Did I just grow up in an comparatively well off family or are most people living in London poor?

Posted by Some-Air1274@reddit | AskABrit | View on Reddit | 25 comments

I grew up in rural Northern Ireland. My parents had really comfortable lifestyles, they both owned 3-4 houses between them and one luxury car (not a BMW).

We went abroad every single year and my dad bought a lot of gadgets when he wished. For example, sometimes he’d just go and buy a TV.

But then my mum would buy her all clothes in Primark and Tesco so idk.

Now, as an adult who has moved to London I feel really poor constantly. Last month I had to move back to London and I spent over £600 in doing so and I still have stuff to buy.

My apartment is a fortune every month and despite having pay rises from about £2,500 a month to £3,300 I have to penny pinch.

I have been living the exact same lifestyle but I’m maybe saving £100 more per month.

I was paid £3,500 last month and had so many excess bills, I had to take money out of my savings to get by and I look at my apartment and sometimes feel quite depressed. It’s by no means a dump of an apartment but when I’m walking around there’s different things that irk me, for example, the leather seats I have in the kitchen have bits of leather peeling off them and my letting agent said no to replacing them or putting a cover over them. So now I have to go round hovering the leather bits up everyday.

I don’t feel that I should have to be penny pinching or running around feeling destitute on this money. You know I feel like someone back home earning £1,000 a month.

Are most people in London just poor?

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Some-Air1274@reddit (OP)

It’s my parents not me

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Some-Air1274@reddit (OP)

Yeah I literally haven’t changed anything in terms of habits or living conditions since I moved here a few years ago.

If I was living on my income I had when I came here I’d be dire straits.

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Necessary_Train4507@reddit

I think it’s just difficult when you’ve come from an upbringing where you’ve not had to think twice about spending money. I come from a working class upbringing and was able to make £27k work in London in 2019 (although admittedly even back then money did go a lot further)

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Some-Air1274@reddit (OP)

My net income is £3,300

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Drewski811@reddit

You're not badly off, but by London standards you're poor.

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Some-Air1274@reddit (OP)

The median is £2,400

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Drewski811@reddit

Nationally, sure.

Not for comfortable in London.

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Some-Air1274@reddit (OP)

I just feel like my money doesn’t go far here at all. But then when I look up median salary I am above that.

As I said to another commenter, I sometimes think if I earned £100k here I’d still not be comfortable.

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Hulla_Sarsaparilla@reddit

London is ridiculously expensive unfortunately :(

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Some-Air1274@reddit (OP)

Idk I do feel like someone on a really low salary at home. Like everyday I have to think about money when I go oit.

Dipsywhipple@reddit

Regarding your dining chairs: Buy some slipcovers or even pillowcases, and when you move out, remove them and take them with you. I would also ask the landlord to come by and see the mess they are making, especially if this is something they might think you ruined when they do a walkthrough.

anabsentfriend@reddit

I don't know anyone amongst my peers who was as wealthy as you growing up.

The only people O meet now who would fall into that category are clients.

Apsalar28@reddit

You grew up well off.

My family got our first color TV when my Dad won one in a raffle at work and it was a huge event we still talk about. Most of our other gadgets like a VCR, Nintendo were passed on to us second hand by my Mum's much wealthier brother when his family upgraded to a newer version.

Holidays were a couple of weeks in a damp caravan in Wales.

Mum used to save up the child benefit each year to buy new shoes and we had one pair each that had to last an entire year and got worn for everything.

You were very well off. But yes, UK wages (especially London) have been eroded by rising property costs and now high inflation in general. People definitely have less disposable income than they used to and now even someone earning a decent salary in London can struggle to save up. That being said I feel like consumerism is higher now, so people spend more on non essentials but that is far from being the root of the problem.

Is your £40k before or after tax?

jc201946@reddit

I grew up poor, but I attended a prestigious school.

Most people don’t own more than one house.

A huge amount of people don’t have any holiday every year, especially abroad.

Many people rely on public transport and don’t have a car.

However, rural Ireland is much cheaper than London, you’d find your money went further there, but equally wages will be lower.

I’d say you grew up very comfortably and maybe just weren’t aware of that until you see a bit more of the wider world.

Vsparsons227@reddit

Sorry to break it to you OP, but you did indeed grow up in a well off family. Most people in the UK cant afford to own more than 1 home.

Growing up I was in a comfortable enough family, home was owned, no major debts etc. As a kid you dont appreciate the cost of things. However, as another commenter has said the cost of living has sky rocketed in the last decade.

I remember when I moved out a weeks foodshop would be £30 for me and my partner but is now more than double that.