To think mumsnet posters must have a lot of £££

[TwoBabas]

General observation from reading posts on here is that there seem to be an awful lot of posters claiming either themselves or their partners are eating salaries of 100k plus.

Now am I being very naive or are people over exaggerating their financial situations. What type of job would put you in that range? Doctor? Headteacher? Lawyer?

Most people I know are skrimping by and don't have a lot to piss in.

But then perhaps I'm living amongst the not so wealthy sector.

Are people telling the truth do you think?

Lots of women on here love to show off the high-earning man they've bagged... However, virtually EVERY time, the question is about women's salaries. It's sad really.

Ds has a friend at uni who has an open offer from a company he's interned at to drop out of his course and start with them on £50k. He's not even 20 yet. He is of course in tech.

I remember my mum, who spent about 3 decades living on blu tak and fish fingers because my dad is such a wastrel and it was harder to earn with children back then, looking round a huge tropical fish, aquariums and accessories department at a very ordinary garden centre, and saying 'my goodness there is a LOT of money in this country'. There really is - look how many posters have 2 or 3 dogs, have been to Disneyland several times, expect to spend hundreds per child at Christmas. So it's not so odd that a high percentage of posters on what is a fairly consumerist website have serious disposable income.

As for the fantasy element - I'm sure there are some. But I know one poster who used to be a regular here and pretty much everyone was convinced she was lying about her super rich life, and it was all true. So you can't be sure.

Genuine - I earn 77K he has 28K pension. No mortgage no kids.

I'm 47 and he's 64
I could earn a lot more elsewhere but I'm 100% WFH and live in the middle of no where so its a trade off.

I'm here for the craic as they say.

I retired early at 53 so no longer earn that amount. DH still works and is a volunteer with MR so is often out depending on who gets lost on the hills. We live somewhere where our nearest neighbour is over 2 miles away so no theatre opera or private views for me unless I want to travel 3/4 hours. It’s very easy to judge others without thinking that others live in different areas to where you live. We don’t all live close to theatres/operas etc. The nearest I get opera is the local primary school putting on a show unless we drive or fly to watch shows. Think outside the box @Millybob we’re not all the same and others choose to live different lives.

And our situation gives us 5K disposable income after utilities, insurance, broadband, mobiles etc

I earn £180 per week, no benefits . I see these people going on about £100 a week food bills and mortgage costs while I’ll be working and renting until I die. They mention rising costs while claiming joint incomes of £80k+. They live in another world. A completely delusional other world.

We used to be out every night pre-dc, and yes we saw a lot of theatre and opera shows, and private views. But although we can afford babysitters, I don't like using babysitters for bedtime, so we haven't been out in the evenings since having dc. Browsing MN is part of unwinding for the evening, I'm often too shattered to think of doing much else.

i'm not sure i believe the statistics, i'm sure there are more 100K earners than reported IF you didn't include the tax mitigating schemes.

there must be some from eg the Hampton's etc, just because we dont know does not mean they dont exist etc

Also "High income" can be a relative term. A salary of £100,000 or more may be considered high in some places or industries but not in others.

Your description sounds like some kind of socialite lady of leisure! I would associate that kind of lifestyle more with inherited wealth (or marrying into inherited wealth) rather than a monthly exec level salary.

Maybe it depends on where one is located? I'll probably be accused of being a fantasist for saying this but it's true ime – 100+k income (just husband's), kids, bills, mortgage in certain areas really doesn't go that far. Life still can be stressful.

If both earn 100k admittedly there'll be spare cash but then obviously the wife will be too busy working as well. Often long hours and barely keeping up with home life. Again from personal experience

I know posters are often sceptical of COL and average income in certain areas (London and south east) –

"The IFS said it took an income of about £100,000 to be considered among the top 1% of high earners in Wales, the north-east and Northern Ireland. However, in London it was more than £300,000 a year.

[...] a 50-year-old man in London with an income of £160,000 would earn enough to be in the top 1% for the rest of the country, but would not even be in the top 5% of men living in London."

Source

Don't all go posting your job and salary 🤦🏼‍♀️

Actually there is the opposite of a sweet spot after 100k or so, where your personal allowance decreases so you are a bit hard done by. I don’t remember all the details (well didn’t take them in as wasn’t applicable to me).

I’m sure I’d feel hard done by if it was me, but as it isn’t I say tough luck.

@GarlicGrace was trying to respond to your post. Although not hugely interesting (see above!)

If you hit that point, its only fair you're contributing more. I wouldn't call it hard done by as that's a disservice to those on low or no income. What we earn is linked to a lot more than "working hard". So many more variables. Family life growing up, how well your parents done, and lots more besides including random luck that are certainly not earned.

I'm doing very well thanks, in case m comments are perceived as jealously or other nonsense. I can point to a number of things that helped contribute to that, which have nothing to do with my personal efforts. Its plain as day listening to the lives and seeing the experiences of other people

These threads are always depressing with women jumping on to say what DH earns.

It's like feminism never happened.

agree

mumsnet is for white middle class wealth women who's husband earn £100k plus.

@Happyhappyday

New York or Los Angeles?

It's the faux 'We have a household income of £100k plus but it really doesn't go very far' that grates on me, ignoring the fact that you have chosen to live in London (or other expensive city) have DC, pets, multiple holidays/weekends away etc etc
I don't discuss salaries with my friends but I think it's highly unlikely any of them earn anything near that amount ... but equally no one is living on the bread line and trying to make a chicken last a week.
Mumsnet does seem to attract people with extreme views.

Feminism gives everyone the choice to make whatever decisions they want. It's the choice to work full time and be career driven, or to work part time whilst their DC are young or to be a stay at home mum.

A husband being a high earner doesn't mean women submit to men and set the movement back. It more often than not means she has financial freedom to chose what she does with her career and time.

One (I at least) wouldn't be earning anything close to that amount outside of London though, so outside of London my expenditure and income would both be lowered and have roughly the same relative proportion.

I think you have a hugely inflated view of what 100K looks like. It's about 4,000 pcm after tax, pension (13.5%) and NI. No child benefit. Our mortage is 2,000 ( 4 bed in Kent), DS @ University, only minimal maintenance so another £500 there, utilities are £200, so we would have £1,300 for everything else doable but not private viewing territory.

I think it's all relative whether you earn 100k or 10k you live within your means.

Dp and I between us earn around 70k. I'm an nhs nurse. He is a higher earner but work away a lot. No benefits. Were comfortable. Have disposable income (or will do once wedding is paid for 😂) 2 DC at home.

Whereas my brother and SIL earn around 60k between them and are always struggling but also drive two very expensive cars and their children have expensive taste in clothes/shoes etc.

Where as I've got a lease car. Dp drives his late fathers car and my DC, although have nice clothes not necessarily expensive clothes! But we have holidays abroad and they don't.

But I've also been that single mum on the breadline so I don't take advantage of my now situation

To actually answer your Q: My husband does as a financier in the City.

But I reckon there are a lot of fantasists on the site, absolutely yes. If not, I can’t believe there are so many successful people who are also so thick.