Minimum wage or not much better…?

[NellesVilla]

How on earth are you meant to survive on minimum wage jobs? I don’t get it. £9.50 an hour and the cost of everything going up?

Some of us can’t currently do much better, and some of us just can’t do many extra hours. I’ve often done 52 hours’ plus a week, but it’s just not sustainable, particularly with the commute.

Quick bit of background: although I’m a graduate and ex-teacher, due to my mental health issues I can’t deal with too much stress and responsibility and so can only really commit to low-paid admin type jobs. My current one pays just over £10 per hour, which admittedly is slightly over minimum wage but not much really. Previously I earned well over 3 times this in private tutoring work.

Today I’ve been a.) Interviewing for slightly better jobs, the hourly rate? The princely sums of £10.75 and £10.80 per hour respectively. b.) Looking at rental flats, the cost? Well, since you asked, £965 pcm for a tiny 1 bog standard 1 bed plus bills. The second- at £1025 for a very nice 1 bed, I decided not to view as the cost would be too high with bills (a total cost that would eat up virtually all of my monthly wage packet, even with plenty of overtime!).

The whole thing is ridiculous. The amount of hours I’ll have to do to pay the rent and bills, is completely insane.

I’m lucky in my current bargain basement living accommodation (bills only for on site cottage of a contact) but it won’t be forever and I’ll have to move in the next few months.

Probably a simple economic explanation, but how do the authorities expect you to live on the minimum wage or not much better?

I am educated and will eventually pull myself together, retrain and start again (I have to, there’s no other way), but how do single people over 35 and on a low salary afford to live alone? Or is that a rhetorical question?

And is it possible to claim housing benefit one day, or as a single non-parent, am I not priority?

Happy to be called unreasonable if you like, but I really think that at the age of 35+, I should be able to live alone with a full-time job. I’m not exactly expecting to live it up in Chelsea!

Anyone can claim housing benefit. You would be entitled to the studio or 1 bedroom rate. Just google your local council and the LHA rental rates. However your rent says you live somewhere rather expensive as our old three bed house was only £640 plus bills. Even with a new tenant it’s only gone to £695.

Here’s a random one I googled and this would be the maximum this council pays. Obviously your wages affect how much if anything you would be entitled too.

I suppose one way is to get a 2 bed and split bills with another person. I suppose if you really wanted to you could have a person in lounge as their room and share kitchen and bathroom. Have you friends you could share with?

Wow, @Horst , what a bargain for a 3 bed house! I live in Surrey so v overpriced. Everything within a 40 minute radius is expensive and I need to be here for family commitments and a dog- share!

You are entitled to universal credit. Check what you can claim for and how much would be deducted etc.

That rent is crazy, were do you live? Anyone can apply for universal credit, it’s worth a go, use a benefit checker to find out. I’d look into a house share aswell.

Hi @caringcarer , I’m on the ASD spectrum and really can’t share with others ever again. I’d rather live in my car, something I did when people were noisy and upset
me (can’t help being like this!). Sensory-wise, the noise, sight, smell and presence or others in my living space is an issue, unfortunately.

Hi @BattenburgDonkey , near Guildford, in Surrey.

www.entitledto.co.uk

enter your details in and see what it says, it’s not an application and it doesn’t take long to do, may as well check if you can get any help OP.

Not that far from London and on a direct line. But yeah your tent is super super high and although you say you can’t move honestly you may have to or move in with a family member of which you have commitments too. As a single person you’ll never be entitled to much help. The other route is wait out an eviction if you are now worried about paying bailiff fees or a bad credit rating (if you don’t pay) and hope the council rehouse your. Again though that could be anywhere in their county not where you want to be and would be a one bed/bedsit.

Could you manage to share with just 1 other person? I think you haven't got many options if you don't want to consider moving to a cheaper area.

Thanks for the kind words, guys. It was therapeutic to vent!!

Man I remember when minimum wage was £3.85 (or something like that). That must mean I'm old!

Imagine doing a weekly shop on that these days, @Conc1 ! But I suppose you could get a nice home for 30k in some places then!!

Not quite.. It was only about 17 years ago I think. I was young and thought there was no chance of me being able to afford property, ever.

Sadly I think minimum wage jobs aren't meant to be enough to live in independently. They are ok if you still live at home with parents, or if you have kids and can get top up benefits, or if you partner is the main wage earner. It's a disgrace

I don't understand the free market proponents. They whine about welfare then whine if you suggest raising minimum wage so that industry actually pays people rather than the state.

I think their argument is that companies will go bust but this is the very definition of the type of capitalism they support.

Are you claiming PIP for ASD?

No, not claiming anything, @VitaminB34 - even though 2 x doctors have agreed with me re ASD, have not been officially assessed.

My old house was rented for £925 a month and was a teeny tiny 2 bed with one room downstairs. No garden or parking either.

This is not an expensive area, rent has gone through the roof!

My first job was £4.90 an hour, I honestly have no idea how I lived. I had my own largish flat and still went out and partied most nights!

if your autistic(even mildly)try to claim pip, you can work part time as well as having pip

with pip comes other benefits, even if you are still working

If you are a single person and earn over 16k pa you aren’t eligible for universal credit (unless there are special circumstances).

I remember this too! My first ever job it was appallingly paid and that was 15 years ago.

These are not going to solve all your problems but these are a couple of things I do that give me around an extra 1000 a year.

I spend an hour a day while watching TV doing surveys. I usually make around 3 pounds a day, so nearly 1000 right there. You can use this link and it gives you 40p to start with.
I'm inviting you to join AttaPoll. Get paid to take surveys. Download the app here: attapoll.app/join/skawm

I also use Quidco which is a cash back site. I but everything I can online through it, but get more money when you renew all your insurances pet, home etc. I usually make around 400 a year that I keep for Christmas, and uou get an extra per cent age if you swap for a voucher instead of cash out. You can use this link and it gives you 5 pounds cashback bonus when you get your first 5 pounds. Like I say an easy way to do that is renew an insurance through the site.

app.quidco.com/raf/1qnW

Final thing is download Airtime app and register your card. You get a pound using this link. Just by using your card as normal you can get cashback, and it goes off for your phone bill. That is usually around 10 pounds a month for me.

Download Airtime Rewards for free with my code KAVJXMCJ and save money off your phone bill every time you shop with brands like Boots, Greggs, Wilko, Argos and loads more: airtimerewards.app.link/44DsgPTM9pb