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?

If you can't understand how shortsighted your attitude is and the unintended consequences of such a policy, then I think it is pointless us engaging further.

You might want to read Love on the Dole by Walter Greenwood, though.

Disposable income is dropping off a cliff.

Ido agree it’s how you look at it, we get the teens what they need/want, pay bills, pension and that’s it. But for now that’s ok.

I did think, just 5 years ago, that by now we would have more money than we could spend. It’s not the case.

Earning less would be worse. That’s how we look at it. What else to do.

We have a very high income. But when my child became too anxious to attend her state school (they were just refusing to go) we moved them to a smaller, calmer private school which she felt safe enough to attend. It was cheaper to do this than one of us stop working to home school. If we earned less it would have been cheaper for one of us to be a stay at home parent.

So yes it looks like we have high expenditure but that’s just a result of being high earners and having different cost / benefits to working.

@PinkKimonoso you think ppl with savings should claim benefits? use the savings first, talk about grabby!

@tangobravo That is why people space their kids out!

You have chosen to have 3 children! You’ve made choices! You could choose not to work but you have not made that choice.

A cleaner and takeaways because you’re too tired to clean and cook 😂 and this is somehow unjust!!

I’m a single parent, got in at 17:30 yesterday, cooked a roast chicken for me and my DD, tidied up while it was cooking and DD did some school work at the kitchen table. Tidied up after dinner. Sat down at 20:00. I could have moaned about being out of the house since 07:30 and got a takeaway because I was too tired to cook and I could pay for a cleaner because I’m too tired to clean but I don’t as I have made my choices and it’s no one else’s fault or responsibility as to what those choices are.

Yep I did think that was asilly post - regardless of where income comes from , the same costs are still in the mix - and unless you have social housing that remains fairly static , mortgages and rents can still increase and in the case of rents well be considerably over your ‘allowance towards rent’ if you get that . Meaning you take it off money that should go towards food and bills or you end up with no home- I don’t think many who are doing ok realise quite how thusasorctxworks - it does not automatically ‘cover off ‘ your rent etc - if you work and get top ups it may be you get very little if anything towards housing , if you have a mortgage almost certainly non at all ( although short term loans are possible)? And if you do get it, as no income at all, it can easily be your Rent is ££1180 and you get £910 etc - I’m not in this position but once had 2 months where we needed to claim following a business failure - luckily we had around £6000 of savings so could make up the difference -

Exactly the same here. Now I’m finding we’re often still in debt at the end of the month. And that’s after we’ve cut out virtually all eating out, coffees, days out, clothes etc. We can’t even cover the basics anymore. Urgent home repairs being left undone as there’s no money. It is shit.

If it helps, Im 60, just been diagnosed with cancer and unable to work. I am drawing a small pension. I am currently minus £350 a month.
I don't qualify for any benefits. Ive worked all my life and get nothing. Thankfully my mortgage is paid off otherwise otherwise Id have to sell my home.
Whatever some people seems to think, benefits are not handed out like sweets

Your forgetting benefit people who do work...

Can you not get pip? That's awful if not

You get zero uc if you have £16k in the bank.

This must be one of the most ridiculous statements I’ve read on MN. The only people winning are the super wealthy because they’ve convinced mugs like you that people on benefits are the ones who are ‘winning’.

Single parent, one child. Reasonable public sector type salary in East Mids (just under £60k). Not entitled to any help and ex got the child benefit.
Can pay for the bills and eat well but there’s nothing left. Having a cheap UK holiday this year with the parents (they are paying) and the only treats DD gets are funded by them too- they are very generous and pay for swimming, school shoes and some days out/toys/books etc.

I used my birthday money to fund NT membership so we have something to do in the holidays and am trying to scrabble the money together to go to the zoo. It’s absolutely soul destroying really.

I need to buy a car as mine was a lease that ends soon from when I was married and if I didn’t have my Dad to loan me the cash I’d be absolutely fucked. I shouldn’t need Bank of Dad at 48.

@Katemax82

not sick or disabled enough for PIP

Bang on

@Kirbert2 because you're not up at 5.30am every morning with an hour's commute and full time work to achieve effectively the same thing. If you have an illness or disability that genuinely prevents you from working then you're definitely not winning. Otherwise, one of the multiple pressures on working folk is the ever increasing tax and NI hikes paying for the ballooning benefits bill.

Ok, I’ll bite.

So you don’t think people on benefits should be able to save, but if their washing machine breaks down they need to be able to afford it from “their own money” and not their benefits? How will they pay for it then?

No doubt it will blow your mind to hear that I work nearly full time in a professional job and still need to claim a small amount of UC.

If you have a good job and live in a reasonably priced area, what on earth are you spending all your money on?

If your income was as low as the benefit claimants, you would be entitled to some top up benefits too. Clearly you're not, so must have more money than them. So why do you despise them? You have more money and are apparently struggling (although presumably can't be struggling that much!)

Yes. I work two jobs, one FT, one part-time in the evenings. I've stopped all of the fun and interesting things, and I've also stopped taking my purse out with me, so that I can't buy any little extras if I'm passing through town. I don't go on holiday, I spend weekends at home, and I cross my fingers every time my elderly car goes for its MOT. There are DIY projects waiting until I can afford to pay someone to do them. I'm still holding out that my landlords will eventually pay me back at least some of the money that I have had to spend on this house, too (for basics, like doors that actually open, fencing, and things to try to get rid of- or at least block the entry of- the mice).

Absolutely @Suncatch-

Yep getting more into debt just to survive

If you are struggling then that isn't the fault of those who claim UC.

Well no, though I didn't say we don't live comfortably, nor that we don't have any 'luxuries' - we do.

But we don't have loads to spare, which is (probably naively) where I imagined we'd be once we'd finished paying off (and overpaying) our mortgage, which was kind of the point of scrimping those years to do that. 'Once it's done we'll be able to have lovely holidays', 'once it's paid off DH can get the new car he's always fancied' - turns out that's not the case, and again, it's not a complaint and I'm nor claiming we're on the breadline. It's just not what I expected, or where we would have been a few years ago in the same position.

On UC. Also can't afford urgent repairs to my house. 🤷🤷