Could you live decently on £14,400 a year?

Richard_Cranium

itch_for_a_glitch wrote: »

CB was introduced when mum stayed at home, or did a bit of part time, it was to give money to mothers incase the old man spent his wages in the Dog and Duck. Times have changed.

They certainly have, the Dog & Duck is now a corner shop.

Buttonmoons

My income is around 13k mark, I believe - thereabouts anyways.
It's only recently I gave up my job as after 2 years at college I started uni as a mature student.

I get a bit more bursary than my peers because I'm a single parent and I get the £50 odd a week CTC and £20 CB.

It's just over £1000 or so a month, although I have no idea what my rent costs will be now as I will get housing benefit and they take around 3 months to calculate this, then expect all HB overpayments within 5 minutes.

No council tax as a full time student.

I run a car, I have too - a 15 year old ford focus, ha, once I start placement I need to be able to get to wherever/hospital for 7am, or if it's community based etc. Although I take the bus to uni everyday because parking is £5 a day + fuel, or £3.50 all day return ticket.

I need my daughter enrolled in the breakfast and afterschool club everyday because of a regularly changing timetable - £200 a month.

3 cats & 2 gerbils, electric, gas is a mandatory £60 per month which is utterly RIDICULOUS, I live in a 2 bed flat in a skyscraper, and the building is swealtering, I never ever have on my heating, apparently this is to prevent fuel poverty. Yeah right....

Home insurance, pet insurance, contact lens DD, swimming lessons etc etc.

Standard bills, and we do O.K, we don't have a lot spare by any stretch of the imagination but we are happy and don't feel like we go without.

bloolagoon

I lived on less than that with children and a mortgage for nearly 7 months.

It's doable even for a family but long term I'm not sure. In London it wouldn't be anywhere near enough. It's subjective on family make up, housing and childcare. A single person in average housing should be sitting pretty on that amount.

bloolagoon

Buttonmoons wrote: »

My income is around 13k mark, I believe - thereabouts anyways.
It's only recently I gave up my job as after 2 years at college I started uni as a mature student.

I get a bit more bursary than my peers because I'm a single parent and I get the £50 odd a week CTC and £20 CB.

It's just over £1000 or so a month, although I have no idea what my rent costs will be now as I will get housing benefit and they take around 3 months to calculate this, then expect all HB overpayments within 5 minutes.

No council tax as a full time student.

I run a car, I have too - a 15 year old ford focus, ha, once I start placement I need to be able to get to wherever/hospital for 7am, or if it's community based etc. Although I take the bus to uni everyday because parking is £5 a day + fuel, or £3.50 all day return ticket.

I need my daughter enrolled in the breakfast and afterschool club everyday because of a regularly changing timetable - £200 a month.

3 cats & 2 gerbils, electric, gas is a mandatory £60 per month which is utterly RIDICULOUS, I live in a 2 bed flat in a skyscraper, and the building is swealtering, I never ever have on my heating, apparently this is to prevent fuel poverty. Yeah right....

Home insurance, pet insurance, contact lens DD, swimming lessons etc etc.

Standard bills, and we do O.K, we don't have a lot spare by any stretch of the imagination but we are happy and don't feel like we go without.

Do your income is higher than that by far with benefits added.

Buttonmoons

bloolagoon wrote: »

Do your income is higher than that by far with benefits added.

Well I included the CB and CTC, albeit I'll get some housing benefit, although I'm unsure what yet. That's for 2 people, not a single person.

itch_for_a_glitch

Buttonmoons wrote: »

My income is around 13k mark, I believe - thereabouts anyways.
It's only recently I gave up my job as after 2 years at college I started uni as a mature student.

I get a bit more bursary than my peers because I'm a single parent and I get the £50 odd a week CTC and £20 CB.

It's just over £1000 or so a month, although I have no idea what my rent costs will be now as I will get housing benefit and they take around 3 months to calculate this, then expect all HB overpayments within 5 minutes.

No council tax as a full time student.

I run a car, I have too - a 15 year old ford focus, ha, once I start placement I need to be able to get to wherever/hospital for 7am, or if it's community based etc. Although I take the bus to uni everyday because parking is £5 a day + fuel, or £3.50 all day return ticket.

I need my daughter enrolled in the breakfast and afterschool club everyday because of a regularly changing timetable - £200 a month.

3 cats & 2 gerbils, electric, gas is a mandatory £60 per month which is utterly RIDICULOUS, I live in a 2 bed flat in a skyscraper, and the building is swealtering, I never ever have on my heating, apparently this is to prevent fuel poverty. Yeah right....

Home insurance, pet insurance, contact lens DD, swimming lessons etc etc.

Standard bills, and we do O.K, we don't have a lot spare by any stretch of the imagination but we are happy and don't feel like we go without.

I dont think you have the faintest idea of what you are taking/have taken out of the system with your upside down life choices.

Buttonmoons

itch_for_a_glitch wrote: »

I dont think you have the faintest idea of what you are taking/have taken out of the system with your upside down life choices.

Oh yes, utterly upside down, because I'm trying to better myself? I could of easily not worked the past 8 years after I had my daughter, did I? No.

I don't feel the need to cast aspersions on others because of their life choices, I have made mine and I'm content with the route I'm taking.

The system is flawed, I agree.

Former_MSE_Andrea

Hi all, great discussion, we've moved it over to the Marriages, relationships and families board from Discussion Time

Buzzybee90

Doubtful. What do people expect a 25yo to be earning, out of interest?

Person_one

itch_for_a_glitch wrote: »

I dont think you have the faintest idea of what you are taking/have taken out of the system with your upside down life choices.

Upside down life choices? She's studying to be a nurse! For the sake of a few years of support till she qualifies I suspect she'll give far more back over her working life than most.