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Original poster

Do we really need £25,000?

29 replies

jessfletcher · 07/07/2011 11:58

Saw on BBC that parents now need 20% more to get by.

Just tried the calculator it links to and me and my dh apparently need over £25,000 a year to get by. It's absolutely mad! He earns £23k (I'm not working atm) and we even manage to get out for a meal once in a while.

Anyone else think it's really optimistic?! Hmm

OP posts:
JarethTheGoblinKing · 07/07/2011 12:06

Have you adjusted the outgoings bit?

TableVamp · 07/07/2011 12:07

That calculate is total rubbish £80pm on council tax? I wish! Ours is £253. The same on utilities??!!!! Ours are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more than that. It takes NO ACCOUNT of where you live or asks you anything about your outgoings/circumstances. Rent of £70 per week!!!? PAH HAHAH!!!

We earn about £70-80k between us and have a 8m old and we have NOTHING left at the end of each month. I am often taking money out of my tax and/or VAT account to cover things and we paid our rent 2 weeks late last month...

jess I am amazed you get by on 23k.

JarethTheGoblinKing · 07/07/2011 12:09

Yeah, and £70pw on rent? Where is this mythical place Wink

TableVamp · 07/07/2011 12:10

Oh just seen you can adjust... Blush

LawrieMarlow · 07/07/2011 12:13

Their assumptions are quite interesting. Will adjust and see what I come up with.

SardineQueen · 07/07/2011 12:18

Hmmm we are earning under what we need once I adjusted to put our actual mortgage in!

LawrieMarlow · 07/07/2011 12:19

Well not too impressed with that. Am not allowed to include that I get child maintenance from ex H. I don't spend what they suggest per week on food or on clothing. And no way do I spend £94 a week on social activities Shock.

According to it I am under the minimum income standard needed but tbh I am really not feeling that at the moment.

soggybottomflancase · 07/07/2011 12:21

Anyone going to give us the extra £119 per week it said that we need. Sorry Jareth our rent is £78 per week, three bed semi HA house.
We are strained a bit at the moment but I don't think we are poor/struggling

JollySergeantJackrum · 07/07/2011 12:22

You can only adjust some of it:
^Why can I adjust for these things, but not others?

The Minimum Income Standard describes a common baseline of need for everyone in a particular family type. It does not allow you to define your own "needs".

However, in some cases different people require different incomes in order to reach the same minimum living standard ? for example if they live in parts of the country with different rent levels.

Here you can adjust for some circumstances that may affect your ability to afford a minimum standard. ^

It does not let you adjust travel costs though, which are astronomical in a rural area like ours.

KatyMac · 07/07/2011 12:26

I apparently need an extra £213 a week to live

Original poster
jessfletcher · 07/07/2011 12:28

There is a video if you click through on the button at the bottom which explains how they get their numbers. I guess 'members of the public' just think I should have more than what I've got. Nice of them! Wink

Ooh I might have to write something on the blog!

OP posts:
Original poster
jessfletcher · 07/07/2011 12:30

JollySergeantJackrum have you seen you can say you live in a rural area when you get to the results page? Maybe that will change it?

OP posts:
TorcherQueenie · 07/07/2011 12:30

£85 a week for food Shock We're currently on JSA and thats our weekly allowance alone! Just done my weekly food shop for £30 and thats with £10 put aside for milk and fruit from the market on saturday when we go to the library!

Paschaelina · 07/07/2011 12:32

Well I can knock off £161 roughly per week from the stuff that cant be altered on screen so its quite a long way out for us.

TorcherQueenie · 07/07/2011 12:32

Jareth our rent is £57 a week including house alarm maintainance 2 bedroom semi council house though. It seems to be basing its rents on HA/Council propertys rather than private.

TorcherQueenie · 07/07/2011 12:35

Outgoings
£326.03 per week

With adjustments to say we don't pay rent or council tax. Our income is actually £185 per week on benefits. Apparently we need £96 a week for cultural and social activities.

JarethTheGoblinKing · 07/07/2011 12:46

ah that makes sense.

TitsalinaBumSquash · 07/07/2011 12:52

I pay £130 a week rent on a 2 bed semi with a HA. I must live in an expensive area.

Original poster
jessfletcher · 07/07/2011 12:53

Hmm did some detective work (like my namesake!) and found out what a family with 2 kids is supposed to need. I don't have 2, but quite interesting.

www.minimumincomestandard.org/downloads/launch/budget_sheet_couple_with_2_children.pdf

OP posts:
soggybottomflancase · 07/07/2011 12:59

That's great, I'm going to print it off and go round the house checking the items off. Who says I need 5 blouses a year?

TableVamp · 07/07/2011 12:59

Our 2 bed is over £300 pw!!! Argh!

soggybottomflancase · 07/07/2011 13:00

The list says that pyjamas should last for 10 years, quick someone tell Primark

Concordia · 07/07/2011 13:08

according to this we are 87 pounds a week short :(

nenevomito · 07/07/2011 13:09

Wow, well that explains a lot. I always wondered why we struggled on what we earn.

When it was on the basics, it told me I had over £300 a week more than the minimum. Then I entered what our mortgage, council tax and childcare costs were. I then came out at 22.97 under and that didn't include the payments on the loan we had to take out.

Its the child care that's the killer! I can't wait until we're down from nearly £300 a week to just before and after school costs for them.

Original poster
jessfletcher · 07/07/2011 13:58

I like that Penguin biscuits are considered a necessity. That is my kind of world Grin

OP posts:
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