Page 3 | Am I stupidly poor? Or living in the real world?

Chunkythighss · 2023-03-19T23:50:59+00:00

Just off the back of another post… people commenting that they will have to live off £1900 AFTER paying the mortgage and how this is going to be a struggle. nearly £2000 a month extra. This is more than I earn a month and pay rent, bills, etc… yet people are saying they’d struggle to live on this after bills? Am I massively poor or is this normal? 🙈

Berklilly · 20/03/2023 04:02

My nursery bill alone is 1375 a month, so utilities and council tax would eat up most of the rest of that 1900 and we would struggle without any 'luxury' spends included...

Redebs · 20/03/2023 04:04

There are a lot of us getting by on less than 2k total income a month.
I wish more Mumsnetters appreciated the reality for the majority. Poverty is suffocatingly pervasive and affects so much of a person's life, health, opportunities, relationships and outlook on life.

Hotvimto3 · 20/03/2023 04:04

I dont have £1900 to begin with, nevermind after bills and mortgage.
Im prob left with £500 which is mostly spent on food/petrol

Redebs · 20/03/2023 04:07

Gotta laugh at all the 'helpful advice' on here. 😂

OldFan · 20/03/2023 04:25

I don’t think I could feed just me on £20 a week though.

@LovingACountryBoy I enjoy the challenge. I try and do it healthily too. If someone can see budgeting as a challenge, it turns a lot of it around. Obviously if they genuinely, unavoidably can't manage things they have to try and cover then that's different. But I don't see the point of getting food on a credit card at all (not that I have one.) Better to use a food bank than do that. But it's like, 39p for a loaf of bread. 70p for 1kg of porridge etc. 80p for 500g dried split peas .

I could go on, am happy to make a plan if needed @Chunkythighss . I have a couple of recognized nutrition qualifications and spend a lot of time on this sort of thing through my own interest.

No I don't think 20 is bad at all. Obviously if I were a family of 4 I'd shop slightly differently and it'd be more but along the same lines. It'd actually make more sense as I don't need 1kg porridge a week.

OldFan · 20/03/2023 04:31

Also, OP has a 1 year old and a baby on the way. 1 year olds have their own expenses but they don't tend to eat a lot.

Redebs · 20/03/2023 04:32

Here we go with the 'let them eat soup' thing.
A loaf of bread is £1.40.
Split peas need lots of cooking and create damp if you're struggling with fuel bills.

Reminds me of a previous HT I worked with who thought 'feckless' parents should get bones from the butcher to make soup. Totally out of touch with reality of poverty.

LovingACountryBoy · 20/03/2023 04:50

OldFan · 20/03/2023 04:25

I don’t think I could feed just me on £20 a week though.

@LovingACountryBoy I enjoy the challenge. I try and do it healthily too. If someone can see budgeting as a challenge, it turns a lot of it around. Obviously if they genuinely, unavoidably can't manage things they have to try and cover then that's different. But I don't see the point of getting food on a credit card at all (not that I have one.) Better to use a food bank than do that. But it's like, 39p for a loaf of bread. 70p for 1kg of porridge etc. 80p for 500g dried split peas .

I could go on, am happy to make a plan if needed @Chunkythighss . I have a couple of recognized nutrition qualifications and spend a lot of time on this sort of thing through my own interest.

No I don't think 20 is bad at all. Obviously if I were a family of 4 I'd shop slightly differently and it'd be more but along the same lines. It'd actually make more sense as I don't need 1kg porridge a week.

I’m glad you enjoy it, but I don’t think many people ‘enjoy the challenge’ of trying to make their money feed them and their children. For many, it’s stressful and draining. Many people on here have said they dread going to the supermarket and feel utterly depressed about food shopping now.

LovingACountryBoy · 20/03/2023 04:59

And whilst it’s great that food banks exist to help people, it shameful that they are needed. The fact that people’s wages and/or benefits still leave people not being able to buy enough food is nothing but wrong.

And when you have kids they often want the yogurts their friends have or the cereal with a nice picture on or a happy meal occasionally. It’s not as easy as serving them porridge and meals with split peas in, split peas which actually take more fuel than many foods to cook so that’s not always helpful. And god forbid people’s wages and/or benefits should leave them with some money for emergencies or a bit of ‘fun’ money and people get some joy out of life. Fun for most people isn’t a ‘see how cheaply you can eat’ challenge.

Twiglets1 · 20/03/2023 05:01

OldFan · 20/03/2023 04:25

I don’t think I could feed just me on £20 a week though.

@LovingACountryBoy I enjoy the challenge. I try and do it healthily too. If someone can see budgeting as a challenge, it turns a lot of it around. Obviously if they genuinely, unavoidably can't manage things they have to try and cover then that's different. But I don't see the point of getting food on a credit card at all (not that I have one.) Better to use a food bank than do that. But it's like, 39p for a loaf of bread. 70p for 1kg of porridge etc. 80p for 500g dried split peas .

I could go on, am happy to make a plan if needed @Chunkythighss . I have a couple of recognized nutrition qualifications and spend a lot of time on this sort of thing through my own interest.

No I don't think 20 is bad at all. Obviously if I were a family of 4 I'd shop slightly differently and it'd be more but along the same lines. It'd actually make more sense as I don't need 1kg porridge a week.

Where do you buy a loaf of bread for 39p?

discobrain · 20/03/2023 05:13

Twiglets1 · 20/03/2023 05:01

Where do you buy a loaf of bread for 39p?

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In the yellow sticker aisle usually.

LovingACountryBoy · 20/03/2023 05:24

Twiglets1 · 20/03/2023 05:01

Where do you buy a loaf of bread for 39p?

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Tesco sell one to be fair, 39p is full price. I bought a couple of loaves to try but it was very, very dry and only suitable for toast. I wouldn’t recommend. Kids wouldn’t eat it even toasted.

Nimbostratus100 · 20/03/2023 05:34

Pippa12 · 20/03/2023 00:03

They said there outgoings after mortgage were circa £1200 or so… gas/electric, council tax, water rates for big houses are massive, then two cars on finance, 2 mobile phones, gym membership, sky tv, childcare, child’s clubs etc… No benefits. Soon that £1900 is nothing.

£1200 is about what I have before bills. Of course gym membership is a luxury, park run and many other forms of exercise are free, sky TV is a luxury, 2 cars are a luxury

One car is a luxury whatever people say, even people who say they can't run their life without a car have had the huge luxury of being able to set up a life that requires a car.

Unless you are disabled, a car is a luxury

Expensive children's clubs are a luxury

Nimbostratus100 · 20/03/2023 05:36

Chunkythighss · 20/03/2023 00:45

Yes I do have kids, bills, outgoings…
I wasn’t really looking for a debate I was just genuinely surprised that people think that £1900 is not a lot of money to have as extra (plus or minus bills).

I guess we would be classed on the poorer side but it was just a shock to read that people think they couldn’t live off this!

I know people have different circumstances like house size etc but if it came down to it, houses can be downsized and bills can be reduced.

I guess some of us live in very different worlds 🙈

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OP, you are living in the normal world, and some of these other people are extraordinarily rich

Twiglets1 · 20/03/2023 05:37

LovingACountryBoy · 20/03/2023 05:24

Tesco sell one to be fair, 39p is full price. I bought a couple of loaves to try but it was very, very dry and only suitable for toast. I wouldn’t recommend. Kids wouldn’t eat it even toasted.

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Ok - I imagine that is a white loaf too. I prefer to eat mainly brown bread as better nutritionally

garlictwist · 20/03/2023 05:39

I earn 1200k a month and that has to cover everything: bills, mortgage, food. I don't have much money left over but I never feel poor. And then I come on here and everyone seems to be rolling in it and complaining how they can't afford stuff.

Dyslexicwonder · 20/03/2023 05:44

I don’t think I could feed just me on £20 a week though.

@Lov@LovingACountryBoy@LovingACountryBoy.
I try and do it healthily too. If someone can see budgeting as a challenge, it turns a lot of it around.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=yuTMWgOduFM

Jarvis Cocker nailed it in 1998

butterfliedtwo · 20/03/2023 05:45

BeetlesForever · 20/03/2023 01:55

Health insurance, savings, car repayments, lunches, gym, dentist, presents, dry cleaning (!?) charitable donations, holidays…all things you can do without.

Doing without dentist - seriously?!!

Yes, seriously. I couldn't get an NHS dentist and couldn't afford a private one. I therefore didn't go to the dentist while living in the UK.

I'm with you, OP. It's more than I take home monthly.

LovingACountryBoy · 20/03/2023 05:48

Twiglets1 · 20/03/2023 05:37

Ok - I imagine that is a white loaf too. I prefer to eat mainly brown bread as better nutritionally

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No they do both, I bought a wholemeal and a white to try. Just looked at the brand it’s H W Nevills. But it’s not good and I won’t buy it again.

Twiglets1 · 20/03/2023 05:51

LovingACountryBoy · 20/03/2023 05:48

No they do both, I bought a wholemeal and a white to try. Just looked at the brand it’s H W Nevills. But it’s not good and I won’t buy it again.

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Thank you for the info - don’t think I’ll be buying them

leafygarden · 20/03/2023 06:03

There seems to be very few MN contributors who are out working full time yet only earning just enough to cover all the bills but not entitled to a penny in benefits

Really? That seems nuts. I work full time and am not on benefits. Just about cover the bills. I'm definitely not alone on mumsnset or in lots of places.

SplunkPostGres · 20/03/2023 06:03

Isn’t it a question of the standard of life you’d want to have though? I.e Yes, I could go without a dentist (!!) or private health insurance but I really would rather not. So, therefore that would impact my choices on mortgage size. Similarly I’d never work part-time and have stopped at one child because I prefer having a disposable income.

Happyhappyeveryday · 20/03/2023 06:12

AskAwayAgain · 20/03/2023 01:13

Gyms are not needed for health reasons. Poorer people like me either walk or do exercises at home. There are lots of online exercise videos, and if you have a specific health reason you are probably doing exercises an NHS physio gave you.
Fifty years ago gyms were masculine places for boxers and similar, at least in the UK. Women did not go to gyms, they still exercised.

Wholeheartedly agree with this. Gym membership is always a luxury, as are phone contracts that are more than sim only.

Lastofyou · 20/03/2023 06:17

Chunkythighss · 19/03/2023 23:58

@bloodywhitecat
either way… it’s a lot of money. Bills on top of that surely wouldn’t be more than £1000?
(Depending on what you have on top of necessaries like water, electricity)

Our fixed costs after our mortgage comes out are £2200. That's not with any loans etc. Our fuel bill alone is fixed at £708

Coffeecoffeeinmytummy · 20/03/2023 06:23

£1900 plus a mortgage of say £1000 comes to less than £3000. A family on that income would have a combined take home of £36,000 a year which would work out to the equivalent of them each earning around £22k after pensions. I think on these incomes many families would also be entitled to some benefits, certainly child benefit.

so what I’m trying to say is that the vast majority of families do have more than £1900+ mortgage costs to spend each month, hence why a lot of people are probably saying it would be a struggle.