To think that 60k is a lot of money to earn a year?!

[MinkSlink]

I think it is a lot of money to earn per year but it seems a lot of people on mumsnet don't think so, am I in the piss poor minority here or what?!

azazello "Can someone please build some more houses" that is what I'm doing with my lottery winnings :) Shame I haven't won yet...

Do not argue with me.
The people working in Pret in Regents street are not paid more just because their stuck up customers are
TalkinPeace2
But how do you know they're stuck up? You sound like you're disliking people based on their perceived income making them stuck up - isn't that as bad as dislking someone because their income is less?

These threads always end up the same, recently it was one arguing that 40K was a lot. People are never going to agree

see, wealthy bashing again

Avon
£40k is a lot - its more than 70% of the country earn.

PS I'm self employed, part time and declare an above average income on my tax return.
I'm not bashing wealth.
I'm bashing those who PERSIST in thinking that they are not wealthy.

Like the poster last night who said that most of the people in her town earned over £60k
presumably because she did not count the newsagent / petrol station / dry cleaner / supermarket / chemmist / florist / nanny / delivery staff as people.
as NO TOWN in the UK had an average income over £43k .....

PS my mortgage is £178 a month and finishes in under two years ! The joy of having bought a house in the 80's. Shame about the endowment policy though!

*65,000 - not 60,000 - is the MINIMUM income Wandsworth Council will accept for its shared ownership list in 2012-13.

But they do allow a couple to make that between them. If you're single or a lone parent you still have to make that 65k pa. *

Just repeating Corygal's statement above for the benefit of those who refuse to believe that £60k doesn't go far. To live in SHARED OWNERSHIP.

Earn less than that, and you're in a flatshare. Great when you're a student, less than ideal when you are in your mid thirties and unable to get married or have children because the cost of the roof over your head in your scabby area comes to £1500pcm before bills.

The easiest way to live in London is to have 3 kids and live on benefits.

All the Housing Association tenants in our street have bigger houses and gardens and a better standard of living than my DH and I do on substantial 6 figures a year. I challenge someone to come round with a TV crew if they don't believe me.

I earn significantly more than £60k, but still think that £60k is a lot of money. If you think otherwise....I am sure most of the other 95% of workers would happily swap.

Erm ... kensington, do you think you might consider living somewhere less expensive in London?

You're just benefit bashing now.

If you and your DH are really too stupid to work out where to live in London such that it doesn't cost you 65k, you deserve to be hard up.

"The easiest way to live in London is to have 3 kids and live on benefits"

or be single and rent?

I managed to rent and work in London on considerably less than £60,000 though it was many years ago. I don't know what the average of a Bookseller at Waterstone's is these days but I am guessing it's nowhere near £60k.

Novice I would happily swap my 3 bedder for the 5 bed with 30ft garden 5 minutes away from the tube that my neighbour who lives on benefit enjoys at my expense and at the expense of flatsharing thirtysomethings.

though it was many years ago

Duelling, there's your answer. You can still live with your family, of course.

Or in the council house you inherited from your parents even though your parents haven't been homeless for a long, long time.

f you and your DH are really too stupid to work out where to live in London such that it doesn't cost you 65k, you deserve to be hard up.

Where did I say I was hard up?

I live 1 hour's commute from work. Not that central London, then, either.

Don't talk out of your arse.

I just checked, a bookseller can earn about £22,000 a year (Before tax).

I said you deserve to be hard up.

I'm not talking out of my arse. I'm observing that your stupid comments are simply benefit bashing crap.

One hour's commute - OMG, shock, how terrible for you.

I can benefit bash all I like, LRD, it's not like they care in their big houses, they're lauging at all of us for being so daft as to contemplate working for a living.

Don't be ridiculous. You've fallen for a load of crap.

Only people very insecure and mean-spirited benefit-bash.

The rest of us can only hope it will come back to bite you on the arse.

Oh God, you really do sound unbelievably ignorant kensingtonkat. Who on earth pays you a 6 figure salary?

mintyy - I have some idea who pays her '6 figure salary'.

oh jesus wept how silly can people get.

those who fit into the lowest 5% of income will not have as much money as those who fit into the highest 5%

to surgest otherwise is arse talking at its most fucked up.

Me and Dh earn more than 60K combined but we are both professional and work our butts off with 2 DS we can't afford to buy a house - actually that's not true, we can afford a house, we can't afford a house we would like to live in that is big enough.

3 beds around here are about £450-£500K, so even with big joint income we could only borrow £270,000ish our rent is in the thousands so we can't save much, and we have one summer break a year, so we are by no means rolling in it and we are permanently knackered from long hours. I do wonder what's the point some days.

We have 2 cars both second had the last one we bought is a banger that cost £1200 so not new shiny mercs!

I just checked, a bookseller can earn about £22,000 a year (Before tax).

Duelling When I moved to London in the mid 90s, my salary was £15k gross. My take home was £900pcm and I shared a Zone 3 flat with two others where the rent and bills each was £500pcm. No tube line, only an overland.

We now pay our starters £22k a year, but they can't afford to rent in the same area, because a 3 bed flatshare costs £3850. They've had to move two London zones further out in order to be able to flatshare.

Salaries have just not kept pace with London housing costs, which is why Corygal needs to find £65k to live in shared ownership housing, and why mid-level doctors on £50k a year working unsociable hours (and therefore unable to live further out) end up in shared houses in Acton.

Wow - this is all getting pretty personal. Unfortunately, you are all violently in agreement for the most part.
£60k is a lot of money
£60k doesn't stretch very far in many parts of the UK
We'd all like a higher income, regardless of how much we earn.
We all choose to spend our income differently and like it or not, judge each other on our choices and think we could stretch our funds better if we had different priorities.
The benefits system is faaaaaar from perfect, but if we could work out how to make it fairer and implement it cost effectively and simply we'd all be on that magic higher income..

My brother lives 20 minutes from London Bridge and rents for 700pcm. Nice little flat with his girlfriend. My other brother lives in the suburbs and rents a two-bed with his wife and baby daughter. I don't know how much it is, but they're on 40k combined.

My auntie lives in another bit of suburbs and rents a three-bed house; they've never earned more than 40k combined.

You are simply making shit up if you pretend no-one can live in London on a smaller salary. It's bollocks.

It is not a choice between benefits or a shared house for a family. It's just not.

out of intrest kensington how much exactly do you think a unemployed lone parent with 3 kids gets?

My son, in his first job earns £24K in London but can't afford to live there. ANd god knows how long it will take him to save up the necessary deposit should he ever want to buy...

£65K while by no means a pittance is not that huge for someone who has spent years qualifiying and working hard at a profession. Whereas the £220K earned PER WEEK by John Terry is!