On £25k but 'poor'?! Misery thread...
Discussion
SystemParanoia said:
£25k and poor ? 
I'd see myself as bloody rich with that pay packet!!
I might even be able to get myself on of them new car things people rave on about!!
OP has a family to feed as well... Take home is around £1,500 at that pay and by the time mortgage/rent and other basic necessities are paid for you virtually have pennies left.I'd see myself as bloody rich with that pay packet!!
I might even be able to get myself on of them new car things people rave on about!!
I was in your shoes too OP so I can relate... really pains me to see a neighbour on benefits doing better than me. Stay strong and grab any opportunities to boost your qualifications. Does your current company have any tax free child care vouchers?
crazy about cars said:
SystemParanoia said:
£25k and poor ?
I'd see myself as bloody rich with that pay packet!!
I might even be able to get myself on of them new car things people rave on about!!
OP has a family to feed as well... Take home is around £1,500 at that pay and by the time mortgage/rent and other basic necessities are paid for you virtually have pennies left.I'd see myself as bloody rich with that pay packet!!
I might even be able to get myself on of them new car things people rave on about!!
I was in your shoes too OP so I can relate... really pains me to see a neighbour on benefits doing better than me. Stay strong and grab any opportunities to boost your qualifications. Does your current company have any tax free child care vouchers?
I have 7yr old twins AND have no choice but to spunk £200 p/mth on fuel commuting to work... and im on substantially less than £25k lol
but hey.. at least the weathers nice
In your first post you mention you bought a lot of new furniture. When I furnished my flat I bought a six month old washing machine, year old fridge freezer, a bed, mattress, tv stand and a sideboard/chest of drawers thing all for about £550. Most came from e-bay or freecycle. You'd be amazed at the stuff people want rid of.
Me and my partner manage to live off about £14k/year in the south east area. Our rent is £435, council tax is £98, electric comes to around £40/month. I work for BT so phone and broadband services are discounted. There may be money to be saved by switching providers for those type of services. Shop around!
I have had to reduce my outgoings, I have a spreadsheet to work out what I have coming in against what goes out. Sometimes we struggle, but never to the point where I have to actually panic. We do not spend a lot going out etc, ie, drinking, cinema and similar things though. Those have to come when we have saved up spare money.
Cutting your outgoings would be my advice.
Me and my partner manage to live off about £14k/year in the south east area. Our rent is £435, council tax is £98, electric comes to around £40/month. I work for BT so phone and broadband services are discounted. There may be money to be saved by switching providers for those type of services. Shop around!
I have had to reduce my outgoings, I have a spreadsheet to work out what I have coming in against what goes out. Sometimes we struggle, but never to the point where I have to actually panic. We do not spend a lot going out etc, ie, drinking, cinema and similar things though. Those have to come when we have saved up spare money.
Cutting your outgoings would be my advice.
Edited by Alex106 on Friday 19th July 23:05
I feel your pain. My wife worked weekends in various jobs, whilst I made sure I didn't spend anything taking the kids anywhere, because that would defeat the point. She was home help to a lady in a wheel chair, assistant in bird of prey centre (chosen so the kids could get in free), assistant in an estate agent.
WeirdNeville said:
Odie said:
My situation is completely different to yours, But your rent and council tax look rather high, my rents around half yours and my council tax is about 2/3rds of what your paying.
My electricity and water are also alot less too.
Id thought that if i had a wife/gf and kid I would actually be better off.
Im on 27k a year and am looking at buy a porsche 996... But im single and dont have any dependants.
I think you just need to tough it out until your child is old enough to go to school and so your GF can get a job.
Get a wife and a child and see how far your £27k goes... and how long the Porsche lasts.... My electricity and water are also alot less too.
Id thought that if i had a wife/gf and kid I would actually be better off.
Im on 27k a year and am looking at buy a porsche 996... But im single and dont have any dependants.
I think you just need to tough it out until your child is old enough to go to school and so your GF can get a job.
BTW - Whats that forum where you can get freelance CAD work?
WeirdNeville said:
Odie said:
My situation is completely different to yours, But your rent and council tax look rather high, my rents around half yours and my council tax is about 2/3rds of what your paying.
My electricity and water are also alot less too.
Id thought that if i had a wife/gf and kid I would actually be better off.
Im on 27k a year and am looking at buy a porsche 996... But im single and dont have any dependants.
I think you just need to tough it out until your child is old enough to go to school and so your GF can get a job.
Get a wife and a child and see how far your £27k goes... and how long the Porsche lasts.... My electricity and water are also alot less too.
Id thought that if i had a wife/gf and kid I would actually be better off.
Im on 27k a year and am looking at buy a porsche 996... But im single and dont have any dependants.
I think you just need to tough it out until your child is old enough to go to school and so your GF can get a job.
Markhoskins said:
Why do you sympathise? Having children is not a right. People should think more carefully before having them and complaining about how difficult life is.
I sympathise because the guy is working hard, not asking for handouts and trying to support a family.I sympathise because nobody can lose half of a joint income and it not make a big impact on their lives
Raising kids is difficult however well off you are - and in the midst of a huge recession where living costs are very high it's a struggle.
Chin up OP - mine are 6 & 4 with another on the way - I've changed jobs 4 times since my wife first fell pregnant, I've had to spend weeks working overseas & away from the family to earn enough money.
We're a lot more comfortable now - but it was tough for a few years.
My advice is to use the financial pressure you are under as an incentive to push yourself a bit - you might be surprised how far you can take yourself when you really have to.
Good luck.
Mr Gearchange said:
I sympathise because the guy is working hard, not asking for handouts and trying to support a family.
I sympathise because nobody can lose half of a joint income and it not make a big impact on their lives
Raising kids is difficult however well off you are - and in the midst of a huge recession where living costs are very high it's a struggle.
Chin up OP - mine are 6 & 4 with another on the way - I've changed jobs 4 times since my wife first fell pregnant, I've had to spend weeks working overseas & away from the family to earn enough money.
We're a lot more comfortable now - but it was tough for a few years.
My advice is to use the financial pressure you are under as an incentive to push yourself a bit - you might be surprised how far you can take yourself when you really have to.
Good luck.
Disagree. If you have plenty spare its much easierI sympathise because nobody can lose half of a joint income and it not make a big impact on their lives
Raising kids is difficult however well off you are - and in the midst of a huge recession where living costs are very high it's a struggle.
Chin up OP - mine are 6 & 4 with another on the way - I've changed jobs 4 times since my wife first fell pregnant, I've had to spend weeks working overseas & away from the family to earn enough money.
We're a lot more comfortable now - but it was tough for a few years.
My advice is to use the financial pressure you are under as an incentive to push yourself a bit - you might be surprised how far you can take yourself when you really have to.
Good luck.
Based on the info on his profile, £700 seems about the going rate for renting a not scummy 2 bed in the OP's area, and his council tax looks to be band D, so he's not throwing money away by any stretch.
I think there are a couple of options, none of which are especially palatable. Firstly, move somewhere cheaper. Commuting will cost more but you should get more than that back in savings on rent and council tax. It all depends on which end of the county you're working in really - if it's towards the north then you should be able to find something that will work.
Secondly, I think you really need to do the sums to work out where you'll be financially if your OH does start work, even for a single day a week. She may find it works out very well in terms of tax credits. If she can do something freelance - book-keeping, or something - she can fit it around kid stuff.
I think there are a couple of options, none of which are especially palatable. Firstly, move somewhere cheaper. Commuting will cost more but you should get more than that back in savings on rent and council tax. It all depends on which end of the county you're working in really - if it's towards the north then you should be able to find something that will work.
Secondly, I think you really need to do the sums to work out where you'll be financially if your OH does start work, even for a single day a week. She may find it works out very well in terms of tax credits. If she can do something freelance - book-keeping, or something - she can fit it around kid stuff.
Markhoskins said:
Why do you sympathise? Having children is not a right. People should think more carefully before having them and complaining about how difficult life is.
It doesn't help when the Gov't are happy to spunk money up the wall for a parent to be paid child tax credit if a 2nd parent goes out to work, rather than pay half that amount so they can stay at home bringing up well rounded individuals, rather than the feral f*ckwits brought up in a Govt assisted 'scheme' of childcare.For the record i used to earn reasonable money so Mrs speedy just about managed to stay at home 5 years interspersed with a bit of cleaning, 'house/estate' agency work, kids party organiser/entertainer etc just to get by.
Then just as she was about to go back to work, she slid another two years off because another one popped out.
It's all just about muddling through there OP, I had 4 jobs on the go at one stage
you'll manage it somehow.Ps i wish my bills were as low as yours, Gas/Elec £120 a month, Water £68 and bas&&rd council tax £185 on top of everything else
. Surely there must be a way of renting/buying cheaper than your present option. Good luck with it.Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 21st July 23:59
Markhoskins said:
Why do you sympathise? Having children is not a right. People should think more carefully before having them and complaining about how difficult life is.
You might try and aim the vitriol at a more planktonesqe mass . Not exactly short of fish in the barrel.Care to detail how Peter Perfect your entire life has been?
Is part time evening/weekend work possible for either you or your wife.
Not much fun but it all helps, plus if your wife can keep her skills current it will make it much easier for her to return to work more fully when the kids go to school.
Can she get to college to complete the studies needed. Many have a creche.
Not much fun but it all helps, plus if your wife can keep her skills current it will make it much easier for her to return to work more fully when the kids go to school.
Can she get to college to complete the studies needed. Many have a creche.
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