Would u describe me as poor?

[dingdongmer]

As the title suggests and here's some info. I don't work as looking after toddler and pregnant also. Hubby works. Household income is approx £1600 after tax. £1,340 is rent and bills and we try to save £100 then the rest is weekly money so approx £50 a week Altho I do get weekly child benefit of £20

Would u class this as poor and could u live like that with a family of 3 soon to be 4

We are careful with money and buy own brand stuff like toilet rolls and food etc and toiletries I always get on offer.

And for us, we're not bothered about "having all of the things we want". We live a very simple lifestyle which we are happy with. We have no debts and entirely self-sufficient. It's mostly the renting that costs a fortune.

@28AmbitiouslyFit I still doubt they'd consider us because our household income will only be around £1900 pm when I'm on MAT leave.

@AmbitiouslyFit No idea where the 16 came from in my last reply!!

I honestly think you are brilliant!

I wouldn’t call anyone poor that manages to live within their means.

Wow I'm amazed you manage to save, I think you're poor but I think there'll be millions in similar circumstances

I wouldn't use the word "poor" but relying on one income with such a tiny budget is dangerously tight.
Stat sick pay is about £90 a week.
Situations like this is why a lot of people are only one paycheck away from homelessness.

Laughing at @TheSandman who thinks they are comparable when they have no housing costs 😂😂

@IndecentFeminist Laughing at @TheSandman who thinks they are comparable when they have no housing costs 😂

I also said my income is a LOT less than the OPs.

And housing costs are more than just the mortgage - if you can find me a maintenance free, Council Tax free house I'll be more than surprised. Unless you're a member of the Royal Family of course in which case working slobs like us get the privilege of paying it for them.

It doesn't sound great but when you consider that you've made the decisions to have a single income coming in and to have another baby, then all it sounds like is a couple of people perhaps not making the best choices

No I wouldn't class your situation as 'poor' remotely. You're managing to save and you have food to eat and a roof over your head. Also you presumably have internet access. If you don't mind me saying - I would say it's not ideal to be renting when there are already children but it's not uncommon. I don't think you're poor.

@TheSandman I’m in Ireland and we have no mortgage,no council tax or water bill so our housing costs are;
Insurance
Electricity
And any general maintenance

It can happen... maybe not in the uk but it’s possible. But I’m aware I’m in a minority.

If you have a roof over your head, food in your fridge, clothes on your back, and can pay all your bills, you should never consider yourself poor. Mumsnet will give you a very skewed opinion op, as everyone here is on 6 figure salaries, and would consider themselves poor if they couldn't afford ten foreign holidays a year. Of you're able to put some spare money aside at the end of each month, that's fantastic, and shows you're managing your money very well. The problem is, some people can be earning 10 times what you do, but be terrible at living within their means, so will feel poor, and can't imagine living with "so little", but quite clearly you are doing well. Remember, it's not money that makes you rich, happiness is the most valuable asset you can own. X

I'm technically a boomer and my finances were very similar when my dc were small.
I never thought of myself as poor but I had many friends living a similar life.
We met at each other's houses in the daytime and took turns to host dinners and would never have spent money on cafés and rarely went to restaurants.

Fortunately we didn't have mobiles or internet to pay for.
My biggest worry was always the car service as our cars were always second hand and unreliable.

It can happen... maybe not in the uk but it’s possible. But I’m aware I’m in a minority.

We should form a club.

Anyway I've never thought myself as poor. I just don't have any money. There's a big difference.

Yes that would make you poor BUT with that income and children you would be entitled to child benefit and probably some universal credit so I don't think you'd really have that much IYSWIM.

@dingdongmer

How much was a loaf of bread relative to ones weekly wage back in the boomer years? How much was your gas bill? How much were houses?

But ya...millennials can't afford shit because of internet and avocados right?

Pregnant mothers of toddlers certainly can work, I did too, but it isn't typically a great time to find and keep a job if you don't already have one.

The word I would use is precarious OP. You've no real security. And I don't know what I'm more surprised by: being able to stretch an income so far or using a bottle of shampoo every two weeks!

I was surprised about the shampoo comment too... I have long hair and wash it daily and a bottle lasts me around 2 months!

Manageable with careful planning. I'm a single parent on a similar total monthly amount, although some of mine is from tax credits. I'm only responsible for one adult and two children these days though.

We lived like that when our kids were small. But I was fortunate to be a teacher. So if we had a disaster of any sort (car breakdown etc) I knew I could get a few days supply work to pay for it and my in-laws would come to stay and look after the children. I think that safety net made all the difference, even though we only needed it a couple of times.