To , just once ,ask is anyone else fed up of being the squeezed middle?

[Wildandallthatjazz]

Thats it really. !

Yes , on mn , its seen as a privilege to have a mortgage, a job etc .

But sometimes it feels hard and you just wish that you got a break . Recognition of the hard slog maybe .

I am not begrudging those on benefits who got the extra payment support, its more about just wanting to have a treat / a bonus/ etc .. a spare bit of money.. a boost .. the heating on … or maybe recognition that the middle can struggle too ?

I totally accept that people can struggle and need help , sort of also feel the struggling middle are invisible ? ( and not seen to have the’ right ‘to have a little moan as it does you good sometimes )

I do think we are incredibly lucky to live in a county with a welfare state, nhs, free gp care I really do .
But sometimes, it just would be nice not to feel you are paying taxes , working as much as possible, and to be able not to feel squeezed all the time and the need to just have a grump about it .

sometimes it is good to let of steam .. when you cant IRL

and then you move on in a more positive fashion .

I think a lot of it will just be freezes in the thresholds. That, or even raising them more slowly than inflation, ends up being a tax raise longer term.

Not this again.

Im thankful I’m the squeezed middle and not the squeezed end where id be choosing between eating and being warm. I mean neither is ideal but sobbing over privilege is utterly, utterly pathetic

Yep. DH made redundant at start of covid, we are NOT high earners by any stretch by entitles to zero benfits beyond child benefit so I went from part time to full time to bridge the gap, where upon my earnings became a few pounds more than the student loan threshold (old loans so £36500

Ah pressed too soon, so had to start paying back £160 to student loans a month when our household income was lower than it had ever been, just feels like everything out to get us..

Many people on benefits have mortgages too and get no help.

Well lucky for you that you’re one of the lucky ones.

we are technically middle earners but we are literally picking between heating and eating atm. We heat the house for 30 mins in the morning for the kids and then layer them up when they are home. i meal plan to make sure everything gets used up before i do next food shop, we have literally cut back on what we can atm. we’re not entitled to food banks or benefits apart from child benefit of which my husband had to pay back because we were already struggling so he did shit loads of OT last year but it took his earning too high so we’re not entitled to that!

so i will bloody complain and sob about it if I want, you’re post is fucking condescending. Let people moan and complain if they want to, if you’re ‘squeezed middle’ and not struggling then happy for you but some of us are.

So is sobbing over not being able to eat or heat your home because you cant be arsed to get a decent job or invest in your career. Middle earners work bloody hard and have spent years investing in themselfs and their familiy to EARN their wage, its not so they can give it away to some lazy fecless waster.

*I do not include legitimate claimants and people in disabilites in this.

I think the point is that there's now an increase in people who are both in the middle and squeezed to the extent that actually they can't afford to be warm. I say this as someone who is in the middle and not really squeezed.

But many people on benefits have mortgages and so have had those increases too making them even worse off.

we’re not entitled to food banks

How do you think food banks work? Its not a perk of being on benefits, like they rock up and get free food just because they have a UC claim. If you had no food, couldn't afford to buy food, etc then you would be entitled to use a food bank regardless of your income or your benefits status.

Anyone in need is entitled to use a food bank. Some of them don't require a referral, some of them do. To get referred you contact a linked agency (e.g., Citizens Advice, GP, health visitor, etc) and explain that you are in need and they refer you. Anyone in crisis is able to get a referral. Then there are community kitchens, community pantries, food sharing schemes, etc which do not require a referral and are for anyone in the community who needs them on a first come, first served basis.

Worth pointing out that its possible to be in the squeezed middle, well into in the top half in fact, and still be a UC recipient because of housing and/or childcare costs.

I wouldn't mind so much but in recent years the government have wasted our money on bailing out banks, covid, writing blank cheques to the heating industry (I know something had to be done but why make us reliant on overseas energy by closing storage facilities and not investing in domestic energy in the first place). If the money was better spent on schooling, public services and the NHS I wouldn't mind so much.

The Bank of England has also kicked the can down the road, printing money and postponing interest rate rises for years.

We now face a perfect storm of costs caused by the greedy few that run our country.

The media don't hold them to account because journalists ask lazy questions and let them get away with it. Or maybe it's because they're friends with the politicians i.e. Nick Robinson from the BBC went to Eton with Boris Johnson.

Until the government and the media start employing people that are from normal backgrounds I don't see things changing anytime soon.

Not interested in getting into a them vs us debate around benefit claimants etc - just want a moan!

We earn very well as a household but now due to all the increases, we have hardly any treats. Dh meant to get a bonus in January that was going to pay for a family holiday abroad which we haven't had since 2018, but now we've already decided it will go towards energy costs and savings as we have zero savings after moving house. Baby will cost us 1250 a month in childcare come March and mortgage due a renewal next year too. Food prices are ridiculous and as i formula feed, have to account for the masses of formula my 95th centile baby drinks! Far far more than the 25th centile previous baby.

I know we are 'lucky' compared to others. However for once, I'd just like to be ahead, able to have some nice holiday's, buy clothes without worrying and even some new fucking tea towels!!!

I think uou should be able to expect a certain lifestyle when earning above average as a household, but like a pp said, the 'middle' is now becoming the new 'lower'.

Yupppp. It's absolute Bull. I know they have to have cut offs somewhere but it's that struggle of looking at situations where people do have it easier (and I'm genuinely just basing this off friends/family where I do know the full story - not making assumptions of strangers) and you can't help but feel like what's the point working so hard to still struggle so much? Why bother? My issue isn't those who get support just to be clear, it's the absolute failure of the government to allow things to get so bad, especially while claiming expenses on their Owen energy bills and getting lush subsidised lunches while I have a slice of toast and cup of tea to stay warm 🤬

PM announcing a rise in living wage and more COL payments plus increase in benefits… nothing to help lower earners who aren’t entitled however… I expect an increase to pay for the former…

I thought it more likely he’d target support to lower earners, he has before.

Depends on what those percentages are I supppse

It's great that benefits are rising by 10%, but for some of my UC clients who are expected to live on £350 a month, a 10% increase is an extra £35 a month which isn't going to go far with energy increases and food going up. I have just visited a man surviving on this kind of amount. He can't feed his dog, he can't feed himself and is relying on food banks. I'm dropping off food for the dog tomorrow. It's crazy.

100%

I work 22hrs per week as a nurse in NHS.

My husband is a senior nurse also in NHS working full time.
We have two DC aged 5 and 7.
We live in a nice area but have a very modest (quite run down!) house (which is the only way we can afford to stay in this area).

We have very little debt.

We can just about afford “life” as in - mortgage, shopping, bills etc. Trying to keep heating off as much as possible. We have very little left at the end of the month to save or have a little treat.

We never eat out or go on day trips.

We have very little to save for holidays.

I definitely feel we are very much “in the middle” but also know (like you say) that we are lucky to have mortgages, cars, enough to eat, pay bills and live. But we are scraping by.

I know there are so many people worse off but I do also think everyone is entitled to have a bit of a moan. I feel we work so hard and… for what?

Can you increase your hours to full time or pick up weekend shifts, to increase the household income?

I can totally relate to the frustration that you don’t see the benefit of your hard work. I have less truly disposable income than I did as a student. 😒

@FarFromTheStart it never ceases to amaze me why do they always have a fucking dog.

One of my ex friends who I must admit I dumped for such moronic decision-making decided towards the end of lockdown that they would buy a £1000 dog that they were going to breed from, they live in a two bed semidetached the 4 children are stuffed in. So what does bright spark do, decides to breed fucking labradors and of course it doesn’t go to plan the dog ends up needing a Caesarean to save its life they end up with no puppies and a £1500 vets bill that they’re now in debt for. I bet that couple are at the food bank claiming they can’t feed the children as well.

He is not expecting the state to feed his dog. He was working until recently but lost his business during lockdown and has severe mental health issues. It happens, people fall on hard times. The dog is the only thing keeping him going right now.

Poor dog. Once he’s finished that it’ll have to be the food bank I suppose.

Totally agree!
We rent (extortionate) and both work full-time. Low-incomes (both 22-26kish) but we have three kids, a car on finance, a loan, credit cards, food, bills etc to pay with no help at all.

We definitely have less disposable income than someone on benefits with no debts

It’s a bit “Jack Monroe” isn’t it.

The number of luxuries that people will reel off as being beyond question when in penury is amazing. The things that I’ve seen people (on here) claim that people still “deserve” includes

Dogs
manicures
massages
sky television
eyebrow threading
cigarettes
a meal out
smartphone
alcohol…

When I was first working I was very poor, to the point that we did have to choose between heating and eating sometimes. I would not have dreamed of putting any of the items above ahead of feeding myself the key nutrients to stay alive and healthy.

If you and / or your family can’t afford food then any normal person would cut those right out. The idea that it’s reasonable to use a food bank while still smoking, for example, is risible.