To ask what you earn?

[working925]

Just read another thread about earnings. How old are you and what do you earn? I'm nosey!!

31 years old and 39k, South East, in engineering

Mid twenties, 25k, not enough to buy where we live so not enough!

I'm 43, degree educated, on £85k pa plus bonus. Last year I earned around £100k. DH £100k. Neither of us have had a significant pay rise for a few years.

Every penny is accounted for and most of my spending comes out of my account the day I get paid. Childcare vouchers (which I save for holiday clubs) insurance, au pair, school fees, amex bill (which pays for all food shopping, amazon, activities, clothes etc, repaying the barclaycard (holidays). Pay £200 a month to my ISA and am now a year ahead on school fees.

I know we are very very lucky. But I also drive a 15 year old car (DH's 10 years old) and holidays are self catering and we always look for a bargain. But we decided to prioritise school fees as the local state has been in emergency measures for 4 years.

I don’t really get the ‘know who your real friends are’ thing

You find out who your real friends are if you lose your money, having had lots.

I'm 38 and on 23.5k (only very recently - was on 18kish for the past 10 or so years). My husband earns 1.5k. No benefits. Life is not easy.

Taffeta

I’m not sure what you regard as shed loads.
I grew up with a very wealthy father. No downsides as far as I could tell as I child. None whatsoever!

As an adult, my ex was on >£200k, so I suppose shedloads to some. No keeping up with the jones. We had/have a great group of similar earning friends. No boasting. Often spent our time wondering where our money was going! And my ex didn’t need to do any networking, wasn’t in his job description at all. He enjoyed the money.

So to be brutal, in my opinion, there is no downsides to earning loads. Not as a child to be on the environment and not as an adult.

I left work at 28 on £50k 7.5 years ago. Certainly didn’t feel loaded in London

money doesn’t make everything easy. Beg to differ. Money pretty much makes most things easier.
Affluent folk Worrying about school fees,home maintenance, holidays,tutors, isn’t really a terrible burden. I agree they subjectively think they’re stressed. But, Imo stress is inadequate finances sometimes not getting by at all.

I’m not making comparisons saying having money is more difficult than not, that’d just be bloody stupid.

I’m sure there are people like wishing that have a totally rosy experience too.

But in my lifetime thus far I’ve seen first hand - as a child and an adult - what having lots of money can bring. And what happens when it disappears. What money can buy and what it can’t, and how when the chips are down how it can bring out the very worst in people.

That’s my experience, of course everyone has different experiences. Because of my experiences - I decided at an early age that I never wanted a life of a very high earner. Things are rarely as they seem, and with money come a litany of responsibilities and issues.

I grew up in a poor single family home, council estate. Being poor is grim. And that propelled me to study,get a professional job,a safety net
As a result I find the financial inanities of middle class affluent folk really superficial
Yes,I imagine you’d know who your friends are if you lose money and or status

Not telling you, except I took an early retirement package in my 50s and I am very comfortably off now.

I was headhunted by another company when I left my position, but declined. They came back a year later and I now do two days a week from home with a once a month meeting in HO. I have more than I need. I think I will give this up next year. Someone else may need it more than I do and I am getting tired of deadlines etc. now.

What do I do with it. Sorry if that sounds daft, but I have no children, no debts, no mortgage, house was refurbished before I left work, good breaks and hols etc. etc. I am not into high fashion or labels. A car just has to be reliable and it is. Touch wood. I live a fairly simple life but deny myself nothing that is legal lol.

I am generous to my family, but very few of them need or want anything either.

What would you do if you had more disposable income than ever before now. I didn't have this much when I was working FT!

I am not giving to charity just now. When I worked FT for 30 + years we had an optional salary deduction to aThird World Fund, and another to something else, cannot remember. It was pro rata to your gross salary. So I have done my bit. Sound bad? Possibly if so, I am sorry.

I suppose I could buy a little bolt hole somewhere, but I couldn't be arsed. I'd have to go to the same place all the time, and fret over it when I am not there.

I am very content, and why wouldn't I be, but something is missing. I don't just want to leave it all as an inheritance to someone else!

I hope you don't eat me alive for my post, but it is a very honest one just the same.

I'm 33 and earn nothing (sahm). Although we budget £400 per month for shopping, activities, petrol money etc for dc and me. It goes into a separate account so I don't overspend.

Doramaybe that’s really interesting!

If it were me, and I had no dependents to treat I suppose I’d want to do something I was passionate about that helped others (not necessarily humans either as I love animals). I’d probably attempt setting up a financially self sustaining animal shelter. It would make me happy improving the lives of animals that would otherwise be suffering - but that’s me.

What are you interested in/passionate about? I’d follow that if I were you.

@wishingandwaiting
No, I am useless at life. I work freelance in Europe in IT.

Doramaybe interesting dilemma (truly, no sarcasm).

You don't need to spend it on yourself but also sound you don't want to spend it on anyone else either through charity or inheritance, is that right?

Maybe look into microloans to small entrepreneurs in developing countries?

31. 33k fte but I only work 0.6 so I earn about 21k. I also have a freelance sideline which earns a couple of grand per year

I'm 32 and earn around £90K of which around £13k was a bonus. My husband is a few years older and earns around half as much as me.

I’m 38, civil servant, FTE is 27k but I work 3 days so it’s less than that.
My H is 37, sales coach and earns 32k.
We live up North and support ourselves and our two kids just fine on those salaries.

My closest friend and cousin earns 150k plus 50-60k bonus as a director and her husband not much less but I don’t envy their stressful lives. I’ve just been away with them for the weekend and they were constantly checking emails from work. She said she could do with a concierge to help her run her life as loads of things get missed.

I'm 44, earn half of what i did at 33 and not enough to make ends meet.... because t such is life

Am currently a student so on less than 1k a month currently. In a year I shall be on approx 22k minimum, going up to 26k minimum in a year after that.

pandarific, and Dutch 1e

Firstly to pandarific, I have no animals, our family never had. That is not to say that I don't love them when others own them. But I would not really have any personal involvement with them either. So that is out. Sorrrryyyyy

Primarily because whilst I don't hate animals, I don't have any real affinity with them either. So I would get nothing from it really. I know that might make you a bit sad/mad, but I am honest here!

Secondly to Dutch1e,

no I have no problems giving to charity I have done so all my working life and the total is mind boggling over the years! I just feel I have done my bit in that department, and quite frankly charities have a bad press now. I don't want to pay for a CEO and all the rest of it, where possibly 10% if lucky goes to the cause. Lesson learned.

I have no problem leaving inheritances to my loved ones. My will is made. My point was that they don't really need it, so I would like to use it now!

I suppose I could give some money to my Nieces and Nephews. But they are all adults now and earning good money, and their parents are ok too.

I do give generous presents on birthdays and Christmas, at Weddings, Engagements and so on.

I dunno.

Thanks for the suggestions so far. Helping micro industries sounds interesting. Will check it out.

Please bear in mind that I am not in Lotto winning territory here either! Just want to spread the bounty, but am not really sure how to do it!

Honestly.

Doramaybe I believe you, and wasn't picking on your choices - only making sure I read you right!

Do look at microloans. I don't have 'real' money but love using a bit to invest in budding sole enterprises. I have a special fondness for women who are unbanked (never had a bank account let alone applied for a business loan) starting a grass-roots business. The last one was a woman who bought a solar-powered mobile phone charger and walked from village to village charging mobile phones - for a fee - as no-one has electricity.

Sometimes the loans default, mostly the payments are delayed, sometimes they're on time.

In every case I love the idea.

Hopefully you can find something that interests you too

@Dutch1e

Thank you. Have you any links for the micros? I can be lazy sometimes, but always have good intentions!

@Doramaybe I am on Zidisha www.zidisha.org

I started with Kiva but they use local lending agents who can sometimes be a bit loan-sharky.

Dutch1e

Thanks for the links.

Wonder who runs these things. Who really benefits and qui bono?

I think we have to question all this. Considering all the Foreign Aid that is sent by us. Billions. Every year, you would think that some of our tax money for Foreign Aid would go towards these micro enterprises.

Sorry I am not denigrating your links at all. But I think I might have a point to make just the same.

Sorry for being a cynic. But I probably am now.

Nothing to say sorry for Doramaybe, I was just giving an example of what I’d like to do - I think you’d need to be a bit of a cat lady (like me) for mine anyhow!