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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think a combined salary of 60k is really comfortable?

440 replies

BathedInLavender · 14/09/2020 18:56

OUTSIDE of London. But still in the South East. This isn't a conversation about London because that obviously won't go very far there full stop.

AIBU to think a combined salary of 60k is actually comfortable and not 'meh' at all.

DH earns 30k, I earn the same but I'm part time so it's less because of pro rata. We aren't struggling by any means. If I returned to FT we would have a lot more spare cash, and we have a fair bit now. We don't have cheap housing costs, £900per month just on that.

I spend a lot of money on ridiculous crap Blush and we holiday every year with DC.

It's not bad money if you're not paying out for an excessive mortgage or rental costs, I'd say.

OP posts:
SleepingStandingUp · 14/09/2020 18:58

Has someone said it is or is this an "aren't we so lucky we have such a great life" post?

cretelover · 14/09/2020 18:58

before or after tax?After good , before in the southeast wouldn't be well off

Titsywoo · 14/09/2020 19:00

We would struggle on it - we're in the south east but inside the M25 so maybe that makes us London (even though we are just outside of a London borough so we aren't really)

Original poster
BathedInLavender · 14/09/2020 19:01

Has someone said it is or is this an "aren't we so lucky we have such a great life" post?

I'll stop you there. No, it really isn't in a ridiculous 'I'm wealthy' way. But I'm genuinely very comfortable and think we have good disposable income on that salary, so I'm always baffled when many many Mumsnet posts claim a ridiculously higher figure is comfortably nice and nothing else will do (without even mentioning London)

OP posts:
PremierInn · 14/09/2020 19:01

It's not bad but I would call it meh, and definitely not very comfortable

Original poster
BathedInLavender · 14/09/2020 19:04

Interesting how people can say it isn't comfortable. It's over 3800 a month take home. Even if you're spending 2k on the house cost and childcare, that's 1800 for everything else. That's a lot, isn't it? Shock

OP posts:
BabyLlamaZen · 14/09/2020 19:05

Which county? In Surrey or any of the 'shires you won't get much. But yes, compared to a lot of the country, that is very respectable.

lakesidefall · 14/09/2020 19:05

If you are running two cars, have a reasonable mortgage and two sets of nursery costs then I don't think the amount you have left is enough to be described as very comfortable.

DelurkingAJ · 14/09/2020 19:05

What it doesn’t give you is lots of choices. So, could you still be comfortable (and pay the mortgage) if one of you had to stop working? If the local school failed your child could you scrimp and scrape and go private. Can you have a cleaner and not think about it. Do you pay a good amount into your pension. Can you save for the DC going to university.

Having those kind of options available makes me feel comfortable. And no, we couldn’t do that here (SE, well outside M25) on £30k each pre tax.

TheGinGenie · 14/09/2020 19:05

I can't imagine earning anything like this. It would be incredible. Even in London (I lived on much much less there)

BabyLlamaZen · 14/09/2020 19:06

@BathedInLavender

Interesting how people can say it isn't comfortable. It's over 3800 a month take home. Even if you're spending 2k on the house cost and childcare, that's 1800 for everything else. That's a lot, isn't it? Shock
Unlike a lot of people, I think you're good with money op.

A lot of people buy a LOT.

MaskingForIt · 14/09/2020 19:06

It probably depends on one’s aspirations. We could live quite happily on that, day-to-day, because we’re not into fancy holidays and flash cars. We earn quite a lot more but an awful lot goes into savings, pensions and investments, so we probably live on 40-50k.

Original poster
BathedInLavender · 14/09/2020 19:07

Baby Herts/Beds area (Not Harpenden or St Albans!). Mortgage costs vary for a lot of people but to give you an idea, rental for a 3 bed semi is around 1k a month. And we're 40 mins from St Pancreas

OP posts:
Fluffy40 · 14/09/2020 19:07

Plenty for us, we are in south east, but we don’t pay for housing.

Bluntness100 · 14/09/2020 19:08

Do you own your own home op? Were you able to save to buy it on that? And do you have cars?

fishonabicycle · 14/09/2020 19:08

It's plenty. We live in South East and have had a similar pre tax earnings. Our mortgage is now paid off, we've had holidays and have helped kids out with university costs.

QueenBlueberries · 14/09/2020 19:08

We are in London on just about that salary and we are fine. But we only have one car, we don't have to pay to commute (work is cycle/walk distance), kids are teenagers and don't need childcare (and when they were little I became a registered childminder so I could have an income and look after them).

We manage some to save and invest, and we both have pensions. So with 60k even in London, it's very possible to live comfortably.

Bluntness100 · 14/09/2020 19:09

@fishonabicycle

It's plenty. We live in South East and have had a similar pre tax earnings. Our mortgage is now paid off, we've had holidays and have helped kids out with university costs.
It’s not clear the op can afford her own home though. She’s not clarified if she rents or not.
roseapothecary · 14/09/2020 19:09

Mumsnet seems skewed towards higher earners, some who can't seem to imagine surviving on less than six figures. Our take home pay is similar to yours, about 4100, and we are perfectly comfortable. I'm in the Midlands rather than SE though.

fishonabicycle · 14/09/2020 19:09

And we run a van and a car, did have nursery fees when son was small as well. He went to state schools though.

PremierInn · 14/09/2020 19:11

It's the pension costs that eat up a lot, presumably you're paying a fair whack into a pension? So takehome is quite a bit less.

Finfintytint · 14/09/2020 19:12

If you are not paying a huge amount on housing or childcare then it is a good household income.

Original poster
BathedInLavender · 14/09/2020 19:13

What it doesn’t give you is lots of choices. So, could you still be comfortable (and pay the mortgage) if one of you had to stop working? If the local school failed your child could you scrimp and scrape and go private. Can you have a cleaner and not think about it. Do you pay a good amount into your pension. Can you save for the DC going to university

I couldn't do the private education, but we could provide a good tutor as an option on our salaries. A fair amount is paid into our pensions, mine more so than DH but that's him Hmm silly man. One of us couldn't work for a year after DC due to some complications (too old for this to come under mat leave). We were fine. Paid all bills, had £10/20 here and there for a treat or a birthday. I have a cleaner that I use once a month for a 'nooks and crannies clean' inside all sorts etc. I like to do the rest myself.
That's fair enough, but I lots of significant choices like that were associated with wealth, or being very well off. Not 'comfortable' Blush

OP posts:
PremierInn · 14/09/2020 19:13

@BathedInLavender

Interesting how people can say it isn't comfortable. It's over 3800 a month take home. Even if you're spending 2k on the house cost and childcare, that's 1800 for everything else. That's a lot, isn't it? Shock
I'd call it meh, but that's obviously very subjective
Rudolphian · 14/09/2020 19:14

It's a lot less if you have one main earner. Especially as you lose any child benefit you may be entitled to.
But if it's two people earning about 30k each.
Yeah you bring a lot more home.