Does anyone live happily on a 'lower' salary

[Fakerecords]

Circa 20k a year.
I think when sharing a home with someone else it's much easier, but understandably living alone can be difficult on this salary.
I have the option to do a job that I enjoy full time for £10 an hour, well 4 days a week, and one day doing work at £12 an hour. It will also involve me riding a bike daily too so will keep me fit.

It's something I'd be happy doing but have these niggling feelings in the back of my mind that I should be 'doing better'.

I'm currently doing work for £13 an hour, which is hardly megabucks, but it made me feel like I was doing a little better in life I guess. However I really dislike the work.

Just not sure what to do. I'm 31

All of my friends from my school year are in 'careers' with over 30k salaries, which I know isn't exactly extortionate either but still much better than mine.

I've just applied for a job that pays less than I'm on now but it will mean I don't have to work weekends, for me it will be great to have weekends off as a family and so it's worth the reduction in wages. We will have to be a bit more careful with spending but I think overall it will make our lives easier.

It doesn't matter what other people think your hourly rate should be. I earn approx £10 per hour despite being a graduate. It's whether you enjoy the work and it gives you a good work / life balance that's the most important thing IMO. You can suit yourself.

It's literally only on MN that I've had people look down on me, or not understand.

It's up to you. If you can afford to live on it and make a contribution to your pension then do it then it's down to you

Do a budget and see what you can realistically afford.

Im surprised at 31 you’re still comparing yourself to people from school, and not your peers? I think happiness is complex, and there is no joy in poverty or being skint, so it depends, can you live on it happily?

I earned ~£10K last year, topped up with benefits. I'm earning almost double this year as I'm working much more but because we get less money in benefits we're in the same situation. We are happy though and live decent enough lives. I love my job.

Money isn’t everything and if you can afford to live on that amount, and the job will make you happy, then go for it!

I was earning ~£24k a couple of years ago and felt perfectly comfortable on it (DH earns more than me). It was a lovely, low stress job that I could leave at the door when I left the office.

I’ve had a few salary jumps since then and now earn £40k. The extra money makes life easier, of course it does, but I now feel more stressed and think about work a lot more.

I'm on 19k and live alone, and still manage to do nice things and have a life. I'm very very lucky though in that I bought my house 25 years ago and paid off the mortgage, I have no idea how I'd manage if I was paying out the standard rent or mortgage amounts young people pay these days.

I earn roughly £24k p/a as a lone parent and a postgraduate. I'm comfortable however, I'm mortgage free, WFH and only have one DC. Maybe do a budget and consider your work/life balance to help you to decide.

When I was furloughed it made me realise how little I actually needed.
So I eventually changed jobs, reduced my days and hour and I earn about 20k.
I have no stress. Still go on holiday and do thing but I just do things in my budget.

I earn 13k (pt) and DH earns £25k (ft) our 2DC are grown up we own our home outright (paid £46k 1995, worth £200k now) we’ve always managed ok. About 5 years ago I saw my brother’s payslip in his kitchen and I looked at it - I know I shouldn’t have but I can’t unsee it now - his net pay was about £5k pcm I couldn’t believe it. But he’s mortgaged up to the hilt and has other loans, they’re always redecorating or changing their car, so they have more but spend it, plus some. Whereas we’re happy to make do and avoid debt at all costs. Different strokes for different folks.

Thanks for these replies

There's a lot to be said for being comfortable and happy rather than the idea of being "successful".

I work 3 days for about £13k a year. My DH is a higher earner. One child but school holidays are manageable.

The two days off help us keep on top of stuff at home so we can enjoy our weekends and I'm also working on a volunteer project which I love. I may not be career successful but I have a good life balance and feel like I am giving back to the community

It’s depends where you live, obviously. Two people each earning £20k a year could have a good life in the part of Scotland I used to live in where in the nice local market town a good two bedroom house could be bought for around £120k; whereas in London they would struggle with rent of over half their joint income.

Which are you?

This is the crux of it OP.

Are you ever going to be able to buy a home? Is this a priority for you?

Housing is everyone's biggest cost and requires thought

£20k is doable if you are rent and mortgage free . It is very little in today's cost of living crisis . I agree with doing jobs you enjoy and aren't
stressed with but being broke and not able to pay bills brings stress of its own

I could be quite comfortable earning £20k if mortgage was paid off, my dc were grown up and totally self sufficient and I had investments/inheritance. As it stands we have another 20 years on mortgage and at least 15 years until my youngest dc will be in full time employment.

I think enjoying your work is worth a huge amount. And if you can live on that income it’s fine to do so. If you can then I’d say stop worrying about whether you are doing as well as others and embrace cheap days out, second hand clothes and looking for yellow stickers in the supermarket.

I’m happy with a low income but like others have said above I pay relatively little for the place I live in. If I wasn’t in a house I can comfortably afford I would try and earn more, for sure.