Is £40,000 really a liveable income for families in the UK?

RenovationMan

silvercar wrote: »

For the moralistic: Is taking a second job to boost income (or be less reliant on state hand-outs), depriving someone else of a job opportunity?

Isn't that the reason why michaels originally went down to 2 days per week at his company? To do his bit to help it keep going and keep others in work? Perhaps by remaining at 2 days per week he's still helping a work colleague keep a job?

RenovationMan

PasturesNew wrote: »

I'd be deliriously happy to get £1200/month even if I had to pay out mortgage/rent from that of £600-700 or so.

That's £200 less than my wife uses just for houskeeping money. Just goes to show how expensive kids are!

JonnyBravo

RenovationMan wrote: »

That's £200 less than my wife uses just for houskeeping money. Just goes to show how expensive kids are!

Ermmmm..... I'm not sure it is the kids that are expensive

c0rneL

the fact is that so many of us started buying things they cannot afford. This snowballed into our deception that things are more expensive than they really are.
We borrowed more and more to buy more and more things we want but we do not need; supply and demand apples and therefore things got more expensive.
Now we have to pay astronomical prices for housing and to interest on our spending. That is the real problem.

Now is too late for turning back, the whole economy depends on us demanding more things, that only create an illusion that we are well off when in fact we are stressed, unhappy, and more and more depressed

I am not speaking about me,I am happy and not stressed at all; but I am far from being materialistic, I drive a 17 years old car and but clothes in charity shops, even-though we have household income in excess of 60k.

the real problem is the shallow perception that you have to have things that other people have; the fact that we constantly aspire at things we have no real need for just because otherwise colleagues and friend will judge us as being unfulfilled

on my street, expensive houses etc, no car is more than 5 yeas old, not car except mine; but I do not care, as long as is economical, as long as it works I do not have intention of getting a new one; the same with TV and other things I have.

Our real priority has to be creating an sustainable environment for our children and grandchildren; they might no be born yet, so they do not have a say in this matter, but the future is theirs, the things we consume but no need will be things that they will need but not have;
Make and analogy, consider the entire human compressed into an Noah Ark, we are all there, with all the finite resources, we sail at a constante rate, but we consume more and more of our fair share of the finite resources just because we are here; when we are not here anymore, someone else will have to live in this Ark.

the problem is not being able to live on 40 k or 20k etc -- the problem is being able to live withing our means, and be happy with that

neverdespairgirl

RenovationMan wrote: »

That's £200 less than my wife uses just for houskeeping money. Just goes to show how expensive kids are!

Your wife only has £1,400 a month for housekeeping?

I'm sorry, it must be a struggle for you. Perhaps you could get an extra job?

RenovationMan

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

Your wife only has £1,400 a month for housekeeping?

I'm sorry, it must be a struggle for you. Perhaps you could get an extra job?

I'm sure we'll somehow struggle by. How's the £800k house purchase coming along?

lostinrates

RenovationMan wrote: »

I'm sure we'll somehow struggle by. How's the £800k house purchase coming along?

Probably easier to buy a 8ook property outright or with a repayment mortgage if you have a tighter housekeeping budget!

chewmylegoff

£1,400 a month? christ! i hope you get your dinner on the table when you get home from work.

JonnyBravo

chewmylegoff wrote: »

£1,400 a month? christ! i hope you get your dinner on the table when you get home from work.

Makes the energy saving super insulated house seem a bit pointless really.

Malcolm.

40,000 liveable? I hope so, if the benefit cap comes into force at 26000 (it appears the government may back track ont his), assuming 1/3 taxation, it's equivalent to 40,000. Come to think of it, this was probably how they came up with the 26k figure.

Whether 40k is liveable depends on the area of the country. If in London and you have to pay a mortgage or rent, probably not.