Are other full-time working families finding there is nothing left?

[fatface001]

Alarm went off at 5:30 this morning, then an hour stood on a packed train into London for the commute. We are a normal family: one child and two full-time jobs. I’ve always enjoyed working and have always worked hard, and I don’t mind that at all — but I do expect that full-time work should still mean there’s something left at the end of the month for a normal life.

But that really doesn’t feel like the case anymore.

There’s nothing left at the end of the month. Everything has been stripped back, all non-essentials have gone, and even basic things around the house are being put off or done ourselves because there isn’t spare money for trades. It’s just constant cutting back.

What’s hard is that we’re both working really long hours and doing everything we’re “supposed” to do, but it still feels like we’re going backwards rather than getting ahead.

When I hear talk about “those with the broadest shoulders” contributing more, I honestly don’t recognise it anymore in real life. It doesn’t feel like anyone in our position has anything left to give — it feels like the pressure is entirely on ordinary working households just to stand still.

I’m not looking for luxuries — just the sense that working still gives you a bit of breathing room. Right now it doesn’t feel like that at all.

Is anyone else feeling the same?

Yep I feel the same and it sucks. I’m constantly exhausted and yet have no spare money for the little things that used to make life easier and give joy - like I won’t spend £4 on a coffee any more on the way to work and I have stopped having my cleaner. Both luxuries but we should be able to afford them. Doesn’t help living in the south east where house prices are just ridiculous so my mortgage is a lot
for quite frankly a very average house

I agree with you. I am only paid very slightly more than I was 15 years ago, and clearly the cost of absolutely everything is substantially higher than it was 15 years ago. Salaries have stagnated whilst the cost of everything has gone through the roof. There are a lot of very wealthy people who have benefited enormously from this and somehow we’ve ended up enabling them to do so.

Totally the same, but think about it…it’s not surprising. Some food items have doubled in price, coupled with oil costs which impact everything from filling your car to the price of non comestibles. You are not alone OP. Things I don’t do anymore as a higher rate tax payer as i can’t afford it; drink alcohol with a meal out, in fact meals out are just birthdays now, no nails, hair or beauty treatments, no fancy toiletries (I’d love to frequent Space NK!! but I use Aldi and it’s absolutely fine) Can you or partner move jobs? it’s the only way i’ve ever got a significant pay rise…

Completely agree.

We have a very good gross household income (six figures) and only one DD, but having to stick to a strict budget these days - in the past we spent without giving it much thought.

We recently needed to have unexpected repairs on the house, not covered by insurance. It very quickly wiped out the buffer we had.

The small luxuries happen less and less. For example, we used to go to the theatre quite a lot, and bought tickets as soon as we saw something we liked the look of. That’s been cut right back - it’s gone from at least once a month to a couple of times a year.

If one of us loses their job I think we’d very rapidly be in the shit.

That said, we’re not on the breadline, have no trouble meeting life’s necessities. But the unthinking spending on non-essentials is a thing of the past.

I think the only groups winning here at the moment are the super wealthy or benefit people who don’t work . The supposed ‘ middle ‘ have nothing left to give . We certainly aren’t ‘ all in it together ‘ .

What is your income, and what are you outgoings - given you are in the ‘broadest shoulders’ camp?

It’s hard though, for everyone. The cost
of housing for the post-boomer / Gen X is silly, add trying to raise a child and a commute and there’s not much left after the basic bills are paid for.

My remortgage this year is looking like it might go up by £1,000. I’m paying nursery fees - which have gone up >5% every year. Plus having a second child. My monthly fixed outgoings are wild.

@Tiillytubby @Salledebains completely agree.

My gross salary is just under six figures. When I was in my 30s, I'd have assumed I'd basically made it in life, earning that - my sector is not highly paid.

And objectively, I'm privileged.

I now don't: get my nails or eyebrows done, drink alcohol, just buy the kids a treat. Like, ever.

We save every month, a little, and meet our bills. But that's it. If one of the cars broke down or there was a problem with the house, it would be sticky.

And I keep thinking, if I feel like this, and I'm probably top 10ish pc of earners, God it must be impossible if you own a small business or similar.

Yes totally agree. We earn fairly well (not by MN standards but I think we do ok!), household income of around 75-80k. Both work full time. But with two toddlers in nursery things are extremely tight. We do not buy new clothes or furniture, everything is second hand. Haven't had a holiday since 2024 and won't be having one this year. We don't eat out or go to the cinema. Can't even afford swimming lessons which I feel terrible about. 13 year old car. It feels really relentless and with upcoming increases in COL I find myself wondering what's the point and maybe I should just give up work! I won't do that but it does feel pretty hopeless at the moment.

I'm on benefits and can't work. I can assure you that I'm not 'winning' either and also have nothing left once essentials, bills etc are paid for.

I work full time as a TA with a UC top up. Husband works full time also. Three children. Nothing left.

Yes it’s so demoralising. When my children were babies ( they’re 7 and 9 now) I only worked three days a week and paid nursery fees so looked forward to them growing up and having more money. Now I work 5 days a week, do overtime at the weekend and have no childcare costs but yet I’ve never been so skint. I am scraping around for money at the end of the month. Food is so expensive as is most things. I don’t understand how young families can afford to have children now; my friend pays £70 a day on nursery fees!

Well that's what benefits are for.... To cover the necessities....

Often people with high incomes who complain they're struggling also have very high spending eg on expensive houses.

I'm on a medium wage, husband is retired. Rent will go up to over £1000 a month next month, council tax to over £200 a month. We don't qualify for any assistance. I get paid on 24th of the month, by 25th it's literally gone on bills. Thankfully we're not trying to raise children etc but it's demoralising. Our fridge freezer stopped working 2 days ago (thankfully before the weekly food shop!) so that's now got to be factored in somehow.

I think life in the UK has been really good for most people (whether we realised it or not) until very recently and now we are living through a decline period which sucks. And as more people experience the "not enough to get by" feeling, crime and disorder is going to go up and up.

I'd rejoin the EU and remove green taxes (businesses pay a lot and it pushes the prices we all pay way up) and totally renovate how small businesses are taxed and regulated to make life easier (nimbys would not vote for me).

That’s as may be financially but you don’t have the stress of putting food on the table , worrying about how to fund yet more council tax etc or losing your income / job . I’m not saying it’s an easy life but it doesn’t have the unpredictability of paying for yourself.

I never said otherwise. I'm not sure how it means I'm 'winning' though.

I think the major problem is and gas been for sometime, huge mortgages to puchase homes in the South East which eats up a large part of income. Many people sell up on retirement and move to cheaper properties so have a large surplus in retirement.

😂

I feel really angry at billionaires a lot of the time. Also landlords. I do not feel angry at people on benefits. It is worth remembering that most recipients are in work.

We rent, and so I think we have a bit more left over than a lot of people (rent is fairly reasonable for the area that we are in). We do try to save for a mortgage and have been for years but the large deposits required do not feel achievable and for various reasons moving is very difficult. So I suppose we do spend a bit of what we could save on eating out or going to the cinema because life is short.

I do not work full-time, though, I work 2.5 days a week earning £50ishk. If I worked full time I could earn a lot more than that. I don’t really understand how someone on a six-figure salary has nothing left at the end of the month unless they have an absolutely ginormous mortgage or have chosen private education. I find the articles in newspapers of families on six figure salaries complaining about the cost of living quite distasteful, but not as distasteful as I find the billionaires making mugs of all of us.

Ok apologies, I didn't read the post you had quoted.

We are the same. Live in an expensive area, both work FT and only 1 kid. Need some work done on the house and where talking the other night about how we should be able to afford more than the basics. We have a 20 year old car and have had one holiday in 9 years.

Have both progressed in careers but any pay rises have been eaten up by taxes and COL. It's totally depressing. Worse off than 10 years ago.

having to get up at 530 to get to work is mad - but I bet you can’t afford to live closer. What percentage of your income is going in rent or mortgage ?

For most families are paying more to buy a house for a landlord or in mortgage interest profit to a bank than in anything else. And they can barely afford childcare or nursing care for gran becuase of the same property related costs. How many small businesses would do better if their property costs were slashed ? is rent was halved overnight?

it’s the elephant in the room - we complain about taxes but at least we get something back for them. We get sweet FA from the banks taking that interest off you every month.

the one thing I wouldn’t compromise on is green levies - if we had made the transition when I was pushing for it decades ago we would be financially much better off now. I won’t take from the future because of mistakes we have made

What I find funny about this (I assume you're laughing at the person cutting down on "luxuries", apologies if not)... If people don't go to the theatre the theatres close down. The actors and ticket sellers and popcorn queue people are out of work. The venue closes down and is another mothball on the grim high street. This is all a big problem for everyone even if you sneer at other people's restrictions.

The coffee guy on my local high street gets £5 a day from my husband and I because it's amazing, a nice pick me up and we like supporting a small business. I'd give up lunch before that coffee.

We will also be the ones expected to bear the brunt of this incoming tidal wave of economic misery.