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Talk / Time off / Chatting / What do you need to get by?

By Ben, Wed 2 Jul at 4:39pm 
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A single person living in Britain needs to earn at least £13,400 a year before tax to afford a basic but acceptable standard of living, according to a report published by the Joseph Rowntree foundation today.

The "minimum income" is enough to cover needs such as food and warmth, as well as the occasional film ticket and simple meal out.

Read more here

An interesting piece of research on what people believe to be the basic needs of life, and not just the very basics such as food, shelter and warmth.

It is more interesting when you get down to the spending breakdown, as the minimum wage (well, for a 40 hour week) doesn't pay well enough to sustain the basic lifestyle.

What do you think are the necessities in life? Could you survive on the single person basic of £210.18 a week?

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Re: What do you need to get by?

By Phoenix, Wed 2 Jul at 4:42pm 
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That's about what I earn at the moment! It was sufficient to pay the rent and get by ok, actually. I even managed to save some money. But then I don't have a car, I don't smoke nor do I drink. I don't think it's unreasonable to aim for all people to have that minimum of things like the cinema and simple meal out - basic pleasures. But then there are still a lot of vulnerable old people who can't afford heating in winter :-/

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Re: What do you need to get by?

By PGE, Wed 2 Jul at 4:56pm 
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Ben wrote:



An interesting piece of research on what people believe to be the basic needs of life, and not just the very basics such as food, shelter and warmth.

It is more interesting when you get down to the spending breakdown, as the minimum wage (well, for a 40 hour week) doesn't pay well enough to sustain the basic lifestyle.

What do you think are the necessities in life? Could you survive on the single person basic of £210.18 a week?



I couldn't keep my current lifestyle on that!

Have just worked it out and I need about £350 a week to live. That's keeping a roof over my head, eating and paying my bills.

That doesn't include going out/socialising, having contact lenses, saving for anything or paying for a gym membership.

I do live in London though so everything is more expensive!

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Re: What do you need to get by?

By Ben, Wed 2 Jul at 5:02pm 
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Ben wrote:

Could you survive on the single person basic of £210.18 a week?



I think it would be really hard to find somewhere to live and pay the bills on that kindof money - where can you find to live that is less than £240 a month including bills?

I currently earn less than the basic figure, and can only do the stuff I do as I am at home, so not paying rent, and only token money for food. But, I have curtailed some of my spending: bought about three items of clothing this year, and limiting my nights out, to one big one a month, if that. Whilst doing this temping job I have had three big weekends in the three months: a Manc one, a London one and then Cornwall, and for all of them I had a spend budget that I stuck too! :)

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Re: What do you need to get by?

By liquidfit, Wed 2 Jul at 5:05pm 
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Ben wrote:

A single person living in Britain needs to earn at least £13,400 a year before tax to afford a basic but acceptable standard of living, according to a report published by the Joseph Rowntree foundation today.

The "minimum income" is enough to cover needs such as food and warmth, as well as the occasional film ticket and simple meal out.

Read more here

An interesting piece of research on what people believe to be the basic needs of life, and not just the very basics such as food, shelter and warmth.

It is more interesting when you get down to the spending breakdown, as the minimum wage (well, for a 40 hour week) doesn't pay well enough to sustain the basic lifestyle.

What do you think are the necessities in life? Could you survive on the single person basic of £210.18 a week?



I think thats a bit grap tbh, I know people that get more than that and struggle, I know people who get less than that and struggle, you learn to live with what you get, you get more, you spend more, you get less you spend less.

I know someone who lives on about 400 a month.

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Re: What do you need to get by?

By tigerwuds, Wed 2 Jul at 5:24pm 
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I don't know who producers these statistics, well i do it's Govenment quango's but it's all bollocks a bit like inflation figures,

if some one is on £13,400 gross then around 3k of that will be lost to tax & NI so nett income about 10k if you pay a morgage or rent poll tax travel expences to and from work, eat stay warm in winter without doing anything else you'll struggle on 10K some one should tell these boffins a loaf of bread is now £1.30 in a supermarket !

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Re: What do you need to get by?

By Claudio, Wed 2 Jul at 6:16pm 
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tigerwuds wrote:

I don't know who producers these statistics, well i do it's Govenment quango's but it's all bollocks a bit like inflation figures,



JRF is an independent charity - and a very independent one usually.

I understood that the contents of each list of essentials was the result of consultation - so it's really recording what people think.

I would count as deprived as I don't have a TV or DVD!

I'd agree entirely that I don't think £13k is a huge amount - and the housing costs seem quite low to me.

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Re: What do you need to get by?

By Ben, Wed 2 Jul at 6:31pm 
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tigerwuds wrote:

I don't know who producers these statistics, well i do it's Govenment quango's but it's all bollocks a bit like inflation figures,

if some one is on £13,400 gross then around 3k of that will be lost to tax & NI so nett income about 10k if you pay a morgage or rent poll tax travel expences to and from work, eat stay warm in winter without doing anything else you'll struggle on 10K some one should tell these boffins a loaf of bread is now £1.30 in a supermarket !



It's £13400 after deductions, and I guess the research and writing of the paper will be out of date, in terms of the current economic state, and general living costs.

I would probably say that £18k is a minimum type of living wage, and then things start to become more comfy from the early £20s

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Re: What do you need to get by?

By Claudio, Wed 2 Jul at 6:35pm 
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Ben wrote:



It's £13400 after deductions,



Before deductions, isn't it - after deductions it's £10,920

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Re: What do you need to get by?

By Ben, Wed 2 Jul at 6:40pm 
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Claudio wrote:

Ben wrote:



It's £13400 after deductions,



Before deductions, isn't it - after deductions it's £10,920



Sorry, I read it wrong. D'oh! That makes it even worse then :-O

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