How much do you need to earn these days for decent life???

[CCFCPhil]

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-...ludeSSTC=false

Houses in Gwent can sell for £35,000. That's £140 a month. Council tax would be about £100 a month. Food - if just you, you could easily eat for £40 a week or £160 a month. £400 a month.

Water rates £50 a month
Electricity and gas, about £80 a month.

£530 a month. Add in house insurance, and a bit for a rainy day, and for £600 a month you could be buying a property in Gwent, eating and living in warmth.

Everything else is, frankly, a luxury. So, it's open to definition of what living comfortably is. I reckon you could live a minimal existence for £8000 per year. And, in 25 years, you'd own your own property. If you could get in a lodger, you could feasibly charge £100-£120 a week for rent and you'd be living on less than £4k a year.

[Kris]

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-...ludeSSTC=false

Houses in Gwent can sell for £35,000. That's £140 a month. Council tax would be about £100 a month. Food - if just you, you could easily eat for £40 a week or £160 a month. £400 a month.

Water rates £50 a month
Electricity and gas, about £80 a month.

£530 a month. Add in house insurance, and a bit for a rainy day, and for £600 a month you could be buying a property in Gwent, eating and living in warmth.

Everything else is, frankly, a luxury. So, it's open to definition of what living comfortably is. I reckon you could live a minimal existence for £8000 per year. And, in 25 years, you'd own your own property. If you could get in a lodger, you could feasibly charge £100-£120 a week for rent and you'd be living on less than £4k a year.

You are effing crazy if you think you can live on £8000 a year. Do you really think you can live on £150 pw? You're mad if you think it can be done.

[CCFCPhil]

You are effing crazy if you think you can live on £8000 a year. Do you really think you can live on £150 pw? You're mad if you think it can be done.

£35 a week mortgage
£40 a week food
£12 water
£20 gas and electric

£107 a week will pay for all that.

[Kris]

£35 a week mortgage
£40 a week food
£12 water
£20 gas and electric

£107 a week will pay for all that.

What about Council Tax? House insurance. Travel costs. Furniture. £150 a week, what an exaggeration.

[CCFCPhil]

What about Council Tax? House insurance. Travel costs. Furniture. £150 a week, what an exaggeration.

Council Tax will add £20 a week. House insurance a couple of quid a week.

Travel - you can walk to the shops.

I'm assuming you already have furniture.

[goats]

£35 a week mortgage
£40 a week food
£12 water
£20 gas and electric

£107 a week will pay for all that.

Surely the average mortgage is around £500 per month, maybe more?
£200 c tax
£200 gas and leccy
Water £40
Tv bb phone £80
Insurance etc 100
Food £4-500

Guess getting mortgage free is the big one, fancy mobiles like do u need one? Gym subs etc, clothes, cars, eating and drinking out, holidays are all luxuries that change per person, some do none some seem to blow it all every month whatever they earn.
A guy I know, good job, £70k, buys big house in Cyncoed, cars, 2 grand mountain bikes, kids, can't even pay his own tax bill, goes back to daddy fir it....I find this bizarre the need to blow it all....

[J R Hartley]

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-...ludeSSTC=false

Houses in Gwent can sell for £35,000. That's £140 a month. Council tax would be about £100 a month. Food - if just you, you could easily eat for £40 a week or £160 a month. £400 a month.

Water rates £50 a month
Electricity and gas, about £80 a month.

£530 a month. Add in house insurance, and a bit for a rainy day, and for £600 a month you could be buying a property in Gwent, eating and living in warmth.

Everything else is, frankly, a luxury. So, it's open to definition of what living comfortably is. I reckon you could live a minimal existence for £8000 per year. And, in 25 years, you'd own your own property. If you could get in a lodger, you could feasibly charge £100-£120 a week for rent and you'd be living on less than £4k a year.

Yeah that sounds a great life. Merely existing.

[Organ Morgan.]

It may have been better if the OP had asked how much disposable income is required for a decent life. After all, those who own their home outright don't have the essential expenditure of servicing a mortgage or paying rent. And what constitutes decent? For a good many it must include at least one holiday each year, while for others' it's no big deal. Few would contend a holiday is a necessity. As one gets older one realises that good health trumps bling of all descriptions.

[ian gibson]

A mate of mine retired at 60, he owned homes in Wales, Spain and Florida, had a tidy sized yacht and plenty of dosh to keep him comfortable in his retirement. He died last year aged 62.

[goats]

A mate of mine retired at 60, he owned homes in Wales, Spain and Florida, had a tidy sized yacht and plenty of dosh to keep him comfortable in his retirement. He died last year aged 62.

Harsh but you often hear of folk popping off soon after retirement. Sounds like he had a lot of good things going, I guess as long as he had lived a full life up until his death that's all you can ask, if he didn't and was waiting to retire to begin living, so to speak, then that's pretty bad. It's not all about cash, if you are happy as a pig in shit in your average house and job then that's all that counts right?

[CCFCPhil]

Yeah that sounds a great life. Merely existing.

It would still be a good life in comparison to some around the world. Which means that "decent" life is arbitrary.

The question, really, should be "how much do you spend on luxury items that you feel you can't live without?". It's materialism, and every body wants different things.

[Vimana.]

It would still be a good life in comparison to some around the world. Which means that "decent" life is arbitrary.

The question, really, should be "how much do you spend on luxury items that you feel you can't live without?". It's materialism, and every body wants different things.

^^
Way more succinct than my attempt to say similar.

[J R Hartley]

It would still be a good life in comparison to some around the world. Which means that "decent" life is arbitrary.

The question, really, should be "how much do you spend on luxury items that you feel you can't live without?". It's materialism, and every body wants different things.

Wanting a wife and children is not materialistic and on 150 a week that's simply not possible

[CCFCPhil]

Wanting a wife and children is not materialistic and on 150 a week that's simply not possible

In my scenario, the person doesn't want a wife or kids. It's an optional extra, many people prefer not to get married or have kids. Me included. Just a £3 a month subscription to Fiesta, 75p a week, and I've got all the nagging I need.

[Kris]

Wanting a wife and children is not materialistic and on 150 a week that's simply not possible

You could send her out to work to pay for her own luxuries and decent life, I suppose.

[J R Hartley]

You could send her out to work to pay for her own luxuries and decent life, I suppose.

Well, well, well there's a surprise. Phil appears then so does Kris. Yawn.

[lardy]

Well, well, well there's a surprise. Phil appears then so does Kris. Yawn.

To be fair, Phil's level of English has improved no end since he first started posting on here.