How are people surviving

[Truthseeker456]

I don't get it. One income and I am on a what was a good wage 53,000. My mortgage is likely to double next year I have nursery fees and 3000 take home and always in my overdraft. How are people surviving, we don't hear anything in the media. Rents are also though the roof

So many people on UC saying ‘how are you surviving on 50k. Erm because 50k after tax is much less and OP actually has to pay for everything herself (housing, childcare)

Yes like I said, it’s very easy to lose touch with just how much everything costs if most of your main expenses are heavily subsidised by benefits or you’re extremely rich. It’s the middle earners who are suffering at the moment. People who only use free hours for their childcare or haven’t needed it for years simply don’t believe me when I tell them nursery is over 1,000 per month. They do a sort of funny look where it’s clear they think I’m either exaggerating, or misleading them because there’s some magic money fairy which means we don’t actually have to pay that. We do.

My friend's mortgage on their house, when they first bought, was something like 14.5%. We felt lucky as heck to assume the owner's mortgage at 9.9%. Of course, this was quite a long, long time ago.

Those last four words made my mind automatically start singing "American Pie".

I can still remember...

Well said and agree with everything here

Imagine a household where the people have Doctorates and Masters Degrees but because they work in teaching or nursing etc they don't earn that put together? Or if only one of them works and the other is a full-time carer? People are having to survive and get by on far less than you. They live in houses or flats where people share bedrooms and buy the cheapest possible food.

Out of interest who do people think the squeezed middle are? Is it anyone who works? Or just anyone who doesn't claim benefits?

I would class my family as the squeezed middle yet we only have an income as 30k. There will be people on 150k or more who also view themselves as the squeezed middle. If there isn't the money to help us (apart from £1152 a year Child Benefit) then how do people think there can be help for people earning 4 times our income?

I'm on a decent salary but everything is going up so much. I'm paying £350 a month service charge for my (modest, no amenities) flat, £200 energy and £118 council tax (with single person discount) so nearly £700 before I even start.
Ex's maintenance just went up £20 a month but now there's a school trip to pay for and he won't pay half so that's me stuck with it all again.

Hummus is easy and cheap to make at home and it’s fresher and NO plastic waste. Aldi hummus 89p, can of chickpeas 59p and it probably makes double what you get in a tub. I know it’s only a small thing but they all add up!

I do use my overdraught if I can't avoid it.

Managed to fix my mortgage at a manageable rate last year for 5 years - when I will be in a position to downsize

I've always worked PT - when the kids where small and then for health reasons but I'm in a place now where I can increase my working hours so that will make a big difference.

No childcare fees but 2 at/off to uni and all 3 teens with expensive taste - older two have worked since 16 and paid for their luxuries, youngest will when she is old enough.

I've stopped having my nails done and my hair is now done every 10-12 weeks rather than 6-8 - due to health issues I've had to buy new clothes as dropped a lot of weight but I buy in the sale and second hand. No big holiday this year and I use Klana to buy more expensive things and spread the cost

Changed cars and saved £80 a month

Work from home as much as possible to save on fuel (anywhere between 30min-1.5hr commute depending on traffic), kept the heating down in winter

Less going out at weekends now

"WalkingAcrossAFord · Yesterday 10:36

Exactly @thecatsthecats As I said, me and DH are on £35K between us roughly, and WE cope fine! So it makes me roll my eyes when I see anyone on £100K plus between them, moaning about their finances. Like, get real!

Sort yourselves out, rethink your finances, get a cheaper property, stop squandering on stuff you don't need, but do not insult actually poor and struggling people, by claiming you struggle financially on £100K plus income. Just stop it!"

The thing is people struggle because they say they have to have the mortgage to get the property due to the area they live in. One they pay for it they will be sat on a huge asset so on retirement if they sell and downsize will be sitting pretty.

However, childcare costs hits lots of people. People do live differently and some spend a fortune on food/toiletries/hair/clothing/fuel/stuff for the home etc. Others live on much less. I've watched some of the programmes with people who say they have no spare income and along come the tv experts and it's surprising what they have missed and where they waste money.

To anyone struggling, have a look on the money saver boards. Checks tips on making money go further. Sell clothing you or the children don't wear anymore, since the vast majority of people have too much in clothing and things. There are ways to make your money go further.

If you change the post from “OP HAD £600 pmdisposeable income a year ago and now she has zero” there would be more sympathy.

OP is getting roasted because a lot if people have been struggling in very little since austerity and with very little sympathy from the better off.

I feel for all of us. It’s hard to hear of anyone struggling. Everyone I know works several jobs whether that be disguised as consultancy or advising or kept silent about. Luckily there is lots of work available. Others are selling their stuff, renting their drive, leasing their goods. Others are in debt, selling their homes. Houses prices are now falling. How many of us watched prices go up and up and up knowing what happened in 2008?

I would say we’re the squeezed middle. As you say we’re a combined income of just shy of 60k including all the overtime we both do to make ends meet.

Neither of us smoke or drink, buy coffee on the way to work. It makes me wonder what the luxuries are we’re expected to cut.

I do feel fortunate, please don’t get me wrong I have a roof over my head and food in my cupboard. But as I mentioned in my previous post we send DS to two clubs a week equating to £12 a week, a “luxury” I feel we should be able to do as a working household and it makes me think that this is the luxury we will have to think about pulling if things continue to rise in price, how incredibly sad is that.

I know someone previously mentioned about pensions etc, I know a lot of people I work with (NHS) are starting to opt out because it’s just too much each month when they’re already struggling.

Very true.

As you may guess my phone has a cracked screen, hence typos, and I can’t get another.

We're ok at the moment but will really struggle to afford to send dc to uni in September and no idea how the hell we'll cope next December when our fixed rate mortgage ends .

I know a few ppl who have opted out or about to opt out of their pension. Makes you wonder about the impact of that in the future. I'm actually fine myself currently (fingers crossed). Mee and DP earn about the same as OP between us but no kids so no childcare costs etc. Also we don't have a car. The ppl I know struggling the most are single people.

Moved up North. Drive 1 old car. Going into debt regularly. Stopped paying pensions and knocked TTC on the head.

There’s no point, if MN has taught me anything it’s that kids are too expensive. Most people I know who were TTC have had a rethink due to COL crisis. I don’t know how any of you are surviving when you have to pay childcare, I honestly can’t make the math work.

And yes concerned about the future re pensions but like a PP said, I need to live now and might not be alive then! Less worried about the future impact of less people having kids as honestly the World seems to be going to shit anyway!

Mostly by crying and clinging on to the fact that eventually we’ll inherit enough to feel comfortable: we need to lose our parents to stop struggling. Absolute bullshit.

It cost me £150 for a week’s food shopping today. We’re a family of 2ad 3ch. It was from Aldi and there weren’t any ‘extra’ bits, just enough food for the week. We’ll need more bread and milk eventually too. It’s ludicrous.

I think this is the elephant in the room. A whole generation of people who should be at a prime age to be making pension contributions are likely to drop these to the minimum, if any at all just to keep a roof over their heads.

Creating a further problem 20-30 years down the line.

They don't is the answer, I'm homeless with 3 children at the moment

One of many ticking timebombs here.

Some people can manage, others cant. We are comfortable at the moment, with increases to the cost of living we have had to reduce our savings and thankfully that’s all so far. We fixed a low mortgage rate in 2021 for 5 years, thank god.

Our children are adults now though and we both work full time with a combined income of around £75k. I feel very, very lucky though. When children were little we struggled to make ends meet and at times were very broke. I really feel for those struggling to pay their mortgages.

I see us as working class though, not middle. We live in an ex council house on a pretty run down estate, which oddly we like, as all family are nearby.

CaramelicedLatte . £150 a week on food? I just don’t get it. It’s possible to cook a nutritious, filling meal for a family for a fiver so that’s £35 a week. Washing liquid, loo roll, toiletries, bread, milk, butter, fruit, cereal, squash, eggs, bacon, lunch box fillings. I’m still only at around £95?
Im not saying it’s easy or particularly enjoyable but it is possible to reduce that food bill.

I don't think it's very useful or fair to compare incomes in this way. Most people did not expect their mortgages/rents, energy costs, transport, food, council tax, etc, etc, etc, to rise so significantly and, whatever their income, this creates problems,.

Instead of targeting people who earn more than you, look at the people at the very top who are in possession of millions, who really don't need to work because they are are earning huge amounts of interest - and they can buy up properties for cash and rent them out at exorbitant rates. The problem is the ever-growing gap between the very poorest and the very richest. Those in the middle are more fortunate but, in the current situation, they can still have difficulties.

If "ordinary" people squabble amongst themselves, they are missing the bigger picture.

I honestly dread to think of the nutritional value in whatever shit you’re eating if you’re paying £95 a week for it. Food is the absolute last thing you should be cutting back on food is medicine it’s so important to us for our health.