Vent - My Mother (and her generation?)

Person_one

ringo_24601 wrote: »

However, there's still large areas of the country that are still affordable. They just don't happen to be in the South of England.

The North of the country is less unaffordable, but if you look at the guardian article, you still need to stump up over 6x the typical local salary for a typical local house.

[Deleted User]

Person_one wrote: »

The North of the country is less unaffordable, but if you look at the guardian article, you still need to stump up over 6x the typical local salary for a typical local house.

From what I've seen, salaries in London and the South east aren't necessarily much higher than outside - it's just that there are more 'better paying' jobs there; combined with a lot of people earning 'stupidly high wages' in The City.

I've been offered near enough the same wage to work in Leeds or London. However I could flog my 3 bed semi here and buy a 4 or 5 bed detached house up in Leeds. There's actually quite a lot of well paid jobs in IT up in Leeds...

Minimum wage in the SE, is the same as minimum wage in the NE. It's just the proportion of minimum wage jobs are less in the SE.

There's lies, damn lies and statistics.

Person_one

ringo_24601 wrote: »

From what I've seen, salaries in London and the South east aren't necessarily much higher than outside - it's just that there are more 'better paying' jobs there.

I've been offered near enough the same wage to work in Leeds or London. However I could flog my 3 bed semi here and buy a 4 or 5 bed detached house up in Leeds. There's actually quite a lot of well paid jobs in IT up in Leeds...

Minimum wage in the SE, is the same as minimum wage in the NE. It's just the proportion of minimum wage jobs are less in the SE.

There's lies, damn lies and statistics.

I'm certainly not trying to suggest that housing is affordable in the SE!

Just that, even though to somebody living in or near London, £120K for a two bed house with a yard seems like an absolute steal, or £150K for a three bed semi with a garden is amazing. If you're in an area with low average earnings and you're on 15K pa and renting privately then they're just as much out of your reach as a £500K flat in Camden. High rents are as much to blame for that as high selling prices.

I have literally no idea how low earners like care workers or shop assistants even survive in London. It boggles the mind. A family member of mine was offered a substantial pay rise to relocate to London. It seemed like a fortune, until they looked at property prices in London and realised that despite earning a huge amount more, their family's quality of life would actually be a lot less.

[Deleted User]

Yup, so the fact that a job in London might pay £40k rather than £30k in Manchester is crazy - because that £10k difference will only get you £30-40k more house, when in reality, the house cost difference may be £150k.

If people in the North think their homes are out of reach, then they're deluded really. There's plenty of areas that are still affordable. They just might not be in the nicest areas or done up well.

I still wouldn't move up North though after spending this weekend in Bury! It's like the place works in slow motion.

Person_one

ringo_24601 wrote: »

Yup, so the fact that a job in London might pay £40k rather than £30k in Manchester is crazy - because that £10k difference will only get you £30-40k more house, when in reality, the house cost difference may be £150k.

If people in the North think their homes are out of reach, then they're deluded really. There's plenty of areas that are still affordable. They just might not be in the nicest areas or done up well.

I still wouldn't move up North though after spending this weekend in Bury! It's like the place works in slow motion.

...and southerners wonder why they aren't so popular up here, especially the defectors!

[Deleted User]

Person_one wrote: »

...and southerners wonder why they aren't so popular up here, especially the defectors!

Haha you should hear what my Wife says about the North and Northerners

Jagraf

I'm from the north and live in the South. I like everyone. I think both are equally as friendly in different ways.

seven-day-weekend

Person_one wrote: »

You don't need to apologise, but every now and then an acknowledgement that some things were in fact easier for the baby boomer generation would go a long way! Some things were harder, some things have definitely changed for the better, and we are still having to fight for equality, its not fully arrived yet!

What was easier?

Person_one

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

What was easier?

You could read the thread...

seven-day-weekend

Getting jobs was easier, but women couldn't afford to live on their wages. University was free, but 2/3 of people had no access to them.