To feel depressed at financial talk on MN?

[FluffyPotato]

I understand that people sometimes have to talk salaries for context but I think some people just like to throw out numbers so that they show their middle class status to the rest of MN.

A thread I've just seen 'DH works 30 hours a week earning 60k' and someone commenting 'oh my DH earns 100k'.

I work bloody hard 40 hours a week and get about 1200 a month before tax.

AIBU to think that some MNers just like to boast their household income figures to others? Getting quite sick at how middle class mums net is.

If it's on a specific thread asking how much people earn then it's not unexpected to find people on there announcing their income.

However, having said that, I do wonder if the better off you are the more likely you are to post and engage on threads about salaries. So maybe we're not seeing a clear image of the average wealth of the average MNer. More likely to be a clear image of the average salary of those who like to talk about it

@LoisWilkersonsLastNerve then hopefully she is only working 35 hours a week then. Its terrible if people on minimum wage are asked to do hours for free!

That's a very good point harsh.

I'm right with you fluffy, I don't click on those threads that ask "what's your job title and how much do you earn". Or "what benefits do you get?" They wind me up too much, because they very quickly fill up with clowns and fantasists who swear blind they are on a 30 hour week and earning £50K, company car, shares and healthcare.

It's meaningless twaddle a lot of the time.

And there is bugger-all correlation between talent and salary levels. I know some very smart, switched on people who earn £25-£30K. There are so many factors (area, industry, skills, labour demand). it makes the how much do you earn? threads a blunt instrument about as useful as a chocolate fireguard

THIS is a great graphic.

I wish this woudl be shown to all children in school, but especially girls since they are the once more likely to go into low-status / low-paid work.

www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-4379692/The-monthly-salary-expect-earn-age.html

Who is frankly crass enough, or daft enough to tell everyone on MN what they or their partner earn?

Meh, it doesn't bother me really.

Direct your anger at employers poor wagers, people shouldn't need subsidising they should be paid a decent wage to begin with

I only see it on threads where it is relevant to the topic. Having said that, it's pretty much meaningless - unless you know the person's outgoings, location, job, career prospects, dependents' details etc, it's not hugely enlightening to learn that they/their DH earns £12,000 or £200,000.

Information is power.

The wealthy don't divulge how much money they have and how to make it because that is powerful knowledge. Not out of good manners.

Getting quite sick at how middle class mums net is

YAB massively U

You are focusing on threads with people earning more than you, and ignoring the threads with people telling you they are relaying on food banks, can't afford to buy a property, can't afford a holiday, can barely go camping in this country, can't afford school uniforms or school trips and the list goes on.

Stating that you earn £14k, £50k, £100k or £275k is not boasting if it's a fact.

If I look at the price of properties in my area, it's obvious there's no lack of high earners. How else could people afford to rent or buy at such high prices. So what?

No one I know, not one single person earns close to 27k. I'd love to know if this is true. Probably some rubbish figures
Churned out by tories to act like they don't make life for the working class hell by allowing people to pay them so low.

Yabu, it's a public forum, if you don't like those threads because your jealous or envious or whatever then you need to address how you feel like that! Not tryband shift or be unjustified in unreasonable opinions just because they make you feel bad that others incomes are higher than yourself!!!

Fluffy don't forget that a lot of people will be lying, and some will actually live a bit of a fantasy life and have a "persona" they play very much in the style of a role play game avatar... Those are the ones actively seeking out to post elaborate life style and salary details and looking for threads to act out their fantasy life on.

Whilst I agree there is a fair bit of bragging here on MN, what's with the constant middle class bashing I see lately on MN. fucks me right off. I know or have known plenty of wealthy working class people. Dont assume someone is automatically MC just because they splash the cash plus not all MC people are twats although plenty are

Of course you do know people who earn above £27k. It's true that high earners skew the average and the median wage is more like around £19/20k, but your doctor, your dentist, train drivers, some teachers and nurses, some manual workers like roofers/builders/plumbers/heating engineers will earn above £27k pa. There's a lot of people doing those jobs around.

Why would anyone lie on an anonymous forum? Surely it's the one place you can be honest?

The trut is that there is wealth in the U.K. There are jobs to be had that make a lot of dough. They are currently being held by a particular group, but there's no reason for that. The jobs ain't rocket science.

It doesn't mean anything when someone says they earn a huge amount anyway. They might have substantial outgoings, crippling debts from the past or be living in the most expensive part of the country. They could have less money to play with at the end of the month than someone earning a 1/4 of what they do who lives frugally in a cheap area with no debts.
A family member of mine earns over 100k and all of his money is swallowed up by debts that he racked up when he was earning less. I have a more comfortable lifestyle than him and I earn 22k

It's all about balance though. Most of my friends have £100k plus households and they don't pay much/any tax. But the latter point is because one or other adult works abroad most of the year meaning the family is divided a lot.

We had that choice and would never have made that decision. Dh earns around £38k for 4 days which where we live buys a secure but far from luxurious lifestyle.

If we mentioned that to our friends they would be aghast/think we were entering into some competitive poverty, but mention it to others and it may sound like boasting!

And for those who do earn high salaries and also have amazing lifestyles - I don't feel envious, it just makes me want to strive to push myself a bit more at work to try climb the ladder. I'll never earn huge bucks though and I'm fine with that

not one single person earns close to 27k. I'd love to know if this is true.
I'm late 20s. Vast majority of my friends earn between £25-35k ish. None of us are massively wealthy but we are comfortable and happy.

There's a big different between stating facts and the oddly competitive replies (both ways over who have the most/least).

I posted on the thread I assume you're talking about... (where the OP ASKED for people's salaries...)
Anyway I posted what you probably thought was a boasting post about my DH salary (certainly, high compared to the whole country but not compared to most people where we live). but funnily enough I came off the thread feeling jealous of the people who stated they managed comfortably being a stay at home parent with a household salary of 25k because their mortgage was only £400 a month or something. Honestly it made me want to cry about where we have chosen to live. I say chosen but unless DH changes career totally we don't have much choice, everywhere commutable is almost equally as expensive.

So anyway yes I think you are a little unreasonable.

I know what you mean OP! I earn about the same as you. I work hours that suit me and generally I really enjoy my job. I spend lots of time with my OH and we are very happy together. A higher salary wouldn't make me want to change any of those things.

It doesn't mean anything as rates of pay can differ a lot in different areas due to the price of living (house/rent prices).

I work and that all that matters to me. I'm happy with what I get payed as I can afford to eat

I kinda get where you're coming from.

A few threads I've been on asking about wages over my time on MN, about 90% of posters had earnings of over £100k, and I was astounded. I almost thought the replies were made up, as they got steadily higher. Some saying combined incomes of over £200k etc.

I don't doubt people earn high wages. I'm also not jealous. But it did make me feel sad that I must have royally fucked up somewhere in life, to earn so little.

It just felt like the top 1% were all on those particular threads