To think if you earn this, it doesn’t matter your circumstances, you’re still bloody privileged?!

[Herefo1]

My sister takes home 4,200 a month. She gets a tiny bit of maintenance (250) and has her DD full time.

I know her income as I helped her with her tax return for CB (and to be fair her income may be even more now!).

All me and my parents ever hear is how hard things are financially. She won’t ever buy coffees if we are out or get the kids a lolly or pitch in for something. Birthdays and Christmases are a really basic gift with the apology that it’s ’hard on her own.’

I could never admit this in real life to anyone as I’m really close to her but I honestly feel like this takes the piss. She feels her earning potential is hampered now but on this take home pay in your thirties, regardless of having DD..surely IANBU to think this is privileged and she should stop being so mean spirited?

It’s not that though. It’s that the mortgage and childcare takes up over 75% so the remaining amount isn’t a lot

Are you really saying that people who work aren’t privileged? Because they work. I mean I get your point if you’re talking about someone earning £20k a year. Nobody is privileged on that.

But there does come a point where someone’s work is the very thing that makes them privileged because of the comfortable lifestyle it allows them to have.

There's a lot of assumptions in that post. We know nothing at all about any of what you have presumed and implied. It almost sounds as though you think she shouldn't have the temerity to earn more than the median if she's not a "worthwhile" professional. The point is that the median salary of 39k becomes 78k in a joint household, which won't have double the outgoings.

The remaining amount is over £1000 still

Yes, because they will have done whatever is needed to earn that salary. Not to derail but I get very fed up with this assertion that just because someone on NMW may also work hard, someone on a better salary is privileged or entitled.

For food/bills/transport/activities/savings/clothes/shoes/haircut/dentist/subscription/energy/emergencies/repairs/gifts?

Yes

This privilege business is being taken to the extreme nowadays. You can easily find someone in a better position than you and then claim they are privileged.

The only way to ensure no privilege from working is that everyone gets to keep the same amount from their wages and hands the rest over to the state. The surplus can be given to those who cannot work so they have the same amount as those who worked and used for public services.

@RhaenysRocks i've not said anything about someone deserving that level of income, i am highlighting that mumsnet has a lot of high income users (which is evident from some of the responses to this ) and someone having £3300 a month after mortgage costs is in a fortunate position compared to the average single earner.

where have you got that figure from? the poster states the sisters take home pay is £4200 a month .take home pay is after after tax.

That’s a pointless comment given you don’t anything about that person other than they are a single parent.
Someone on a lower take home salary can be in a much more fortunate position.

I have got the figure from working out what 75 per cent of that £4200 figure is.

Regardless of how skint, rich, or otherwise she feels - on a salary of £70k she can certainly afford to stump up for her own coffees and ice creams, so don’t sub her any more.

the £250 is towards all expenses for a child its a pitiful amount

a two bed flat/house isn't half the costs than a three/four bed place on average, you are not using half the electric/gas or half on shopping it does not work out like that spreading costs over more people works out cheaper

So? The end result is that they end up with a salary that gives them a comfortable lifestyle. They chose to work their way up and a lot of the time in those cases it’s because they’re doing something they love and feel passionate about, which is a privilege in itself when there are other people who not only earn a lot less but hate their jobs but work because they have to get by and just about make ends meet.

I’m not saying anyone on a comfortable income is entitled, but they are privileged and especially so if they came from a background that made it easy for them.

what is the idea of the 75% figure for?

Yes it’s a lot of money and I wish I could take home that much! I’m also a single parent to one child, have a mortgage and other usual bills. I take home £2.3k and can barely get by.

Can you not just look at my post?

You replied and quoted it but don't seem to have actually read the full thing

The 75 per cent was just something I replied to from someone else but that is in my post that you actually replied to but at the same time haven't read

People are acting as if she has £4200 to spend. She has full time nursery and mortgage to pay for out of that will everything else. Nursery would wipe a big chunk of the £4200

yes it’s not loads of CM but we definitely don’t spend more than that on each of our two Really?? You don't spend more than that to house, feed, clothe, pay childcare etc?! Maybe you work opposite shifts or something but obviously that isn't an option to a single parent. It's really hard to be a lone parent which you clearly have no understanding of.

apologies ,i should have asked that poster instead where they got the childcare plus mortgage costs as being 75% seeing as the poster has said nothing about childcare costs (only mortgage payments ,child support and take home pay.)

Yes a lot of posts assuming what the person has to pay for and roughly how much

I am on similar and if I was on my own with DC I would be fine but not have loads extra especially I would need to cover extra childcare as well to enable me to work

Shocked at the previous posters who are unable to do simple maths. It absolutely is not less than two people earning NMW. It's significantly more.

However that said I don't think she is privileged, she probably feels a lot of stress being the only earner. Stop doing coffees, gifts etc if you feel they aren't being fairly reciprocated. It's a shame to have this opinion of your own sister.

Yeah it's a pretty good wage.

After mortgage she'll have £3500 to pay bills.

BUT being the sole earner and responsible must weigh heavily.

She should still buy the coffee occasionally!