To think there should be more help for middle class families

[RootinandTootin]

This isn't a hate mongering post, those on lower incomes and can't work should be helped. My issue is that there seems to be little to no support at all for middle class families. Myself and partner work 5 days a week and have 2 kids. Not a terrible wage so I can't complain about that but the energy cost, food bills and fuel are going to cripple us soon enough. We also have Christmas to think about and a couple of birthdays inbetween. I just feel so unbelievably stressed out all the time about it. I'm praying this all calms down by the end of next year when our mortgage is coming up to renewal. There is pretty much no help being offered to us (unless anyone has some hints). I can't see it getting any better and its pretty depressing, alongside other personal issues going on at the moment I just want to cry.

What help would you like?

Lower bills and a more affordable life and dare i say it some savings at the end of it. I feel like we work non stop with little to show for it at the moment.

The £400 towards power bills is for everyone regardless of income which is some help. I think Xmas can be enjoyable without spending a huge amount of money.

Why? It's not the Government's job to just hand out bundles of free money to everyone and - in the end - we would all have to pay for it.

If you can afford Christmas and birthdays you're doing ok.

I think this is where the “live to your means” becomes a problem.
Many have given themselves a lifestyle they are convinced they can afford because they can afford the monthly payments. The take the highest mortgage they can, pay for holidays abroad monthly, take cars on finance and then, when there’s nothing left per month they’re stuck.

im not saying this is your situation OP, but it certainly applies to many.

What help would you like?

As much as I I don't doubt your stress, birthdays and Christmas aren't essentials, eating is. Help is rightly directed to those on the lowest incomes. I don't agree with the universal help with energy bills even - we are being given money we do not need (I've donated it to the food bank).

@gogohmm agree. So many of these £400 energy payments could’ve been spent better.

It's tough for everyone right now! You are not alone in seeing bills going up. It could be worse... you could be a pensioner just getting £150 per week, the old state pension rate.

Everyone is going to have to cut back on most things

@NCFT0922

Well put.

When we bought our house, the "independent" mortgage advisor at the estate agent tried to tell us we could afford to borrow £560k - we ignored them and borrowed £190k buying a house that was smaller obviously but big enough. We consequently don't have a cost of living crisis (also bought a second hand car outright rather than new on finance)

That's the issue we can't afford it, I don't feel like anyone should have to feel like this when they're busting their arse off everyday. Its not just my family. It's the governments responsibility to ensure we have a good economy but they aren't at all. I don't want free money I just want life to be affordable. If they didn't have such high taxes I think it would be better for everyone. They locked the country down during Covid, cost countless jobs, paid a % of furlough to large companies. It just makes me so mad that we are not in this situation. This has been caused by the Government so yes I think they should sort it out.

But are you really middle class though? Honest question, the amount of people I have met over the years who claim to be middle class are most definately not, they are working class.

Help is always aimed at those on benefits. Seems unfair when everyone needs electricity and gas, but that is the way it is. Not sure how the middle people supposed to manage with electricity/has increases and mortgage increases. After next April I would be surprised if anyone who was not on a benefit got any help at all with electricity/has. It would be fairer to allow each household X amount of cheaper electric/has units and then above a certain number all had to pay full price. My parents saved hard all their lives, paid into their pensions, went without foreign holidays, did not smoke and rarely went out for meals. Parents in law, mil did not bother paying full NIC's even, both smoked like chimneys, did not save all money spent on going on foreign holidays and going out. My parents could not claim anything except state pensions, PIL get Pension Credit, don't pay council tax, get lots of help with everything. Just so unfair. Also Pil had jobs earning more than my parents all through their careers. If you pay extra into pension and save hard you get no help. If you spend all you get government fall over themselves to pay you benefits.

little to show for it

You're a home-owner ! What more do you want?

Middle class? Do you actually mean middle income?

I think the group in the middle is getting smaller and smaller so middle class life styles will vanish.

Sort it out by giving away more money when we are billions of pounds in debt…? We can’t afford it. We can’t afford to lower taxes.

I doubt they are, as OP is using class instead of income.

I was thinking the same. What does class have to do with anything? Surely help should be given on income not what class someone calls themselves?

To be fair you're probably right i might be working class but still no help at all. I don't live above my means and I put food and keeping the kids warm first and foremost but I feel that if you are working then why shouldn't you be able to afford more than just the bare essentials. You should be able to aspire to better things and at the moment its just the same old day in and day out. Why is everyone happy with people struggling? I don't doubt pensioners and others have it worse but why should ANY of us should be struggling along, not with the taxes we all pay.

Class should be axed.

I agree with you. Up until recently I worked in education and my husband and I were struggling with the wages. He is a pretty decent earner but we really couldn't afford for me to keep working in education any longer which really is a shame. I ended up leaving for another job which is higher paid.

He had a temporary massive wage cut during lockdown that has never been replaced and at one point we were struggling to buy food and pay bills. Because we were middle earners there was zero support with uniform, school meals, laptops for home learning etc no food banks would support us as we were not on benefits.

In the space of 12 months our washing machine, tumble dryer, fridge and freezer all died. We lived without a freezer for 9 months. I know it's not an essential but it helps to keep food shops cheap.

Many friends I know are able to save a little for holidays etc but the last holiday we had was in 2017.
We are coming out of the other side of it now but it's been rough and a little support for people like us would have been a godsend.

No one can comment without knowing quite some details about your life. How many children, cost of childcare, where you live, what type of property, debts, etc....

In the 80s my family had a similar situation with the strikes but community support was there for everyone irrespective of being unable to claim benefits.