A thread for lower earners to discuss!

[AlexBalex]

AIBU to make a thread for lower earners?

I feel like every thread I read on MN is full of middle to high earners or just posters where it's commonplace for a household to be earning really high amounts like £80k, £100k, £150k.

Now I fully understand the national average is approx. £30k. But does nobody on here and their partner take home minimum wage each resulting in a household income of about £45k?!

In real life I'm surrounded by plenty of 'low earners' but the representation on here seems to be massively skewed the other way.

Where are all the retail staff, hospitality staff, nurses, school teachers etc? Apologies, I don't know the salaries of these roles but they're understood to be below the national average right?

Just wondering if anyone with a not insanely high, lower than average household income (i.e. less than £60k) exists out there?!

Thoughts welcome, was just looking for a discussion really as fed up of reading about 'high earners' all the time .

It's called society @Princessandthepea0 unless of course you'd somehow get rid of children, pensioners, mums on maternity leave etc

I'm on universal credit, when I do go back to work I'll be on minimum wage.

I earn £24000, dh £6000 small pension plus a bit from self employed casual work, maybe £4000 a year? So max £34000.

Still have a mortgage, quite small, usual household bills no credit cards, car finance etc. Have a good quality of life, go on holiday etc.

High earners just have higher outgoings by the look of it, total waste of effort in my opinion but to each their own and all that. I’d much rather use my days off ( I’m part time) to go on a nice walk with dh by the river. Lovely. Don’t need mega bucks for that 😂

So not really a low earner, just a professional person at the start of their career with lots of earning potential ahead of them.

Over half of adults not paying in is not a society. It’s a complete freeload.

@MyMitMoo your points about being stuck in the cycle of minimum wage are really interesting. I wondered, as you’ve rural, could you apply to remote jobs instead?

this sort of role is a basic starting role, but still more than minimum wage. It would be good for progression and would mean within a couple of years you could double your salary easily. I realise I’m talking as though it’s really simple to get out of poverty, but I don’t think people realise how many London salary jobs are available remotely, or just 1 say a month. As long as you have a decent internet connection you would fine no matter where you live.

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£30k for our household, but housing is included. It's very tight. We rely on charity grants topping it up.

Single household and I'm on 18k in a managerial role but I like my job so can't complain. It's a struggle though.

I earn 30k, DH works 15 hours a week on minimum wage. Am hoping to either get a promotion at some point next year or DH to get a similar paying job to mine so I can drop my hours a bit to be around for DC more.

We will never be high earners so it's lucky I'm not materialistic at all!

Single parent of one DC, salary £22,900. I get UC to top up my wages.

Me and partner have combined income of 48k, him (21k) and me (27k), we live up north, we don't have many outgoings apart from rent (cheap but not the best area), food, TV Licence, broadband, mobile phones, petrol (have fuel efficient low insurance car), 1 x car insurance and tax (pay yearly), no debt (apart from my student debt but that's like a graduate tax), but we can still make significant savings compared to friends on higher salaries. We do forego holidays, but we choose to do that so we can get a mortgage in a year or so. We're not materialistic and dont have kids so thinks that helps too.

Don't forget many of us are single too...

Surely you understand that many people are on low wages their entire life, no matter what their age is or how long they've been in the job.

I wonder if some people actually live in the real world?

Your last paragraph is the key point. A high salary in London London is very different from, say, Manchester! 40K each (so 80K household, 80 *4 = 320 mortgage) can get you a detached with garden and off-road parking in an 'ok' area (if a bigger deposit can upgrade to a 'naice' area).

That just about buys a one-bed in a nice area of London. A house even terrace would be at least 400.

It was not worth it, to me. I left London for Manchester, I'm earn the average and I'm friends with lots of people on lower incomes almost everyone is a houseowner and having a ball!

Yes. Even £30,000 seems quite good among people I know here in central London.

I'm on about £15,000 plus UC top ups, ex about the same on disability benefits. We both feel very well off indeed compared to our childhoods and we bring up DC to be aware how lucky we are and to give to charity and to homeless people.

Self employed, single parent of two with very minimal CM. Earn (fluctuating) 30k.

Midlands and old so very low mortgage on a 3 bed, with garden and drive. I've never been able to get a bigger house than my first house, which I'm happy with, but I do get looked own on for. I work a lot of hours but I'm happy.

Have friends that earn way more but are drowning in mortgages, and friends struggling on NMW, in rented accommodation, on UC.

Could you please take your whinging off this thread?

This is specifically a thread for lower earners - not for you.

I've been visiting friends in Manchester a lot over the last few years and am amazed at the higher standards of living, compared to London, people with normal jobs owning homes with gardens and all. It almost makes me wonder what all this levelling up is about...but then I realise I'm seeing the better off residents and that plenty are, unfortunately, living in poverty up north too.

Income isn't always telling of lifestyle etc. Location plays a huge factor.

I lived in Shropshire and earnt £25k and now genuinely have the same lifestyle earning £70k in London.

My mortgage is £1800k vs £400 in midlands. I live in nearly exactly same sq. footage house. Longer commutes and cost £20 for me in london, zero parking, takes forever to get anywhere. (Not a fan if you can't tell). Oh & it costs a £1000 a week to put my child care in nursery to go to work, but if I didn't work we wouldn't be able to afford our mortgage and bills.

Just to add context and perspective.

Is £45K a low wage for one person? Doesn't sound too bad to me

I have never earned more than 45k and that was only for a year. I've usually hovered around the 30k mark. I was a single mum of two for 8 years (recently remarried) and I lived in the Home Counties so I struggled to make ends meet for a long while. I did used to read threads where the posters were clearly minted with a sort of envy but also lived vicariously through them a little bit. Things are easier now I'm remarried but not without issue and I never take anything for granted!

No, 45k is way above average for a single person's wage.

Presumably the pensioners did "pay in" and obviously the mums are busy actually producing the society so that there is one in the first place?

When you're looking at household income, yes. 2 minimum wage earners working full time bring in 45k, are classed as a low income household and struggle with bills.