33k and struggling

[farmanimals]

I don’t understand what I’m doing wrong. I’m earning just shy of 33k which is a really respectable salary. Yet I’ve just budgeted for the month and I’m really struggling to save anything or even have anything to spend.

My total for rent, all bills, food, car, phone bill, subscriptions I need for work is £1400. My bills have skyrocketed. I am earning £1900 a month.
This does give me £500 but this has to go towards all outgoings including petrol, all my toiletries and make up, I have to get my hair done because it’s really damaged as well. So if I want to socialise it’s basically out of the question.

Also I’m putting a lot of pressure on myself to save a deposit for a house. I’m putting lile £100 away at the moment a month if that, and only have £2k in a LISA. Makes me think I’m never ever ever going to buy a house.

Am I wrong in wondering how this is possible?

She was saying she puts £100 into savings, spends the rest on petrol, makeup and toiletries and have nothing left for socialising and more savings. £400 on petrol and makeup is a lot per month.

Sounds about right really, it's very tough solo on even a medium salary now.

I'm just about to split from DP. I'm on £45k and even I'm worried about finances living solo and what my quality of life will be.

KillingLoneliness - I'm so sorry you're stuck in this predicament. It's incredibly unfair.
We finally bought our own house in our forties, having rented until then but we were lucky with timing and had a 'fair rent' - scarcely in existence now - so could put money away. Seems to be a free for all now in terms of what landlords can charge and how easy it is to remove tenants.
I can't see how anything will change without new laws to protect tenants and cap rents. Heartbreaking.

Jeez, I've just seen the post about you rent, 700 each, not including bills, that's disgusting.

OP I can’t work out how you earn 33K a year. I earn 27K a year - pension £80 - tax £270 - national insurance £160. I don’t pay student loan but wondering how we both take home £1900 if you are earning £5K more?

I do not think you can be on 33K. If you are meant to be, I would speak to your employer as this doesn’t sound right

*your

Must be somewhere really expensive. I’m in the south east in an expensive area and it is cheaper than that for a 2 bed flat, around £1000 per month.

Not RTFT so forgive me if you already know this, but you may be able to claim some tax relief e.g. for professional subscriptions www.gov.uk/tax-relief-for-employees

Single parent here on the same salary, with same take home pay in the north. Don't qualify for any benefits.

Can't remember last time I bought myself any clothes or shoes or went out for dinner. Have no massive outgoings. My car is 20 years old. Use food banks. Feel like i am just surviving. It's just not enough to live on these days I am finding.

It is really hard, all you can really do is look at your discretionary spend and really cut it. And look for ways of increasing income. Make sure you've done all the swaps you can on mobile phone, TV bills etc. The money saving expert website is very good. If you don't have any debt other than student loan and car loan then try and keep it that way...then you've got room for emergencies too.

Your P60 will show your gross & net salary

Judging by the tax I think OP is on just short of £30k

@farmanimals I know they're not for everyone (been there, got the mouldy t-shirt) but with that huge rent amount have you considered a cheap house share with bills included so you can save? I understand if you don't want to as I found the experience crap but that's such a large amount for rent.

This is why teachers/nurses etc are striking now. £33k barely covers essentials now - a graduate job that requires years of self-funded education should allow someone, after a few years of work, to live comfortably, not on the breadline. I worry that now things like petrol and food are so much more expensive, they will never go down again, even when wholesale prices fall.
I live in a South-East commuter belt area: a 2 bed ex-council house which needs completely renovating costs nearly £400k here - way out of reach of a teacher or nurse on this kind of salary, or a family with kids where one person's salary is basically eaten up by childcare costs. It's bonkers.

@CeciliaMars Totally agree as one of those groups. It's utterly depressing to not even afford the essentials after all the training. I'm sure lots of others must feel like this. But then public sector are to be martyrs that suck it up 🙄

DS2 earns about the same, rent is £750 a month and after all bills, student loan, car etc and spending he saves £800 a month.
I realise he doesn't buy make up but how much can a person possibly spend on that? You have £500 a month left after food and all bills. That's a comfortable amount.

Honestly don’t stop your pension. That’s terrible advice. If you do that, you’ll be in for a miserable old age & probably have to work forever.

33k is 20% less than it was in 2020 eg equivalent to £26.5k.

It's not as good as it was.

If you want more money move jobs or retrain. Plenty of roles paying more if you acquire the skills.

Not really, pay has not kept up with the cost of living. And we don't know op's role.

Another one puzzled by figures
the council tax is really high, are you in the most expensive area?

also, having to pay petrol, makeup etc from the £500....yes, petrol is essential but even then, it sounds like you spend a lot on toiletries?

Pop on the martin lewis forum and fill out a budget form. Clearly, a lot of money is going somewhere. Eating out?

It's tough. I take home between £1300 -1800pm, live alone and I manage but there's no eating out, holidays etc. I have the odd Starbucks or McDonald's, don't drink and tend to buy my beauty stuff on the months my wage is higher (commission based)
That's my only income to pay mortgage, bills etc

Teachers in the UAE get paid about £4.5k a month net plus housing so around £60k a year net. Equivalent to about £100k in taxed income.

If the UK didn't spend so much money on benefits it's teachers and nurses would earn a lot more. You cannot have 12m working age people receiving some form of state benefit without it affecting salaries for government employees.

If you spend £100 on petrol (any business mileage is refundable so just commuting, that's a fair amount) £100 of hair and beauty £100 of saving you still have £200 to spend.

I for example spend £60-70 on petrol, £10 on toiletries, £40 on nails then save £20 each month for make up (I buy once a year when I go to london with dd and her mod discount card!)