Is it rude to ask your annual income?

[dontcomeatme]

I am always gobsmacked and a little in awe whenever a thread gets onto the topic of money. Posters often stating they have an annual income of 100k+, but still struggling with finances for example. I am really interested to see if this is a demographic thing, so same job = totally different salary depending on location. Which I understand would then be reflected in the cost of living for the area.
But if any MNers feel comfortable I wanted to start a thread where everyone could state their

• individual annual income + job title
• the house as a whole annual income if different
• plus where you live.

No one is obligated so if you dont want to absolutely fine. This is more out of my own curiosity than anything!

Ours -

• OH annual salary before tax £37k, head of year in a comprehensive
• I am SAHM so just CB coming in which we put aside for 2 DC
• North East of England.

We live quite comfortably, just bought a home, save for both DC and a rainy day fund, able to do stuff with DC every weekend and holidays (in the uk) every year, no debt other than mortgage.

Salary £41k before tax, teacher at an independent special school.

Live alone, no benefits, so that’s also my household income.

North West England.

As a single parent to 3 kids - 2 at uni - in the south east, mortgage and bills (on a normal size family home) £3500 a month, I was spending every penny I earned on £130k. The notion that earning £100k is some sort of gateway to financial comfort is just that: an idea. It depends on where you live and what your reasonable (as in, things you can’t actually reduce) outgoings are.

Wow. Seriously just wow. We just bought our 3 bed semi for £110k, probably a 1950ish build I would say. Just been remodernised by previous owner so not a lot of work to do. We put a £40k deposit down.

Me: Senior role within a marketing agency - 50k gross per year
Dh: Senior role in finance - 56.5k ish gross per year
Location: NW England

We receive child benefit but no other benefits.

We have two dogs and a newborn. The dogs cost an arm and a leg as they eat for England 😑

I would say we are comfortable at present due to being naturally very frugal people, buying our house when the market had dipped pre-COVID, and being in the position to pay off our mortgage last year due to a combination of inheritance and us both having higher paid roles previously (which we are no longer in, mine was commission based at a time when the market was very good) which were incredibly toxic and soul destroying but we persevered to help with our financial goals. Although I’m always very grateful for our circumstances, I expect our situation will change over the coming years as we will need to pay for childcare, I will be going back to work part time instead of full time and I’d like to have a second child.

My partner likes the odd tech treat, but apart from that we’re very happy with a simple life and not interested in flashy purchases or expensive days out/holidays - I’d rather save the money!

Ah nearly forgot - I do get a 25% discount on council tax.

Which I bloody should as I am only one person and I pay only slightly less than my neighbour who is a family of four.

• me project manager 30h/week, WFH €42k + €5k self-employed work
• OH similar job 32h/week, €50k
• monthly takehome income is €5500
• live in smallish town in Europe, big country with similar incomes and cost of living to UK
• 1 DC (6)

• 2 bedroom rented flat (€700, €230 utilities)
• I save €800-1000/month in ETFs, fonds, savings account. €10k is my annual savings goal.
• OH saves about €600 (has some debts)
• Split all costs 50/50
• Don't own a car, use public car sharing and our cargo bikes.
• Holiday once a year inland and trip to London (where I'm from) every 2 years.

Grew up in poverty and then foster care so financial independence and living within my means is very important to me.

Will not get any inheritance or financial help but hope to buy a flat in the next 2 years and pay it off by 60, late 30s now, OH 50.

both freelance creatives. anywhere between £25-45k a year each self employed. rent out a flat for a further £10k a year. nice victorian terrace with small mortgage. north.

I live in London, so mine is skewed and I don't like giving details anyway - but I do find these can descend into a bit of a battle between low/middle/high earners. Life has got tougher for all those brackets recently, even if definitions of tough vary. And if we're working for a salary, we're all workers! We are not the ones we should be pointing the finger at - wealth isn't being distributed to the workers. If someone on much more income than me has suffered a drop in quality of life, then probably so have I! It isn't a race to the bottom

But for some context, to highlight the London effect, a couple of years ago when my children were both at nursery my basic expenses were:

£2200 nursery
£2160 mortgage (bog standard semi in un trendy part of zone 3)
£390 energy
£220 council tax

So pretty much 5k before I'd even bought myself luxuries like food or a train ticket or a mobile phone contract.

The figures are pointless without details of where people live. You can buy a 4-bed detached house with a garage and a massive garden in some parts of the country for less than a 2-bed flat round here.

I really hope this doesn't become a battle as you say. I am just really interested in the stark differences between very similar jobs or size homes or monthly bills pretty much all due to location!

Mine : £116k but likely to be made redundant this year
DH: £150k

Paid off the mortgage last year but we live frugally ie didn’t climb the housing ladder as income grew.

Yorkshire.

100% that's one of my main interests in this thread. I have a family member living in London and she thought I was lying about how much I bought my house for!

100k combined income, 2 children, £200,000 left to pay on mortgage. We live comfortably, manage to save about £1500pm. 2 abroad holidays a year. Both pay into good pensions.

I was a bit drunk a while back and asked my friend in real life and I’ve been horrified since , it was really none of my business but we were talking about their house move and they said how much mortgage they COULD get and it was so huge it just came out! They answered and didn’t seem to mind but it seems much more acceptable on a forum with strangers and I do find it interesting!

I earn £25k and my husband £26k. We both do Admin.
2 bed flat in Surrey. No benefits other than child benefit.
I feel surprisingly comfortable money-wise at the moment, but I think that is because up until recently I was only earning £9k.

We live in a very expensive area though and can’t afford to buy a house.

Single household £75, in compliance. Home value £240k been overpaying mortgage since covid so just around 60 LTV. Main aim to is to get mortgage as low as possible so as not to be worrying about it in later life and then to focus on pension pot

yes

Myself - NHS Band 3 earning 24k
OH - runs a transport company 45k

We live in the Midlands, bought a house two years ago. Manage to save about £200 a month. Holiday is Haven type once a year, visit family in Germany once a year.

Housechold income £250,000
Montly take home £10,000 after pensions.
Mortage £2,000
Other utilties and bills £2,000
DC1 at Uni £1,000 ( fees, accomadation and living costs)
DC2 at home £500( allowance includes travel, clothes, cosmetics, fun)
Further £250 on tutors and gym membership for DC2.
One car.

I try to put the maximum into the ISA each year. 2 abroad holidays often includings DC's partners.1 week in this country and 2 X short breaks.

Name change in case it’s outing.

I am a deputy headteacher in a primary school. Before deductions I earn just over 59k. I still pay student loan (nearly done) and my pension contributions are fairly high at 10.something%. Take home is just under 3200 a month. I also receive child benefit for 2 kids approx 175 a month and 550 in child support from kids’ dad.

oh is a nurse on approx 41k. No idea what his take home is. As he isn’t my kids’ dad we keep our finances partly separate. We have a joint account into which we each pay half the mortgage, council tax, utilities, Netflix etc plus 450 a month extra each allowing us to jointly save 900. This is currently towards our forthcoming wedding but we would like to upsize our house in a year or two so will go to that too.

I save 300 a month on my kids’ behalf (between them- not each). I allow myself 500 spending money after bills for any bits for me or the kids and usually have 500 a month to pop into savings for bits and bats. This allows me to have a holiday or to pay my car insurance in one go rather than monthly or to service the car etc.

I realise I am very lucky but it is only very recently things have been so well. A year ago I had a car loan and a few thousand in overdraft and credit card debt which had been moved around on interest free deals and which was chopping away at. Debt was accumulated when I had to start again after a failed marriage and felt like a millstone. I inherited some money a year ago and used most of it to clear debt and car loan so my personal savings of 500 a month have only been ongoing for a few months as that was previously servicing debt.

We live in the north west of England where a decent but by no means lavish 3 bed semi cost us 260k with a 1000 a month mortgage repayment. I pay for wraparound care which costs up to 550 a month (cheaper on a month with school holiday because of my job) but oldest is going high school this time so that will reduce.

I feel incredibly fortunate. That said it was really the inheritance that put me on an even keel.

I think that being able to afford a SAHP by choice is the definition of rich! Good for you guys!

Ah thanks!!

Well you could be right. But also fully funding three children at childcare would cost a BOMB. £30k per child would wipe us out…!! Bearing in mind my husbands actual take home pay out of £120k is £76k so the maths just doesn’t add up at all..

Me: 100k professional services marketing. 8% into pension
DH: 95k supply chain. 15% into pension

London zone 5 (I never usually say this but gives better context here than SE)

Mortgage is 1800 a month and has 13 years left.

No child benefit.

3 dc 5 and under.

We are pretty relaxed about spending and eat too many takeaways (time poor) but don’t save much at the moment.

me - 10k beautician (2days per week-self employed)
DH - around 50k after tax - that can change depends how work is that year (self employed specialised mechanic - I’m not going to say what as it’s very niche and don’t want to out myself!)
CB for 1 child.
no Mortgage we own a 350k outright due to a huge lump of inheritance

2 cars, 3 aboard holidays per year, we both have a few grand in savings each, DS has savings we pay into each month. We live comfortably. Chose to spend most of our money for experiences, house improvements, nice meals etc rather than loads of savings. Only as we own a house that is! We definitely wouldn’t if we didn’t.

live in east mids.

Should have said SE but not London. 10 years left on Mortage.