How are you *actually* dealing with wage stagnation x rising bills?
Posted by heyho2023@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 186 comments
Genuinely looking for the practical changes or measures people have taken. We’re currently working through our finances and want to make sure we’re doing all we can.
Not looking for “get a new job” because e.g. my husband has a specialist job that’s not particularly transferable; the pay freeze has been going on since Covid; and he’s one of the lucky ones to still have a job because of so many redundancies. So, if the answer is “retrain” — totally want to hear that, but with the intel on how you retrained while still working and paying the bills, if that makes sense.
What’s everyone doing, really?
(If needed: middle earners, so not on benefits but not in the higher tax bracket; homeowners; based in the south west.)
Friendly_Yak_2713@reddit
Average wages have risen by around 50% since COVID so if there has been a complete freeze then you really do need new jobs
AutomaticInitiative@reddit
Average includes all the minimum wage people who have had massive uplift. Everyone who was already above it but below median is squeezed.
Friendly_Yak_2713@reddit
Has min wage not gone up by around 50% too? In which case it can't be skewing the average and the average of non minimum wage is also then around 50%?
AutomaticInitiative@reddit
I mean, I started my job 5 years ago and have def not had a 50% payrise. I was 5k above min wage then, and now 2k above.
hazysin@reddit
I know it’s not the answer you want to hear but if his job isn’t transferable then he is at massive risk if redundancies have already started so he’ll need to look at retraining or finding a way to adapt his current skill set. This can be done through night school, in house training or if he is in the right industry then the new role could come with training.
Also you haven’t mentioned if you are in work? Even part time work would be a quick bit of extra cash per month.
heyho2023@reddit (OP)
Yeah this is his biggest fear tbh.
I am a freelancer, I work 6 days a week atm!
hazysin@reddit
Damn 6 days a week is no joke. If they are full days or close to it that’s burn out territory for me.
It’s still better to get ahead of it and begin the retraining or extra qualification process as it’s usually a length one especially if it’s part time. What sector is he in?
GrabbedByTheGhost@reddit
Geography. It just depends where you live.
We both earn £40K each, we are both overworked but have a 3 bed semi and mortgage and two cars and are not financially struggling, to the point where hearing these stories from people is genuinely perplexing especially when you all seem to earn double what we do.
I feel for you.
heyho2023@reddit (OP)
We earn the same. Interested in your location / actually mortgage though as a 3 bed semi costs can vary hugely.
I think it’s maybe being blown out of proportion — it’s not that we’re at risk of losing our home or anything — but mortgages and bills going up by hundreds a month is a lot to suddenly swallow.
GrabbedByTheGhost@reddit
Our house is worth 170k, although it was worth a lot less when we bought it a few years ago. Our mortgages 400 pounds a month. That will increase next year when the rates go up. However there are two of us so that is halved.
Energy and water have remained more or less stable since covid.
The only thing we are really noticing is the price of fuel and food.
stickyjam@reddit
Ermmm they haven't! How have you not noticed these change!
Albeit they aren't the biggest changers pcm, but multiple by 12 for a yearly figure and it's hundreds
heyho2023@reddit (OP)
That’s insanely cheap! Good for you. Absolutely not an option in our area sadly. Although, I love our home and we worked hard to save our deposits, so I just want to keep being able to live here really.
GrabbedByTheGhost@reddit
I don't understand how London has been allowed to get this bad. Sounds like some regulation needs to be put in place
heyho2023@reddit (OP)
Not even in London — Cornwall!
Exita@reddit
It’s just supply and demand. Lots of people want to live there and there isn’t enough space. Regulation won’t help - you can regulate extra space into existence.
The only things which will help are building more houses, or encouraging people to leave.
GrabbedByTheGhost@reddit
If you put a cap on rent, it would just be first come first serve at least. And then people wouldn't be getting exploited
sv21js@reddit
Do you own your home? That’s the big one. I pay over £2k a month to rent a one bedroom flat. Because rent is eating my income, I can’t save enough for a deposit, although a mortgage would be cheaper than my rent. I could leave London but for my industry I’d be paid much less if I did.
g00gleb00gle@reddit
That is the trick. I earn less in north. But things are also cheaper.
Exita@reddit
Eek. My mortgage is basically that for a 5 bed house.
Gbrown546@reddit
This is the big thing for me. Paying so much in rent for a small flat that any chance of saving up for a place to buy seems a completely unrealistic goal to hit.
GrabbedByTheGhost@reddit
Yes, we do.
That sounds revolting. That's four times what I pay on a mortgage
ScientistNational363@reddit
Quit alcohol. It feels like giving yourself a 10/15% pay rise. The money you save after a couple of months is staggering.
Few-Pepper858@reddit
Most people are not dealing with it, that's the issue
Exita@reddit
I don’t think that’s true in the slightest. The vast majority of people are dealing with it. They’re just not enjoying it very much.
Few-Pepper858@reddit
Delusional.
Exita@reddit
https://yougov.com/en-gb/trackers/how-well-are-brits-coping-financially
72% say they’re coping fine. Only 9% say they’re finding things very difficult.
Have you considered that you might be living in a bubble?
Few-Pepper858@reddit
Have you considered that you're living in a bubble? Even the graph you cited is trending down lol. But hey, let them eat cake, I guess.
Exita@reddit
I mean, if you consider 72% of the population to be a bubble, sure. Go for it.
And yeah, it’s trending down. I’m not saying things aren’t hard for a lot of people. Just that it’s a very, very long way from most people not dealing with it, as you stated.
Few-Pepper858@reddit
Most people in the third world are "dealing" with poverty, but they're not happy about it. See? You can say that about everyone.
Such a dumb take honestly, so much delusion lol.
Exita@reddit
Ok buddy.
Few-Pepper858@reddit
Nice rebuttal there tinkerbell.
Friendly_Yak_2713@reddit
Average wages are rising and have risen faster than inflation so most people don't have to deal with it
mypostisbad@reddit
Pay freeze going on since covid?
Try since about 2008 in the public sector.
Nineteen_AT5@reddit
Not for all public sector workers. In the past 5 years I've had pay increases of excess of 4% to 5% each year. As well as an extremely good pension scheme it's been great.
EmFan1999@reddit
Compare your salary in 2008 to now and see where it would be had it increased with inflation - pretty much everyone is worse off by at least 25%
courage_the_dog@reddit
Hah joke's on you i wasnt old enough to work then!
AirconGuyUK@reddit
Over same period I've had 0% in private sector 🙃
Public sector workers really do love to moan when actually they don't have it bad at all. Especially when pensions is factored in.
Bitter-Sand@reddit
Everyone likes a moan. But it does depend where you are in public sector. In my area of civil service have been limited to no more than 3% in the last few years, and before that it was 0% or 1% going back to 2010. I am definitely out of pocket versus 2010 wages. And my pension scheme has been reduced in that time. I’m not saying i have it worse than you but in saying there is not only one truth in relation to public sector pay.
Western-Edge-965@reddit
Im a civil servant and i did get an 8 % pay rise last year. I was told when I got the job the only way for a payrise was to promote but apparently not!
I doubt it will happen again tho
Tetsuo1981@reddit
Don't really go out. Very rarely buy clothes for myself unless I have to. Buy own brand foods or value stuff. Buying cheaper meat. Have no monthly subscriptions for music or movies. No foreign holidays, very few days out unless it's something free or really cheap. Slowly selling off bits and pieces like musical instruments if needed, begrudgingly
Dunno, I just give up and cross my fingers.
Itchy-Book402@reddit
I don't use Uber Eats anymore. I have a stack of canned soups instead.
atsevoN@reddit
To be fair soup and some nice buttered bread you sometimes can’t beat
Shinkiro94@reddit
It's my favourite lazy comfy meal! I splurge a bit for sourdough bread though
maersyl@reddit
I make my own bread and soups now and, fuck me sideways, I enjoy doing it and I’ve saved shitloads!
joshii87@reddit
Don’t forget to bulk buy soups with your More Card for those booster points!
romeo__golf@reddit
Refusing to leave a job because it's specialised, despite the pay stagnating, is exactly why the pay is stagnating. The employer doesn't need to improve things to retain staff, so they pay less.
You say middle earners, but that's quite a broad spectrum. I'm on \~£70k in a role which requires no formal qualifications at all. I'm an area manager for a workspace provider and it's a sales/customer-service type role where the only real required skill is "talking to people professionally".
There's no way anyone in a sales role would accept 4+ years of pay freezes... but that's why we earn well without any real on-paper skills. We negotiate.
AutomaticInitiative@reddit
Wish I could go into sales but am autistic and terrible at it!
Boredfatman@reddit
Recently had a 3% pay rise, and was told to be happy with that, but in all honesty it’s a pay cut vs cost of living. There are things we need to do in the house which will fall into disrepair due to lack of available funds, so as usual the situation gets worse.
Someone posted a thread recently asking how many of us live month to month, and all of my colleagues that I have spoken to have to do exactly that. They have zero savings, no contingency and no sign of improvement.
AquarianViolist@reddit
I got 1% this year 🫠
ritasuenbobtoo@reddit
What company ever gives a cost of living pay increase? This is always a common complaint but has anyone ever received that from an employer?! It’s wishful thinking and an common expectation that never happens IMO
maersyl@reddit
I feel you on this, mate. I’m basically living pay to pay and it’s so depressing. I have no savings, debt is rising.
I’ve cut out pretty much everything that requires a subscription but, even then, it’s just a shit show.
I’m just lucky that I can walk to work!
heyho2023@reddit (OP)
Totally get this, it’s really hard right now — anything you don’t do that needs doing just costs you more down the line. We’ve just wiped out a chunk on a leaking chimney and praying nothing else goes wrong.
AquarianViolist@reddit
we’re similar to you - homeowners , middle earners, no benefits
Reality is we’ve downgraded:
food (used to be weekly Ocado, now it’s hunting deals, last week I paid £1 to fill a bag for life at a church hall (not a food bank per se but stops food waste)
We haven’t got an “abroad” holiday booked - last one was Jan 2025, 3 nights in a 3 star in Canaries (10 years ago it was 2 weeks, 5* Caribbean)
vishbar@reddit
We’re leaving the UK.
AutomaticInitiative@reddit
Used to have weekly takeaway on a Saturday now it's a once a month payday treat.
Cancelled all streaming and set up my computer to do it instead (Yo ho ho and all that).
Buy all my clothes from Vinted.
Keep phones for longer and make sure to switch to cheap SIM only at end of contract (had one new phone since COVID since my last one died out of nowhere).
Do a lot more staycations.
Overall just a lot more control over spending and taking advantage of deals and coupons.
Hitching-galaxy@reddit
Mountain of debt and sleepless nights.
Existing_Doughnut985@reddit
I quit my 13 yr employment, £40k job and have started working for myself instead doing the same thing. I was charged out at £120/hr+ markups on everything I used whilst earning £21~ of that lol
Cost me about £10k for van and getting myself all set up, it’s been slow and I’ve been going through some savings for 3 months but now it’s at the point where I’m coming out with my previous wage after just 2 weeks. I’m prioritising time over money at the minute so working less than I could be
I’m aware things will drop off in summer, I’ve also been taking advantage of having my own van and buying stuff at liquidation auction to try and sell which is something I’ve always always enjoyed and done in bits but never had the time to do properly
0-starlight-0@reddit
Can I ask what job you do?
Existing_Doughnut985@reddit
I’m a gas engineer/plumber. Commercial and domestic but the commercial side is newer to me and I’ve not had any of my own proper commercial jobs, just helping other commercial friends
0-starlight-0@reddit
That's great, I hope your business continues to grow
Existing_Doughnut985@reddit
Thank you man, I’m really hopeful things work for me
Thoughtless-Test@reddit
Honestly just hopping onto any new job that pay more
Friendly_Yak_2713@reddit
Yeh if your pay has frozen since COVID that's a total skill issue because that is not the trend
Thoughtless-Test@reddit
Luckily it hasnt i just retrained and jobs domt come up often so looking at going back to my old sector
-Xserco-@reddit
Advocating for wealth taxes.
Better regulations against oligarchs.
Banning of lobbying.
Banning wealth earned in the UK being taxed elsewhere. Your value taken from the UK should be paid in the UK. Full stop.
Fighting back defenders and excusers.
Move to independence in Scotland to take control of wealth distribution and asset prices including trade deals, energy, etc. Which is currently dictated by England.
Im fortunate that this wont hit me until a few years, and even then, I should be fine. Ill enjoy less stuff, but I already do. Much of this is already my job within health and nutrition anyway. Get corporations out, government paid independent experts in and regulations to guard them.
Jimeeh@reddit
Feel like in the southwest we have low wages and high house prices should of been born northern
Seafoxing@reddit
I was born and grew up in the north. And now live in Kent. I’m doing it wrong
sambinary@reddit
Yeah it's gotten hideous in the Bristol area, rent and house prices are approaching London but salary is noway near...
Musashi1596@reddit
It drives me crazy that London is the only place in the UK that gets cost of living adjustments to wages when many parts of the country have practically caught up with how expensive it is.
Correct_Barnacle_312@reddit
Thank covid for that and the work from home london bleed out
tar-mirime@reddit
We sold our house in the south Wales valleys in 2019 and the estate agent said they'd started having a lot of interest from Bristol. What she actually said was 'outsiders used to be from Cardiff, now they're from Bristol.' Our house went to a couple from Bristol, but you could houses for less than £100k, maybe half that if you didn't mind doing some work.
FinancialScore9070@reddit
Whilst I don’t necessarily disagree, check the private rental market in greater Manchester and come back to me. We don’t all pay £500 a month in rent, you can easily be looking at £1100 for a not so desirable place.
National-Incident-18@reddit
Rents in South West are same - £750 a month for room in house with 5 others....
robbodagreat@reddit
The south west is simply growing, it’s currently ravaging Cheshire
maersyl@reddit
My wife and I moved to York from Exeter. York is one of the most expensive places in the north but, fuck me, it’s a damn sight cheaper than Exeter and much nicer.
jack5624@reddit
You know you can move?
rustynoodle3891@reddit
I lived a lot of my younger life in Kent and London. These days I'm up in the NW and the rental prices in my shitty town are over a grand for a very basic three bed. I just did a quick search and it's now 2k+ for a 2 bed in my home town. I only know one person who still lives there and she had her council flat since she was 16.
500 quid a week without considering bills and food? Insanity
heyho2023@reddit (OP)
So true! I feel so grateful to call this amazing part of the world home but it is tough economically.
Seafoxing@reddit
I had to get rid of my car as I couldn’t afforded to maintain and insure and run it as the money was just getting spent on food and utilities- I cycle everywhere now and so do my family. I’ve actually felt quite liberated getting rid of it.
We have also cut down on buying any red meat
I also no longer or should I say rarely go to the pub any more
Both me and my partner earn. Not loads. But should be enough to cover bills and have disposable income but we are always broke and we don’t go on holiday either.
Altruistic-Basil@reddit
Much much less eating out and pub.
House renovation bits aren't getting done / furniture isn't being replaced although we could really do with a new sofa, bed and mattress. Will be replacing two handset contracts with super cheap sim only contracts this summer. No gym membership All treats are budgeted for from an ever dwindling pocket money pot. We did prioritise an abroad holiday this spring as we desperately needed a break and some Vitamin D, but tbh I regret the money spent (saved up for) and wish we'd just done a caravan in cornwall. Will be camping if anything this summer.
Last year I was actually enquiring about a Saturday job in a nice local shop but ended up getting a new job with a payrise..Which is all being funneled into maternity savings pot, because new job is Stat Mat pay only and the most impactful saving is that we haven't had kids yet.
Made about £700 this year selling old clothes on vinted, and bought almost all new clothes second hand.
Surveys on prolific pay fairly well - I could probably make £5 a day if I was so inclined.
I have no idea how single people or people with kids are coping.
buginarugsnug@reddit
Cancelled all but one entertainment subscription - we now only have Disney plus. Once we've watched everything we want on there we will cancel that and get Netflix again. No more Spotify premium.
Cancelled the gym and do at home workouts. It was a small initial cost to buy bits of equipment (weights, mini-treadmill etc) but will save us a lot in the long run - the treadmill only cost £200 which for two people is only three months worth of gym subs.
Stick to the list when we grocery shop. We do a meal plan before we go shopping too which means we aren't buying any food that we're not using. We also buy rice, pasta, chicken and bacon in bulk which saves on the cost per portion.
We review what we're spending and saving every month too to make sure we're not falling victim to lifestyle creep and to see if we could be funnelling more into savings or overpaying the mortgage.
My parents took a more drastic cost saving measure and downsized their house so they became mortgage free.
off_of_is_incorrect@reddit
Can be as low as £3-4 on some networks through MSE's links. (Sims I mean.)
heyho2023@reddit (OP)
This is really useful, we’ve done some of these — like the subscription and gym.
Interested to know how you find storing stuff you buy in bulk? I keep suggesting this but my husband is like “where would we put it all?!”
Also interested to here your review process each month? How do you approach that? (e.g. I used to flag stuff as “poor choices” haha and then show the maths of what we could have saved if we didn’t do those)
Thanks for your reply 😊
buginarugsnug@reddit
We have two freezers so any meat gets bagged into portions and put in there. For the pasta and rice we had to a reorganisation of our cupboards, but a large bag of each now has a space in the corner cupboard. It really depends what usable space you have in your kitchen but with a little reorganising or even some free standing drawers you might find space.
We put spends into categories, some stuff stays the same all year like phones, broadband, utilities & council tax so we mostly review groceries, fuel and any other spends. Food and fuel don't really get that scrutinised because we need them but we make sure other spending is all still at a comfortable level. There's been months where we've gone out for dinner a bit too often so the next month we cut back. We also use the review to push any spare money into savings, or earmark it for something coming up like an MOT/service or family birthday. It's by no means a perfect process but it does help us.
CaterpillarCrumpets@reddit
I've been on the same wage since 2021 (above median for my area, below higher tax bracket), my housing costs have increased almost 4-fold (previously split costs in a rental, now have purchased house I live in alone).
Obviously some of the saving is no longer saving towards a house, but I haven't been able to save up the security net I wanted (however, I do benefit from the informal safety net of I could approach family if required).
I was already tight with subscriptions, drove a cheap car, shopped around, regularly reviewed my energy bills and all that sort of thing but while I don't think I really recognised or acknowledged it at the time, I spent a lot of money on shopping and drinking.
I've been forced to confront it because I'm terrified of getting into debt*, so I've done a lot of work over the last two years in particular to try and curb impulsive and compulsive spending, as a result I just buy less now, I've also all but given up drinking (which obviously saves a lot too). I've done multiple rounds of looking at where I'm spending money, having a strict budget, writing down everything I buy and assessing if it's in line with my values, revisiting the list a month on and do I still think it was a good purchase. I've done a few no buy months too.
*As a student I maxed out my credit card, couldn't pay it, felt like it was the end of the world even though it was only about a grand because I was a student but I felt physically sick and had suicidal thoughts over it. Bank of mum and dad bailed me out and made it crystal clear this was a one time offer. I've never forgotten how I felt and never taken on debt (other than mortgage) I don't have money in savings to pay (i.e, I'll use a credit card when it makes sense but only if I already have the money, and I move it into a savings account so I know it's been "spent")
Illustrious_Pen_6304@reddit
I'm not, I've been on the same wage for coming up to 5 years.
I dont have a home, moved back with my parents.
Just hoping something pays off at some point.
I guess the main change is the acceptance my life is going to be much lower quality than I once dream of.
Fantastic_Picture384@reddit
Unemployment is down Growth is up. Wages are increasing Why are going through an boomtime in the economy.
Friendly_Yak_2713@reddit
Because it's more comforting to think you're being screwed over by the economy than your own decisions
ThisIsMyRedditAcct20@reddit
Downsized the flat 1.5 years ago. Cut takeaways. Only buy foot when on offer at markets Investing has been very kind Partner paused her gym membership A good spice rack can go along way for transforming bland food to good Given up smoking. Don’t eat out. Cut back on pubs
New_Line4049@reddit
When you go through your spending, on the first pass don't approach with the mindset of cutting spending. Approach with the intent to categorise your spending. List everything you spend on and group into essential for survival and not essential for survival. You could add a 3rd group to split not essential again and pull out those things that arent technically essential but have significant positive impact on life. You've now identified what you can loose if you need to, but detached that from the emotional response to actually loosing it.when you make cuts its then easier to let go of stuff that you have to cut out because youve already identified it as something you may have to loose. Be ruthless with the categorisation. The goal is to have as little in the essential category as possible. This is what you can survive on, it'll be shit, but its survivable if it comes to it. Remember, youre not getting rid of everything else, youre deciding what youre worst case scenario, last stand position is. Then your selectively trimming back as necessary towards this position but hopefully never reaching it. Maybe this is just how my brain works.
As for retraining, keeping youre eyes on the job market, some companies will train you in house and pay during the training period. I considered retraining as a train driver or conductor a couple of years ago, this is very much how that worked. I cant remember the exact numbers, but pay during training was similar to what my job at the time was paying, rising significantly on completion of training. Unfortunately you cant be train crew if your colour blind, so that put at end to that plan. Im not suggesting he goes out and becomes a train driver to be clear, buy t there are options out there if you keep an ear to the ground.
I dont know how feasible it would be for you, but if possible move North. The South is, generally, much more expensive. The big cities up North are still fairly pricey, but theres a lot of smaller towns and villages where youll be much better off, within reasonable commuting distance of the big cities for work.
Itchy-Ad4421@reddit
Cut back on shit you don’t need to increase money for what you do need.
Sir-Tommy-Vercetti@reddit
I just don’t do much that’s enjoyable and don’t have a car on finance so get by. Not much else to be done. This is life in the UK now.
ermCaz@reddit
Tax wealth not work
heyho2023@reddit (OP)
How’s your mental health?
Sir-Tommy-Vercetti@reddit
I’m alright. I just accept this is how it is and maintain perspective as there is always someone worse off. Even if the country started doing well again and the cost of living eased, the government would just take that as a sign that they can raise taxes and businesses would up prices so we would all get knocked back again anyway. Only so much that can be done.
HouseOfWyrd@reddit
I am not
deHaga@reddit
Trading leveraged oil ETFs on Freetrade.
ohnobobbins@reddit
We just live quite lean. No takeaways, rarely eat out. Just got rid of another £20 subscription. I only have one more, which is Netflix.
The problem is, if it carries on like this, it will get to the stage where I’m not sure we will be able to cover our costs. We’ve already pared most things back to minimum. What else can we cut? And a £20 saving on Netflix doesn’t really compare to our major costs like rent, mortgage and council tax. And food, electricity. A £20 saving doesn’t really solve the problem.
We both have two jobs, a main job then a side gig. So we’re already a four job household. I guess attempt a pay rise somehow, and/or think up a third way to earn in my spare time?
ConduciveMammal@reddit
Little bit of job hopping. I’ve tripled my wage in 4 years.
Comprehensive_You42@reddit
Got crappy cars, Got old phones with sim only deals, Camping holidays Binned off all subscriptions, then only resigned with the ones we really missed
Made a simple budget, then tried to stick to it
Maximum working from home
Weekly menu, including lunches all made from home.
Invited people over instead of going to the pub.
AirconGuyUK@reddit
Crappy cars honestly feels like one of those things that ends up costing you more in the long run imo. I buy second hand, few years old, and if you pick the right brands you can still have 5 years on the manufacturers warranty. Trouble free driving, basically.
heyho2023@reddit (OP)
Interested in inviting people over rather than the pub — we did this for a while and found we were spending just as much if not more hosting, how did you navigate that? Etiquette tells me I can’t ask people to pay half the shopping bill or ask them to bring their own, but is that normal?
smackdealer1@reddit
If you are just hosting people for a drink then tell them to bring their own drink and food.
If you are having a meal rotate the days you host Vs them. Or agree prior to split costs/input.
Sounds like your getting taken for a ride there tbh.
Comprehensive_You42@reddit
It's a really good point - just be open and honest with what you're doing. You can't be the ONLY people who aren't going out as much as you are. Get a couple of bottles of wine, and be honest about it being a 'bring your own bottle', not a party and you're not playing host! There will ALWAYS be a mooch (ours is called Chris), but even in a small group, that gets diluted.
"Hi guys, haven't seen people in ages, and I'm struggling with the cost of a pint at [INSERT NAME OF POPULAR LOCAL HOSTELRY]. Anyone fancy coming over to ours for a byob evening so you can take the pi$$ out of my spotify playlist?"
Danimalomorph@reddit
Last three points are all really nice.
Jessticle_@reddit
It’s counterintuitive, but my partner and I have found that paying the £7 a month each for Monzo plus has been really helpful. You get a free cinema ticket each a month, so we have at least one night out that’s basically free, which gives us something to look forward to, meaning we’re less likely to nip to the pub just to get out the house.
Mainly though, it allows you to create virtual accounts and add the cards to Apple Pay - so fun money, food money etc are all in their own accounts. Having things so extremely separated has helped us track spending incredibly precisely, which has been a big help.
FoxesFan91@reddit
fyi you can do this for free with Starling
Sea_Director_4439@reddit
I'm getting radicalised
BathTimeNoseBleed@reddit
I'm getting reaaal choppy
AskUK-ModTeam@reddit
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Non-wholesomechungus@reddit
This must be how Weimar Germany felt before hyperinflation hit
WinkyNurdo@reddit
As a curiosity I looked it up. At the height of hyperinflation in November 1923, bank notes were issued to the sum of 100 trillion marks. One of our English pounds was worth roughly 17 trillion marks, and the dollar was at 4.2 trillion marks. A loaf of bread cost 200 billion marks as inflation soared at a daily rate.
In mid November 1923, the temporary rentenmark was introduced, which effectively cut 12 zeros off of prices, with one rentenmark equalling one trillion marks.
N4t3ski@reddit
Its rather interesting to look at the face value of postage stamps issued at the time to see the staggering amount of currency changing hands for trivial goods and services. (As people can adulterate or short food products as supplies get tighter or more expensive)
No_Ring_3348@reddit
When Money Dies is easily the best book on this subject. It's bone-chilling.
Non-wholesomechungus@reddit
Yeah there was stories of foreign exchange students buying up entire streets of houses in berlin with their pocket money that's how bad the exchange rate was.
jack5624@reddit
Weimar Germany was incomparably worse
Sea_Director_4439@reddit
I was thinking more Paris 1789. I've been reading lots of Thomas Paine.
AirconGuyUK@reddit
I seem to do fucking nothing and always be £200 in the hole at the end of the month. It's doing my head in.
Correct_Ad_7817@reddit
Honestly right now it sucks! No pay rise this year and I won’t receive another for a few years as company I work for has adjusted our salary bandings. My bills continue to go up though. We already live okay by budgeting. The economy is bound to shrink if people have zero spend money.
luala@reddit
I got a bit aggressive about changing jobs to chase better pay. But mainly it’s been about cutting back. We barely eat out and I’m careful about coffees. I’ve sold a few bits on Vinted but it’s barely worth it. Not sure what else you can do really.
AspiringPirate64@reddit
Embracing poverty - it’s all about mindset
Junior_Tradition7958@reddit
Living within my means.
RestaurantAntique497@reddit
Simply doing less. Obviously this is all just a race to the bottom though and will ultimately lead to a recession of some sort.
If enough people scale back spending and only afford the necessities then loads of businesses will suffer
thelaughingman_1991@reddit
By being pushed towards 'choosing' to be childless more and more each day
queefybean@reddit
Household income 55k:
Shit car from 2008 Takeaway / eat out 1-2 a month Very strict grocery list and meal plan (I’ve got down to £70-75 for 10 days for 2) I use Tesco delivery so I can track spending very easily Nothing on finance Get clothes, video games etc from vinted
Astronaut_Striking@reddit
I'm a graduate earning 35k, rising to 45k in the next few months. For now, finances are really tight and I'm in my graduate overdraft a lot now after my motorcycle needed to go in the garage which messed my finances up. After graduating, I thought my salary would go a lot further than it does and made mistakes as a result.
I've been silly with money, took out a loan to get that motorcycle which I've just finished paying (180 per month, my only transport though) and had a fancy gym membership which I thought I could afford, but couldn't (120 per month 12 month contract) which I'm ending this month as the contract ends.
I'm joining the Army reserves, mostly because I want to but it'll also get some extra money into my pocket which is nice and I get to use their gym for free.
I've been taking overtime whenever possible at work which gets me an extra 100-200 per month.
I've also been looking into whether I should get some extra cash-in-hand work or some side hustles.
We'll see in a few months time what the situation is like, I'll have more money coming in and with those monthly costs stopping, I'll have more staying in my account. Currently though, I feel like I'm sinking.
My situation is a result of mistakes on my end and I'm learning as I go.
-Po-Tay-Toes-@reddit
By putting in a fair amount of effort and progressing within my workplace so I earn more. And slowly, very slowly, paying down existing debt.
It helps that I work at an expanding company who are open to advancing the right people though, I realise that is not an option for many regardless of effort.
heyho2023@reddit (OP)
Yeah I think this is the thing I struggle with most — we were both progressing really nicely and then suddenly both our industries just started cutting and cutting so we’re treading water losing money not keeping up with inflation.
-Po-Tay-Toes-@reddit
Yeah there's a lot of that going around unfortunately. It sucks for everyone affected.
Antique_Client_5643@reddit
I've taken it mainly out of holidays tbh. Not a conscious decision, but they've been the first thing to go.
Thing is, the pie is getting smaller, and everyone scrabbling harder for bits of it won't help. And unless you want a *much* smaller pie you'll be spending more on defence, too.
Certain-Trade-4121@reddit
If I were in your situation I would do this. I split my bills into essential (rent bills etc) and non essential categories (eating out, holidays, subscriptions). I would stop spending on the non essential category first until I sorted out my wages. I would try to find another job in my field that paid more or failing that a delivery, cleaning job, gardening, etc I could do on the weekends. You could also do surveys on some websites and get paid (for example yougov).
Aggressively pay off any debt other than your mortgage. This will free up some money for the rest your expenses.
Batch cook and freeze meals. Cook twice a week so you have meals in the freezer for the whole week. Avoid takeaways as they can add up quickly. I get fake takeaways (chicken strips and chips) from Lidl/Aldi and put them in the air fryer when I feel a craving.
For days out you can pack up some sandwiches and go out for walks in parks or walking trails instead of going shopping in town.
For insurance make sure you renew car and home insurance in advance (around 20-26 days) to get the best price. For remortgaging you can get a quote to remortgage from 6 months before you need to.
For subscriptions like broadband and phone check online if you can get a better deal. If you are near the end of your plan, ring up your existing company and try to see if they will match or beat it. If they don't switch your subscription. For phone plans try to not upgrade your phone at the end of the contract. Most phones last a lot longer than two years. After you paid off your phone try and switch to a SIM only plan.
Always compare your fixed energy tariff and switch if you find someone cheaper.
The southwest is an expensive part of England to be in right now. But I really hope your situation gets better 🤞🏽
heyho2023@reddit (OP)
Interested in your comment on finding a weekend job — have you actually done this? I’m a freelancer and had been working 6 day weeks for the majority of this year to try to boost the savings, but I am exhausted!! Not sure how sustainable this is? A weekend job would also get taxed massively as a second job — did you find it was actually worth it?
No other debt and generally pretty good on not many takeaways. We live by a beach so days out are fairly cheap in general.
Certain-Trade-4121@reddit
Apologies if I sounded insensitive. I assumed both you and your husband worked in full time jobs. I didn't know you were a freelancer (it wasn't mentioned in the original post). I only mentioned this as a way to increase your income (if you were free on weekends).
I did do a lot of warehouse work on zero hour contracts while I was at uni (this was around 2012-2015) and for some time after I finished uni until I got my first proper job. I felt it helped me since I got a bit of money every week to get on a coach and go to my next interview. I have to admit I haven't looked into part time work since then. I've been fortunate enough to live off my salary.
The only other thing I can suggest is to check with an accountant if there are any ways to reduce your tax/NI as a freelancer. Sorry if this isn't of my help and hope your situation gets better 🤞🏽
heyho2023@reddit (OP)
My husband has a full time job — 9-6 but they do ask for a weekend semi-regularly (for TOIL not overtime). I freelance as an editor and author for educational textbooks (10+ years in big companies, affected by redundancy so went freelance).
We can “live” off our salaries but are getting older and desperately want a kid, so looking for ways to save so we can afford one. That’s also a factor in not wanting to take on weekend work as we want to be able to be a family not just workers who never see each other, you know?
I guess there’s a big difference between not being at genuine risk of losing the house/not having food on the table and actually being able to have something of a life while you manage that.
Certain-Trade-4121@reddit
From what you have described it might be worth one of you looking to try and change careers if possible? Try the national careers service. They have free courses and stuff you can do online as well. https://nationalcareers.service.gov.ukfind-a-course/searchcourse
Try Udemy as well. They have courses that can improve your (perhaps) job prospects. They start at £30-100ish. You have to sacrifice a bit of time to get through them (probably a few weeks to a year depending on the course) but hopefully will be worth it when you make more money. Also getting a PAYE job might even get you an okay maternity pay for when you decide to have a baby?
Unless you have a really bad spending habit or a gambling problem (which I assume you not your husband has) you can't budget your way to an emergency fund. For example if you make £2000 and frugally spend £1999 you don't have much to save. You will have a better possibility of getting to that emergency fund if you try and learn something new and hopefully get a job that pays £2500 and keep your spending to £1999. Little bit of short term struggle for long term gain. Hope your situation gets better 🤞🏽
heyho2023@reddit (OP)
I’m already doing a PhD on the side to hopefully transition into academia. It’s really hard that this is what the world is coming to — my husband has a what should be a good job that he actually likes, but the advice is do a course and change careers? Not speaking against you but the situation of the job market, it’s just really depressing.
I’m f love a PAYE job for some mat leave. I’m constantly on LinkedIn. The main issue is there are so few jobs and the ones there are over so oversubscribed — I applied for what should have been a shoe-in step down role, didn’t even get an interview, the person who got it was an ex-colleague who was three levels above me! Madness.
Certain-Trade-4121@reddit
You should have probably led with your PhD and your freelance job lol.
It is especially hard nowadays. Especially with CVs being digitally filtered before HR even sees them (if they even see them). I work in tech and even we struggle to move jobs despite having years of experience. Graduates struggle too and this is just after IT boomed from 2020-2024. Those were the days when you had to beat recruiters off with a stick. Most grads now have to apply for 100s of jobs before getting one.
In this day and age atleast you have a partner to split costs with unlike single people. The job market will hopefully get better as time moves on and we get out of this crisis. Keep looking for jobs (try NHS jobs or civil service jobs as well) and go through your expenses with a fine tooth comb to see if there's anything you can do without. Hang in there. 🤞🏽😃
WinglyBap@reddit
I’ve gone from going to the pub twice a week to staying home gaming with friends drinking cans of cheap beer.
IONIXU22@reddit
I’ve started up a side hustle. Still barely treading water.
OK_Cake05@reddit
Join a union, get radicalised
Laura2468@reddit
Porridge for breakfast. Lentil daal for lunch (meal prepped and frozen). Apples for snack.
Rest of food budget goes on dinner so you can afford good variety.
Love-tea@reddit
I renewed mine and partners phone to sim only which saved about £100. We also got the tariff where u get Netflix as part of it or tnt sport. So we did one each so we dont pay for those. That’s saved around £50. I changed the dogs pet insurance and that saved £100. My car insurance went down when I got the renewal.( possibly due to going up and age bracket 🙈). So that was about £85 ish. So just over £300 with some really simple steps.
And we have just started planning out the weekly shop better. We would go every day or so and I’m sure we were spending more money doing that.
Oster-P@reddit
After my ex left and moved out about 6 months ago it's been a bit more difficult. Tried to cut down my energy and water usage which has thankfully slashed the bills a fair bit, I also eat balanced but cheap food now, beans protein, veg and stopped buying alcohol, although that was more of a health thing.
I stopped paying for a couple of subscriptions and luckily get free food at work as well, so that helps cut down on food spending more.
I'm very lucky to have paid cash for my house, if I had a mortgage I'd be completely screwed.
No more takeaways and the weekly Asda delivery has turned into the monthly asda delivery.
I also don't drive so that's another cost I don't have to worry about, just get the train to work.
Fairwolf@reddit
I just suffer
daemc97@reddit
Got rid of netflix and removed avocado and toast from my diet
Dazz316@reddit
The kids coming out of nursery was a HUGE help. Only one goes to after school club now and that's just 3 times a week.
I paid off my car so that's just insurance, tax and running cost.
Other than that.
Exita@reddit
My daughter will be starting school in September. It’s going to feel like we’re rolling in it…
Exita@reddit
By both my wife and I getting promotions at work, basically. Means we’ve both just about outpaced inflation over the last 10 years, and therefore feel pretty much the same.
SimplyFootballNet@reddit
Cancelled the gym (bought some dumbbells and kettlebells), cancelled Spotify, cancelled GamePass, shop at Aldi, go out less, do not have take-aways, quit alcohol and junk food, try to wait for a sale / discount if we need something. Ensure I shop on credit cards for cash back. Walk instead of drive when possible.
It's not easy man.
nunatakj120@reddit
I moved to Poland.
oneyeetyguy@reddit
I don't spend on things I don't absolutely need. I am also doing extra work on the weekends, some weekends I make more than my Mon-Friday at my actual job but it's too risky to go fully self employed.
RoundSection6369@reddit
Only having one child, not the two or three we'd have liked.
CongealedBeanKingdom@reddit
I've essentially been in a pay freeze since 2008. Public sector. Can't really 'go' anywhere else.
I live a very frugal lifestyle. (Un)fortunately I was born very, very poor so I'm used to doing without.
Moved miles away from everyone I knew to be able to buy a very cheap very shit house, I drive an old car so no car payment, I don't have children because I didn't want to bring them up in destitution, I have no debt apart from a mortgage. I wear shit clothes until they are totally unrepairable, I don't do 'cosmetic enhancements' or any of that shit. I have a Netflix account and no other streaming services. I want to go abroad on holiday, but I don't need to, so I don't. I have a tent and all mod cons though.
I do like to buy nice food. That's definitely my biggest expense.
Pay off as much of your debt as you can, save for things before purchasing them, forget about keeping up with the Jones'. Unless the Jones family is paying for your shit, it's none of their business what you do or do not have.
Lifestyle creep is the real killer here. Avoid avoid avoid!!!
fleetwood_mag@reddit
Anything for the kids is largely from Vinted. That’s true for my clothes too and my partner goes to sports direct and buys £100 of plain clothes every couple of years.
There’s a local buy and sell whatsapp group that regularly has kids stuff for free.
When we bought our house we were originally buying one with a modest mortgage (£120k) but instead decided to buy one without. It is lucky to be able to buy outright but I think a lot of people in our position would have chosen the bigger house with the mortgage. Being rent/mortgage free has saved us.
I need to get much better about buying cheaper foods. I do make soups with large quantities or veg and Dahl is my cheap food of choice.
only 2 subscriptions: Amazon and Spotify.
we have a 24 year old van and a 13 year old car, which are both obviously paid for.
I’m also reading the post for ideas.
CellistNarrow5069@reddit
I stopped buying alcohol. A win win
SneezlesForNeezles@reddit
I cut out a lot of the 'discretionary/treat spending' on getting a mortgage. I started using the 'pay for playing stupid mobile games' apps which got me pocket money for books and games. I was on Testerup but they cut earnings significantly. Ive moved to Freecash and have £60 in the pot currently for when the Steam sales come around. Its quite a lot of effort for the cash though, I'll admit.
Certain-Trade-4121@reddit
Try yougov. They pay around 50p per survey they make you do. I get 1-3 surveys a week.
heyho2023@reddit (OP)
So you earn approx £1 a week? Am I being really dense?
SneezlesForNeezles@reddit
It's pocket money rather than actual money, or at least that's how i treated the games money. Looking at my earnings, I used Testerup for about 70 weeks and earned £140. So £2 a week. I've made about £60 on Freecash in a month, so currently significantly ahead but I suspect the one game is an outlier.
If you use it to float your actual budget, you're screwed. If you save it up to buy stuff you stopped buying, it's a small additional earner. Two full price video games a year when you stopped buying video games because of the cost for instance.
sv21js@reddit
What is the business model of those apps? Is it just data harvesting?
SneezlesForNeezles@reddit
Data mining, adverts and idiots pay the bills I think.
The way I understand it is the gaming apps pay the middle man who pays me. So Animals and Coins for example will pay Freecash for getting me to sign up and then for the rewards as and when I meet them.
Many of the users will be picking up the small change rewards but not the larger rewards for late levels or hitting a level in a time frame. Freecash get the money from the developer and pay me a portion of it - an increasing one if I hit the goals, but never enough to make a loss. In a lot of cases, they pay out minimal rewards per game so keep more.
The apps are relying on the new user base to pay their bills - advert revenue being a big part of it, and if adverts gain you rewards people will click them to progress to the next goal on the middleman app.
But also people being idiots and getting hooked and spending money. I was on Puzzles and Survival for about fourteen months as I genuinely enjoyed the game. Made about £15 off it. Put about £50 over a period long after the game was paying out. I'm small fish; the whales in that game were putting $600 a week in apparently. If you can attract even one of them, you're quids in. I suspect the middleman app makes a clawback on some of that as well, particularly the stuff they incentivise by having Cashback offers.
So the developers are paid by advert revenue and idiots. Testerup/Freecash are paid by the developer. I'm paid some of what they get paid and only if I invest time into the game.
On Testerup, I was averaging £4-6 with some outliers at either pennies or £10-15. On Freecash, I've got £0.30 on one game (waste of time, punitive and gave up), £35 in another and £3.50 in another. There's then about £10 in surveys and log in bonuses.
This-Draft797@reddit
I don’t get takeaways - I meal prep - I buy clothes at charity shops and jumble sales- I say no to birthdays and leavings dos more and arrange one on one cheap things instead - one subscription at a time and change it up - walk more and drive less and I’ve started doing admin work on the side and thinking of offering pet sitting services
edfosho1@reddit
Spending less.
Warriorz7@reddit
Similar to your husband I have a specialist role with my company. I view this as I benefit to the company and employment as a 2 way street and I negotiate accordingly. I agree my goals and objectives each year. with my manager in line with the broader company gaols. I understand what meeting and exceeding those goals entails. I understand my company's approach to reward and recognition as well as understand the competenccy and behaviours framework that's published internally. I work within that framework to demonstrate how I have delivered and or exceeded on my goals. I also understand the company's growth and earnings and how I directly contribute to that success. If I were not compensated accordingly then I would seek employment within my industry and skill set elsewhere. My measure of what's fair is to exceed inflation (i.e not lose money year on year) and for my salary to reflect company performance and increased responsibilities where appropriate.
McFigroll@reddit
how often do you negotiate a pay rise? i've gotten into the habit of doing it every couple of years and its done the job.
theother64@reddit
Or how often do you look to move jobs.
I know it's not always possible but if you want more money. I think it's worth a quick search every now and then to see if there is anything you can jump to.
heyho2023@reddit (OP)
Always got the LinkedIn alerts going!
atsevoN@reddit
You can only really do that if you are salaried
heyho2023@reddit (OP)
And ditto this as a freelancer! I try to raise my prices but these days it’s often taken what the company has budgeted or don’t earn at all.
heyho2023@reddit (OP)
My husband has been trying for years — not much to be done if the company has a full on pay freeze and your lucky not to have been made redundant sadly.
AirlineSevere7456@reddit
It's eating into my hobbies/entertainment money basically. But when I move jobs I make sure to get at least a 5K payrise.
Capt_Capital@reddit
obvious answer is to cut back on non-essential expenses but also try to add another stream of income alongside your existing jobs.
if you're able to monetise your existing skills with freelance gigs it can really help add a few hundred pounds a month. Upwork is a really good place to find freelance work, which you can just do after work for a couple hours or on the weekend.
personally I do some article writing using my knowledge of a specialist field which pays very well for a side job, despite not having any journalism/writing qualifications beyond GCSE English. there are also a lot of English voice recording tasks that require British accents and all you need is a £20 mic from amazon or in some cases your phone. it only uses your recordings to train voice recognition software & LLMs.
ThrowRAkitty13@reddit
I've just accepted I'm never going to be well off or live a comfortable life. The only way I'm surviving is that my partner makes a decent wage, I wouldn't be able to hack it on my own.
SinfulSoftiez@reddit
Cut subscriptions, meal prep, renegotiate bills, build side income, automate savings, and track every expense ruthlessly each month.
Unstableavo@reddit
Mainly worrying lol as I'm really starting to struggle. Cut Spotify & realdebrid which were my only subscriptions. Got a water metre literally saving all my clothes and dishes for once a week to try save water. I'm looking for another job bit as I've barely got any other qualifications it's very hard.
Imaginary_Finger7844@reddit
Clothes from charity shop, endless batch cooking and doing as much overtime as I can.
knightsbridge-@reddit
Being poorer?
I dunno what answer you're looking for here. I've had two below inflation pay rises in a row the last two years, so my income is just a bit lower than it was two years ago.
I suppose the real answer is saving. While my income has gone down in pure terms, I've still spent those years paying down debt and saving money, and the gains from doing that offset the pay cut significantly.
If I manage to save £200/mo every month for two years, I've still got nearly £5000 in savings at the end. Even if my income didn't rise, I still became wealthier because I accrued wealth over time.
Try and curtail lifestyle creep was another one. As I get older, I'm getting better at realising that I don't actually need that much stuff. That there's a difference between stuff I actually need, stuff I really want, and stuff I only kinda want. I never buy the latter anymore, and I rarely buy the second. Younger me would've bought all three, and stopped caring about the third one within a few weeks of buying it.
For me, that final category is niche electronics, hobby stuff, unnecessary clothes and mini holidays/days out. There's probably stuff in your life that you spend money on that isn't actually a great return in happiness for how much it costs. Keep the stuff that actually makes you happy, cut the stuff that only kinda does.
Non-wholesomechungus@reddit
Gambling and looking for higher paying jobs
TartComfortable7766@reddit
We have just cut our spending on unnecessary things and just have an occasional treat here and there where possible to keep us sane.
Very rarely eat out or get a takeaway now, shop around for groceries (we shop in multiple places but stock up on items best priced at each and when on offer), don't have a fancy car or car on finance if avoidable, cut subscriptions (we rotate ours around every 3-9 months or so to watch what we want then once we've seen most we switch over, also have the package with adverts-every little helps), walk or cycle when possible, I workout and then shower at the gym (I enjoy a longer shower) so that saves a bit, try to plan meals ahead to avoid waste, only buy clothes for ourselves or the kids on vinted or primark for underwear.
Oh and of course get my bum out on onlyfans! Obvs!
Chickenhugga@reddit
Our only entertainment expenditure is the odeon limitless. We do not pay for any tv subscriptions or music subscriptions.
1 takeaway a month - on payday
I’ve even budgeted for my addiction (Coke Zero)
Either_Custard_7438@reddit
Onlyfans
Evil_Martin@reddit
Spend that extra £1 wisely 🤣
Mr_Bumcrest@reddit
Not spending as much
2c0@reddit
Got lucky and got a decent paying job during Covid but starting to feel it now. Lower paid friends are cutting streaming services, no more takeout / eating out, lowering their standards at the supermarket, batch cooking meals, using public transport or walking etc
You do what you have to in order to have a roof and food on the table. The rest are luxuries (even if that feels unfair) and can be cut.
Disastrous-Place-846@reddit
I might consider cutting back on my online poker habit
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