Income brackets: PERCEPTIONS of low and high?

ukcarper

lostinrates wrote: »

Ok, thanks for the clarification.

Yes, I agree, the season ticket is the same. Perhaps the outfitting requirements might not be for example. Or the things that cost money but are convenient because of the huge number of hours worked in a week which are less common (though not unheard of) in lower pay scales. . For example, DH doesn't often have time to make a packed lunch AND go to the gym. He never has time to do a full shop. Nor the ability to plan for one, because he doesn't know when he'll be working or not. Lack of ability to organise proves quite a frustration and cost.

Quite true, but is that not one of the reasons he gets a high salary by the way I'm not saying he shouldn't be paid a high salary just that he is.

lostinrates

ukcarper wrote: »

Quite true, but is that not one of the reasons he gets a high salary by the way I'm not saying he shouldn't be paid a high salary just that he is.

Yes, absolutely, it is the reason he is paid what he is ( which btw I don't think I ever actually said what it was......) , In fact, that's just what I have said isn't it? That his job costs him money. ( among other things) , thus he could not do that job without it being paid more to cover those costs. .

It seems ukcarper, we agree.

the_flying_pig

_Ed wrote: »

...With the new addition to the family we've just got a car - second hand for a grand.
...
I'm always amazed when I head back to see my parents up north where salaries are significantly lower and yet I see new BMW’s and Merc’s everywhere. I really don’t understand how people can afford it. Of course, how they spend their money is their choice.
...

the cars thing is a bit of a red herring.

in 'the regions', as you'll no doubt recall, cars are a really quite big status symbol.

in centralish London they're not so very far from being a total non issue.

my financial position sounds not so very dissimilar to yours, though we're a few years older.

where i come from 'up north' i'd say that it's exceptionally common for [say - obviously these numbers are only the approximate midpoint of a range that is itself made up, but in these numbers i've in no way tried to overstate the importance of cars up there - if anything i've been conservative]:

(a) 25% of their gross annual income on a car; &
(b) 25 times on a house what they would on a car.

my own figures [i also bought a very modest car in the second hand market] are pretty much exactly 2.5% & 250 times.

sounds like yours might be nearer [say] 1% & 500 times.

ukcarper

lostinrates wrote: »

Yes, absolutely, it is, In fact, that's just what I have said isn't it? That his job costs him money. ( among other things) , thus he could not do that job without it being paid more to cover those costs. .

It seems ukcarper, we agree.

I assume his pay is sufficient to cover extra expenditure and provide additional income compared to a job that doesn't need the expenditure.

lostinrates

ukcarper wrote: »

I assume his pay is sufficient to cover extra expenditure and provide additional income compared to a job that doesn't need the expenditure.

Do you? .

I did say yesterday that expectations for his future were a key part of our decisions and we are prepared to make sacrifices both financial and personal for those as things stand now

N1AK

lostinrates wrote: »

Hmm. I'm not sure it is absurd.

Family size is, in many cases , a choice. And is an outgoing and though in some cases will have ramifications to income in other cases will not.

A single person with an income of £30k in my area would be able to live comfortably long term. A family of five with a household income of £30k would be considerably less comfortable.

I'm not suggesting that any of the above should impact on what people earn etc but simply that there is no single figure that I would perceive as the boundary for high income which fits all cases.

ukcarper

lostinrates wrote: »

Do you? .

I did say yesterday that expectations for his future were a key part of our decisions and we are prepared to make sacrifices both financial and personal for those as things stand now

Although I don't remember as I type I did realise that there could be other reasons but you hope to gain in someway in the future would he have taken job without future expectations.


I think we all take decisions that are not base solely on pay I did a similar thing by not moving to a better paid job as I would have had to leave a good final salary pension scheme and put myself under more pressure.

lostinrates

N1AK wrote: »

A single person with an income of £30k in my area would be able to live comfortably long term. A family of five with a household income of £30k would be considerably less comfortable.

I'm not suggesting that any of the above should impact on what people earn etc but simply that there is no single figure that I would perceive as the boundary for high income which fits all cases.

Family costs are an outgoing. Not an income, An income though indeed does determine what your outcome might reasonably be.

I'm not sure ATM how to explain the distinction I'm drawing.

ukcarper

lostinrates wrote: »

Family costs are an outgoing. Not an income, An income though indeed does determine what your outcome might reasonably be.

I'm not sure ATM how to explain the distinction I'm drawing.

I'd say an high income is an high income as simply as that. You could have two people earning the same living next door to each other and because of their lifestyle and expectations on would consider themselves well off and the other not.

N1AK

lostinrates wrote: »

I'm not sure ATM how to explain the distinction I'm drawing.

I do, and I think I've understood why we're not understanding each other. I am talking about perception of income. I perceive £30k to be a good income for an individual in the Midlands but a rubbish income for a large family in the same region.

The reason it is clouded by expenses is because perception of high income is largely derived from what people are able to do with that income. I'd perceive someone in Congo as having an high income if they earned £10k a year because that is very high compared to the typical expenses for that region