future.
If she ever leaves home that is......

OP posts:
anairofhope · 03/09/2012 09:34

My dh earns that and keeps me and ur two children and a house and pays petrol for car. But we both have no pention or savings and Asda and Primart are our best friends. Its not glam but doable. Our mortage is under £300 so we couldnt rent anywhere cheaper its the only thing making it doable.

Teeb · 03/09/2012 09:34

I think it is doable, particularly if you are single. People learn to live within their means, and if you don't have the cash you suddenly realise you don't actually need the iphone, ipad, new car, expensive bottle of wine, face cream that won't actually do anything.

OutragedAtThePriceOfFreddos · 03/09/2012 09:35

It's perfectly doable for a single person with no dependants, but a family with that income would get benefits I would have thought?

Lovelygoldboots · 03/09/2012 09:36

I think this depends on how much your rent is and how much it costs to get to work. My DP brings in £25k a year and I am a SAHM to three. Obviously we have tax credits and child benefit but we just about manage and my dp has a works van. Our mortgage isn't too much either as we have had the house for a while before DP's.

Bossybritches22 · 03/09/2012 09:38

Me + 2 DD's live on about that ..bloody tight but we manage. Once I've paid off all the post divorce debts it'll be a bit easier!

Get a bit fed up of rice +pasta on occasion though! :D

RuleBritannia · 03/09/2012 09:38

My income is £16,000 and I manage (but I don't have to pay rent or mortgage) and run a car and have a far flung holiday at least once a year.

Lovelygoldboots · 03/09/2012 09:39

I mean DC's!

TeWiDoesTheHulaInHawaii · 03/09/2012 09:39

Yes, a family on that income would definately get tax credits and possibly housing benefit. A single person probably wouldn't.

Have a look at how much a room in a shared house is locally.

confusedpixie · 03/09/2012 09:39

Dp and I are in a house share, I'm on 13k, he's a student with full loans. We can afford nice food, a nice (slightly expensive) share and a few hobbies each though have struggled this summer with no loans coming in for him even with him working part time like I do.

it's definitely possible without kids if you're happy to house share and meal plan!

BedHog · 03/09/2012 09:41

It's perfectly doable if you live somewhere that doesn't have extortionate rents or house prices like London, Surrey etc.

confusedpixie · 03/09/2012 09:41

I forgot to add, we have one car that I pay for mostly between us and don't really drink, our drinking money hours on local events and weekly take outs!

Original poster
SheelaNeGig · 03/09/2012 09:42

I don't think she could house share. I can't imagine anyone unrelated putting up with her.

OP posts:
Birdsgottafly · 03/09/2012 09:42

It depends on where you live and what you are used to, single people on benefits recieve £3510 a year in their hand, so get a min wage job and you consider yourself doing well.

I lived on IS for a while, i still marvel at being able to go and buy carpets/furniture because i couln't even start to plan my house out. I lived hand to mouth.

£15K is easily managable if you don't have to run your own home and can be done without the 'frills' if you do.

EnglishGirlApproximately · 03/09/2012 09:42

We're living on not much more than that at the moment as I'm on maternity leave.

It's fine. We pay our bills no problem, eat well, ds has everything he needs, we run 1 car and can afford the odd takeaway.

For a single person it wouldn't be a problem. I suppose it depends on your lifestyle. We cok from scratch, don't have any loans, cc's or anything on finance. Even when I'm at work we don't spend much more. We just don't buy stuff we don't need.

15k is a bit more than minimum wage though. Minimum wage is nearer 12.5k.

GoldPlatedNineDoors · 03/09/2012 09:42

OP minimum wage is £12.5k, not £15k.

DH earns under £15k and we managed while I was on Maternity Leave (and we have a mortgage etc). It was tight, but do-able.

I think if someone is good with money, they are good with whatever amount of money they have. If someone is crap with money, they could earn megabucks and still be up shit creek.

ethelb · 03/09/2012 09:43

£300 mortgage on a family home Shock

My DP was paying £450 pcm in a grubby houseshare miles from his work and had to walk.

Yes it can be done with money left over fro the odd night out but you need to get a bit real about rent and travel costs.

Pekka · 03/09/2012 09:44

I lived on that when I was single. No car though, But I did manage to have a foreign holiday every year. Life wasn't too bad, I was in a shared house and was able to afford nights out, new clothes and didn't really have to look at the price tag when I did groceries.

spoonsspoonsspoons · 03/09/2012 09:44

A couple of years ago they said 14.4k is minimum for a single person to have an acceptable standard of living

(they being joseph rowntree foundation)

TeWiDoesTheHulaInHawaii · 03/09/2012 09:45

Does she have SEN? Might she eligible for DLA or anything ekse that would top up her income enough to afford a bedsit?

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