6 figure incomes and can't afford a load of bread?

[LemonyFresh]

Is it just me or has there been a influx of posts about household incomes of over 100k or similar and complaining or wondering how they're skint at the end of the month and struggling? Is it a stealth boast or do these people actually struggle?

Am I really in the minority with a household income of less than half of this?!

I know we tend to spend to our means but even when DP and I are having a flush month I don't see the point in over spending for the sake of it.

Agreed Purple. I'm probably biased as I have bipolar disorder and work stress and hours have triggered two breakdowns where I've ended up in a psychiatric hospital.

Most peoples lifestyle and choices tend to change according to their income.

...and I met quite a few other people in there who had been pushed over the edge into a breakdown by work too.

I think a lot of us are children of baby boomers and the message out there is work hard and you can have this amazing lifestyle (on to, magazines, all the products you can buy that didn't exist 20 years ago). So people working their arse off for £100k expect to get everything, the house, the hols, the school and you just can't.

Sadly I think this thread is showing that there are pros and cons both ways and we each tend to see the grass as greener on the other side.

Stumbly

I may be misunderstanding what you have said, but 2 of your statements seem to directly contradict each other:

'I dream of taking a lower paid, less stressful job closer to home but I'm the breadwinner and feel like there are expectations that I will provide a certain level of living (from other people and from myself)' and 'We live in a normal 3 bed house, no kids, a 10 year old VW Golf and haven't had a holiday more than a long weekend for 4 years' which you also say that your basic living costs (which I'm taking to include mortgage, bills, food and commuting costs) are £4k per month, implying that you can't afford holidays or a better car, not that there's anything wrong with a 10 YO golf.

Not being rude but your 'certain level of living' seems quite basic and by living somewhere cheaper in a less stressful job, you could cut your housing and commutting costs massively, such that you could afford to take pretty much any job, keep the other aspects of your lifestyle and spend less time at work?

Of course I understand that you might have other ties to where you live and probably derive some satisfaction from your job, but like I said in my other post, the effort/reward balance of some of these big jobs don't always seem worth it to me.

i'm imagining stumbly has a job that is specific to the south east, not all jobs can be moved to a less stressful part of the country.

But presumably she has transferable skills? Or do the same or similar work outside the golden/magic circle or whatever it is where they pay a lot but expect all nighters etc?

Sadly I think this thread is showing that there are pros and cons both ways and we each tend to see the grass as greener on the other side

Struggling to see how the 'cons' of life on 100K+ balance the 'cons' of living on 27K which is average income in the UK or for the 7 deciles who live on significantly less than average income.

Not being rude but your 'certain level of living' seems quite basic and by living somewhere cheaper in a less stressful job, you could cut your housing and commutting costs massively, such that you could afford to take pretty much any job, keep the other aspects of your lifestyle and spend less time at work?

Not everyone wants to live somewhere cheaper though. I live in a massively expensive area and we commute hours for work. The area I live in is gorgeous and I want to stay here. I have no family ties here I just love it here and it's where I would like my children to grow up)

yes, these people with huge mortgages are spending their net income on them through choice, even in London I don't suppose you need to have a mortgage that costs £4k a month, it is your choice to spend your net income that way. True though that if you do this you might not have enough left over to buy all the other things you might want.

I haven't seen "an influx of posts", but I do get what you mean.
I fail to see how people with a 6 figure income can say they are "struggling".....unless they have a gigantic mortgage and a ton of debt
We manage on a single salary of £27,000 and have two children under the age of 2. We have to budget down to the last penny, have no credit cards and no debt. We could easily just get a credit card and have a few more "luxuries", but I hate owing money to anyone!!

you can compete over many things if you want to, how much you have to work with dc, how much family help you have to name 2 key ones. It doesn't appeal to me to say the lot of someone earning 100k is better than the lot of someone earning 27k because how it feels and the other areas of their life are different for every single person. Clearly stumbly in particular has a MH condition and holds down a pressurized job. Stumbly close family members have bipolar, I'm impressed you've gotten through those breakdowns and are working at this level.

In a way I can sort of understand in london and the south east where house prices are higher but still makes me wonder where the money gos with that income.

The clue to solving this issue is surely to be found in the title of the thread.

If you have a six figure income and you are buying loads of bread, then simply cut down on your visits to the bakery.

How much toast can a person eat?

Being skint is relative though isn't it.

There is a huge difference in being skint because you're spending your income on a very large mortgage, private schools, holidays abroad, brand new car every year... on and on. To being skint because you are paying your small mortgage, utilities, food, basic living requirements.

I have zero sympathy for the former, they are all to do with lifestyle choices so can be changed. Those who are already living very basically, very often don't have the luxury of downgrading any further.

DH earns 6 figures..and we are far from rich. We've chosen to send our kids to private schools, because the alternatives round here are appalling. We started off in the state system..but it was all downhill from there. Any way, yes that's our choice. But it does mean we have no money left over for fancy holidays or flash living! Our house is tiny and hasn't been upgraded in two decades..I rarely buy clothes and we rarely go out. Strangely enough, most of the parents we know through school, are in similar situations. Some far worse off than we are. So while I know we are lucky and are by no means 'poor' I also appreciate that we have chosen to spend our money in this way. We have prioritised our kids education over everything else. I also know someone who earns similar to DH, but they send their kids to state school, have an Aston Martin and holiday abroad twice a year! Horses for courses as they say..

I think sometimes it's the choices money gives you which feel like necessities. Take my daughter's junior school. They are pissing me off no end at the moment and I feel she is being massively let down. If I could move her (which would be to a prep as all schools in my area are oversubscribed) I would do it in a heartbeat and it would feel like an obligation, not a luxury. But as we can't afford prep school fees, I just have to lump it...

There were a lot of threads like this a year or two ago, but then they seemed to stop. I assumed it was because people on medium to high salaries finally realised how lucky they are stopped moaning.

Half the country is earning less than 16k a year, the other half isn't. If you aren't in the lower half and you're still complaining then you need a reality check.

Can I ask about Government assistance for low income earners in the U.K.?

In Australia there is a "sweet spot" from a family income perspective where low income earners are entitled to various subsidies and allowances, moreso people on government pensions, but low income families too. I've no idea what the current $ value is, and sadly with two of us in full time employment with decent jobs we've never qualified for anything much, I did get some daycare funding for DD number one one year and got a generous $9.24/fn for about 8 months after DD number two was born but that was over 20 years ago.

I know of a family of 7, neither adult in full time employment, one on disability, one claiming carers who I realised when I sat down to do the math on their household budget for them, were clearing over 50% more than DH and I when I factored in their discounted electricity, rates, car registration etc.

Is it the same in the U.K. because I'd suggest it makes a low income far more doable.

We are well over £100K

mortgage isn't too bad either (but could probably buy a small house in a cheaper town)
No debt
Kids in state school
Both drive cars 10 years old (but paid for)
Haven't had a proper holiday in years
I don't do hair, nails. spa. gym etc
don't really spend on clothes (I'm not a shopper)
Food/essentials budget is out of control though :)

I can not understand how a family can exist on under £30K (as so many here claim to) That was my single wage over 10 years ago and it was tough then (but I lived in expensive area)

I have a husband and wife client who are both medical professionals and have a combined income (before tax etc) of quarter of a million. They don't have two pennies to rub together, are up to their overdraft limits and have credit card debts.

They spend like there's no tomorrow - best house in the area, brand new top of the range cars every year, several foreign holidays per year, private education (boarding of course) for their 3 kids. As part of my work for them, I see their bank statements and credit cards - hundreds of pounds per month on wine deliveries, designer clothes/handbags, meals out costing a few hundred almost every week.

And yes, they both whinge endlessly about how low paid they are because they're in the NHS! They have no self-awareness at all about the other 99.9% of the population who don't earn what they do!

Currently on £16k with a £600 p/m mortgage, car expenses and utilities/council tax, broadband, phone contract, dog, 2 cats, no skytv or anything like that. I'm pregnant and not doing so great with it so I've not worked much for the past 5months. It's tight. But we don't starve and meals are always healthy. Occasional treats are reasonable and I've kept any money I got for birthdays off relatives to treat us throughout the year (orange wednesday etc) and towards the car MOT and clothes. When I'm working properly again it will be very nice to have a day out! (& a full fridge )

The word "influx" is over egging the pudding

I get where they're coming from to an extent - we have a household income in the midlands of £70k and our lifestyle doesn't really reflect it. I think it sounds like quite a lot. That said, we're not skint and can afford bread.