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?

Which they pay tax on.

Depends on what benefits you get and if your in social housing or private

if your a single person with no ill health it’s around £100 week
plus rent but depending on where you live your benefit for rent may not be enough

if your ill or can’t work & get the highest amount of pip and you were transferred over from legacy benefits and you have social housing it’s a decent amount
if your coming over from the old style ESA system

a single person no kids

legacy benefits from ESA support group is around 1k a month
PIP is 700. If you have the highest rates

rent if you have HA / council Is say 440

so your already getting 2140 a month in LCWRA & PIP/ legacy benefits and rent

minus of the rent and your down to
1700 a month
council tax most areas you can get 100 percent reduction if your not working

so in your pocket each month is roughly 425 a week made up from LCWRA & PIP if you transferred over from the old legacy benefit

no rent to pay as you get that paid
no council tax as you get a reduction
free prescription

you might have to pay the room tax though which could be anything from around 60 -100 a month

If your just on UC and in the LCWRA group and have no transitional protection on your claim your roughly down by around 50 a week or 200 a month

if you have kids you can add roughly a further 280 a month on

And if those kids have any disabilities and you get DLA that another 400 -700 a month

I know, i gave a rough, lost my personal allowance and also pay some at 48%.

Overall it works out roughly total 40%

What’s that got to do with a thread about living standards?

Who are you to tell her what she should and should not speak up about. Pipe down you loony.

Being on benefits is not winning. What a ridiclous thing to say

Exactly. £200 is some peoples monthly food budget.

I’d hazard a guess that most people on benefits are vulnerable - physically or mentally. I don’t think this is winning. It’s a sad situation all round.

I assumed parody too.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 fuck me, absolute wierdo 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Not enough.

Ah yes, let’s blame the Labour government of less than two years and not the failed austerity, Brexit lies and economic mismanagement of the party in power for the previous 14 years. Because OBVIOUSLY it’s the VAT on school fees that’s the issue.

Oh don’t we all know it’s never Labour’s fault. At least Labour are gone for good this time.

How much tax do you think they should pay? How much is enough?

Well she's not saying otherwise, only that it's hardly a 'winning' position as was previously suggested

Fair enough 😊

How long before we can blame Labour?

The party who has had power for most of my lifetime - yes I blame them not labour

the party that fucked the housing market with the council home sell off - selling our assets at a knock off rate ro win a few votes - yes I blame them not Labour

yhe party that gave us Brexit and austerity, the party that puts big business and rich guys before people - yes o blame them not Labour

I totally understand and sports is fantastic for children and young people and probably should be affordable to all.

Lost interest. Sorry!

well, I inherited money from my mum. I invested wisely some years ago and earned £15k that year. I paid 40% of it in tax - and very happy to do so.

The next year the same asset earned only £5k for various reasons. Happy to again pay my 40%

But literally I did NOTHING to earn that money - it took me 15 minutes on my phone , and an accident of my birth and the misfortune of my mum passing away.

We then decided to spend some of the money - solar panels, a second hand car (big investment but cheaper to run), insulated the loft.

We are so lucky - so very lucky - to have money to invest. I don’t begrudge paying tax when I’ve done absolutely nothing to earn it whatsoever.

If the government didn’t waste so much money I’d be happy if my tax on investments was 60% I’d still be happy - I have capital, and growth and the country needs the money more than I do.

But then again - I have worked my arse off the years, I’m a grafter. I see a lot of lazy self-entitled people moaning amongst the worthy workers. And I see a government that is incompetent and wasteful. I begrudge paying more tax for people to sit at home on “mental health” when what they often need is a kick up the backside (had a colleague recently take a week off stressed because her family dog died - she didn’t even live with the dog!)

How long before you’d consider questioning the decisions of a current government?

I agree with this, I was trustee to one of the sports club and we had set up a relief fund for parents that couldnt afford or struggled with payments.

My DDs best friend in the sport ( and hugely talented) her parents couldnt afford to increase the hours required for her to compete at national level and this was covered until they did manage.

Some would say what we do is a luxury, and right now yes i agree it is, BUT it shouldnt be.

@Frugalgal totally agree - privatising utilities, initiating selling off social housing, Brexit , allowing any Tom dick and Harry to get huge buy to let mortgages, - most shitty things started under the Tory’s and are a huge part of the underlying issues the country has - reversing any of these is not easy due to contractual or political reasoning due to the first past the post political system we have making sensible long term planning nigh on impossible - we have been looking at moving back to the EU again after having 2020 to 2022 in Copenhagen - it’s very interesting how different tax and spend systems work - in Copenhagen it was high tax but high standards and lots covered off, no council tax, cheap childcare, lots more social housing ( if Danish) and not just for the desparately in need either - in Netherlands it’s high housing costs and higher tax, reasonably high standards, but not as high as Denmark - but mandatory pay in health care at around £160 a month plus co payments up to £320 a year and childcare cheaper than UK but nowhere near as cheap as Denmark - Germany has more middling level tax if a low earner or middle earner but quite high mandatory pay in healthcare ( around £400 a month) but employer pays part and if you are self employed you can offset it .they also have compulsory long term care tax /insurance of around 3% - like the uk though they have a high tax free allowance - similar to UKs. Again childcare cheaper than UK but not as cheap as Denmark ( or Sweden) they also have quite a high payment to mothers for child allowance - much higher than uk . If I can just mention about pensions too - people go on about pensions being really high elsewhere - they really are not -maybe work ones are but state ones aren’t much different to the UK in most of these places.

Actually benefits stop when you have £16000