How much would you need to earn....

[spexsavers]

To be comfortable as a single parent in this climate?

I'm on my own, earn 46k. Have a mortgaged modest 3 bed house, no finance on my car, live fairly modestly buying hardly anything extra for me and the kids, 2 young teens. Ex pays maintenance and I'm still not in a position where I'm not shitting myself. How much does it take these days to have a decent standard of living? I grew up in poverty so I'm good at not wasting money. I'd have thought years ago on 46k I'd be on easy street but I dread to think what would happen if I had even one more thing added to my outgoings. There's no chance of luxuries like a holiday. I know I'm lucky to have what I do, and I'm not complaining as I know there's so many struggling worse, I'm more bemused than anything. Hats off to anyone managing on much less than this, I do not know how you do it 😖

@Morningcoffeeview putting loads into a pension so you're eligible for Uc. Once your eligible it then covers 85% of childcare costs.

Some of the comments on these posts baffle me. You've got someone saying the work pretty much full time but only earning £12k a year and hardly entitled to anything benefit wise. Then on the other hand a couple where he earns £3k a month, she's a SAHM and getting an additional £800 in UC
Makes no sense at all
I'm strongly against couples who choose for one parent to stay at home but then are able to claim benefits even when they have no childcare costs

I earn £40k, 2% into a pension and the rest is student loan, and I take home the same as OP. It’s how the middle are squeezed

@BillyAteMyChips ridiculous to not claim child benefit. There is no danger in you having to pay it back until you earn a lot lot more than you're earning. Just don't understand your mindset. Claim it and save it for your kids so it helps for their future if you don't need it

@BillyAteMyChips of course you can save it. If you don't claim any other benefits it makes zero difference how much you have in savings. I know lots of people who save it for their children
You seem really clueless about it all to be honest. It really isn't classed in the same way that other benefits are. I don't understand why you wouldn't claim something you're entitled to. A couple both earning £49k a year can claim it!

You can save it for your children as long as it’s not accessible to you, so if it’s locked away until they are 18 it’s their savings totally, not yours. Not immoral or illegal. So you are just doing them out of it really. YOU might not need it, but you can’t guarantee what situation your kids will end up in at 18, especially if you still earn so little or aren’t around to help them.

@BillyAteMyChips oh give over with your holier than thou comments
For what it's worth we don't claim anything as we earn too much but you're damn right we did claim child benefit when we were below the threshold
You sound very paranoid and delusional
Let's hope you don't need care when you're old as that mortgage free home will get sold and your child will get nothing
And by the way child benefit is about £20 a week for one child hardly makes you dependent on a failing system

Single parent on 49k . . .I struggle to make it last the month.

60k and mortgage free. I feel like I'm ok and can still buy some luxury stuff but I don't feel I've the same buffer zone I used to have.

Don't be a martyr. People should claim what they are entitled to. My nana did this but she had health issues. It's not normal to not claim when you are in need. Why would you want you deprive your family?

I’m on £80k now and i feel much better. Not living in luxury but i can go out once a week with kids, have holiday etc.
We are family of 5

our outgoings :
my mortgage £600
bills £1500
food £700
helping family £600
going out £400
saving £700

they said i’m a high earner but to be honest i dont feel like it. I still have to be mindful of what i bought etc. i live in oxford and works in london though so its a bit stretch.

Well it is a bit clueless, because you won’t have to pay it back. Your paranoia which you’ve admitted you have a lot of, is contributing to your unusual financial decisions and there is a good chance this will impact you or your child at some point. How’s your pension?

@BillyAteMyChips you're just very frustrating. Refuse to listen to anyone or anything
You're obviously doing something right if you have no mortgage, savings and a daughter who will also have a mortgage free property. All on a single £16k salary.
I can't stand it when people act all righteous as though they know something we all don't know and how it's actually easy to live on next to nothing when in reality it isn't at all
There is obviously some sort of back story that you haven't shared about how you are in the position that you're in where you're living on a very low salary quite comfortably so much so that you don't want to claim a small sum of money that you are perfectly entitled to and won't ever pay back (despite your claims). And if you don't claim it, it won't go to someone more in need. Sorry to disappoint

Billy, child benefit us universal and not a benefit as such like uc. Everyone claims it, you claim it but don't get it paid if you warn over 60k. The reason everyone claims it is so it is easy for the child to get their ni number at 16 which is linked to this system. Also ni credits for the parent if not working towards state pension. It is not a benefit per se.