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

Yep, the low housing costs are what does it. Even when my household have had below average income, due to the cheap housing and low/no childcare we always felt more comfortable than the budget might suggest.

As the rates are coming up as people renew mortgage there's going to be a big gap between people who's mortgage has gone up and those who still have a couple of years. The ones who are ok for a bit will be like... what's the problem?!

It’s really hard. Similar here. Starting to think all those years of study and being sensible haven’t paid off. I’ve paid for all my childcare but UC contributions have gone up today I’ve seen, friends at the school gate with council housing and on benefits have way more disposable income than us. Perhaps it doesn’t pay to work in the UK anymore!

We're not struggling but we're double-income, no-kids. We also live in a cheap area and our mortgage only went up by £30 a month when we renewed it in March.

Both self-employed with work coming out of our ears.

I've had to sell up and downsize. Meat is off the menu for most of the week now. No holidays, no alcohol, no branded clothes or shoes. I don't smoke. Basic package for tv phone etc. haircut costs me £10 every six weeks and box dye at home. No new makeup ever and cheap perfume off of Amazon. Fb marketplace for any furniture and garden stuff.And accept any offers of anything that comes your way op. I'm a Single person with mortgage earning gross of £25k a year. It's hard. But I get by.

I didn’t make the chicken skewers, but where are people finding chicken breasts for 80p each? Is that bags of frozen chicken? How can you buy 2 chicken breasts, a lettuce and tomatoes for 2.20? I think I definitely need to cut out sides, but I’ve cut back on so many things this year (I’m now teetotal, which has saved a lot) and it’s hard to give up all pleasures. Still, I’m grateful to be thinking about what I’m eating, not how I’m going to eat.

children all left home, very low SH rent, no debts at all, just normal living costs, run one car, only DH works, I do not due to ill health but receive no benefits, we are doing ok, have disposable income every month

I’m single, two small kids, and earn 10k leas than you OP. I manage ok because my ex has the kids 50/50 and pays the nursery fees left over from the 30 government hours (which I contribute, he wouldn’t be eligible for them). I also have a small mortgage under £400 a month. I do go out still, have meals out, but also do a lot of cheap beach walks as lucky enough to live near the coast. I eat veggie mostly and do a lot of cheap pasta meals with just roasted tomatoes and cheese or pesto, I have simple tastes! I work from home so no commuting costs help too. I feel lucky as know a lot of renters especially are struggling and don’t have that same security home owners do.

@Truthseeker456
people are cutting back, that is how they are managing,
cheaper foods, cheaper meals,
extra jobs
less extravagances. more credit cards , more debt

however your comment about lack of media coverage is extremely odd, there is plenty of media coverage about mortgage rates and the Cost of Living Crisis.

I'm another one dreading summer holidays. Sister said she will do a cheap one in solidarity but the difference is she has a holiday abroad to look forward to and passes for a theme park.

I'm really curious about the people struggling with high dual incomes - how much are your mortgage costs? What's the breakdown of income vs outgoings?

It's making me feel uneasy, because we're not really struggling on much much less - average dual income (bit less looking at the apparent average), no benefits at all, I thought mortgage costs on the higher side, running a car. We can't really afford holidays but we're comfortable - but if these people earning 3x as much are struggling then what am I missing!

But also no kids here, how much extra are necessary bills and food with children? I know childcare costs are sky high if they're involved, but I cannot work out how it's become so uncomfortable with super high wages?

If any of the dual-income higher earner people have the time and inclination to give me a breakdown so I understand, I'd appreciate it!

How many good earners here voted tory?????

It’s never off the media!! Martin Lewis has been on TV everyday for weeks talking about the mortgage hike. Energy bills etc

@Emptychairdoasolo , all very well, but so much will depend on housing costs where you live.

Not me!

I feel for everyone who's struggling wether your on a good wage or benefits but those that are on a good wage it must feel like an extra kick in the teeth from our government that despite the fact you have a good job your still struggling so much financially because our Government have acted like a bunch of arseholes that couldn't even work an abacus let alone run this country properly!

We're luckyshe says with a hollow laugh I'm disabled(because of a fuck up by the hospital when I was having our youngest 15 years ago)so I receive PIP and we live in a council house,so no crippling mortgage and our youngest is 15 so no childcare fees.

And that kind of says how bad things have got here that I feel lucky to receive PIP, I really think the powers that be should be made to live off what they deem fit for everybody else to live off for a couple of months and then let's see how they feel about what they've done to they're country and they're people!?

It is shocking how much food has gone up. Yes, that's not very original, but just looking at my bills compared to last year....

We don't even eat meat and we have lots of cheap meals cooked from scratch.

So 53k isn't a good wage anymore ?

Get real !

Make big dishes (pasta bake, shepherds pie, lasagne, curries etc) so leftovers cover the next day's lunches too.

I rarely have salads now and mostly use frozen veg as it's cheaper and has less wastage.

I realised I was spending a lot on drinks for the kids (juices, smoothies, milkshakes etc.) which I stopped buying completely. Water or milk or make our own milkshakes/smoothies now.

Cheap oats for breakfast with milk or yogurt. I buy a big pot of yogurt rather than the little individual pots as this saves money too.

Take sandwiches/leftovers from home for work or out with kids rather than buy food out on the go.

My shopping bill is roughly £40-45/week for 1 adult, 2 small children.

We're trying but we have no family close to us so no help with childcare and I registered disabled so unable to work more hours than I am already.

It's so tough at the minute.

A great many people are not managing - but it is widely reported in the media although less so in the Daily Mail and Express because they are pro-government and pro-Brexit.

An example of today's stories: https://twitter.com/benglaze/status/1673828806048763905 1 in 7 people go hungry as cost of living pressures mount

We rent via a housing association so our rent is cheap, we also have nursery feed and are expecting again. We just budget and don't spend beyond our means.

Still hard going most months but we're definitely not as bad as others.

I think people saying they survive on less is unfair, someone on 50k plus had much higher outgoing before the cost of living and all those costs have gone up too.

But they have more capacity to reduce their outgoings?

This.

People on benefits/low incomes have been barely surviving for years. An absolute scandal in a rich country. Its only now its spread to the middle classes all of a sudden there's a panic.