To think some people don't realise

[CybermanAshad]

A few years ago we were a surviving on 30k as a household. It was tight but fine. That was one wage. I was a SAHP as it was cheaper than nursery fees.

We're a family of three with two cats. That's 2 adults and a 4 year old.

Now we have an income of just over 40k and things are harder than ever and we've never struggled so much. That's one wage, child benefit and a student maintenance loan.

We have £5 in the bank to last until 25th of the month. Some food but not much. Both cars need fuel. Before if things were tight there was always some way to get by. Small savings pot (under 1k) we also overpay into our bills account every month not much but would mean if things got tight there might be a spare £100 in there we could use.

Now we have no savings, no spare in the bills account. A combined over draft of £2000 now maxed.

Never thought I'd be wishing DC was back at school to benefit from the school dinner every day.

Desperately trying to get a job. Looking for something that pays about 20k. Would replace maintenance loan and give us 11k extra a year. So far all rejections.

Partner has also managed to get a job paying 8k more a year but doesn't start until May so won't see the benefit until the end of May.

Just feels relentless at the moment.

Saw a thread on here recently with lots of posters saying 85k was nothing in London and people on benefits had a ton of money and had no idea what it was like trying to survive on 85k with no help. I know it's bloody expensive in London but from my own perspective, 85k would be a dream. We don't qualify for benefits beside child benefit which is £87.20 every four weeks.

As I said, a few years ago we got by on 30k and now we're struggling on 40k.

AIBU to think some people don't understand that there's a huge middle section of people who don't recieve benefits but earn under 50k?

I imagine struggling a lot more than those on 85k.

I agree with you, but I think the comparison with the London thread is unfair too. 85k might be nearly double your household income, but the housing costs would likely be three or four times that. And what people seem to forget about London wages is that you lose the wage if you move outside of London!

There are many people struggling now. For a long time that's been people working full time. On MN the obvious focus is on families, but single people are also hit hard by living costs and have no help. A good friend of mine has separated from an abusive relationship and her rent and council tax (with single person discount) is 850 a month, I can't imagine having that as my baseline outgoing every month. It's hardly a fancy flat either, a one bed in an ok suburb in the north!

I think if you've made the choice to study instead of do paid work then you need to accept that things will be tight for a few years.

I agree, the squeezed middle.

People assume as you earn more, you gain a lot of income. However, it’s not as much as people think so eight thousand will not increase £650 per month.

It was doable for us when I started. Now it isn't I'm doing everything I can to find a full time job. Not having any luck. And my point was we have 40k annual income as a household. We survived fine on 30k a few years ago and now we're struggling on 40k.

You are being unreasonable and I suspect you know it.

Even £30k is a decent salary - in many parts of the UK families do fine on a single minimum wage salary.

My family of 3 lives on £22k and yes we have a mortgage payment of £700 a month.

It sounds like you have probaby bought cars newer than you can really afford or something.

Everyone is far better off now than people were in the 80s/90s when I had a full-time NHS job paying less than £100 take home a week and a mortgage of £500 a month.

Basically everyone got used to money being free (low interest rates) and thought it would last forever.

Boo hoo.

Exactly. The extra 8k works out as an extra £389 before pension take home or £259 after pension. Won't be paying into the pension that extra makes all the difference for us. Havent been able to pay into pensions since the pandemic started. Just have to hope in the future we'll have enough to start paying into pensions again.

Assume you're the OP?

The difference is although things may be tight at you are earning an amount which means you can make changes to make things survivable. Two cars for example is for the vast majority of households a luxury.

How? Tell me, I'd love to know how you survive on 22k.

One car is 13 years old, the other is 10 years old. Both bought outright. So no, not new cars by any stretch!

I think it's not a race to the bottom. Some people have £5 in the bank and are earning £85k. Some people have £5 in the bank and are earning £10k. They look up at you and wonder how you could possibly be out of money.
It's not a race to the bottom.

Name change fail!

Do you actually live in London? Because unless you do it’s utterly pointless to say it’s easy to live on that salary or that it would be amazing.

You’re complaining about people saying it’s not actually a good salary in London, but people will also be telling you that people are doing worse off than you on almost 50k soon in X area.

I keep thinking about selling one of the cars but public Transport is expensive and crap. Both cars are needed. Everything else we've already cut back to the bone. Besides increasing earnings which we are trying to do there doesn't seem to be anything else to reduce.

Okay, yeah, this is valid.

Not London but South East. I meant if we had an income of 85k where we are now if nothing was different that would be a dream. I do realise that London house prices are horrendous.

I'm on 36k, euro though and I'm broke, I'm single with an 18 year old and a 20 year old, so big grocery bills, heating bills, electricity bills, but because they aren't children my x stopped paying pittance for dc1 after she turned 18 and no childrens benefit either. Dc1 has a pt job Luckily so she never asks me for money but still adds to household costs.

Luckily when they were tiny I saved. I knew that things would get more expensive. If I hadn't saved the maintenance and cb I got 5 -10 years ago, I'd be living on fresh air now.

Thank god for my pessimism 5-10 years ago!

Not London but South East. I meant if we had an income of 85k where we are now if nothing was different that would be a dream.

You'd also be paying quite a bit more tax on that salary!

It doesn't help you, OP, but for anyone reading; this is why I tend to think it a mistake when people (women) give up work because of nursery fees.

That pre-school time is expensive indeed, but temporary and in that period, you could be moving up a pay band or even gaining a promotion. Once they're at school that money is freed up again and you feel the benefof of having kept your career.

when you were living on 30K, did you have two cars?

I have it easy now but I was a single parent to 3 on minimum wage with tax credits top ups.

I'm sorry things are tough for you. Can you get a part time job? Rather than give up university?

Yes

And that's exactly the same for everyone, including those living in London on £85k. Everyone could afford their lifestyle choices a few years ago but cost of living increases mean that everyone is feeling the pinch! Do you not see that?

If you are a student contact your University ASAP to see if they have a student hardship fund you can apply to. Say you are struggling to afford fuel to get into Uni, if this is the case. You may not be entitled to anything but surely its worth a shot but you will have to provide the evidence requested so they can complete an assessment.

Its not easy for most people at the moment. Do all you can to meal plan and make cut backs and save money where you can.

I’m a single parent to a ten year old on 28k work full time - have a mortgage - receive child benefit and that’s it - no child maintenance.

1.do not have a car and public transport is rubbish here (I live in Devon)

2.do not have pets

3.do have a childcare bill

I understand you are studying but you actually have freedom to get an evening job or work weekends or work when your not.

There are lots of jobs around which you could get instantly for just a few hours a week and have a few hundred extra a month which would hopefully help you out.

I pick up additional work occasionally doing evenings working from home when I need the extra.

Genuinely, how do you cope? £22k take home? With a £700 mortgage? The average council tax is now £2k a year, mostly split across 10 monthly payments.

Do you have no other means of income? I think a lot of people like to brandish a low salary, but don’t account for the cumulative financial easement in things like child benefit, free school meals, subsidised food from a work place, dla, pip, carers allowance etc etc.