Living wage? Really?

[Psychosplodge]

I don't who comes up with these numbers, but anyone who thinks £7.20 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20104177) is a living wage clearly hasn't tried doing it.

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

I wish I earned £7.20

[Psychosplodge]

I just don't see how it's a living wage. It might be an existing wage, but how you afford rent or a mortgage on one income, even on significantly more than that, I haven't a clue.

[Wolfshade]

That's just shy of £15k a year less tax and ni that's what, erm £12.7k which isn't too bad,
assuming £500 pcm on rent or mortgauge leaves you what £6.7k a year,
£1k on heating, you're down to £5.7k
say another £50 pcm on tv mobile and broadband and one off tv licence £5k

That is what £400 per month for food/insurances other running costs.

Doesn't seem too bad.

Though, with the mandatory pension contribution it will take a bit of a hit..

[Mr Mystery]

I just about managed on £13,200 a year. But now I have a proper job, and get paid MUCH better.

[Psychosplodge]

See when I do those figures they come out higher than that. With council tax, gas, electric, car insurance, petrol....it's all gone.


Good news apparently we can opt out of the contributions!

[Mr Mystery]

Or the private sector can stop artificially lowering wages....

[Psychosplodge]

Please ring my boss up and tell him that.

[DrLove42]

I like Wolfies estimate of £500pcm for rent.

Please tell me somewhere I could get a flat for 500....

[Wolfshade]

See when I do those figures they come out higher than that. With council tax, gas, electric, car insurance, petrol....it's all gone.


Good news apparently we can opt out of the contributions!

Assuming council tax is about £100/month then you still have £300 a month

As for the car + insurance that isn't really essential, and if you were in a flat share then rent would be less

[DarkLink]

Minimum wage in California is about $8 an hour. 40 hours a week, 4 weeks a month, gives us 1280 a month. When I lived in an apartment at college, in a town with high costs of living, I was spending about $450 a month to share an apartment (there are places where I could pay that much for my own apartment, no roommates), and $100-200 on groceries. That leaves about $600-700 a month to spend on whatever I want. And gas, but the gas bill depends heavily on where you live. I'd be putting most of that into savings, but then again I'm pretty fiscally responsible.

I'm too lazy to look up how $8 an hour compares to 7 pounds an hour, but I'd get by pretty easily I think.

[Psychosplodge]

I know I could get a sh!thole but not much more for that...though I suppose it would cut costs as the car wouldn't be there for long...

[Mr Mystery]

My flat is £450 a month. Lekky runs to about £20, council tax is £73 a month.

[Wolfshade]

I like Wolfies estimate of £500pcm for rent.

Please tell me somewhere I could get a flat for 500....

In southampton apparently there are like 407...

http://www.zoopla.co.uk/to-rent/property/southampton/?include_shared_accommodation=true&price_frequency=per_month&price_max=500&q=Southampton&results_sort=newest_listings&search_source=home

My mortgage repayments are less than that for my 3 bed

[Psychosplodge]

Mortgage repayments are cheaper as renting is paying someone elses mortgage, need a deposit first though....

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

..............

I could so flip the table and rage quit right now...

[Mr Mystery]

Yup. I'm resigned to not owning property until Mum and Dad have snuffed it. Which sucks on so many levels.

[Wolfshade]

Even so, the cube in sheffield city centre (S1) is between 425-550 which is within the 500 bracket . Birmingham you can live in the city centre for that much, so it is possible, you might not like the area where you live.

[Wolfshade]

..............

I could so flip the table and rage quit right now...

"The proportion is much higher among waiters and bar staff, at up to 90% of workers, the research for accountants KPMG suggested."

:(

[Psychosplodge]

Not much parking there though. It's merely existing to work, not working to live.

[Wolfshade]

Not much parking there though. It's merely existing to work, not working to live.

You mean aside from the secure parking underneath the development? Or, living within walking distance of work and social facilities and a major transport hub so you don't really need a car...?

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

Urge to kill rising...

[Psychosplodge]

But I work near junction 31. And the only other sizable companies in my line of work are in Leeds or Redditch...

I know what you mean, I suppose they're suitable for office drones, who move from one box to another...

[alshrive]

my Wife and I have a 2 Bedroom place in the middle of a quaint little Market Town that only costs us £475 per month which does us just fine

[Wolfshade]

But then that is it really, if you are on "living wage" you would expect to increase.
Also move to Redditch then you'll be near me :) Plus I have had some nice places for rent in and around there, on was a converted barn with adjectent barn owl and killer goose (£475 all in) and 10 mins for redditch centre a 2 bed masonette with dedicated off road parking, brick shed and a garden large enough to build a 7 bed house on that was 550 though...

I'm not sure about around J31 I lived in S10 and the very south of S3

[Psychosplodge]

Apparently the place in redditch pays less, at least that's what the boss claims everytime we want more money...

To rent, they're mostly the pokey 1/2 bed things that don't conform to minimum housing association specs, but everything basicly starts at £500 pcm, I know I scroll through longingly every month. So if you can afford to buy you can drop on to a good deal sometimes.