Cost of living
Discussion
I was just watching something on TV and a chap mentioned how both man and woman in a couple need to work now to afford to live. When did this happen?
A salary in the north of £35k per year is 'doing ok' but yet after student loan and pension thats prob £2k per month after tax.
Take off £600pm rent plus bills and youre left with say £900pm.
Take off food, mobile, car, travel and theres nothing left for you let alone your partner.
When did it become the norm for both man and woman to work?
A salary in the north of £35k per year is 'doing ok' but yet after student loan and pension thats prob £2k per month after tax.
Take off £600pm rent plus bills and youre left with say £900pm.
Take off food, mobile, car, travel and theres nothing left for you let alone your partner.
When did it become the norm for both man and woman to work?
I would say a joint income of 100k minimum is required to live any where near comfortably, possibly more if there are than one or two children involved, in most of the southern part of the country.
If that can be on one wage, great, but more likely both partners will be contributing towards that in most cases.
If that can be on one wage, great, but more likely both partners will be contributing towards that in most cases.
Trustmeimadoctor said:
Not having kids helps a lot oh and not spunking it on fags and other pointless things
Agreed but even if you have no kids how does that money stretch to just 'living'.Odd coffee out, odd pub lunch and new clothes, haircuts, items for the house, birthdays, gym etc. Im not talking about fancy living bit just 'normal' things.
Never looked at it that way before, always just needed money for myself fortunately.
f1nn said:
I would say a joint income of 100k minimum is required to live any where near comfortably, possibly more if there are than one or two children involved, in most of the southern part of the country.
If that can be on one wage, great, but more likely both partners will be contributing towards that in most cases.
If that can be on one wage, great, but more likely both partners will be contributing towards that in most cases.
maybe in central london, elsewhere nowhere near that is needed to be just comfortable. I worked out my costs the other day, i live alone, so just me.
Rent £800
Council tax £100
Food £100
Utilities. £50
Car insurance/tax £60
So bare living costs, say £1200/month.
Say £2500/month after tax, thats £1300/month left to entertain one self per month which i would say is comfortable??
Bristol spark said:
f1nn said:
I would say a joint income of 100k minimum is required to live any where near comfortably, possibly more if there are than one or two children involved, in most of the southern part of the country.
If that can be on one wage, great, but more likely both partners will be contributing towards that in most cases.
If that can be on one wage, great, but more likely both partners will be contributing towards that in most cases.
maybe in central london, elsewhere nowhere near that is needed to be just comfortable. I worked out my costs the other day, i live alone, so just me.
Rent £800
Council tax £100
Food £100
Utilities. £50
Car insurance/tax £60
So bare living costs, say £1200/month.
Say £2500/month after tax, thats £1300/month left to entertain one self per month which i would say is comfortable??
Trustmeimadoctor said:
Bristol spark said:
f1nn said:
I would say a joint income of 100k minimum is required to live any where near comfortably, possibly more if there are than one or two children involved, in most of the southern part of the country.
If that can be on one wage, great, but more likely both partners will be contributing towards that in most cases.
If that can be on one wage, great, but more likely both partners will be contributing towards that in most cases.
maybe in central london, elsewhere nowhere near that is needed to be just comfortable. I worked out my costs the other day, i live alone, so just me.
Rent £800
Council tax £100
Food £100
Utilities. £50
Car insurance/tax £60
So bare living costs, say £1200/month.
Say £2500/month after tax, thats £1300/month left to entertain one self per month which i would say is comfortable??
Bristol spark said:
maybe in central london, elsewhere nowhere near that is needed to be just comfortable. I worked out my costs the other day, i live alone, so just me.
Rent £800
Council tax £100
Food £100
Utilities. £50
Car insurance/tax £60
So bare living costs, say £1200/month.
Say £2500/month after tax, thats £1300/month left to entertain one self per month which i would say is comfortable??
Yes, we can all do the reverse snobbery thing and claim we can live on minimum wage, and yes of course we could, but in reality, I stand by £100k minimum per couple, or family if you like living the comfortable side of an average life.
jonah35 said:
Odd coffee out, odd pub lunch and new clothes, haircuts, items for the house, birthdays, gym etc. Im not talking about fancy living bit just 'normal' things.
Millions of people in this country struggle and barely do any of those things. Fancy cars, holidays, new kitchen are just distant dreams to many.Bristol spark said:
f1nn said:
I would say a joint income of 100k minimum is required to live any where near comfortably, possibly more if there are than one or two children involved, in most of the southern part of the country.
If that can be on one wage, great, but more likely both partners will be contributing towards that in most cases.
If that can be on one wage, great, but more likely both partners will be contributing towards that in most cases.
maybe in central london, elsewhere nowhere near that is needed to be just comfortable. I worked out my costs the other day, i live alone, so just me.
Rent £800
Council tax £100
Food £100
Utilities. £50
Car insurance/tax £60
So bare living costs, say £1200/month.
Say £2500/month after tax, thats £1300/month left to entertain one self per month which i would say is comfortable??
Haircuts
Broadband
Mobile
Car tax
Mot
Servicing
Tyres
Petrol
Parking
Water
Cost of car
Clothes
Toiletries (after shave, deodorant) etc
Cleaning products for house
Odd new appliance (kettle, toaster, fridge, tv, freezer)
Tv licence
Pension saving
Cost of letting fees at end of tenancy/renewal of tenancy
Some kind of life (take away, eating out, pub, social, leisure)
That all amounts to a good amount but then imagine if you had to give a non working spouse monies for their things too
f1nn said:
Which is all well and good, but add a wife and children/s, hey even a dog/s into the equation, some newish cars, holidays, saving a bit for the future, hobbies, interests and activities and watch those costs take off.
Yes, we can all do the reverse snobbery thing and claim we can live on minimum wage, and yes of course we could, but in reality, I stand by £100k minimum per couple, or family if you like living the comfortable side of an average life.
That 100k will yield a much larger income if it's split between both partners than if it's earned by just one of them. The tax regime in this country has some ridiculous anomalies when combined with the benefits system, child benefit clawback and student contribution calculations. I gain almost nothing by earning more money unless I earn significantly more, which makes no sense at all.Yes, we can all do the reverse snobbery thing and claim we can live on minimum wage, and yes of course we could, but in reality, I stand by £100k minimum per couple, or family if you like living the comfortable side of an average life.
Scratch the surface and you will find most of the country survives on benefits, debt, credit cards, inheritance or handouts from older relatives, and criminal proceeds.
Most UK homes are on benefits, almost everyone has debt of some sort, and most people have an aging relly at some point who leaves them some dough or housing.
Most UK homes are on benefits, almost everyone has debt of some sort, and most people have an aging relly at some point who leaves them some dough or housing.
oldcynic said:
That 100k will yield a much larger income if it's split between both partners than if it's earned by just one of them. The tax regime in this country has some ridiculous anomalies when combined with the benefits system, child benefit clawback and student contribution calculations. I gain almost nothing by earning more money unless I earn significantly more, which makes no sense at all.
^ thisWhy we can't be taxed as households is beyond me. It wouldn't help me personally as my gf and I earn broadly similar amounts but it would have my parents and just about any working couple with children, it could be used as a mechanism to help rid us of the stupidity of tax credits too.
It's also high time we did away with punishing the reasonably successful by stripping away personal allowance at £100k+. Why is £100-122k effectively taxed far more than everything earned over £122k?
As for cost of living you don't need £100k in the south but I do wonder how the average family get by nowadays. Two on median income of £27k each just wouldn't cut it. Add kids to the equation and it's woefully inadequate.
Yipper said:
Scratch the surface and you will find most of the country survives on benefits, debt, credit cards, inheritance or handouts from older relatives, and criminal proceeds.
Most UK homes are on benefits, almost everyone has debt of some sort, and most people have an aging relly at some point who leaves them some dough or housing.
Not really no benefits, handouts, credit card debt Most UK homes are on benefits, almost everyone has debt of some sort, and most people have an aging relly at some point who leaves them some dough or housing.
Only borrowed money is mortgage
Edited by Trustmeimadoctor on Tuesday 2nd May 02:18
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