To think that life is too expensive?

[Gffbjjgfddbjkkm]

Feel so frustrated.

I work full-time teaching in one of the most expensive schools in the world. DH works full time too. We each earn about £40k.

I'm having to take on a weekend job, just to be able to scrape by to afford to send DS to university next year. Who wants to work seven days a week?!

Would love a really decent holiday, but can't afford that.

I'm sick of working so hard work with nothing but financial stress. Neither of us is likely to inherit much, if anything.

Difficult to say really.

One person's 'decent holiday' will be very different to someone else's and then of course some people want to drive more expensive cars or live in more expensive areas etc.

Our DC didn't get too much in the way of student loans because of our earnings, but they all worked their way through uni to supplement.

We live a fairly modest life compared to many people but we're very happy, despite the ridiculous cost of living.

By "decent holiday", I mean any holiday really!

On £80K and you can’t manage you either need to get reduce your outgoings as something is obviously too high or move to a cheaper area or both

The cost of living is effecting everyone to varying degrees. There's large groups of people who have found it hard to maintain their standard of living. It's not a good thing.

I assume your son is taking out loans and working part time and not putting it all on you.

Why not post your outgoings in the Money forum? You will get better advice.

YANBU OP, people have to earn so much these days for a reasonable standard of living, it's just impossible. Everything is just so expensive now. We barely break even every month. The demand for food bank food is at an all-time high in my area.

And it's all well and good people saying "move to a cheaper area" but they'll be the first to complain when there are no nurses and teachers left in the SE, let alone TAs and HCAs, people to serve food, carers etc. It's completely crippling.

Yanbu people seem to think 100k is a great salary, if you live far out of London that is. But for the millions who are tied to it for work or other reasons, it’s expensive!

I feel your pain.

You can get some very cheap last minute deals outside of school holidays, especially if you stay in the UK.

at 40k each in most of the uk you would have a decent life - I am guessing you mean you live in a expensive city which wipes out half your salaries in rent ? And/Or you have young children in childcare ?

so for most of the people in the uk that would be enough to have a nice life and holiday - not a bling life , not a YouTube life , maybes not the life you feel you deserve but a safe home, decent food, a life outside of home and work and one holiday a year

childcare costs are short lived

expensive rent is a disgrace to this nation

A week at a Haven park in August is apparently around £500 according to Google.
Maybe if you start saving £10 each (so £20) a month you can go next summer and have money to pay for food etc.

They are both teachers I think. So not an option.

Do you own your own home - if yes can you extend your mortgage to help your son out? Is he working in the school holidays at least, even if he cant find a part time job in term time? Why is it you taking on a weekend job and not Ds and.or Dh?

Yes life is expensive and it's got harder for all of us to afford the things we used to have. So we cut back on the non-essential.

During covid one of my relatives did "holidays at home" where they watched foreign films, ate food appropriate to that country. learnt a few words of the language.

@Needmorelego don’t be a git.

"In one of the most expensive schools in the world"

I'm guessing (not 100% sure) that private schools don't tend to have exactly the same holidays as state schools?

I know.....I shouldn't have 😬
But. Really. £80 thousand a year is a massive income. It really is.

You must live in a very expensive area and/or have a large mortgage or other debts because I earn 10k less than you and only reached this level a couple of years ago and, as a single person, will pay more tax than you. I get nothing from ex either and hewon'tbe contributingtouni costs, but I can definitely afford holidays and certainly won't be doing a weekend job to put ds through uni- he goes this year. Holidays will be less fancy than they have been but it is affordable. I do do exam marking though (also a teacher) - could you and dh do that?

I do think life is more expensive now, of course, but there's often more to it when you hear drastic stories like this.

Ime finish for the summer two weeks before state schools and have an extra week in October or at Easter.

We live in a SE town outside of London, with about £80k left on the mortgage. We have about £8.5k on credit cards - buying a car, paying for school buses etc. Makes me want to throw up.

DS has a Saturday job on minimum wage, younger DS is too young to work. DH is considering tutoring in the evenings.

We're exhausted and frustrated. I'm just so sick of the constant money worry.

£80k is not a large mortgage imo.
what other expenses do you have?

@Gffbjjgfddbjkkm ok... apologies for my first post but you have a massive income so something has gone wrong somewhere for you.
What is your typical monthly in and out?

YANBU OP. £80k isn't massive for a dual income household.

Everything just gets more expensive in this country!

Not really feasible when you're a teacher.

It is when you're teaching in a private school.