Minimum Wage,£7 an hour
Poll: Minimum Wage,£7 an hour
Total Members Polled: 313
Discussion
otolith said:
Live a frugal life with parents / in a shared house / in a bedsit / as a lodger? What lifestyle should the least useful of employees be able to afford? What should the entry level standard of living be?
Your comment would make sense if you were talking about feckless, layabout scroungers. But you're referring to people who can be bothered to go to work - hence I think your comment is harsh and misjudged.As an employer, I don't have a problem with increasing the minimum wage to £7.50 or even £8.00 per hour, but even then a single earner couldn't pay a mortgage or support a family on it. However, for a young person living at home, or someone starting out and living in shared accomodation, £7.00 per hour would be sufficient.
Anyway, surely only poor people have mortgages?
Anyway, surely only poor people have mortgages?
PugwasHDJ80 said:
we have a household income of more than 4k, but have a one year old.
We live just outside London, Me working doesn't bring in enough to pay the bills (nowhere close), so my wife HAS To work, She works a full month, and after childcare brings in £180 after tax for a lot of hard work. Childcare, student loans, rent (cheapest 2 bed round here is £1000 + bills), plus cars (mine paid for by my job), and we just about break even on a monthly basis. Sometimes we put away £100, which then gets eaten by a car repair, or essential for our daughter.
Our one holiday last year was camping in cornwall, which was free in a friends field.
Do we have it badly? god no. But on the flip side, i work 60+hours per week and we can't afford a holiday! We are very careful with money- our luxury is food, and for the three of us we spend about £110/week on supermarket shopping (although about £109 of that seems to be nappies :P ) which could be cheaper (we use Aldi and Waitrose!)
Do those figures include child benefit, working tax credit etc?We live just outside London, Me working doesn't bring in enough to pay the bills (nowhere close), so my wife HAS To work, She works a full month, and after childcare brings in £180 after tax for a lot of hard work. Childcare, student loans, rent (cheapest 2 bed round here is £1000 + bills), plus cars (mine paid for by my job), and we just about break even on a monthly basis. Sometimes we put away £100, which then gets eaten by a car repair, or essential for our daughter.
Our one holiday last year was camping in cornwall, which was free in a friends field.
Do we have it badly? god no. But on the flip side, i work 60+hours per week and we can't afford a holiday! We are very careful with money- our luxury is food, and for the three of us we spend about £110/week on supermarket shopping (although about £109 of that seems to be nappies :P ) which could be cheaper (we use Aldi and Waitrose!)
Financially was a child a good idea for you at this time?
oyster said:
otolith said:
Live a frugal life with parents / in a shared house / in a bedsit / as a lodger? What lifestyle should the least useful of employees be able to afford? What should the entry level standard of living be?
Your comment would make sense if you were talking about feckless, layabout scroungers. But you're referring to people who can be bothered to go to work - hence I think your comment is harsh and misjudged.RYH64E said:
As an employer, I don't have a problem with increasing the minimum wage to £7.50 or even £8.00 per hour, but even then a single earner couldn't pay a mortgage or support a family on it. However, for a young person living at home, or someone starting out and living in shared accomodation, £7.00 per hour would be sufficient.
Anyway, surely only poor people have mortgages?
This is a mindset that really irritates me. I've struggled to breakdown those mental barriers of employers and it is a constant battle simply because i'm able to work to higher level than others in my profession. Changing job's every few years get's tiresome to obtain Market Rate for the work you produce.Anyway, surely only poor people have mortgages?
Why should someone's age or personal circumstances dictate what they are worth?
pork911 said:
PugwasHDJ80 said:
we have a household income of more than 4k, but have a one year old.
We live just outside London, Me working doesn't bring in enough to pay the bills (nowhere close), so my wife HAS To work, She works a full month, and after childcare brings in £180 after tax for a lot of hard work. Childcare, student loans, rent (cheapest 2 bed round here is £1000 + bills), plus cars (mine paid for by my job), and we just about break even on a monthly basis. Sometimes we put away £100, which then gets eaten by a car repair, or essential for our daughter.
Our one holiday last year was camping in cornwall, which was free in a friends field.
Do we have it badly? god no. But on the flip side, i work 60+hours per week and we can't afford a holiday! We are very careful with money- our luxury is food, and for the three of us we spend about £110/week on supermarket shopping (although about £109 of that seems to be nappies :P ) which could be cheaper (we use Aldi and Waitrose!)
Do those figures include child benefit, working tax credit etc?We live just outside London, Me working doesn't bring in enough to pay the bills (nowhere close), so my wife HAS To work, She works a full month, and after childcare brings in £180 after tax for a lot of hard work. Childcare, student loans, rent (cheapest 2 bed round here is £1000 + bills), plus cars (mine paid for by my job), and we just about break even on a monthly basis. Sometimes we put away £100, which then gets eaten by a car repair, or essential for our daughter.
Our one holiday last year was camping in cornwall, which was free in a friends field.
Do we have it badly? god no. But on the flip side, i work 60+hours per week and we can't afford a holiday! We are very careful with money- our luxury is food, and for the three of us we spend about £110/week on supermarket shopping (although about £109 of that seems to be nappies :P ) which could be cheaper (we use Aldi and Waitrose!)
Financially was a child a good idea for you at this time?
£4k a month! As a household income that's in the top 10%. And as it's 2 earners they're likely keeping hold of child benefit. Whereas a single earner household on the same money would not even get that.
Many households in UK must SPEND more than £7 an hour, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. About £61,000 a year.
The Minimum Income Standard (MIS) project aims to define an 'adequate' income. It is based on what members of the public think is enough money to live on, to maintain a socially acceptable quality of life. In April 2013, according to MIS:
◾ a single working-age adult needs a budget of £200 per week;
◾ a pensioner couple need £240;
◾ a couple with two children need £470; and
◾ a lone parent with one child needs £285
Compare £7 an hour x 8 hours x 5 days = £280 week
The Minimum Income Standard (MIS) project aims to define an 'adequate' income. It is based on what members of the public think is enough money to live on, to maintain a socially acceptable quality of life. In April 2013, according to MIS:
◾ a single working-age adult needs a budget of £200 per week;
◾ a pensioner couple need £240;
◾ a couple with two children need £470; and
◾ a lone parent with one child needs £285
Compare £7 an hour x 8 hours x 5 days = £280 week
B17NNS said:
If a British individual wants to get off their arse, pay taxes and go out and work full time in this country then in return it is not unreasonable that they be paid enough to be able to rent basic accommodation and cover basic living expenses.
£7 p/h doesn't do that.
Increase the minimum wage and reduce benefits.
That would make sense wouldn't it.The situation we have is,people with families on low incomes need two salaries,to survive.Children need looking after and childcare is expensive.Granparents have to be available to help out.£7 p/h doesn't do that.
Increase the minimum wage and reduce benefits.
Off the topic inflation supposed to be about 2%.Is heating cost included in this figure?
Foppo said:
That would make sense wouldn't it.The situation we have is,people with families on low incomes need two salaries,to survive.Children need looking after and childcare is expensive.Granparents have to be available to help out.
Off the topic inflation supposed to be about 2%.Is heating cost included in this figure?
Is it responsible to have children you can't afford?Off the topic inflation supposed to be about 2%.Is heating cost included in this figure?
pork911 said:
Foppo said:
That would make sense wouldn't it.The situation we have is,people with families on low incomes need two salaries,to survive.Children need looking after and childcare is expensive.Granparents have to be available to help out.
Off the topic inflation supposed to be about 2%.Is heating cost included in this figure?
Is it responsible to have children you can't afford?Off the topic inflation supposed to be about 2%.Is heating cost included in this figure?
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