To feel very poor after recent thread

[Clappingforjoy]

Recent thread on here where posters where revealing their income got me really fed up that I must be one of the lowest earners around and it made me feel like failure failure.
Is everybody well off on mumsnet or something where are these people that have to use food banks because all I ever see is people with brand new cars, going on holidays nice houses etc etc i find it mind boggling.

People lie on the internet.

I could tell you I earn £160,000 a year, £60,000 a year or £6,000.

I get £200 a month! I’m rich!
Living my best life!

there are plenty of normal people on here top!

Because people who earn good money aren’t “normal?”

We earn quite a bit between us. We’re sitting here watching crap telly eating cheese savouries from Poundland. Which part of that isn’t “normal”?

People lie on the internet.

Inexplicably on MN though, people who say they earn decent money lie but people who say they earn very little do not. Those are fine people.

Also, people who earn money aren’t allowed to have problems ever. Especially not about money.

I do believe people. I am a high earner and dh more so.
2 years ago I joined the mumsnet Pokemon thread and people from here are my Pokemon go friends. Loads of people who travel extensively / you send gifts and so you can see their location

MN is also very London/southeast centric so that always skews wages up a bit, 20-30k might sound like a lot, but your reaction is the same as mine on property threads where people are buying 4 bed houses for the same amount I sold my one bed tiny starter flat for five years ago . It's all relative.

Whenever income threads come up there’s always a sense of surreality about it. Remember average wage in Uk is about 30k which is a bloody good wage for a large majority. For many many families it’s more than the combined parental income. In real life I rarely meet people who earn the kinds of wages discussed on mumsnet, at least not those with families or who are still under 50. It’s like a weird micro bubble here and as shown earlier those on lower incomes don’t speak out as if being on a lower income is somehow shameful.

I’m in a fb group of mumsnetters and when incomes are discussed I’m shocked at what these women claim as family incomes. I then see some of the poorer benefit dependent members get into ridiculous debt trying to keep up with the frugi clothes buying and expensive babipur wooden toys.

I’ve been very well off & now I’m poor. My family income is less than the UK average wage but we’re happy and want for nothing (well fast cars, mansions & luxury holidays aside)

I work in hospitality earn minimum wage topped up with tax credits have 2 kids and spend my life counting every penny. I would love to have even a quarter of some of the disposable income of some on here ! I read threads at times and I feel like I'm in a different world, after food and bills (all essentials no fancy cars on hire purchase on the drive) we have less than £50 a month but you know what there's somedays I get depressed about it but other days I see the positives we have a roof over our heads (might not be a pristine designer home) and heat and food and our health there's so many things in life that money can't buy

The people who are really wealthy generally dont go online to anonymously talk about how rich they are OP.
Don't feel bad based on the likely exaggerations if some higher earners who want to pretend they couldn't possibly survive above the breakdown on less than six figures a year.

Most people on MN, I imagine, will be normal people on a range of incomes, in a range of situations and most won't go anywhere near a thread about income.

@MollysMummy2010 How do you define 'poor'?

There will always be people who are better off than you, and those who are worse off than you.

I think the key is to focus on the small things that make your life feel OK and smile. Life may be tough, but, remember how far you have come, and how far you still have to go in life.

Wealth is not everything, which is why many really rich people are not happy, and have to have frequent holidays/shopping binges etc. to get away from their everyday lives.

Many on Mumsnet would agree having good health is the real wealth. I definitely envy those who've never had a day's illness in their lives - if they truly exist.
Stay well .

I very rarely see bragging about income on MN. I see people discussing their finances openly at both ends of the income scale and I don't object to that.

Most of my friends earn quite a bit more than me and I used to earn twice what I do now. It matters very little in real life. I have a lovely time in the company of my friends who are far better off and I'm pretty sure it doesn't bother them that I'm in a different income bracket.

Within the next year or so I'll rise above the tax credits threshold again and I'll admit that I will feel slightly better about things at that point but otherwise I'm living a happy life with what I've got.

I don't want a lot of the luxuries that high incomes buy anyway. I'm equally as happy going camping in Europe for a holiday as I would be to go to somewhere far flung (and flying to exotic places is fast becoming questionable anyway). I couldn't stand a spa break and I would rather go for a walk than spend £20 on a cinema ticket and popcorn. And I definitely would not want to live in London again (although I loved it while I was there and enjoy visiting I've definitely been there, done that, got the t shirt).

Mumsnet is full of fantasists. It's also full of people from a variety of income levels who see no reason to mention it. For every person fantasizing about their twee village, summer and winter living rooms, famous dancer DDs etc, there's 100MNers in a 600-1100 2-3 bedroom house or flat, with up to 3 kids not having mentionitis because their situation is both real and unremarkable. Most of the genuinely rich people probably don't brag, either. The ones who do will come across as vacuous, anyhow.

God we earn £40k and £36k but still are poor. I have £500 for 3 weeks but all bills are paid. We are just crap with money.

So you’re not poor, you’re just shit with money.

It’s pretty insensitive to come onto this thread, where the OP has been upfront about being a low earner and how that makes her feel, and blithely proclaim that even with a £76k income you’re ‘poor’ because “tee hee, I’m just such a ditz about all this money stuff!”

@MollysMummy2010 earning that sort of income, I'm sure you have the wherewithal to google how not to be crap with money, instead of just vacuously giggling about it.

Has anyone a link please to the other thread? Thanks if you can help

God we earn £40k and £36k but still are poor. I have £500 for 3 weeks but all bills are paid. We are just crap with money.

This is either a joke or is so poorly judged it's hideous. I can't tell which

There are a lot of threads like that. People bragging with problems which are not really a major issue and not an issue to those on a lower income. It does not make them better people or mothers. This is not a supportive site.

DH and I earn the least among our friends, but the most amongst our family. It depends who you are comparing to I guess.

You said yourself you didn't post on the previous thread as your income is so bad so people willingly posting their income are happy to because they are happy with their lot.

As an aside, our family who earn less than us probably have more savings and spending money each month because we are crap with money and also have outgoings which they don't have. They definitely have more holidays and weekends away than we do. So it's all well and good someone saying they earn £100k a year but in my experience they have a lot more outgoings (i.e the car/house/holiday/all of it on finance costing £xxx a month)

The question is, are you happy? Money doesn't buy happiness, my highest earning friends aren't at all happy for various reasons

There is lots of people with less than you, many with disabilities, the £10 Christmas bonus threads show how hard so many families have it, it also shows how some of those with money begrudge it.
I am definitely not rich, we are both working ATM things are good, much less worry but only a few pay cheques away from poverty.
Life is short, comparison truly is the thief of joy.

I do believe lots are high earners especially on threads with photos of beautiful bedrooms, bathrooms, gardens.

I don't like those threads either, OP. I can't work now, due to disability, so I only get benefits, but I'm incredibly grateful for what I do get. I worked for 30 years prior to this and the most I ever earned was £22K. I was never well off but now I feel like a pauper.

I am amazed that people write any kind of figure, I admit to being comfortable but that’s it. There is a wide demo-graph on MN but posters upthread are right only the better off will freely admit.

I’m chronically ill. On benefits, single parent, about to be evicted. Applying for a council house for the first time ever. Never been in this position before. Never thought I’d be in this position. I’m anything but rich. I struggle constantly. I hear you.