To be struggling to survive on 65k household income

[Soddinghell]

By the time we have paid mortgage, phone bills, bills car insurance, kids activities etc we barely have anything left. I don’t know what’s going on. DH earns 50k and I earn 15k part time. Please somebody help me I am thinking of going full time to stay afloat, I don’t know where we are going wrong, we are not in London or an expensive area, just outside manchester and people keep telling us we should be fine. We are not though!

That's a good income in the North. The saying is id you've got more you spend more. Your post is tone deaf there's many who will have to rely on food banks especially this christmas. Instead of posting on mn complaining. Put your out going and on goes and work from there.

I've reported them also.

I suggest you are not nearly as amusing or delightfully random as you think yourself.

OP sack this thread off and start a new one outside of AIBU. People tend to live to their means. So it'll be a shock. There will be ways you can feel comfortable again.

You need to do moneysavingexpert's budget planner. www.moneysavingexpert.com/banking/budget-planning/

Am I having a stroke? I can't make head not tail of this thread.

Sorry you are getting grief on here. Hubby and my joint income is a lot less than yours, but we’re retired, share an 8-year-old car, don’t have a daily commute or kids to finance (still have a mortgage though). People invariably live up to their income. I certainly did before I retired. You have my sympathy. I guess you’ll have to think carefully about where you can cut. Could you remortgage at a better rate (unlikely since interest rates have risen). Can you manage with one car? Have you cut down/out unnecessary social expense, including some kids clubs (maybe replace them with free activities together with you and/or your other half). Other than that, we need to elect a Labour government.

Don't worry, it's not you....

Oh good, so you don't like us. Feel free to leave, and for gods sake, go and see your doctor to explain you're absolutely nuts.

Maybe reduce activities. Gymnastics is often quite expensive

I have reported it too. Wish mods were as quick to delete blatant troll accounts, as they are regular posters.

Sounds like you don't fully know where your money is going.
A tenner here, a tenner there, it adds up.

Start by recording every penny you spend. Keep a full month's record and then at the end of the month you'll have a better understanding of how you can make changes.

Seconding everyone who has suggested MSE as a source of good advice on budget planning.

The relevant forum is very helpful.

Hi OP: your income is more than mine. But... I can understand as everything has became more expensive.

youre best writing out a list of your monthly outgoings and seeing what you’re spending as a first step

Our household income is about half of yours and I am still sympathetic to you.

We shouldn't have to live like this. At that wage you've worked hard to get where you are presumably, and even if you're on much less (like me) why should we have to go from having a reasonable lifestyle within our means to scraping by to line the pockets of already indecently rich people? It's incredibly depressing.

If your struggling you are going to have to cut back and really look at why. It may be to cut back on clubs or other non essential. If you want to maintain your current spend then you will need to increase your hours

Why shouldn't you?

You deserve this forum as anyone else.

Ignore the haters.

As suggested you need to breakdown all your outgoings and then scrunize what you can cut.

Also look at ways to increase your income by increasing hours.

Wow, Im a single parent and earn £11k a year. I am stressing about the cost of living, I have got my bills down as much as I can

Get this post deleted and repost in the credit crunch section where you'll get decent advice. You have received good advice here but it's been derailed by the nutter.

www.moneysavingexpert.com/