AIBU to feel deflated after payday despite a decent salary?

[Wtfisisfor]

Do you ever just get paid and think seriously is this it… I got paid this morning 3100 was put into my account, I transferred 1400 to the joint for bills and household expenses. And I’m left with the rest, but when I look at it, I just think, is this it? Anyone else? Just feeling a bit defeated today! I know to some people this is a lot of money. But these days it really doesn’t feel like it. Come and join for a moan

Put it straight in your pension. Not a penny is deducted then.

These comments are not aimed specifically at you but the comments your are endorsing and the others on the thread. It's unclear if you really read it before commenting which obviously would be helpful no, to read about what is actually happening before you endorse a comment stating something has happened that has not.

Yeh high horse or just an ability to see a bit further than the end of my own nose and have empathy for all people in all situations

I could only dream of bringing home a monthly salary of £3100 so am slightly envious, however I get what you are saying.
My current moan is just the absolute shocking wages that employers are paying. I am being made redundant this week, well fixed term contract coming to an end. I currently get 28k for a charity job which involves a huge caseload, dealing with very vulnerable people - hoarders, people with MH issues, very ill people. I have another part time job lined up but the pay is 26k ( full time equivalent) for a similar role. now that NMW has gone up this equates to just short of 25k so I'm wondering how on earth I'm being paid 26k, so just over 1k more than someone on NMW to again deal with vulnerable people in horrible situations and with years of experience. Am I just being a mug when I could look for a NMW job with potentially much less responsibility and stress for 1k less? I do understand some NMW jobs can be stressful of course. I'm just feeling so disillusioned right now. I'm late fifties , have worked for 40 years in difficult jobs and just wish I could retire. The job market currently is dire.
The only slight glimmer with the new job is that as it's so part time I'll earn just less than the tax threshold so won't have to pay tax or NI . Lucky I have no mortgage but do still have dd at Uni who we need to support for another year.

Nail on the head. The £50k higher rate threshold hasn't changed for years either. Nor for the self employed has the VAT registration threshold, announced to be frozen for future years too! Fiscal drag is a massive problem.

@Nothingl3ft sorry missed explaining the accountability. Again not you specifically but where is the accountability that people cannot understand that people who invest in getting to a point where they can earn a higher wage have is most cases, earned it. That is not to say lower paid workers don't deserve better or more or are not valuable. But it is a completely different point to the one OP has made. But people always choose to tangle the two.

Lots of things to do with our tax and benefits systems are insane. We've had a succession of crap, incompetent and useless Chancellors for 30 years, and the damage they've caused is now obvious. The only two who had any common sense were Alistair Darling and Phil Hammond, both of whom tried to understand ALL aspects of changes they were being advised to make by the civil servants and other ministers, but neither were in office long enough to actually make a difference. ALL other chancellors made serious mistakes and their tenures caused more long term harm than long term good.

£2k per month when paying £30k per year is a net contribution of £6k per year for everything else you utilise
More people should be paying more, nobody should be reducing their contribution or taking more from the pot.

And the post you quoted wasn't directly aimed at the OP, but you have chosen to quote my post and take me to task over it.
Again - who am I supposed to be accountable to and for what?*
And I do think that some people don't value the lower wages roles, that doesn't mean automatically that I don't value higher paid roles, or don't empathise with the OP on how they feel, and indeed feel the same way myself at times and I do think society undervalues those roles - or people like me would be paid more - no? (You can find out what I do on my pp - the one you obviously didn't read before diving on me!).
ETA-
*Your next post addressed that - nowhere in my post do I say that OP or indeed any other higher earners haven't earned where they are, like you I was making a general comment, based on my own experience and life in general.

Geez, calm down!

I think this thread has moved on to discussing the balance of tax and services, which is fine and an important related issue.
However, the OPs original point that their net income makes them feel defeated and deflated. I don’t think most people are tearing them down or attacking them simply pointing out that the OPs income is more than most other people and that they can afford savings, meals out with family and holidays etc. I would honestly try and enjoy it and see the positives. I’m just being honest. I think it is a nice amount of discretionary income to have. People may disagree - that is what chat forums are for. However, I think it is also fair enough to say that is a good income try to enjoy it with your family.

I honestly don’t mean this in a mean/passive aggressive/preachy (delete as appropriate) way, but I think you can sometimes lose sight of what you do have in a monetary or wider sense

*in your opinion.

It's an economic and societal system. It requires a range of people undertaking a range of roles. The more people that can work without restrictions, the more the "system benefits" (in theory). People can and will reduce their economic output to avoid being penalised.

If you would genuinely be okay with going to university for 4 years, perhaps working low paid grad and entry roles for years and spend evenings and weekends doing CPD and whatever to advance to then pay a disproportionare amount of your money back to the systemwhilst simultaneously receiving fewer services, good for you I guess? But the OP isn't and I see no reason why they should be called crass and belittled like some people have here (not you specifically).

On the contrary I think everyone capable of working and earning more should be working more, whether part timers, unemployed, parents or whatever. Then everyone could pay less tax as there'd be more people paying tax. We need revolutionary changes to the tax and benefits system to change behaviour so that people do that and feel rewarded rather than punished for working harder, working more, up-skilling, taking promotions, etc.

Well why not, they’ve paid a lot of tax that might have funded things for your children.

if you have 2 kids in nursery full time you are probably paying 5k, you probably need to earn 8.5k minimum pre tax to earn that which works out at 102k per year. Why should that person work to contribute 30k to the tax pot het have no take home pay

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
throughout my career and I will count myself in this cohort the more money I’ve earned the less work I’ve done and specifically the less meaningful work I’ve done.
I don’t believe for one moment I’m alone on the basis at the 30 other people in my office doing zero meaningful work. That requires very little skill and very little effort beyond pressing a few buttons on a computer.
There are 12 offices within our building doing the same for 100 grand a year. Meaningless nonsense that inevitably just causes stress and distress to other people.
Probably take you about 10 minutes to work out what we do 😂

Calm down indeed. Take you to task or just a debate? You are correct. Lots of people are devalued. It just was not happening here and I do not know why it always spirals into a competition of who has it worse. I think you are perhaps thinking things are aimed directly at you because I'm quoting you (rightly or wrongly, can't say I care). Which isn't nessarily what is happening. But I'll brush up my forum etiquette for those who are slightly sensitive and interpret things so personally so noone feels "taken down". It's an anonymous forum where all kinds can be misinterpreted.

No contempt? What’s this then? (posted this morning)

People on NMW should do something about that then. Go back to uni and get a bloody big student loan, that affords them a better job and an additional monthly payment. It’s not the person who worked on progressing themselves fault, that someone else didn’t do the same.

Yes, it’s possible to be a high earner in an essential role - I’m guessing you’re a doctor - but the majority of essential jobs aren’t well paid. Care workers, delivery drivers, supermarket workers are on minimum wage, the country would grind to a halt without them but you don’t think their work is supporting those who are highly paid. If my guess is correct, where would you be without all the lowly paid workers who support your job? The porters, cleaners, clerks. Where would you be without the people who look after your children and enable you to work?

The entire theme of these threads is always measuring someone’s contribution and worth to society in financial terms and the amount of tax they pay. Hence they’re very one sided, I’m presenting you with the obverse side of the coin. That is how debates are balanced.

The reason it feels bad is because you're thinking that you're losing that much of your earnings rather than the benefit you are providing to others. I'm in exactly the same boat (end of year £21k bonus - a lot went to tax and some into pension to keep me under £100k for the childcare discounts). And honestly, I couldn't care less. I'm so grateful to earn what I do and I think the flipside of that is that I'm able to support others with lower earning and that's what my tax does.

@BlossomtoesI interpret. this post your quoting very very differently to you. What is being reiterated that there are choices we all make. Some people do have less options and choices for circumstances beyond their control, but most adults do have agency to improve their circumstances should they want to. Not a Dr, public sector. Mid salary for my skillset because it's the public sector, but linked to essential services. Absolutely could not do my work without a whole host of people and don't debate that. Husband works in food and logistics. He's obviously the bigger income. Definitely still essential. It's not a fixed as you make out

Do Tesco charge that much more in Chelsea then?

But do they all earn more though. I know of at least 6 graduates from 2024. Only one of them is earning over 30k now. Another has a first in law( so decent degree)and has just had a wage rise after 18 months bringing salary to 24k ( and yes they've applied for loads of other jobs)

I didn’t say it was fixed. I think my previous post makes it very clear why I’m putting the counter argument. Remember this exchange began by you questioning my comment that people in poorly paid roles “prop up” those who are highly paid. I stand by that. There’s more than one way of contributing to society than earning lots of money and paying a corresponding amount of tax. It’s two way traffic.

ETA - this has been a really good debate. Thank you for indulging me.

And I disagree. I don't think there is any propping up. Because it's a system. That needs everyone. Hence challenging the propping up statement. Neither exist without the other, just in different capacities. All contributions are required either side and having pulled myself up from absolutely nothing, I can quite happily see all sides. I do not disagree with the premis that everyone is valuable. But stating others are propping others up, kind of infers that one side is more important? Even those who were furloughed and inactive during COVID (no such luck here) make valuable contributions. You appeared to infer that unless you had a low paid essential role, what you do for work isn't as important. Which in any case is a complete derail from the fact that OP is within her own right to feel frosted irrespective of others hardships

*Frustrated not frosted

You appeared to infer that unless you had a low paid essential role, what you do for work isn't as important.

Appeared is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. You may have inferred it but I definitely didn’t imply it. Anyway we basically agree so thank you once again.

Well they kind of are if they’re looking after their children or cleaning their house.

And if they are aren’t doing either?

@Apprentice26

I didn’t suggest they were covering anything. They shouldn’t be chipping in towards it

They aren’t chipping in, again they are not paying enough to cover themselves!!

So what number do you think you need to earn before you can stand on your own 2 feet and not rely on the state?
What’s acceptable?

To be a net contributor eg paying more tax into the system vs what you take out? It’s approx 41k hence why it’s a silly argument to claim your dc on 27k is chipping into the benefits someone on 100k may receive!

I don’t actually like the net contribution argument and have argued against it on here but if you are going to argue for it you need to get the fundamentals correct.