Average incomes

[flabbergastedfinances]

Found out that the average family income is around £30,000 a year and I can not believe it. I don't know a single family on anywhere near this low, lowest is possibly 70k mark between two teachers but majority have two earners pulling in 40+ each or one higher earner on 80/90k+

How on earth is 30,000 even possible in light of minimum wage and benefits/tax credits etc? What is even more shocking is that I used the where do you fit in calculator and we are apparently in top 98% of families in the uk. No chance, absolutely no chance.

We might have a high ish mortgage (still only £1000 so not outrageous) and have slipped into bad spending habits (Uber's, eating lunch out every day, new clothes now and then) but we are hardly excessive. We can't afford to run two cars, can't afford foreign holidays, can't afford the posher shops like Boden or northface new and yet this chart tells me we have it better than nearly everyone else in the country?! What am I missing?!

We have a child in childcare a few days a week, so that and mortgage are biggest expenses but combined that's only £1500 and I see everyone else buying £300 coats, spending 1000s on holidays, children in private schools and I am utterly stumped.

How can the average family income be £30,000? Which families are surviving on that? None I know that's for sure and I just refuse to believe that's an actual reality

I don't get these threads where people on 6 figures say they cant afford a holiday abroad....either they have lots of debt or maybe their idea of a holiday is way more luxurious than mine

just to add, I'm successful in my field, qualified and not completely dim. I feel like some posters are being very horrible suggesting I ride the coat tails of my husbands job - absolutely not. The labour I provide re childcare, in the home and emotional support have enabled him to successfully get ahead in his industry. I was earning just over £40,000 when I stopped work to have our first child and I'm hoping that with a bit of effort I can get back into the same field when the youngest starts school.

I think that was me being horrible OP and I'm sorry I haven't been very fair to you and I apologise. It's just that this whole thread has made me so very angry and sad.

@Oldgrinch I'm so sorry for that, I probably deserve a bit of your anger tbh xxx

bet OP has never read a book in her life, has no interest in news/current affairs. Her biggest dilema will be if she should get a white Land Rover or a different colour next time!! Why have these vacuous idiots got huge bank balances and so many of the thoroughly decent hard working folk on this thread are struggling so badly? Through circumstances beyond their control? It makes me angry to the core

Wow, this is one of the most horrible, bitter things I’ve ever read. I know that you’ve apologised, @OldGrinch but that was well out of line.

You say you’re educated but are very bitter that you haven’t progressed as far in your career as you’d like. Maybe that’s down to other behaviours you display?

You don't know anything about my career at all. And I have progressed very far in it actually and I am respected for the work I do and the training and support I provide to others. It just so happens that my job isn't a particularly well paid one like many others already mentioned. Have you even bothered to read the thread?

And yes, I got angry and was horrible and I have apologized to the OP and the OP has replied to say that she has accepted my apology so what's your problem exactly?

Although it must be said the white Land Rover does tend to go with a certain type of person.

Just breezing through this thread to yawn loudly and roll my eyes in an obvious way.....

Yes OP. It's shit isn't it? How on earth do those peasants survive on your clothes shopping and leisure budget!

I know this will be outing but I've got to the point where I don't care. I'm an Educational Psychologist. There have been huge cuts to local authority budgets which mean that in my area there aren't enough staff recruited to the job and those of us that are given piecemeal working contracts. Knock on effect is loads of vulnerable children should be having assessments that and aren't and won't be getting the help they desperately need. So that's why I'm angry and sad @ChunkyKnit

I have found this thread very frustrating. I am on 28k. I run my household alone with a 4 year old and a 16 year old. We don't have holidays or high end clothes but we aren't on the bread line, we live relatively comfortably. People should be less judgmental.

@ChevalierTialys it's not always judgement though, it's where you live too, I live in an ordinary three bed semi, my mortgage and accompanying life insurance are £ 14k a year if your gross is £28k that's £22k roughly after tax, not taking into account any pension contribution or student loan repayment if you have them (I pay both) so £8000 (£660 a month) left to cover all other outgoings (our council tax is around £200), raise children, food, run a car, contingency if the boiler breaks or the car needs repairs etc would be a tight budget and we wouldn't be able to put anything aside at all. We haven't had a holiday this year and don't wear designer clothes, our cars are second hand and not fancy, we don't really drink and don't eat out often, but we are comfortable. If my car breaks we can fix it, I don't have to turn the heating off and stay cold to save money, we eat fresh foods, so I consider us fortunate, but our combined income is more than double yours, in the area we live in that affords us an average lifestyle.

@ChevalierTialys have a look at this calculator, the results of which are based on what the public think a minimum income should be.

www.jrf.org.uk/minimum-income-calculator-do-you-earn-enough-decent-standard-living

I dont think people are being judgemental.

The calculator is saying I need £313 per week for a decent standard of living!! Alcohol spend should be £5.90 😱. There is nothing decent about that.

Well according to that calculator my rent should only be £412 a month 😂😂😂 I pay £600 and don't even have a house!!!
Any decent houses in my area you are looking at £700+ a month easily.
Looking to move atm and it's slim pickings on my budget I tell you, without even factoring in things such as accessible parking/ enough space for storage/ a decent kitchen that doesn't look like it cost £100 to put together 🙄

@oldgrinch
I posted up thread about me earning £30 k in a professional role and life being sometimes a bit of a struggle.

You later said you were an EP. EP's on soulbury scale start at around 36k and most after training start at 39k. You didn't mention doing a doctorate which would be wit hing the next decade, so you must have quite a few years experience under your belt so either you work part-time or are massively underpaid?

Full time contracts for EPs barely exist in my LA, there was one role for the whole country in the next door LA! Yes it's a decent salary if you are full time but I am not.

County not Country

I know an EP earning 80k+. He does some LA and some private work. You are massively privileged if you are qualified in a professional role. You have the potential to be earning plenty.

The labour I provide re childcare, in the home and emotional support have enabled him to successfully get ahead in his industry.

A lot of people on MN say this.

It's perfectly possible he would have been successful without you giving up work. Loads of us have managed to have our own successful careers whilst our partners do the same.

You can easily hire a nanny and a cleaner in place of giving up a £40k+ salary.

I'm not saying you should do that, and it's perfectly fine to not do just because you don't want to. But don't pretend that you giving up work is the only way your DH has been able to succeed.

Wow Downtown that is really quite Nasty and bitter.
You are wrong though.
I really don’t think a nanny and cleaner are affordable for a start on a £40k salary. Especially as for many jobs they would need to be there round the clock.
For the record I work part time. But on the days I don’t work my DH gets up and goes to work at 5 in the morning and leaves me to sort the kids and school run etc. He is eternally grateful as he says that is when he get his most productive work done. He himself says I enable him to earn more.

You are massively privileged if you are qualified in a professional role. You have the potential to be earning plenty

Full time contracts for EPs barely exist in my LA, there was one role for the whole countu in the next door LA!

I think these two statements sum up why when we talk about low income earners we all assume they are doing low status unqualified jobs. I think people would be surprised how many professional people are working part time, fixed term contracts not out of choice but because that's all that is available.

According to that calculator we need double our household income , I wouldn't mind that tbh

When people say they are 'comfortable' - everyone has their own level of 'comfort'. I consider that I, earning less than £10,000 pa am 'comfortable' because I live alone, am happy doing what I do, have food and a roof over my head and a car I can afford to put fuel in.

On the other hand, I have no heating or hot water. It's the trade off I make. People come in and react as though no central heating is contravening their human rights. I just don't NEED to live at eighteen degrees to feel that I am 'comfortably off'. I have no debts. That's good enough for me.

@zaphodsotherhead how do you wash (yourself/clothes/dishes) and how do you clean without hot water?

Ive met people with no heating before but never met anyone with no hot water.