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

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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?

Oh, Labour’s cunning ‘levelling down’ plan has been spotted has it. Big hand clap to anyone stupid enough to vote for them. When they said the broadest shoulders, they meant average middle class people without enough cash to escape Starmer and HMRC. Everyone (including many MN posters) were positively vitriolic when private school VAT was tabled, so not sure why when Labour have made others pay their way, there is an issue… Everyone said ‘I’d happily pay more tax’ wish granted guys.

Aaaaaa people like you are the reason your kids will be poor. The "green taxes" do absolutely nothing of value. But you've been socialised to think it would be better to set yourself on fire than have a rethink (or that it amounts to the same thing).

If you think bank profiteering is bad you should see how much money green finance people rake in.

I've thought for a while that if people are struggling whether working or not, it is a no brainer to just not work. The whole system is going to collapse if they keep taxing the middle earners while giving a 6.5% rise to those on benefits. It is utterly ridiculous and so unfair. Do the right thing and the Labour party will come after your money (tax).

There will come a point fairly soon where society will be so impoverished that funneling money into the pockets of daft consultants and lobbyists will become impossible anyway but I wish to God we could just stop doing it now without the need for the shock.

Well you can't just choose to not work and receive benefits instead

Guess it depends where/how you live. My dp and I earn about 3 quarters of what you earn and live quite comfortably.

You are just beholden to whichever government is in charge instead which comes with its own stress.

I much preferred the stress that came with working, I hate having to rely on the government.

I don't understand people on six figures spending all their money. What do they think average earners do? They have thousands more coming in every month. The responses here are odd to me too, not having a daily coffee or a cleaner. I would never have done those things in the first place.

I agree, we’re on a good combined high income and while we can afford to save each month we don’t have a lot left at the end of it. We do live in a small 3 bed though and just on the border with what’s considered the south east, so expensive housing. I’m sure many people on here would expect our lifestyle to be very different to what it is if they knew our income!

Having said that though our friends and our DCs’ friends seem to not be impacted at all by the cost of living based on the lovely houses they live in, the expensive cars they drive and the multiple holidays a year they have and are often going out for meals and to the theatre etc.. it does sometimes make me feel like we’re doing something wrong!

YANBU I'm fucking raging about this cost of living crisis. The super-rich really have brought up all the worlds resources and are now selling them back to us at astronomical prices.

I'm old, so I remember bad times and I well remember how hard it was during the 1980s recession BUT that only seemed to effect people on benefits. People who worked seem to have a cushion that protected them from the worst of it. The problem today is that this crisis effects EVERYONE.

Fucking raging doesn't even describe it. What have they done to us?😪

It now seems our purpose in life is to work till we die so that we can spend all our wages paying for the resources rich people own.

We're in an expensive area, £200kish family income. No private school / nursery fees. One car.
We are comfortable. But I have always (having come from nothing) shopped in Aldi and never had luxuries like a weekly massage.

I think part of the problem is that we have had it "good" for 20-30 years and people's expectations are to have nice things - treats etc. One of my friends asked for a loan to pay her mortgage (I said no, I don't loan friends money) but when I said I would sit down with them to go over budgets and see where they could save, they had a lot of what I would describe as non-essentials:
Botox
£70 phone contract (I told her mine was £8 a month)
£200 weekly food bills
Netflix, Disney, Prime and Sky
Weekly takeaways and meals out
She was like, "that's just basic living". Erm. It's not.

I feel the same as you. I'm in my late forties and expected to feel more relaxed about money by now. However, I don't. Instead, I'm worrying how I'm going to fund my teen through university this September when I'm just expected to find an extra £500 per month to support her. I work really hard full time. I'm exhausted and I have nothing to show for it. There are things that need repairing or replacing in my house and I have no savings to pay for any of it. Life seems very bleak.

I think this is surely down to childcare and housing costs.
We manage to live a nice enough life but have a mortgage of just £800 a month and no childcare costs. It must be really hard for those having to pay such high rents that we see now and childcare is still very expensive.
I wish something was done about housing costs. I don’t know how they can make it more affordable but it should be a government priority.

It’s not just the increase in food costs etc. It’s because the tax thresholds have been frozen for years, so we are spending more and more of our incomes on tax. Other taxes are also rising faster than wages. Council tax for example, up around 5% this year, but not many people have had that much pay rise. It’s outrageous. They shouldn’t be allowed to raise council tax by more than the average wage.

People working in the 80s lost their homes - it did affect more than you were aware of. It’s why governments have been so careful to avoid that

And the lack of jobs -25% unemployment rate in many areas especially in the north. It tore communities apart and many are just starting to show signs of recovery.

people on big bucks today are spending it on homes usually. Theirs and the nursery

people are struggling because of the rapid downward change.

We're in London and I'm not seeing signs of everyone cutting back. People are walking around with shop-bought coffee cups, I'm constantly dodging Deliveroo drivers on pavements and the high street is busy on any sunny day. We still go to the theatre (we get vouchers) and that's often sold out. Lapland UK has sold out already. It's not the super rich spending all that money, although it's an affluent demographic. But it's not as binary as just the super rich and benefits claimants and everyone else has nothing left.

Well according to pp you're doing great because you're on benefits

Yep I’m bloody sick of it! I have a really good job and live in an area where homes are reasonably priced, not one penny left at the end of the month. Yet people can still claim UC when they have potentially up to 16 grand saved in the bank! It’s disgusting, country is ran by a bunch of muppets.

I don't understand people on six figures spending all their money.

It's not that hard to understand. They have higher out-goings. You aren't going to find many people earning six figures and living in a 2 bed terrace in a working town.

I agree.

We have no mortgage and childcare , education or university costs. I work 2 days a week, my DH is about to go down to 3 days a week as we're both getting on a bit! Neither of us are on particularly big salaries - I'm a teacher, he's a scientist for the civil service.

We have definitely noticed prices rising - who hasn't, but we are managing fine. Housing and childcare costs seems to be crazy and getting worse.

This I've always been poor so I'm great at it and wouldn't say I struggle we have food, heat and a roof. People need to write down what they are actually spending.

Yes it absolutely depends where you live. A teacher earns the same in the north west of England as they do in the south east - where I live a not particularly nice 2-bed flat will set you back £400k, which I can't even afford after 20 years of teaching.

Seems like the majority on here struggling, live in London.
DS1 spent 15 years in London (University and after) had a great time, then "came home North". He now says the quantity of his life has massively improved.

I agree and I am single no kids! But same boat here, bills are not able to be split anymore and even stuff like food shopping I haven’t noticed a big difference between single and when I was with my partner. Feel like I’m so isolated as I don’t have spare money to do things at the weekend to actually go and meet people. Not how I thought my life would be at this point. The thought of people asking what I’m doing at weekend or if I’m going away (single person supplement is a joke!) fills me with dread. It feels like such a kick in the teeth when your hear about proposals for helping low income with energy bills and your just struggling to make it to the end of the month. I’m on an ok salary around £40k but on your own it really doesn’t go far anymore

Yes, I’m stretched to the brink.

I don’t know what I’m going to do.