In not having much sympathy with a couple on £45k plus per year having some benefits cut?

[ssd]

There is loads of this on the news just now about how "middle income" families will be having some child tax credits cut and might be paying more tax. They news are showing what to me looks like comfortable off families having to do with a bit less. Is this really so bad? I know an income of £45-£50k per year might not be much in central London but will keep you in style in parts of the north, but how bad will it be? So people might have to change jobs/give up the second car/holiday at home instead of Spain every year? SO WHAT? There are plenty of us living on less than £25k a year who have had to cut back since having kids and take this as a fact of life.

I know MN is made up of mostly middle earners and I'll get pelters for this, but I don't really care. Anyone I know on a middle income can afford to give up some things _ its called life.

"The amount that you earn does not necessarily give an indication of how hard you work! "

Well exactly.

Sky is a luxury.

We don't have it despite us both having ft work.

And that for me just sums it up, £12k a year and sky is an option, I couldn't live on £12k a year at 21 living at home so that says to me you are being topped up to at least double that by most people on this forum.

I have sympathy for anyone who is going to struggle financially over the next few years because of a financial crisis they didn't create after a boom they didn't benefit from.

I think it's utterly horrible to be so gleeful about other people having a hard time, and any enthusiasm for belt tightening by others (except those who are culpable in this whole mess) marks you out as either bitter and jealous or smug and unaffected by other people's difficulties.

Whatever cuts need to be made should be fair and proportional and bear in mind that cutting the disposable income of people who would otherwise be spending is not going to help getting us out of this mess.

If someone on £20,000 a year loses their job because all the people on £45,000 lost tax credits and stopped spending money, will you still be dancing for joy at all the money that has been saved?

last year when we were in financial dire straits, let me tell you, Sky was the first thing to go.

Cheeky, sadly, I think you'd better learn now what's a luxury and what is not because if you think this coalition is going to make it possible for someone to be a SAHM with a partner/spouse on that level of income and make up the difference in tax credits, I'm afraid you're in for a nasty shock very shortly when they release that new budget.

Oh and VioletHill im only temporary as a SAHM, i have only recently quit my last job due to illness. But have an interview next week for a little evening/sunday job at a new supermarket opening in August in our town. the only way for me to work is to go out to work when my DH gets home from work or on a sunday when he isn't working, mainly because we dont have £1k per month spare to send our kids to a nursery full time.

It isn't "struggling" to be unable to maintain a very high standard of living though, that's what I think a lot of people object to. It's struggling to not be able to EAT.

CheekyPinkSox - you clearly haven't read the threads on MN where mums are very upset about having to return to work because they can't afford not to.

You have admitted that with you DH's income, plus the tax credits and benefits you get, you can afford to have one parent at home. You can even afford sky TV! Those are both luxuries that many people can't afford.

You aren't on 200 per week though are you?

Factor in the ct, wt and cb.

If Sky is a luxury it is one I am very happy to go without.

I don't think keeping your head above water, being able to just about pay every bill and being able to feed yourself makes you 'well off.'

I agree with expats posts.

The situation is not sustainable - a lot of people are going to be in for some shocks.

By mamatomany Sat 15-May-10 10:54:16
And that for me just sums it up, £12k a year and sky is an option, I couldn't live on £12k a year at 21 living at home so that says to me you are being topped up to at least double that by most people on this forum.

TOPPED UP TO DOUBLE?? And you know my earnings from last tax year do you??? We live within our means, we have ''luxury'' Sky. We have ONE car.

If you aged 21 living at home cannot live on £12k A YEAR then there is something seriously wrong.

We're allegedly 'middle earners' on £40k (before someone says 'but ah, you can afford pc and internet' all of our income comes from the business that my DH runs from home - we need internet) We live in central London, and our rent is £1300 per month for a very small flat with no garden. Our local area.... well, we've had someone break in while we were here, scaring our 3yo son, and he has seen blood on our steps from someone being stabbed outside. We can't afford to get a mortgage or run a car and don't go to Starbucks. We do pay into a pension and into savings, but being self-employed we have to save as some months we don't earn anything at all, so on the months we earn, we save so that we can eat when the lean times come.

But I agree that we can and should lose our ctc and possibly have other taxes raised, benefits cut etc. We won't starve, although it will be difficult to pay the Tescos bill (I actually find tescos cheaper than aldi for our shop after much comparison). We might need to put another jumper on in winter rather than switch on the heating. If it gets really bad we might have to move out of London, although that would mean closing our business and starting again elsewhere with no security and little cash, so that would be a huge risk - we might end up worse off, and we'd miss our friends, family etc.

I know that there are plenty of people worse off than us. A lot of them go to my son's school, and it's heartbreaking to see such real poverty in families. But we will make genuine sacrifices to pay more - not holiday homes or waitrose shopping, but things like how often we can afford to eat meat and walking when we can't afford the bus etc. I am happy to pay more, I'm not complaining about it, but at the same time the sneering about my supposed champagne lifestyle is a bit hurtful.

Leningrad - exactly..if I decided to buy a much bigger house, and then was not left with much disposable income, I would NEVER claim to be "struggling" or "badly off".

'We have ONE car.'

Breaks out the violins.

Like i said, i have only jst finished my last job in March, i have in Interview next week for an Evening job at a new supermarket opening in August.

But Lenin compared to 50 years ago or parts of the (hate this expression) third world, most people are effing millionaires, things are supposed to progress surely ?

One parent at home, sky TV and a car! On 12k a year! This gets better and better!

Expatinscotland - One car is hard work when you are used to two. My family live over 40 miles away, i have no friends in this town, i do have family but they dont acknowledge that i live in the same town as them. As soon as we can afford another car i will jump at the chance.