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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to be fed up about never having any money even though DH earns (just) over £100k?

589 replies

MakemineaGandT · 26/11/2008 21:15

I know it sounds like a lot, but with a big mortgage and all the other usual bills we have very little disposable cash.

We don't have a cleaner or any other kind of help

Neither of us has had any new clothes for at least 18 months

We spend £100 a week on groceries, so hardly extravagant

We haven't been on holiday for 3 years

We do all DIY etc ourselves

We've been out twice this YEAR

I just don't know how we can cut back. It feels as though we are working so hard and yet we are always struggling.

It makes me really annoyed when I see comments (for example on that taxing over £150k thread) about the "super rich") - I guess on paper we look "rich" but it certainly doesn't feel like it!

OP posts:
NotanOtter · 26/11/2008 21:50

milge no she should be allowed to sate what she feels - this place needs to be more accepting

TheNewsMongrel · 26/11/2008 21:50

2k a month on childcare would be quite easily spent if you've two children, both pre-school and you live in London.

Quattrocento · 26/11/2008 21:51

Ah, I see the poor are getting richer. It was £65k last time. I admire your bravery. We had a recent thread and established that earning £100k puts you in the top 1% of earners.

mabanana · 26/11/2008 21:51

I am genuinely curious as to how you got into this state. Surely if your dh is earning £100K he has been working for many years and you didn't buy your first property in the last couple of years, so you must have had equity? Did you choose to buy in a very swish area?

CharleeInChains · 26/11/2008 21:51

I not so long ago lernet the real meaning of 'no money' i was living with my dp and out baby and was pregnant in a bedsit and we literally had no money - i did a weeks shopping with £9.

So i am afraid i have no sympathy, but i have also in the past before this happened remeber saying we had 'no' money when we had £200 in the bank doing nothing, sit down and write a list of everything you spend even little bits like coffee or snacks out and add it up it may make sense of where all your money is going.

MotherFlippin · 26/11/2008 21:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Portofino · 26/11/2008 21:52

I do appreciate that you live according to your means though. 3 years ago we left our 2 up 2 down, and old car in UK. We earn a bit more money but live in a more expensive house (though rented), and have a newer car, and actually we definitely have less disposable income than we used to. But these are choices we have made. And I know we are really fortunate and would not dream of complaining about it. (And all it would take is one job to be lost and the whole fecking lot comes falling down......)

Ronaldinhio · 26/11/2008 21:52

you get less than 20k ie a take home of less than £1300 pcm pay a mortgage on a big house and childcare.....
how does that stack up?

cheeset · 26/11/2008 21:53

NotanOtter I agree, sounds like a bit of jealousy? Maybe MakemineaGandT bought too much into the dream IYNWIM?

I believe a little hardship is grounding and makes you see sense.

TheCrackFox · 26/11/2008 21:54

OPs DH earns £100K a year, so if chilcare costs are an issue we would need to figure in her wages.

But yes, childcare costs are scary, not reflected in the workers wages, though.

TrinityRhino · 26/11/2008 21:55

she can say what she feels but we dont have to be nice to her
christ its ridiculous that she spends £100 a week on shopping
if she feels she doesn't have any disposable income then dont spend so much on food shopping

NCbirdy · 26/11/2008 21:58

Ronaldiniho, yes. It very nearly doesn't most months. It is bloody hard. But I was left here after a I found myself unexpectedly single. I can give in and jack life in or I can fight on.

Would you like to challange me on it?

southeastastra · 26/11/2008 21:59

i spend over £140 a week in tesco and i'm right poor

Portofino · 26/11/2008 21:59

Childcare costs notwithstanding - 100k a year is (more than) enough for any family to live on. And live well at that. Average wage is what 25k?

cheeset · 26/11/2008 21:59

I'm not going to be shitty with op, she is a human being with feelings. Clearly, they are making mistakes with their finances but that does not give anybody the right to be rude to them. OP's DH may have worked damn hard for his salary-could be a heart surgeon or saving peoples lives on a daily basis for example so I will not judge them.

pointydog · 26/11/2008 22:00

"People in the top 1% of earners moaning about money get little no sympathy on MN."

I say again, is there a message board where these sorts of post would get sympathy?

Move into the real world, people

wannaBe · 26/11/2008 22:02

Imo people are being a bit unrealistic telling the op to move to a smaller house - in the current climate moving isn't exactly a pheasible option for most people considering houses aren't selling.

Also I'm not sure that comments of "well think yourself lucky" and "well we lived on far less than that" are really that constructive. Yes the op is financially in a much more comfortable position than most people, but fact is that people do live to their means, and if you have a comfortable income it is much easier to spend more because if you know the money is there then you spend it without worrying iyswim, and before you know it you're spending to your means and beyond.

Op, if your dh is earning £100k a year then he will be bringing home approx £4.5k a month? In most situations you should be able to live on that, and if you can't then you seriously need to question why, and look at what is going to give in order that you are not left struggling every month.

Firstly, How big is your mortgage?

Realistically your mortgage isn't something you are going to be in a position to change for a while due to the current economic climate and the position of the housing market. Given you have a large mortgage I'm assuming that you don't have much equity, and that is something that is going to prevent you from selling your house for a while IMO. So first and foremost take your mortgage off your monthly income, and then we'll look to change the rest.

Next outgoing is council tax. Again this isn't something you're in a position to change. Ditto with water. Although if you're currently paying rates, then installing a meter is a way you can save as you pay for the water you actually use rather than a flat rate (and this is marginally cheaper.

Next you need to look at your energy bills. Firstly, are you sure you're with the cheapest supplier you can be with? Go and have a look at the suppliers, and see whether there is anyone cheaper than your current one. It really is possible to save hundreds of pounds a year.

So those are the bills you don't have all that much control over, so the rest of what is left is what you spend on other things, groceries, cars, incidentals.

Firstly cars, why do you need two cars? If you don't work, do you absolutely need a car? do you live in the country with no public transport? Because imo that is the only reason for absolutely needing a car. How far from home does your dh work? Could you drive him there and use his car and then collect him from work/encourage him to catch a buss home? I would look very seriously into getting rid of one of your cars, because you will almost certainly save a couple of hundred pounds by doing so.

Next look at groceries. £100 a week is a lot of money to spend on groceries. What are you spending it on? Again it's an easy trap to fall into. You go into the supermarket and see special offers for the products you might not have gone there to buy, and before you know it you're spending more money than you had intended. Here's what I would do:

I would do one monthly shop. for all the bulk items like the nappies, the big bags of pasta, the breakfast cereals etc. I would buy own brand products where possible, generally they don't taste that much different, but in terms of price you can save a lot. Did you know for instance, that a jar of own brand chocolate spread is almost £1 cheaper than nutela? And it really doesn't taste any different (the kids certainly don't know the difference). I would also aim to shop online so you're not tempted by the offers you wouldn't ordinarily buyh. So, given you'll have a freezer and cupboards full of food, I would then draw between £20 and £30 a week in cash out, and use that to buy any other shopping, bread/milk/fruit/veg. It will give you a far greater understanding of what you're actually spending, rather than just putting your card in the slot knowing the money is there iyswim. And aim to havemoney left at the end of the week, and if there is, take it off next week's cash withdrawal, so if you draw out £30 and you're left with £1.50, next week you get £28.50.

Right, now you've looked at all that you need to look at the things you have that you don't really need or that you can cut back on.

Firstly, do you have sky? If so do you have full package? and if so do you actually watch it? If not I would cut down to minimum possible, and that will save you probably about £15/20 a month.

Next do you have broadband? If so with whom and what speed? Again, you san shop around for broadband. There are lots of deals, and I would opt for the lowest bitrate because that will cost you the least amount of money. It's unlikely you're going to be streaming video across your broadband connection, so lower speed is perfectly adequate.

What about other items? Do you have mobile phones? Contract or pay as you go? If contract do you actually use enough calls/texts to justify your £20/30 a month on your contract? If not switch to PAYG and top up by the minimum possible...

Once you've done all that you really should have money left, even if it's a couple of hundred pounds to buy clothes/save towards a holiday.

I do know how easy it is to fall into that trap, and to become complacent about money, but on that salary you should be able to survive and have money left at the end of it.

pagwatch · 26/11/2008 22:03

I am sorry but she if she is struggling then she is dippy.
A few years back we were living on that amount in very expensive area of surrey with one child in private school, one in private nursery plus expensive therapy for DS2.And actually back then we had two cars but don't any longer We still managed holidays etc and saved on top of that and considered ourselves very lucky....and still do

Seriously poor money management or outstanding debt must be involved. There must be more to this...

Portofino · 26/11/2008 22:03

I have no problem with OP's DH's wages - more the fact that it is a bit insensitive to complain about managing on said huge some, when others manage on much much less.

Rhubarb · 26/11/2008 22:04

This thread rings a huge bell. A really really HUGE bell!

Copycat!

NotanOtter · 26/11/2008 22:04

some people do have very big mortgages
we live right by dp work - we have to

it is very expensive despite being in north ( finds mumsnet very londoncentric)

we pay to be near good schools

SparklyGothKat · 26/11/2008 22:05

for 6 of us, I spend about £60 a week, washable nappies are a life-saver

cheeset · 26/11/2008 22:05

Right, wannaBe has NAILED it so nite nite

babylovesmilk · 26/11/2008 22:06

Oh dear, I new this topic was going to be trouble. I don't think YABU to feel like this and there may not be much you can do about it with the current market. Would you consider downsizing when the market improves?
TBH I don't understand how anyone does a weekly shop for less than £100 a week for a family of four.

pagwatch · 26/11/2008 22:08

wannabe
interesting post ( I crossed with yours ) but whilst it is perhaps easy to become accepting of a certain level of income it really is a little simple to wave that away isn't it?
Is it not actually more truthful to just say that however easy it is dreadful to become complacent? Because I do honestly love the tone of your post but I think you are more generous that me. To complain about a plus £100,000 salary without looking at what in your expenditure is habit/want and what is reasonable need is complacent...