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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:
EnglishGirlApproximately · 03/09/2012 09:45

Obviously we cook from scratch not cok Blush

Lancelottie · 03/09/2012 09:47

Yes, it's doable (have just spent a week visiting a friend who lives on just less than that). Veggie food pretty much essential, she says, as is scrupulous budgeting and buying everything week to week in cash but standing bills on internet with lowest deals possible.

She does run a car on that BUT bought it a few years ago when she had a higher income. She'd also furnished the house, bought decent kitchen equipment etc before her current circumstances kicked in.

JumpingThroughMoreHoops · 03/09/2012 09:47

A family on 20K will also scoop up child benefit and tax credits.

15K as a single person would depend where you live. You would probably be entitled to HB. Or if you lived up country, housing costs are much cheaper. 1 bed flat to rent round these parts (London) would be in the region of £700pcm.

Hammy02 · 03/09/2012 09:47

I can't see how she'd be able to rent/buy on her own on 15K a year. Even in the North, I had to house share on 20k a year. Unless she would be happy to work to literally live. eg, no nights out, no holidays etc.

MannyFagnet48 · 03/09/2012 09:48

My DH earns 15k a year and i am a SAHM for my DS.

We rent and have a car to pay for but we do not go on any holidays, a trip to the zoo is a luxury but we are happy.

It is possible and i think that you are being very judgemental.

qo · 03/09/2012 09:48

I live on less than that with a family of 4!

OwlLady · 03/09/2012 09:48

It does depend where you live

PureMorning · 03/09/2012 09:51

Our 20k a year includes our tax credit we don't get housing benefit and live in the south east.
It all about priority's and budgeting. You soon get used to your budget

By government standards we live in poverty but we run a car, have no debts, kids are in clubs and we don't live of smart price lentils and tap water.

I guess we are classed as the working poor, most families i know earn the same or less and get by

Ephiny · 03/09/2012 09:51

My PhD stipend is only a little more than this. I manage to pay my half of the mortgage and household expenses out of it, plus my travel. I can't really save anything, though fortunately DH has a good job and is saving a reasonable amount.

I also worked for years before the PhD and was able to save for the deposit for our house, and build up savings in my own right (enough to comfortably live on for at least a year), If we didn't already have the house plus savings, I would not have felt secure going onto such a low income.

But then as a PhD student I'm not eligible for any kind of tax credits or benefits, or even statutory maternity pay/allowance, which a minimum wage employee would presumably get.

Toastwithatwist · 03/09/2012 09:52

Is the £15k the take home amount? Or before tax amount?

Anyway, I get just under that as actual money - I rent on my own, run a car, insure and care for a cat, and am managing to work part time and self fund a PhD part time. I could (should) be better with my money than I am. It can be done, but it will depend very much on where you live / what your expectations are.

bronstersaurus · 03/09/2012 09:55

I'm a lone parent, with 2 preschool age children, and currently on benefits.

The total amount we get (this INCLUDES housing benefit) is £17k a year.

I manage to run a car and pay the bills, we are well fed and well dressed. I think I'm quite good with money though - it certainly isn't a fortune, and we have no savings, but it is liveable. Cannot wait until I get back into work though.

squeakytoy · 03/09/2012 09:56

Perfectly feasible for a single person with no children. A car is a luxury not a
necessity anyway.

Is there a reason why you think she will not earn above the minimum wage, or will not get on with others?

Also, many single people get extra jobs in the evening working in bars etc to top up their wages.

LST · 03/09/2012 09:56

I earn 11k and DP earns 8k.

We have a ha property but pay full rent and bills, a car and we have a small zoo Hmm and one dc. We get by ok. Sometimes some months are a bit tight though.

Wigglewoo · 03/09/2012 09:57

My dh is on 14k, I'm a sahm, we have dd aged 9 and ds 11 weeks. We get taxc credits, child benefit and my ex pays £200 a month maintenance for dd. We have a mortgage of 390 a month and one family car - a renault megane 1.4.

We manage really well. We save £100 a month, we shop at alid's and tesco's. We save for things we need including holidays. Yes I could work but I'd rather be pittance poor than work - beentheredonethat when dd was small working 40 hrs a week earning 35k and chucked it in as I was miserable. Much happier like this. We have no debt and no credit cards.

Yorkpud · 03/09/2012 09:57

I lived off this when I was single and lived in a house share in London (£220 a month in rent and about £100 a month on public transport). It was a while ago now though so costs are much higher now.

EnglishGirlApproximately · 03/09/2012 09:57

We don't get tax credits as I will work for 3 months of the year and that takes us well above the cut off.

I'm surprised people think you can't live on that as a single person, particulary in the north. You can rent a 1 bed flat in a nice area near me for £350. I think you have to adjust your expectations. You won't be buying new clothes every week and going out drinking every weekend but you can have a decent lifestyle.

Ephiny · 03/09/2012 09:58

Why do you think she won't earn more than £15k anyway?

almapudden · 03/09/2012 09:58

I earned 17k the year I left uni. I shared a flat with a friend. I managed to save enough to spend a month in Paris and the US, but it was tight. Couldn't have done it with children, or in London.

GobblersKnob · 03/09/2012 09:59

It's a while ago now, but 12 years ago I lived alone quite happily on £10.5K, quite expensive rent too but no car.

Still managed to spend my weekends clothes shopping and going out plus I had a dog to feed Grin, that said I didn't eat much myself.

Teeb · 03/09/2012 10:01

Do you mean 15k from working, or 15k all in every income stream going? I imagine if you are on 15k annual wages but have child benefit, housing benefit, working tax credits on top you might be getting a lot closer to 20k in reality.

EdgarAllanPond · 03/09/2012 10:03

if you have kids, you get extras like CHB and CTX - if you don't you can manage. that is slightly under the typical full time wage at my place of work.

people manage. they still go out, have holidays etc.

mercibucket · 03/09/2012 10:03

A single person could live ok on this, esp if they ditched the car. Sadly though, she might need to re-adjust her expectations wrt house sharing if she wants to save a bit. But how about career planning so she doesn't end up on the minimum wage? Maybe a job she can emigrate with?

Families usually get more once cb and tax credits are factored in, plus the things you don't get as cash in hand but might count like not paying council tax if on benefits, free school meals if on is etc.

Birdsgottafly · 03/09/2012 10:06

I have just worked out, based on the average rent for a flat in my region that you would have £173 a week left after rent etc.

The difference is whether you have anyone who can help with furniture.

Starting off on your own would mean that credit may have to be used and so you would have to be very disciplined with repayments.

spoonsspoonsspoons · 03/09/2012 10:08

I'm presuming the op is takling about 15k before tax.

This is more like 12k net income

lopsided · 03/09/2012 10:10

Ephiny, Phd students do not pay tax or NI on their stipend though.

A family has much greater access to benefits. I think the Joseph R foundation said that the working poor were most likely to be singles. I would think with current rents it would have to be a house share.