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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

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

938 replies

MinkSlink · 25/10/2012 19:53

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?!

OP posts:

charlottehere · 27/10/2012 14:01

Littlemilla, I'm not going to flame you. i am a not dis-similar situation where DH earns around £90k including annual bonus. We live in SW and have 3 nearly 4 children. I am SAHM at present. Our mortage is £1250 plus £180 loan we had to take for the deposit. We both drive cars that are 7+ years old, have no savings, eat into our OD/CC every month, usually go on holiday in caravan in this country with our clubcard points, often shop at lidl, rarley buy new clothes for ourselves, limit clothes children have to what they really need, rarley go out, rarley have day trips etc.

I'm not being all boo isme, I know that £90k seems alot of money but its all realtive especially as tax/ni take a big chunk.

Offred · 27/10/2012 14:01

Sock - yes they were, there were plenty of comments saying people only struggle to get by on £60k because of the choices they make about housing and cars and that they are fortunate to be able to make those choices when other people can't but as illustrated by ghostship on £13.5k who chooses not to live in shared housing this kind of thing is not determined by salary. I don't see why it is ok to say something like that to anyone tbh but especially not when you apply a double standard to it being ok if you earn £13.5k but not ok if you earn £60k.

GhostShip · 27/10/2012 14:02

whois- I've never said they haven't? I just answered the question which states is 60k a lot, and to me yes it is!

How is it an unusual choice? I left home at 17, I lived in a house share for a year. Now 4 years on I needed my own place, am I expected not to go up in the world and to house share it's not disposable income as you say, a home is necessity. And I can't find anywhere cheaper who will have me.

And after living in a house share, I'd never go back to one. They're not safe.

TheBigJessie · 27/10/2012 14:02

offred and other people earn £13,500 and have no entitlement to benefit top-ups.

whois probably not unusual. I've house-shared before too, and I hope I never have to again...

Offred · 27/10/2012 14:03

I didn't say you weren't including benefits. I was making the point that people with families on £13.5k are entitled to top up benefits.

Offred · 27/10/2012 14:04

And you haven't illustrated anything to do with a person on £60k by telling us how you divide your earnings ghostship you are making assumptions.

GhostShip · 27/10/2012 14:04

hostship on £13.5k who chooses not to live in shared housing this kind of thing is not determined by salary

so low earners shouldn't live on their own now?

The last house share I lived in I was robbed and attacked. On two seperate occasions. So I do apologise if I NEED to spend some of my 'disposable income' on a place to live.

GhostShip · 27/10/2012 14:05

Offred - I was illustrating how I'm not better off as I have literally no disposable income.

TheBigJessie · 27/10/2012 14:06

GhostShip I got flamed by a landlord of a multiple-occupancy house, because I said tenants needed locks on their individual bedroom doors. Something about how I didn't know what it was like to houseshare.

Yeah, I don't know... That's why... Twit.

Offred · 27/10/2012 14:08

But how did what you wrote illustrate that families on £60k have got disposable income? That's my point... And couthy was saying families on £60k without disposable income should live in crapper houses (assuming they don't) so why is it ok to say that to one group of people but not another based on their salary? I just don't think that is acceptable.

GhostShip · 27/10/2012 14:09

thebigjessie what the hell thats awful! We had locks, but it only took one man who also lived in the house to figure out that they were all the same bloody lock and key to cause havvock. Decided to come in my room, nick my telly.
Then came back another time and decided to try and get me.

Reported to landlord and he didn't do fuck all, police didn't do anything either.

alistron1 · 27/10/2012 14:10

So what would we say the salary level was where one wouldn't have to think about money/bills if 60k ain't enough?

jchocchip · 27/10/2012 14:12

ghost Feel for you, obviously you do need to live somewhere safe. I just feel that we are back to the 70's where we had prices going up all the time which makes it impossible to budget because wages are frozen (well mine is - local govt pay freeze for 3 years) If prices were stable, it would be a lot easier. I'm lucky, I think because I have a mortgage and that is at an historical low rate. BUT I don't know what would happen if the rate went up like it did in the 1980's.

Offred · 27/10/2012 14:13

And for the last time ghostship, I am not saying you should live in a house share, if you read my point I'm taking issue with the point couthy made (not necessarily directing the post at you) that people on £60k all have choices that people earning less do not and they should quit moaning and just live in crapper houses (assuming they don't) so the argument that at £13.5k you choose to live in a more expensive house really just demonstrates that it isn't salary alone that determines the ability to make these choices (that everyone should be able to make) and I don't get why it is acceptable to say that to one person but not to someone else based entirely on their salary.

TheBigJessie · 27/10/2012 14:14

Well, that's the problem with MN. People always assume you're middle-class without life-experience when it's convenient. We had a thief. Never quite sure who it was. And don't get me started on dodgy friends and boyfriends. "[Object] is missing" I say. "Well, it wasn't any of my friends!" Responds flatmate. Yeah, it fecking was.

And the dodgy boyfriends... Did I mention those?

GhostShip · 27/10/2012 14:14

Offred - not that I wanted to argue this point, but i will.

The fact of the matter is the family on 60k WOULD have disposable income if they possibly downgraded their things (or didnt upgrade in the first place). The could still have a nice house, nice car etc and have more disposable income. But with more money becomes more want for BETTER house, BETTER car.

No-one is saying, from what I'm reading, that anybody should live in the shit just to have disposable income. But the people on 60k (which is a higher wage band than a lot of the country) have better means of being able to have decent things whilsts having disposable income. It's up to them if they want to push the boat out and leave themselves with less.

I'm not saying this is for all cases, and I'm not saying it's wrong. But someone on 13.5k with no disposable income, isn't the same as someone on 60k with 'no disposable income'. I haven't got much opportunity to downgrade to save money. Bar going in a hostel. I suspect the metaphorical 60k family have.

Offred · 27/10/2012 14:15

That is not a fact that is your opinion. You would have disposable income if you lived in a crapper house too.

GhostShip · 27/10/2012 14:16

jchoc Thankyou :) I agree. My flat isn't anything fancy either, its the cheapest I could afford but even still I'm paying over half my wage out for it. Something needs to be done. A lot of my friends who are in abusive relationships feel the need to stay with their partners JUST so they can stay in a house :(

whiteandyelloworchid · 27/10/2012 14:17

depends on your outgoings

GhostShip · 27/10/2012 14:17

offred - Nope. The only downgrade I could make, as I've said, is a hostel. I couldn't do that.
The 60k family could downgrade to a nice house, and have more disposable income.

The only person there who would end up with something crappy is the lower waged earner.

GhostShip · 27/10/2012 14:18

Well, that's the problem with MN. People always assume you're middle-class without life-experience when it's convenient
Love this!

Offred · 27/10/2012 14:19

But that is just your opinion!!

GhostShip · 27/10/2012 14:20

Riiiiight..

jchocchip · 27/10/2012 14:20

Can we not all agree that £60k is a very good wage for a single person, but that it may not be for a large family who have based their outgoings on the assumption that they would carry on getting child benefit? It would be a fortune to my family of 5, but then we live up north on about £20k + tax credits and have very low outgoings...

Offred · 27/10/2012 14:21

Do you know that for a family of six to have your post tax income per person their post tax income would have to be £70k? So why on earth do you think they are all living in posh houses? What is this opinion based on other than your own assumptions?

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