To struggle on this salary?

[Unfff]

Or more to the point… think it’s just not worth the hard work anymore?

Had enough. I earn 3,100 a month. My mortgage is 900 and car finance 300. Student loans 300. Nursery is 800 and I get 400 child maintenance. By the time I’ve paid bills… this months heating was 150! Water another 50. Phone bill and Netflix… I’m left with barely anything. My job is really full on and I work late or weekends often… I do t strictly have to but it’s the sort of job where you just do… otherwise things fall apart.

I don’t do expensive things. Can’t actually remember last time I went on holiday! AIBU to find it utterly miserable that taking home this much money means you still can’t just buy a coat or even new jumper etc without having to think twice?!

You start your post with “OP I totally understand”, then go on to say that you’ve spent £500 on bedding. Do you really understand?

Check your entitlement again. Are you paying into a pension scheme - if so then keep going. It is going to get easier when those nursery fees drop.

But she wouldn’t be able to use tax-free childcare if she claimed UC, and with such a small amount of UC she would be worse off by losing TFC.

That’s not to say your post isn’t helpful; I’m sure it could prompt others to check their entitlement. It’s just not the right thing for this OP.

As a jogger on finance would cost more than my XC90 per month.

We have another car but I did not include that in my calculations.

Please point out where I have moaned, I will wait.

I have said that people believe 1k is a lot to live on for food, petrol, daily expenses it’s not nowadays.

You keep on about the car I drive, and not think of the bigger picture.

PS a Jogger costs £70 to fill up but would cost more in MPG for the travelling I do, as diesel works out cheaper over long distances.

Yes employer by expecting OP to work for free and them falling for it.

Yes if you want to spend £500 on bedding £1k isn't a lot

But that's your want - if you can't live happily within your more than reasonable means then it's your wants that is the problem

My post was in response to the OP saying, “i checked if I was entitled to anything but you have to earn loads less.” Which isn’t correct. Even if you remove UC from the calculation, she is still entitled to CB. OP also doesn’t say how many DC she has. If you add a second child into the equation, UC would work out better than tax free childcare.

It does it buys 2.5 lots of luxury bedding from m&s

Hi OP, just wanted to come on here and say the same as the other, "hang in there".

Once nursery and car is paid you'll feel a lot better, then interest rates MIGHT come down and your student load be paid off.

You're doing great, you're providing for your child, holding down a good job, driving a nice car, paying towards a home which you'll own forever some day - you're doing great - keep going!

It's super king size m&s bedding. Of course it costs a lot

I have said that 1k does not go far anymore, I have examples and said that we were lucky that we can afford it.

We have been on the bone of our arses at lots of points.

Posters on here see 1k left after essential bills and think that’s a fortune, when in fact it’s not. Do not be angry with me but the large multi nationals that are making huge profits and the previous government.

Yeah it sucks.

Do you get free hours at nursery? What age are your DC? Once at school your costs will drop a bit so hang in there.

Can you get a cheaper car?

You should get child benefit, are you claiming that?

Why is this funny? The system encourages the race to the bottom.

@Unfff hopefully once your little one is at school, things will start to ease off a bit. Hang in there x

Things are incredibly expensive, not that I buy luxury bedding 🤣 but even getting some new clothes/shoes for my son because he's grown has cost me 300 quid this month. Food is 500+ a month and we don't have meals out. 70 quid on dog foo, my husband will have 2 tanks of fuel this month so that's 1k gone just there 🤷‍♀️

Ahhh you finally have got it, 1k does not go far over a month…

Where have I said that it does not cost a lot.

Poster on here like yourself think 1k goes as far as it did 10 years ago. Think about how your costs have gone up in the last couple of years but real term wages have not.

The bedding will last a couple of years, so worth it…

Glad someone can see that 1K will not go far.

No one says it goes as far
But it's still a great amount spare

I think people bragging about spending way over the odds for normal stuff really just sows discontent with people who do have enough to be happy if they could just break out of the capitalist rat trap

I have been jumped on for what we spent in a day, it was not a boast but just to show, how much things cost now

Yeahhhh but it's not though, is it?

Most people do not spend £500 on 'new bedding'. I mean, are you really unaware of this? Really?

You're either a total moron because you're completely detached from most people's reality OR you're a total moron because you just really wanted internet strangers to know how much your bedding cost.

Either way, you did not come across well to any of the Internet strangers reading your post btw 😂

It's possibly some of the replies. We've had posters saying they understand, then how they spend £100s on bedding and hair and beauty treatments. Another saying their husband sold a watch he didn't use to make the mortgage payment... realistically, how many people have such a valuable watch lying around that they can sell for so much?

What OP has left over isn't mega money, but it's rather disingenuous to class her as really struggling. I grew up in such circumstances for a period, and my mum wasn't worrying about getting a car on finance or replacing her coat. I'm not saying OP has it easy at all, but on that amount she shouldn't be struggling to survive.

£500 on bedding is not helpful to the OP. £350 on beauty - wtf. I get a cut and highlights from my home hairdresser for £85.

OP, childcare is so so expensive. I sympathise highly having had 2 kids go through nursery (one is still there, but gets 30 free hours now, so fees have reduced). Are you using tax free childcare? Also,you should be entitled to some free hours.

A couple of years? For £119?! Our £30 Asda bedding set has been going for 5 years and is showing no signs of wear.
If I had to pay £100+ I'd expect a LOT more than a couple of years' use.

How much of that £1000 is actually taken up by petrol depends on how she chooses to live her life.

I was going to say this. I thought my childcare would never and then they went to secondary school, and poof, I had money again.

@TheSpoonyNavyReader As a jogger on finance would cost more than my XC90 per month.

False. The Jogger is a much cheaper car than the XC90.

I'm also bemused as to why you are paying for cars on finance, when you clearly have the salary to buy a car outright. I have bought all of my cars outright and I am sure I earn far less than you do.

We have another car but I did not include that in my calculations.

Oh, you do have 2 cars?

So why does 1 car need to hold all 6 people? This is strange.

PS a Jogger costs £70 to fill up but would cost more in MPG for the travelling I do, as diesel works out cheaper over long distances.

There is a diesel version of the Jogger, and many other cars...

Though why on earth are you driving long distances with 6 people? Sounds like a strange living/working arrangement.

I commute a long distance to work too, but I do that in a B-segment car. That's because I just need to get my own ass to work and there's no need to drive anything bigger.

But you're driving long distances with all 6 people? What on earth...

300 quid on clothes and shoes is a choice too. It's not a pair of school shoes and joggers from Asda is it...

I choose to spend £££ on organic clothing brands for my child. But I'm not here trying to justify how unaffordable life is whilst stealth boasting luxury purchases with faux sympathy for the OP...

(PS I drive a £4000 diesel ford galaxy, £90 quid to fill and 50mpg - highly recommend)