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

[MakemineaGandT]

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!

Who cares what anybody else says, if your dh earns 100k a year I would expect a good holiday.

mortgages can be very big

wish op would admit what hers is... i have said on here before what ours is and i remember not being alone

goodasgold, if you can't afford a holiday and a nice one on that money you are doing something wrong...nothing wrong with the expectation of the nice holiday, but as all the otehr mere mortals you have to budget! SImple really!

Can someone tell me, does op work?

No actually forget it, Im off to bed, dont care to be honest

well (at risk of being flamed!) my DH and I were earning about that last year and did not feel at all well off in london, this was mainly because we were paying two mortgages and DH is doing a massively expensive MBA though. However, I certainly wouldn't moan about it on MN because at the end of the day we are still much better off than most people and at least have the option of spending less money on things like holidays, if the OP was really stuck for cash they could rent out their home and live somewhere cheaper etc.

God the gap between rich and poor really is vast and the rich don't even think they're bloody rich How rich are you?www.globalrichlist.com/

Good..have killed this fucking awful thread

tbh, I think this thread mght just be a cast off joke....wel. lets hope it is...

I feed and clothe my 2 Dc's and myself on £25~£30 a week ~ Oh! and run my car. No treats, no Christmas pressies to look forward to...Probably got big heating bills to look forward to though.
Surely you can cut down? £100k is a massive amount of money. I'd be living in luxury with that salary tbh.

I feed and clothe my 2 Dc's and myself on £25~£30 a week ~ Oh! and run my car. No treats, no Christmas pressies to look forward to...Probably got big heating bills to look forward to though.
Surely you can cut down? £100k is a massive amount of money. I'd be living in luxury with that salary tbh.

Solo - Sorry, but unless you dont live in the UK,or think car tax and insurance are optional extras, I cant believe you feed your family and run a car on that amount of money. It just seems impossible.

Well, I'm sorry, but I think people can choose what they spend their money on. We frequently spend around £100 a week at the supermarket (inc toiletries, nappies etc) plus more on eating out. There are 3 of us.
We don't spend money on consumer 'stuff' though. That's our choice. We have mostly organic, fresh good quality food.
And we don't buy alcohol at all at the moment.

We menu plan so we don't waste food, but DH and DD eat a lot, fruit is expensive, and we go through almost 4 pints of milk per day (am pg, and drinking gallons of it atm).

OP if you are fed-up then you need to change your lifestyle. You are in the fortunate position that you have choices- your income allows you this. Many people do not have that choice or control over their lives.
If it is going on the mortgage- downsize- sorry you can't actually have everything you want, especially if having it is making you unhappy. Life is too short.

We live on about 32k before tax, a £450 mortgage, we have £75 a week clear to run the car, shop for everything and generally live on.

It's just what your used to.

We feel so so rich because we have a tracker mortgage and so now have an extre £50 a month. Gym memebrship for one [dh] and we had a pizza take away tonight.

Car cost £500 cash so no monthly payment, all dc clothes ebay etc, everything else asda primark. Occasionally get White Company something or other from ebay to have a luxury [just got good as new sleep suit for dd2 due JAn cost £2.50!].

Holiday £600 camping in France, jet2 flights and ABSOUTLEY no buying soft drinks etc when out and about to save spending money!

Am university ed, have most responsible job in world [midwife - feels like it to me] and husband blue collar worker.

Truly, you could have so much more money - but you would have to stop spending it on things others can only dream of i.e. savings for kids, insurane policies, health insurance, dentists, schools, pensions, mobile phone contracts, new or new-ish cars, cable, etc etc. You probably have many more comfort zone things and safety nets than you think so take heart.

Everyone feels skint at the mo.

I probably need to spend some on a spelling bible.

Must admit am thinking of giving up the £15 month charity donation plan thing. Would nicely cover the spinning class dh desperate to go to once week.

Trust me your comfy.

Unavailable, I can assure you that I do. I don't have a choice atm. I am though a bit concerned that in 7 months time I wont be able to tax the car and in 8 months insure it.
It is a very depressing situation actually, but we eat proper food, freshly cooked. I don't throw anything out and use the freezer to store bargains in and any extras that are left over when cooking. I buy decent bread and when it's on offer, I freeze extra. We don't go out, we don't have take aways and I don't buy alcohol.
When you don't have a choice, you do manage. I definitely couldn't cope on less though unless it was cheap beans on cheap toast every night.
Oh, and we do live in the UK.

NotanOtter - 4 pints of milk a day?! How many kids do you have? Make porridge instead of cereal, it's much cheaper and healthy too.

I spend maximum £30 a week on food, nappies, wipes and cleaning stuff. That's for me, ds and dh. We have a healthy home-cooked meal every night, and still eat meat, fresh fruit etc. Buying own-brand, going to Aldi for fruit, and buying and freezing meat from the reduced section has really helped.

WannaBe - amazing post!

Solo - I can totally believe you do it on so little. But it sure aint fun or a 'project' is it? Like you say, it's due to lack of choice, not playing at being poor to save £20 and feel good. Grind gets us all down and I hear ya about the car!!

God I'd love not to have to be thrifty. Probably still would be just because, but would be nice not to have to research EVERYTHING in hopes of saving a fiver or whatever.

Boring!

Before Dd and when working, I'd happily throw whatever into the trolley. We'd have the occasional take away and I'd buy clothes for Ds whenever I saw something I liked. I didn't really worry about it. I spent around £80 a week on food alone. Never really one for buying stuff for myself though(mental block on doing things for myself), but would always buy myself a Christmas frock. Loved buying gifts for people and always spoiled my family and friends at Christmas and birthdays...No longer!
I think it's amazing what you can do if you really have to.
I am worrying about next years tax/insurance though...Can't get rid of the car as I know I'd never be able to afford another one. I'll think of something I guess...

Very interesting site, junkcollector. You'd have to earn as little as £500 a year to get close to the mid point between richest and poorest in the world.

Treedelivery, it would be lovely to just have a mad moment shopping wouldn't it? Mind you! I know that I'd immediately feel guilty and probably ask for a refund!

Something always turns up - does in our house it seems. Leaves till last min though and woried the bejesus out of us.

I Am in no way pathetic poor person who want sympathy, so I appreciate that op's grind of no holiday is as tedious to them as the worry of how in the hell car tax will get covered [plumbing bill for us - there just is no money for it] but on the whole op, you're maybe being a bit grumpy when really your lack of money could be so so much more tedious.

Solo, at last someone who knows how to budget lol I did this when i was on my own with ds1, I could shop for 2 weeks on £30 and that was including clothes. And we always ate properly.