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

She won’t though.

Post financial year the tax office will simply do an updated calculation and she has likely included that.

Last year on my bonus I was taxed in the month of receipt and then a few months later once they reassessed my amount for the year I received a bill for an extra 2k. She would only get some back if income for the year was negligible but for her it isn’t.

Assuming she gets to take it.

I have nothing left at the end of the month and only earn roughly 1800 so yes Yabu.
I often go into overdraft just to buy things for my dc, speaking of he needs new trainers I can't afford this month.
Threads like this make me feel ill.

Surely the point is that’s you’ll still have c40% left. That’s still more money than if you hadn’t earned it?!
Those earning more are still actually left with more, even after all the deductions (agree it gets a little bit more complicated if it gets into the territory of losing childcare allowance- this is problematic but it’s temporary).

Honestly people act like they’re losing the entirety of their earnings.

I feel exactly the same, my salary is £3k and by the time mortgage and bills are
paid I am left with nothing. It’s ridiculous and I am being as frugal as I can be but the food bill is £700 minimum and then there’s the other bills and commute costs, childcare. I feel I should be able to have fun on e in a while with that money but every time I contemplate if I should spend £3 on a chocolate bar, and I end up not

For some perspective the money you are left with each month is only a little under the money I start the month with! I’d be over the moon to have £1700 fun money every month! And I’m sure there are many many other posters on here that start the month with even way less than that!

Jesus, how many people are you feeding? £700 a month is ridiculous.

It should not make you feel ill. You should be proud how you survive without moaning and some people expect bonus in amounts of what other people earn in an year - who is the winner? The one who has developped guts and character in this life

I have an element of sympathy with you and others in similar positions because of course with salaries way above the average you shouldn’t have to be constantly thinking about the costs of everything and whether you can afford small luxuries such as going out to dinner. When high earners are starting to feel the impact of our dire economy it’s a much bigger problem than out of touch individuals complaining that 80k or more a year is too little. However, my main thought on reading such posts is “Welcome to the world many of us (also middle class, educated professionals) have been living in for a decade or more.”

No the point is me having to do the additional work and then hand over over half makes me wonder what the point is.

Yes 40% is better than nothing but having to do 125% extra to secure 40% extra is not going to feel good no matter what the income level is.

It also has stopped me pushing for a promotion. I get my evenings and weekends now. To sacrifice those for 20% - 30% extra be makes no sense.

I spend about £800 for 4 adults but we make packed lunches etc with that and rarely have take out (only because we prefer home cooking!). No alcohol included but that does include cleaning/dishwasher/washing powder and soft drinks

It’s really not. Our grocery bill (including things like loo roll, washing up liquid, bin liners etc etc) is £700-800 per month. Family with teens still at school/sixth form so essentially feeding all adults. We cook from scratch and don’t buy big brands, I look for offers and buy in bulk.

I earn the same so interested to see responses. I’m heavily in debt (from before earning this amount) for me it’s a lot of money but with bills, petrol, food, kids clubs and school trips, it’s rare I have anything in my account before pay day rolls around again.

I would like money for holidays and the theatre - total luxuries but that’s the truth. I still give to charities and work in a job where I can see how lucky I am. If I wasn’t in so much debt I’d be fine on this salary but holidays seem impossible and I’m envious of those who get to see some of the world.

eating out is not a small luxury, it is a luxury, full stop
drinking out or at home is a luxury
holidays are a luxury

Kindly yabu. Many people earn less with no capacity to save.

Give yourself a £50 treat ? you can still save and it will make you feel nice

It’s not 125% extra though is it? I did overtime last month - I work 150 hours a month and did 13 extra hours. So I did less than 10% extra and ended up taking home £230 extra - so about 13.8% extra.

This is the issue. People have such low quality of life expectations in this country that high earners actually wanting a life that reflects their income is seen as grasping and where being able to spend £15 on a drink and meal at a restaurant is seen as “luxury” instead of the small luxury that it actually is.

Well that’s the choice you make. If the extra money is not worth the extra effort in your opinion and circumstances then don’t do it but don’t act like you’re doing it “for nothing”.

I would love that amount for myself each month! I would love £500 tbh
out if interest how do you pay for hols does that come out of joint savings? What is your £1700 used for (I know you said you put £700 away which is great)
for example, if you have a family meal or day out does that come out of the £1700?

just interested as we pool our money. We earn well but it’s tight each month but I acknowledge we spend a lot on hols (which I’m thankful for)

It is 125% extra. To receive a performance bonus you have to do far above and beyond BAU work. It’s not guaranteed. I have done a lot of extra work, both for my and other teams. Done extra projects not part of my standard role requirements. Have also done some evening and weekend. Secured the performance bonus and then only allowed to keep a minority of it.

@Wtfisisfor I would just like to say THANK YOU for using the word "salary" instead of the ubiquitous "wage" I keep seeing. The word "wage" reminds me of the good old days of being given notes in an envelope every Friday to mostly waste at the pub that very evening.

And what % of your salary is £4.8k? I highly doubt you’ve hit a nearly 70% tax rate

Well I’m not doing it, that’s my point.

Time is valuable. To give up extra time on a consistent basis and only receive a small amount in return does not feel worth it. It’s for nothing.

You are talking to the wrong person.

The other person showed with tax, NI and student loan they gave away 71% of their bonus. (I think student loan should not be counted FWIW)

It can’t be 125% extra - you’d be working 90 hours a week for that to be the case.