Why does life seem so unaffordable?

[NotEnjoyingThis]

Does anyone else feel like it’s a never ending battle?
I’m a single mum to 2, I’ve been on my own for about a year now and I just can’t seem to catch a break.
I claim UC and I’m self employed, working full time.
It just seems to be one thing after another, So far this month my fridge broke and needed replacing, my kitchen tap broke and a plumber charged me £220 to replace it, he also told me my heating had broke and would cost around £500 to replace, my cars just been in the garage and the repair is going to cost around £600, I’ve got £200 in school trips to pay plus another £50 for gymnastics competitions.
feeling really disheartened today and just want to give up 😩

@Britneyfan Sorry I didn't mean to offend or upset you. I am the Mum of a nurse and it broke my heart to see her striking, not only for better pay but for better conditions and care of the patients. Her ward is seriously understaffed to the point it is dangerous and patients are not getting the care they should/deserve to have. It is so totally demoralising. My daughter qualified at the start of the pandemic so has just entered her 4th year of nursing. I do not 'doctor bash' and you should ignore those that do. They don't know any better. In real time I think everyone's wage has decreased inline with inflation. It really is a sad state of affairs. When the NHS was founded it was adequate for the average person's lifespan and the population number of the country. Several decades on and people are now living longer due to advancement in medical research and the population is growing and growing. The NHS is no longer able to support the sheer number of people. It has not grown inline to accommodate the increasing number of patients. I have days when I wish my daughter had chosen a different career path as she certainly did not go in to nursing for the salary!

@Lou670 thank you, I actually think I have seen you supporting us on other threads at times when the doctor bashing starts! If you’re the mother of a nurse then it makes sense that you can see what’s really going on. Unfortunately I don’t think a lot of people who don’t work in the NHS or have relatives that do themselves understand the half of it. And yes, pay has declined generally in the U.K, especially for NHS workers, although it has been particularly bad for doctors specifically, partly because the government is very aware (and so are we) that we would get zero public support or sympathy by complaining about our pay. I am basically paid very similarly now to when I was a junior doctor fresh out of medical school despite having gained a huge amount of experience, qualifications, seniority and extra responsibility over the almost two decades since. And yes what the NHS is expected to cover has ballooned massively.

I do try to ignore the doctor bashing but honestly it has been relentless especially since the start of the pandemic when my work got a billion times more difficult and stressful at the same time anyway (I’m a GP so we come in for a special level of doctor bashing). It’s reached the stage where it’s impossible to avoid these days. I’m really sensitised to it now and the average person probably wouldn’t notice but you can’t pick up a newspaper, watch a current affairs or comedy panel type programme, listen to the radio, browse social media etc. without coming across it. The digs keep coming in the most unexpected places. I remember watching an episode of Would I lie to you? during the pandemic to try and cheer myself up and think about something other than work for a second and one of the panel said something nasty about GPs and I just wanted to punch the TV screen.

It’s not just the NHS, it’s the whole of the public sector. Personally, I think we should have coordinated a general strike including the whole of the public sector. I started working 12 years ago as a TA, my equivalent salary now should have been almost £30000 (pro rata) but looking at the salaries offered today, they’re pretty much the same as they were 12 years ago. I don’t know how anyone affords to be a TA anymore unless they have a partner who’s on good money I suppose.

I have started a new career still in the public sector this year and should be earning £33000 had wages kept up with inflation but I am earning less than £24000.

I know people will argue that our pensions are good, and mine will be luckily for me, but that doesn’t feed us and provide for DS right now!

Next door are getting a house extension so have lots of different workmen. They all drive Audis, bmw, you name it.
Do you think tradesmen should be doffing their cap as they alight from their 30 yr old banger and be grateful you've threw them some work??

@HerMammy I may have felt differently except over the years and having to deal with lots of tradesmen ( I say men because they all have been) it's made me exceptionally cynical that they are all hard working, honest chappies. 'Yes have you cash love?' We all know why they want paying in cash. If I didn't pay tax I would be £750 a month better off! Guess what the price of an Audi on lease.

That sounds really stressful ☹️

The other day one of the blades fell off the fan in our kitchen. No reason, just snapped and fell nearly on my head... now it looks like a boomerang. Still working, for now...

I learned a lot about fixing toilets in the last year. Some of my self fixed toilets even work now! And I wired up a replacement garbage disposer myself (we are in America, all sinks seem to have them) and it has not (yet) electrocuted anyone.

If you live in a HA property then check whether your HA has a fund to help with white goods. I recently worked for a large HA and they were giving out new fridges/ cookers all over the place.

Most of them are getting rich by working cash in hand. Was at an old fellas house yesterday helping him complete a form and a guy was hanging a door for him and offering it at a cheaper price if he paid in cash.

Totally agree- sorry had written my post above before I saw yours ! it is bloody rife. Like you say we'd all be rich if we didn't pay a large chunk of our wages in tax.

Ah I’ve had months where everything has broken down and it means I have to dip into reserves to pay for items that I hadn’t budgeted for. It does feel like everything is so much more expensive and I have less income left after paying for the essentials. Everything else goes towards food and extracurricular activities.

Im also a lone parent and I’m constantly thinking about how to bring in extra income.

It feels like it’s never ending doesn’t it and it’s tough knowing it’s solely your own responsibility to make sure everything is paid for and fixed.
if you have any ideas for how to make extra income I’d be interested to know!

My ex was a tradesman, I know how they much they can fiddle their taxes.
now that he has to pay child maintenance, the amount he declared was less than I earn and I know full well it’s almost double! Yet he still refused this week to help out with paying for our daughters gym competition because he pays maintenance.

Its worth having a look at moneysavingexpert.com and going through every inch of your finances to make sure you have cut expenses as much as possible. Start with the money makeover

OP I feel you. I've had a promotion which should be amazing but given the amount I lose in UC makes it barely anything but a massive uplift in responsibility and work.
4 new tyres and a overnight trip with the teens has destroyed my budget this month.
Added to the general cost increase, I'm not managing to put anything away although I was previously.

So true. My income is relatively good when I include child maintenance, at around £3,500. I don't have a mortgage so in theory have quite a lot but with bills and stuff for children comes to around £1,000 / month.

@FedUpOfItA OP is struggling to pay her bills. Not sure you are in the same category!

Lol I thought the same no mortgage or rent either.
Feel your pain @NotEnjoyingThis my ex was self employed drove me nuts as knew he earned more!