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

[SheelaNeGig]

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?

I lived in London on 18k a few years ago, as a single twenty something. Shared rented flat, no car just an annual bus pass. Life was fine, I didn't feel too deprived at all and didn't get any handouts from patents other than initial help with deposit on flat.

We also have a car, buy things for dd 7 months old and still managed to go to a festival this year. It definitely is do-able.

£13k ten years ago is more than £15k today in real terms.

Ten years ago as a singleton I could budget £10 a week for food and eat fairly well. Petrol was 75p a litre, I could take £10 out to the pub for an evening and come home with change.

I had a whale of a time on 16k when I left uni. Shared a house with my brother, lived in the city so didn't run a car, bought new clothes, went our every weekend. Can't afford to do that now I'm a proper grown up. Those were the best times!

a single parent with 2 kids working 16 hours at nmw living in social housing wouldnt be getting much more than this inc all benefits/ctc/wtc/cb/hb/ctc but excluding any maintainance recived.

so clearly it can be done

Is the single parent getting the 15k in their hand though? In which case it's a fair chunk more than someone earning 15k and being taxed on it.

£15k is more than minimum wage, NMW for over 18's is about £12k. At 16 it'd be less.

If she did 37.5 hours a week you'd be looking at about £7k. So monthly about £500.

Why do you think she won't get GCSE's? Are there other options, i.e. vocational courses or anything she could look into? It seems very sad to essentially write her off at 14.

no about 100 a week of it is being directly paid to the la rent and ct.

fwiw if i was wondering if a person could live on a certain ammount i would expect that ammount to be what they have to live on i.e what is in there hand.

She's 14! You're crazy. I know that's harsh but it's true.

At 14, I was an anorexic alcoholic and then left school with no GCSE's. I now have two degrees and post-grad.

Unless she has a learning disability of other long-term problems I fail to see why you're thinking this way. Even then, I have a dyslexic, autistic, dispraxic friend who has just finished his phd.

People can and do, surprise you. The person you are at 14 is not the person you will be as an adult.

"if i was wondering if a person could live on a certain ammount i would expect that ammount to be what they have to live on i.e what is in there hand."

And that's what's always wrong with these discussions, it's often not explicitly stated and it all becomes a bit meaningless, and that's before people make comparisons with 10 years ago or omit to mention the fact that they own a house etc. etc.

(just a general comment, not specifically aimed at you socknickingpixie)

Have just searched your other threads and can see why you're feeling down about her prospects. I hope you can take some comfort from boilingpoint and see that this nightmarish vision of the future doesn't have to be!

My first job was earning £15K- I lived in London in a flat share and had a whale of a time. That was 17 years ago. I imagine that some of money would be nigh on impossible to live on in London now, but doable elsewhere. It ain't a lot tho!

i know spoons, but when my dd said to me "mum i earn this much i can afford to leave home" i did remind her that that would not be what she has in her hand due to tax.

Posters that are saying DH earns £15,000 pa and we have 2 children and a car etc, does that amount factor in top up benefits such as tax credits, HB and child benefit etc?

Victoria, income including tax credits and child benefit is about 16 thousand. Slightly less. That's before tax. We have a van for DH's business. I don't drive. Have one DS. Don't live in London anymore by the way.