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

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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?!

judefawley
its more than 90% of the people in the Southeast - END OF
read the links ...

forevergreek
from where? their families have no money either ....

The bleating about feeling skint on £60k is really irritating. If you can't sustain yourselves on that kind of money you really need to take a good look at where and how you live.

I do feel sorry for people who have borrowed beyond their means for mortgages they are now struggling to pay. It's screwed up. But £60k is a very very substantial salary, regardless.

It is absolutely not a lot if you live in the Home Counties - it's about half many people's income. You live by your means as well, you spend what you have, so, no, it's not a lot. If you live in South Wales, it probably is. It's all relative.

There's a lot of SW/London mortgages and all this relative talk is all fare and well, but lets face facts £60,000 is a lot of money, the fact that it may not stretch as far as one would like in the aforementioned areas, however mortgages, child care etc may be cheaper in other areas of the country, this is reflected in the salaries paid.

A nice house in Harrogate may be 25% cheaper and child care may also 25% less, everything else will be relatively the same cost, however your salary would be 25 to 30% less!

It's really NOT FUCKING RELATIVE

I earn more than that. I think £60k is a lot of money to earn per year and I am very fortunate.

catgirl - a lot of people on MN are in the baby/small children stage though, so perhaps not exactly at their full earning power - through choice!

DH is the one who goes out the door and does the work, but I'm a 50% shareholder in our company and make sure we pay the taxman on time so I will claim our income as mine too

OP - it is a lot of money, but what is sobering is how far that much doesn't stretch these days.

Couthy - it is not a 'huge' income. It is a decent amount of money. I wouldn't claim to be hard up, ever, but I do think that some people think you could just spend whatever you liked, whenever you liked if you had that salary - and that is far from the truth.

Everlong, several people have, downthread, explained how they are only just getting by on that amount.

AvonCallingBarksdale
It is absolutely not a lot if you live in the Home Counties - it's about half many people's income.
Sorry dear but you are talking UTTER RUBBISH.
Look at the links - to HMRC Data.
It is more than 95% of the populations earns in London and the Southeast.
You may have rich friends but you are all in the 1%

It's not POSSIBLE for someone earning £60k to 'feel' as skint as someone earning £12k.

It just isn't. A one bed flat in our town rents at £500pcm. If you earn £12k, your take home is around £880pcm.

If you are trying to pay all your bills, food, clothing, travel expenses, EVERYTHING out of £480pcm, then you are a better provider than most.

Then imagine that you have a partner and a young baby. You stay in your 1-bed flat as you can't afford the rent.

How do you pay for all the above expenses for 3 people out of that £480pcm?

THAT is what hard up is.

Despite working full time, you are having to choose between buying nappies or turning the heating on when it's below zero.

If you have higher outgoings - That's your CHOICE. You can choose to continue with your 'higher outgoings', and admit that you ARE well off, by the very fact that you get to CHOOSE to have those higher outgoings, or you can choose to continue to bleat that you are hard up when most people know you are talking bollocks...

Thanks trixy! :)

Alibaba - that is true. Although I'm in the baby stage myself

You might perceive it not to be a large salary if you earn it and spend it all.

But that does not mean that is not a large salary.

Alibabaandthe40nappies
it is not a 'huge' income. It is a decent amount of money
for the top 5% of the population.
Its unimaginable wealth to the bottom 50%

merylstrop........it is possible to be skint on £60k plus, I can assure you. My Dh earns more than that figure, and as I mentioned upthread, we have a nice house, 2 cars etc. BUT.....we have insurance for the mortgage, insurance for my DH if he was unable to work, various life insurance policies, 2 pensions, medical care, insurance for the cats ffs......all designed to make sure that our home and DD are safe should anything happen to us.

I think that's a pretty sensible thing to spend a considerable amount a month on.......to us, its vital for peace of mind and in all honesty, making sure that we didn't have to rely on state handouts should the worst happen. Once we've paid all that, we still have to pay the same for fuel and food as everyone else.....and that doesnt leave a whole lot of change, I can tell you.

Sorry if you find that an irritating concept, you know, protecting my family......

No it's NOT relative when you are ignoring THE VERY REAL FACT that the majority of hard working people IN LONDON AND THE SOUTH EAST earn far, far less than £60k.

FIVE TIMES LESS, to be precise. For working just as hard, full time.

How ANYONE can even ATTEMPT to justify £60k NOT being a huge income because they live in London or the SE is beyond me, when it ignores the VERY REAL FACT that it is FIVE TIMES what the majority of people that live in London or the SE earn.

No amount of idiotic attempts at justifying it as 'not much in London or the SE' mean ANYTHING, because it is FIVE TIMES as much as most people in London or the SE earn.

EddieVeddersfoxymop
you are not SKINT you have chosen to spend your money on other than day to day essentials
there is a WORLD of difference
peace of mind comes AFTER food in the tummy

^Sorry dear but you are talking UTTER RUBBISH.
Look at the links - to HMRC Data.
It is more than 95% of the populations earns in London and the Southeast.
You may have rich friends but you are all in the 1%^

Blimey, keep your hair on! Yes, we live in a bubble here, hence me pointing out that it's all relative to area. No need to shout, though, is there?

NO.
I quoted your post. It was rubbish.

It's more than what DH and I earn put together. We get by OK though because we have a modest 3 bed house, in a fairly average Not-London area, buy most stuff on Ebay and DH has a company car. No holidays to speak of though (stay with relatives etc) - 2 DC in child care sucks up all our income after mortgage, bills and food.