What does that extra £283 a month get you? (every £5k on salary)

ReadingTim

Depends on your attitude to life and your work ethic really: some people want to get on in life and better themselves, others are happy plodding along taking the least amount of responsibility, hassle and stress as possible.

However, these sorts of jobs aren't very well paid, so even if one works to live rather than lives to work, such jobs aren't necessarily going to provide a particularly high quality of life. Sure, you can exist, but it won't be much fun....especially if it impacts your family as well as yourself.

MandM90

It depends on what you want from life. I'm not sure I'd be happy to sit on the bottom rung at the expense of 'extra outdoor clothing' (eh?) and a few meals out, just to avoid any extra stress or pressure.

And anyway, I wouldn't sniff at an extra £3396 a year. Just plugging that into MSEs mortgage overpayment calculator tells me I'd finish my mortgage 13 years earlier and save £70k of interest just by overpaying £283 a month...