What is a liveable salary for a single person with no dependents in London?

[Termite Man]

oh, and don't forget that as a single man, provided you work over 30 hours a week, you may be able to claim working tax credit if you are on a low wage.

similarly, you could also (potentially) be entitled to claim housing benefit and/or council tax benefit, depending on your liability and income.

tell me more about this please.

 

[Orang Utan]

tell me more about this please.

i looked them up: http://uk.cameloteurope.com/

 

[Termite Man]

i looked them up: http://uk.cameloteurope.com/

not that, i meant the working tax credits for single men on low incomes.

 

[Orang Utan]

d'oh, oops.

 

[Termite Man]

d'oh, oops.

it doesn't matter I earn 'too much' apparently

 

[EastEnder]

Small private estate, Surrey. Ate at home most of the time, eating out was only once a week usually, maybe a take-away once a week. Total accommodation costs was about 2k month

2K a month would pay the mortgage on a very nice house!

 

[Greebo]

2K a month would pay the mortgage on a very nice house!

Quite. As for eating out only once a week, talk about how the other half live!

 

[Orang Utan]

eating out is an unfathomable luxury!
and so are takeaways

 

[Crispy]

Expectations scale don't they. I bet even 100k earners reckon they "just about get by" and utterly believe themselves.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Quite. As for eating out only once a week, talk about how the other half live!

He's not told us what the bill was for this once-a-week luxury either?

 

[Orang Utan]

in-fucking-deed.
i used to think £30K wasn't quite enough to live on

 

[Greebo]

Expectations scale don't they. I bet even 100k earners reckon they "just about get by" and utterly believe themselves.

I think I may have told you before about relatives who reckoned they were hard up when they had to sell shares in order to afford a motorhome...

 

[Thora]

Expectations scale don't they. I bet even 100k earners reckon they "just about get by" and utterly believe themselves.

Of course they aren't really rich because they have such big outgoings...

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I think I may have told you before about relatives who reckoned they were hard up when they had to sell shares in order to afford a motorhome...

Everyone needs a motorhome though don't they

 

[Greebo]

Everyone needs a motorhome though don't they

Tbf, they bought it because they wanted more than one holiday a year. But even so.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Tbf, they bought it because they wanted more than one holiday a year. But even so.

Oh that's nice that they can afford more than one holiday a year

 

[metalguru]

£80 - 100 a month for food seems low to me. I seem to spend a lot more than that and don't shop very extravagantly.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

£80 - 100 a month for food seems low to me. I seem to spend a lot more than that and don't shop very extravagantly.

Maybe they eat lots of stir-fried food

 

[Orang Utan]

I've been on £60 a month for the last few months though, so
I guess it's all about what you get used to. I used to spend more than £200!

 

[Orang Utan]

Maybe they eat lots of stir-fried food

I never eat stir fries!

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I never eat stir fries!

Maybe you should try then. You could save yourself lots of money

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I've been on £60 a month for the last few months though, so
I guess it's all about what you get used to. I used to spend more than £200!

£60?

What are you living on? Or are you only eating once a day? Or are you eating really small portions?

 

[Orang Utan]

No, small lunch, massive tea. I eat chillis and curries mostly. Very little or no meat. It's boring but it keeps me alive.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

No, small lunch, massive tea. I eat chillis and curries mostly. Very little or no meat. It's boring but it keeps me alive.

yeah, that'll be cheap enough. I know someone who has spag bol every night. How he doesn't get bored of it, I've no idea, but I bet his shopping bill's nice and small

 

[mentalchik]

That could have been worse actually. I'm in band A Leeds and it's £18 a week. Only a tenner or so less a week.

i'm in band A in Northampton (2 bed HA flat) and it's just shy of £25 a week....

 

[Mrs Magpie]

can't say there are many free things in Brixton that I would want to go to. Brixton is too dear for me now. I am searching the cheaper areas surrounding it.

I find free stuff all the time. Mind you, I'm almost old enough to be your mum so our ideas of fun, and how much of it can be managed in one calendar month may be wildly different. I can't remember how old you are....30s?

 

[ymu]

Expectations scale don't they. I bet even 100k earners reckon they "just about get by" and utterly believe themselves.

Uh huh...

"I see inappropriate self-righteousness when I pass those 'protesters' in their tents… Meanwhile people like my husband and I speed past them to work on our future, to make a contribution to society… We studied hard, now we work hard and we pay hard. Fifty percent tax and we don't mind. I do wonder how much those people would pay without grumbling if roles were reversed?

"You want me to estimate a starting teacher's salary? I don't know. Let me think, £45,000? Wow, it's really only £22,000? I had no idea. That really is too low, I could not live on that. Well, obviously this is something that has to change. I mean, these teachers have had to invest in their own education and are now educating the next generation, right? I am rather shocked by this, are you sure?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentis...-blog/2011/dec/30/bankers-wife-financial-work

Of course they aren't really rich because they have such big outgoings...

Oh yeah...

"I am working-class from the north. They went to private schools, they have nannies for their children. The other day a colleague turned to me. He had just worked out that after school fees, mortgage payments and everything, he was left with 'only the minimum wage to spend'. So I asked him: 'What do you think ordinary people on a minimum wage have left to live on, after they have paid all their bills?' He was really confused, and admitted that he had never actually realised that for ordinary people everything has to come out of the minimum wage, that it's not free money to spend on whatever you like.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentis...es-of-finance-business-analyst-vice-president

 

[Ms T]

I never eat stir fries!

You never eat any Chinese/Asian food?

 

[ymu]

You never eat any Chinese/Asian food?

There's a bit more to it than stir fries!

 

[grit]

Uh huh...

Oh yeah...

The second interview quoted, cant fault her tbh.