Is anyone else feeling the "pinch "?

Question

I have a good job, work full time. My wife works part-time, and also has a good job. We earn not bad money. But after paying the council tax, mortgage, Insurance, MRI, utilities, child care, food ( have 2 small children), petrol, car loans ( to keep us in work), we find we are waiting until pay day to replenish the joint account.

I give myself £70 per week pocket money. £50 of that is petrol, £5 lottery £7.50 on a curry leaving me next to nowt.

Am i doing something wrong?

Answer 1

the thing is, the alternative is worse

i havent heard of rioting on the streets since the poll tax riots of, um, the tory years

makes me think that things are not as bad as they were under those tw@ts

the irony of tories who moan about the current govt is that the current govt is more tory than labour!  hilarious

at least you have a job - when thatcher was around unemployment reached well over 10%, nearly 20% in northern ireland!

Answer 2

Yes, we are the same.  My parter works fulltime also a part time job on weekend evenings but is only on minimum wage.  I have a part time weekend job at £7 an hour.  We have a 15 month old son.  We barely have enough left to eat with after paying our housing costs.  

I think you are in a better situation than us as you claim to have a "good" job and earn "not bad" money.  You should try getting by on what we earn!  You'd probably see your situation as quite good in comparision.  the only way we manage to survive is that we live in the South Wales Valleys, the armpit of the UK, where living costs are relatively cheap (because no bugger wants to live here).  My partner has to do a 50 mile round trip to get to work too, theres sod all work up here!

£70 pocket money is a luxury to us.  We can buy food for a week on that or less!!  We have to as its all we have.

We don't give ourselves any "pocket" money and never buy lottery tickets or take aways, we just can't afford to waste money on the things.  Maybe you should do the same.

As far as the car loan goes, swallow your pride and do what we do - we can't get loans (bad credit rating) so instead of taking out a loan to buy a 06 plate car for £5,000, we drive an M reg (1995 plate) old banger which cost just £400 to buy (cash - we saved it up).  It looks like shite but it works.  When it goes wrong we buy the parts and do the work ourselves.  Yes its a lot less cool to drive round in something which looks like it belongs on a scrapheap but it will save you money and the car will get you from A to B, the save as a more expensive car will!!!

Answer 3

Yes, a lot of us feel the pinch. The Government takes more and more to keep themselves in luxury and pay the bottomless pit of the handout masses who will vote to keep them in.  Come the revolution.

Answer 4

Sidney wants to pinch my bottom. Does that count?

lol @ well hung.

Answer 5

What d'you drive mate?A tank?!Get a more economical motor.

Answer 6

Yes. Daphne says- ditch the family and cycle to work.

Answer 7

No, we are all in the same boat,  Sh*it wages but expected to put up with never ending price increases. This government is pathetic.

Answer 8

You are no different to a lot of hard working young parents,in fact you seem to be doing the right things that are necessary to maintain a good standard of living , , it's not easy but you will get there ,things do get easier as children grow up.you should be proud of what you have .Cheer up.

Answer 9

Nope it is just the way it is ..

Roll on payday

Answer 10

There is one thing I would like to pinch and only Ms Sparklyarse knows how much.

Answer 11

No everyone is in the same boat. Have you done all you can about saving money. I changed my gas and electric, my phone and cable also curry as a treat once a month. Haven't saved much but i would be much worse off if i hadn't of done it.

This is the real world. Welcome xxxx

Answer 12

Yea mate, I'm feeling it too. We both work, (me part time) and our one luxury is a holiday in the sun, once a year. It comes to something when a couple with no kids, both working, cannot afford a 2 week break away from work, as paying the bills, and expenses leaves us virtually broke. I know I live in a beautiful part of England, but we all need a break from the "norm" sometimes. It makes me wonder if all these dole scroungers, and illegal's have got the right idea, sit on your idle ar$e, and let it come to you!!!! They say the world's gonna end in 2012. I say, bring it on, I for one don't give a toss!!!!

Answer 13

Are you in the tax credit band at all as it tops up your income if you dont earn a certain amount a year

Answer 14

I am i live in northern cyprus i moved here about 5 yrs ago it was really cheap now we have inflation at 300 percent i live on a widows pension but it is still cheaper than the uk.

Answer 15

Pedro whats it like to be rich ? give me your kinda brass

and i would live like a king.£50 petrol money we don`t

have that for grub,as for £7.50 for a curry,my Mrs can

buy food for two days with that money.

Answer 16

In exactly the same boat, aside from the mortgage which we have as a fixed rate. Definitely find we are struggling more now than say 5 years ago, and most of our friends are in the same position. So it's not just you.

We are now seeing Labour's true colours. High tax, high borrow, high spend, high waste, low return...

Answer 17

I find it makes little difference for all we do is adjust our budget.

Answer 18

No.

I hope you do not have a LIBOR based mortgage,

The Next month or so will kill you.

Answer 19

money is tight for all families just now.  food has gone up, petrol is still rising and gas and electric has risen too.

i am definately feeling the pinch and it sucks.

the only offer of hope is that your kids will be in school soon and then you will notice a big difference in ready pennies.  have you tried phoning the inland revenue to apply for working tax credits?

Answer 20

Nothing wrong...so don't know the answer to stop you feeling that pinch.

Answer 21

no, you are just the same as me, we work to survive, my husband and I have our own business and I work part time as well just to survive, everything costs and it is getting worse!