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.

@Midwinter89 We're in the midlands, standard 3 bed house. We all work full time out of the house so that's probably why gas and electric bills are lower.

Plus an education whilst admirable can have a geographical element or training element that has to be taken in to consideration. Where I grew up my degree would have not been put to best use as was the Isle of Wight. The sector I had my career in does not exist there so would have meant a commute by boat to the mainland.

@SomeonesRealName Home insurance is £60 year - I never pay anything monthly, always pay in full which brings costs down a bit. Car insurance - been driving for 25 years with clean licence and no claims and live in a low crime area. One car is new one is 15 years old. Neither car is an expensive make or on the desirable list so not so likely to be stolen. Plus I always use comparison sites when renewing anything.

@Englishrosegarden I think you should start a business procuring affordable goods and services for the rest of Mumsnet!

You use websites like compare the market. You shop around. You ring up and haggle!

So people that have sacrificed a lot to be home owners do not deserve help? Is this part of the population not worthy of help because they have been sensible enough with money? You can still lose your job as a home owner you know...I think is unfair that we pay so much tax to subsidize people in low wages or people that chose to only work part time because "they are better off with tax payer top ups"...

One way I've saved a little money I negotiated an overdraft with my bank and do a huge bulk shop at start of month instead of weekly, things seem cheaper the bigger quantity you buy. Overall I'm now paying £50 ish a month on grocery shopping.

• SAVING £50 a month that should say!

You'll have all the people telling you they survive fine on 20k blah, blah, blah.
Salaries are shit & have stagnated for years but the low cost of living masked that. Now everything is expensive & there is far less social housing.

85k in London if you have high childcare doesn't go far.

So people that have sacrificed a lot to be home owners do not deserve help? Is this part of the population not worthy of help because they have been sensible enough with money?

Why are you blaming it on renters though? All this talk of sacrifice, there is nothing with renting & someone who is hasn't necessarily being less deserving or frugal. I do think people with mortgages should also receive help but it's gov policy to prop up the landlords because there isn't the required level of social housing.

Yep... We earn £70k and just have one (nearly 10-year-old) car between us.

We make it work (one of us will walk/use public transport, give a lift to the other etc) because another car just seems like an unnecessary expense.

But 2 cars are only an unnecessary expense depending on your lifestyle. We didn't need a car for years & I would have said any car was an unnecessary expense, now we have 1 which we use. I have plenty of friends that work shifts/late nights/some distance from public transport & very much need 2 cars.

OP another voice here saying try care work. I did it when I was at home with 2 young DC, evenings and weekends. Hard and unglamorous but the money added up and made a difference. Sadly you should be able to walk into a job with no experience. It’s not forever. Also it gave me a new perspective on life…

https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/index.cgi?SID=b3duZXI9NTA3MDAwMCZvd25lcnR5cGU9ZmFpciZwYWdlY2xhc3M9SG9tZSZwYWdlYWN0aW9uPWRlZmF1bHQmcmVxc2lnPTE2ODEyMDAzNTktODU3MDU5YzJlMTgwNGIzZjkwMDgxZGI0MTg1MGM5Nzc3NGRiYjMwYg==

Look at the Civil Service. A lot of the jobs are hybrid / working from home now, and the basic admin jobs are at about the £20,000 mark.

I thought £144 was high for council tax! Maybe that's without the single person's discount though? Mine is £110 per month with the single person discount for a band c house.

My gas and electric combined is £77 per month, it was £50 before the price hike. My car insurance is just over £20 per month and home insurance is £15 per month... I go on price comparison sites every year and get the best deals plus I have a 20 year clean driving licence.

This.

You’ll soon be on £48k though, with your H’s promotion? That’s a very good salary with only one child! Two cars are expensive to run but you’ll be fine. Once you get a job, things will be very comfortable. Take any job, even if it’s less than 20k. You are a lot more attractive to potential employers if you are already in a job, and you’ll be gaining experience to sell.

You could try an employment support scheme, approach your local council or job Centre about these.
Volunteering could also help you get a job,

Do you live in the North by any chance?

We also didn't stretch ourselves, had a good deposit but when we bought our first house in 2013, the mortgage was still £800+ a month.

I don't think the pile on about how she should have gone to work is going to help much however true. Hopefully the studying will result in a better paid and more fulfilling career long term.
Short term, is there anything else you can cut out? Can you shop cheaper (Aldi etc) can you cut out meat for example? Add lentils, make soup from frozen veg? Have you got anything you could sell? Could you do some casual work for friends/ family? Proof reading or tutoring maybe, cleaning/ ironing.
Ask the health visitor/ school for a food bank referral, they're used to people with jobs these days.
I've lived on very little as a student and graduate in London. It's really tough. In the end I moved up north, my London friends couldn't believe that within a year I'd bought a 3 bed semi with a garden. It was partly house prices but also I saved up quicker as rent was lower.
I know people who live very frugally and amaze me. I also have friends who moan they're skint but I see so much wasted money. It hard to judge on here if there's anything you can cut back on.

Yea it is so fucking sad inflation is bad, energy prices are insane. Property had the growth it did and wages are shit.

We were better off in the 90s.

No progress. Our parents had poor child hoods but wealthy adult and retirements.

Not us or our children.

You'd get more of idea if you knew what the house was bought for

You'd get more of idea if you knew what the house was bought for

And deposit size rather than just North or South to determine things.

My car insurance is £106 a year. I've got an old car. The other one costs £240 a year.