Anyone single out there earning £10k p.a.?

Suzkin

Hi All,

I've just been trawling through the threads looking for (and also, finding) morale support and inspiration in the usual way. :rolleyes:

However, I've noticed that numerous peeps mention they receive Child Tax Credit, and also that despite debts, such a lot of you are earning or bringing in £20-35k.:p

It has just ocurred to me to ask whether there is anyone out there who is not a student (so not with student loans etc. and yet a potentially great future/prospects once qualified) but single, living alone, and also earning about £10k p.a.?

Even though I qualify for Working Tax Credit (about £10 per week), and receive 25% discount off Council Tax (still requiring a payment of £80 per month), I'm still living like a pauper and it's so hard - esp. with Gordon Browns 10% income tax threshold removal!

So my question is: ARE you out there (I mean 'here' on this forum), and just HOW do you manage to cope?!

Look forward to hearing from you x.

PinkGrapefruit_2

Hi, I am in a similar position, although I did go to uni I graduated quite a few years ago and don't have (and never will have) a "graduate" well paid job. I'm so angry that thanks to Gordon Brown I am now earning less money, since I am single, no kids etc I am entitled to nothing...grrr I won't start to rant about that though :rolleyes:

I don't really have any advice I just try to be satified with what I do have rather than think about all the things I cant afford (easier said than done sometimes) and keep tabs on everything I spend, especially the little things which really do add up. Of course there's plenty of things I'd love to buy/do but I try to convince myself I will enjoy them more if I take (a long!) time to save them up rather then buy them on credit.

continualdiamond

Thought id reply, even though im not in some of the catergories you have mentioned.

However i am finding it very hard at the moment as im on £15,000 and thats supporting 2 people (OH unemployed). I get no working tax credit or council tax benefit and yep i've been stung by the 10% income tax threshold removal.

I am qualified in what i do (but no student loans) and i got a pay rise in April, only to see none of it cos its gone with my increase in the tax i pay, so that was a lovely treat for all the hard work i put in over the last 12 mths.

I don't really know how i manage to cope, i have my good days and when i have bad days, they're really bad days. I seem to be angry at everything around me and wonder why i am in the situation i am in (OH unemployed,not enough money once bills are paid, have no social life, can't have my hair done, can't join in on work do's, having to relie on OH's parents to give us money to do food shopping but then feel so guilty dont tell them the real problem and live on next to nothing for a week or so)

The only thing i have that i get excited about is going to my gym, which sounds really sad, but i love it cos i am doing something to help my health and also because its my only freebie win so far for the year and i have use of it until 1st week in Aug.

But life is life and all i can do is go through each day and face the situations i am in at the moment and hope that one day things will be better.

binnie

Continualdiamond, I have sent you a pm or two.

Suzykin, I'm not single, but struggle from time to time myself.
I have been in your situation various times in my life and always pull through in the end.
Can you take up an extra job like Avon, or Ebay? I have done Avon since I was 17 and am now 46, and have managed to keep going if only to make between £10 and up to £60 commission every 3 weeks or so.

I have been to rock bottom and back several times and always wondered how the heck I was going to manage, but somehow I keep plodding on, and hope your luck will change one day.

If you need any help let me know, I can give you tips on Avon and Ebay
xxx

Deep_In_Debt

I'm single too and have a mortgage to pay and yes I struggle big time. My council tax is £110 per month and that's with the 25% discount and spread over 12 months! My salary is not bad but it's still a huge struggle for me to pay mortgage, bills, run a car etc, etc especially as my pay rises each year never seem to cover the rate of inflation. I live in an expensive part of the country which doesn't help either.

I have extra jobs like Avon, Oriflame, dog walking and am a qualified holistic therapist but even with this extra income, I'm still only just managing financially as well as finding the time to fit these 'extras' in around my main job.

I would love to be able to live a little rather than just survive, but I've been in this situation for sometime now so I guess I'm used to it and it's now my way of life. On the plus side, it has made me more aware of money and what I spend as I need to account for just about every penny! When my OH was with me, he earnt a good salary and we just spent loads, most of it on luxuries. Can't remember the last time I bought a CD or DVD but I've not missed them at all.

Chin up though. As I say, once you get used to it, it soon becomes a way of life. I don't own any real luxuries but I have everything I need in order to lead a normal life.

Sorry, I've waffled a bit!

Bayblue

Hello Suzkin

I'm not quite in your category, but I wanted to add my moral support to you as well. Thing is I earn more than you and I still find things a struggle, so I can only admire how you cope.

I sometimes think that the problems of single people are often ignored amongst all the talk of recessions and stuff. It seems like every other day there's a report on GMTV and the like on how 'families are coping in these difficult times' , complete with a couple and their kids complaining about higher bills and shopping. I have actually thought about writing to them to point out that not everyone is in a family, but now I just roll my eyes :rolleyes: . It's tough for everyone I know, but it can be particularly hard if you're the only one and have no-one else to lean on.

I'm glad that you get some tax credit even if it's not a lot. the Government made a huge mistake with the 10% tax banding issue , assuming (once again) that everyone in that bracket is in families and would therefore get extra benefits elsewhere- I think that after the uproar they've been put right on that score now though .

Anyway, as I said it's tough for a lot of people at the moment and as life isn't fair often some people have to take on a higher burden than others, so what can you do about it? Well there are a few things, make sure that you claim everything that you're entitled to (glad to see that you're getting the 25% council tax rebate). Then you need to look at ways of upping your income and I suppose the obvious one is your main job. Is there any possibility of looking for a higher paid one? Any overtime available? Pay rises likely?Could you retrain to work towards promotion or a different career, some training may well be free or reduced at your level of income? I would think about this before getting an extra job, as from my experience doing even more hours can be very tiring. Keep going at all of the money saving and quidco etc. every little helps as they say- actually talking of Tesco try shopping more in a local market- that way you can buy exactly what you need (ie 3 potatoes and one chop) instead of having to get things in packets where you have to freeze or throw away the excess, they are cheaper too.

Sorry, I can't be of more help but as I said I wanted add some moral support . Best of luck to you.

andan

Its nice to know there are similair people out there, i live with my partner, but he earns very little as well. I earn around £11 000 per year but after tax i am likely to take home just under £10 000. Recently i have gone to working part time to fulfill my dream of setting up my own business, its scary as there is less money to play with, even though we were stretched before. My partner is self employed so it is quite worrying if your not sure how you will pay everything. I am not entitled to working tax credit as yet and now i've gone part time i'm not sure that i will be.

How do we cope? Well i suppose we live on a shoe string, which is more and more difficult with the price of foods and utility bills going up. Most of our food is bogof deals or cheaper priced items. I think i just find myself shopping around for everything and making sure we have got the best deal possible. Going out consists of cheap nights out, sometimes paid as a result of me mystery shopping some pub!

On top of that i try and do loads of extra bits and pieces, like matched betting, surveys, mystery shopping. All the extras i do a month, make up for a quarter of my take home pay, so i don't know what i'd do without that.

It is frustrating though when you see people earning a lot more than you and not perhaps using it wisely and yet everyday you have to scrimp and save. I have friends earning twice as much as me, yet they always complain they have no money! Yet want to go and do expensive things!

What keeps me going is having my dream of having my own business and getting to where i want to be one day. I feel i'm pretty good with money though and know how to make the most out of it.