My standard of living falls below the acceptable standard.

BBC News - Living 'costs at least £14,400' for a single person

A single person in the UK needs a gross income of at least £14,400 in 2010 to live to an acceptable standard, a charity says.

And a couple with two children need £29,200 for a minimum acceptable standard of living, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) said.

The figure indicates a growing gap between the national minimum wage and the minimum income standard.

The charity claimed this was due to rising inflation for necessities.

"This research shows what ordinary members of the public think is needed - not just to survive but to take part in society," said Julia Unwin, chief executive of the JRF.

"It provides powerful evidence for the new government to use as it develops policies to deal with poverty."


SMT Laughed and said what a load of twaddle. I however think I need more money!

hmm. Jem's not working, and SMP has dropped off...I'm on a theoretical £16kish...every month, we have more in the account than out.

We have all the usual gadgetry..hmm...plus a car..

I disagree. I admit we're as tight as the proverbial, but we manage comfortably with us, 3 cats, 1 guinea pig and a 7 month old. We use non-disposable nappies (doddle), we do one bulk shop a month and plan ahead, we cancelled the TV license as TV is 99% bunk anyway and we have a Wii with iPlayer, we buy things from eBay to get the cheapest possible, most of our furniture was free or charity shop (and is better than 90% of the stuff you can buy cheap in stores)..

Admittedly we don't go out pubbing, and all that guff..but I don't feel in the least that we're "below any standards"..

We have 5 laptops, 1 desktop, 2 smartphones, ADSL..can't say I want any more!

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Originally Posted by Sirbendy

hmm. Jem's not working, and SMP has dropped off...I'm on a theoretical £16kish...every month, we have more in the account than out.

We have all the usual gadgetry..hmm...plus a car..

I disagree. I admit we're as tight as the proverbial, but we manage comfortably with us, 3 cats, 1 guinea pig and a 7 month old. We use non-disposable nappies (doddle), we do one bulk shop a month and plan ahead, we cancelled the TV license as TV is 99% bunk anyway and we have a Wii with iPlayer, we buy things from eBay to get the cheapest possible, most of our furniture was free or charity shop (and is better than 90% of the stuff you can buy cheap in stores)..

Admittedly we don't go out pubbing, and all that guff..but I don't feel in the least that we're "below any standards"..

We have 5 laptops, 1 desktop, 2 smartphones, ADSL..can't say I want any more!

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I agree that it is possible to live cheaply. I've regularly had to live off less than a fiver for a week's food - and I'm perfectly healthy and ate a varied diet.

However, the more people that do have to live that cheaply, the less 'cheap' stuff there is to go around.

The point of this article is not saying that it isn't possible to live cheaply, it is saying that earning less than that will in a good number of cases mean that that person is living in an impoverished way.

One thing to say though - living cheaply is very hard work.

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Originally Posted by Sirbendy

we cancelled the TV license as TV is 99% bunk anyway and we have a Wii with iPlayer,

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Errrr - you'll still need a tv licence then!

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Originally Posted by Domino

Errrr - you'll still need a tv licence then!

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Only if he watches live iplayer streams. If he is watching 'old' stuff (ie. stuff available after the original tv air date) then he doesn't.

On my wage I pay mortgage, bills, car etc etc and still come out ok.
I could see it being more of an issue in the future if things change but I would just have to downsize the car or something like that.

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Originally Posted by Domino

Errrr - you'll still need a tv licence then!

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Only to watch stuff being streamed live.

Ben

The point is not just to survive on this minimum, but to live a life. It assumes that you are sociable in some way such as pubbing, a sport/club, or some other social activity, at least 1 weeks holiday, and still having money for such things as birthdays, xmas etc.

Does your partner work at all (guessing not with a 7 month old), and do you own, rent or live with others (family/friends)?

That's the other part of this; it assumes you live independantly. Someone living at home with parents who own their house outright, and pay them a couple hundred a week towards food/bills can happily plod along at these minimum salaries. But someone with a 35 year mortgage, 2 kids and a wife who's out of work may come to struggle as time goes on.

You may be ok for money now, but in 2 years time, with no pay rises on public sector likely to happen, with prices going up by about 3-6% per year (next year will be a harsh one with VAT hike too), can you be sure that you will still be above that standard?

I can put away up to £500 a month if I don't go out much or buy anything too gadgety, but when I have to have work done on the house, or the car, or pay for a holiday, or replace a dead item of equipment in the house (PC, TV, microwave), those savings go very rapidly. I also have to save up for car insurance, quarterly electricity bills...

So you may be in the green each month, but at the end of the year, how much have you still got? How much of what you saved has gone back out again on some other 'bill'?

Because in 2+ years time with a 6% rise per year in costs, chances are those savings will begin to diminish.

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Originally Posted by Domino

Errrr - you'll still need a tv licence then!

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I went into a small war with the TV licensing people over this - eventually had to get my MP involved. As others have said though, you only need a license if you are watching live television. If you do not watch live television (whether streamed or broadcast) no license is needed.

Good thing too as the only thing I watch is Doctor Who and DVDs. TV license is a waste of money unless you use it.

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Originally Posted by Domino

Errrr - you'll still need a tv licence then!

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I actually thought you needed a licence for any TV that was capable of receiving TV broadcasts. Then I read up on the licensing website, and you actually can own a TV for games or computer use without a licence!

You do not need a TV Licence if you only use your TV to watch videos and DVDs or as a monitor for your games console. You can tell us that you do not need a TV Licence by using our online declaration form. One of our Enforcement Officers may visit you to confirm that you do not need a licence.

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Originally Posted by ICT_GUY

I actually thought you needed a licence for any TV that was capable of receiving TV broadcasts. Then I read up on the licensing website, and you actually can own a TV for games or computer use without a licence!

You do not need a TV Licence if you only use your TV to watch videos and DVDs or as a monitor for your games console. You can tell us that you do not need a TV Licence by using our online declaration form. One of our Enforcement Officers may visit you to confirm that you do not need a licence.

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Indeed. The term 'capable' isn't used in the law regarding this, instead 'set up to' is used IIRC. So, if you have a TV and have it detuned and no aerial plugged in then you're fine.

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Originally Posted by ICT_GUY

I actually thought you needed a licence for any TV that was capable of receiving TV broadcasts. Then I read up on the licensing website, and you actually can own a TV for games or computer use without a licence!

You do not need a TV Licence if you only use your TV to watch videos and DVDs or as a monitor for your games console. You can tell us that you do not need a TV Licence by using our online declaration form. One of our Enforcement Officers may visit you to confirm that you do not need a licence.

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Speaking of which I've been expecting a visit from one of their enforcement officers for the last year, or a letter asking me to reaffirm that I don't need a license (apparently they remove the mark saying that you don't after nine months). So far I've had neither.

I'm just wondering if it's got something to do with bringing a MP into it, or if they're just disorganised and have forgotten about me.

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Originally Posted by jamesb

Speaking of which I've been expecting a visit from one of their enforcement officers for the last year, or a letter asking me to reaffirm that I don't need a license (apparently they remove the mark saying that you don't after nine months). So far I've had neither.

I'm just wondering if it's got something to do with bringing a MP into it, or if they're just disorganised and have forgotten about me.

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I find that normally they keep up with the threatening letters for quite awhile. I bought a USB TV tuner a few years back. Although the house has a TV licence in my wife's maiden name they sent numerous threatening letters, quite scary ones at that. They eventually stopped.

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Originally Posted by ICT_GUY

I find that normally they keep up with the threatening letters for quite awhile. I bought a USB TV tuner a few years back. Although the house has a TV licence in my wife's maiden name they sent numerous threatening letters, quite scary ones at that. They eventually stopped.

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Yep, it was the threatening letters which made me escalate the whole thing. I consulted with a lawyer, but unfortunately the language in the letters is very careful and doesn't fall under libel (even though it comes very, very close to accusing you of breaking the law) or attempting to extract money with menaces (pay us and we'll leave you alone, otherwise we'll harass you).

The letters only stopped after the MP for my area got involved - and I ended up with a written apology for the trouble.

She's going back to work in November when Tiddler turns 1, yes. Right now she's on..about £17/month SMP. We rent@550/month. Council tax band A, etc. Bills..£150/quarter for electric (last one), £900 for gas (ouch, 250 year old house, single glazing, minimal insulation.). "Dead" household items..rarely happen. I just rebuilt my tower fan that we needed in the heat, as after 6 years it died. Most things can be fixed, microwaves are cheap (and rarely used if we're honest), etc.

Car insurance, not bothered. Tax, ditto. I have more than enough put by to ignore these. If the car goes catastrophically wrong, I have a spare in storage.

We go out to see family every weekend, go out for a meal on special occasions, and go out frequently with tiddler to national trust places, as we're members.

As to the TV - heh, yes..we've seen some interesting debates there. It's just daft to have one for us - the TV has been on a sum total of maybe 3 days over 7 months..! Radio all the way. Less distracting for the littley as well. Reading and playing are more fun.