Families need £36,800 to live acceptably

[doddisalegend]

interesting article on the beeb about how much a family of four needs to live acceptably in the uk

 

A couple with two children now need to earn £36,800 a year to have a "socially acceptable" standard of living, an anti-poverty charity says.

 

 

link

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18770783

[Dibden Purlieu Saint]

Sounds quite low to me...

[Thedelldays]

Depends on the definition of poverty... Which is massively skewed in the UK

[doddisalegend]

Depends on the definition of poverty... Which is massively skewed in the UK

 

according to the article

 

Minimum weekly spend on some "socially acceptable" life essentials includes:

 

Household goods and services: Childcare: £147.85, beds and bedding: £3.29, garden equipment: £0.66

 

Food and drink: Meat £18.08, vegetables: £11.27, snacks: £3.65

 

Social and cultural: Parent social activities: £30.00, UK holiday: £18.52, birthday gifts: £8.42

 

Transport: Car: £60.25, public transport: £12.38, Cycling: £1.40

 

Based on a couple with two young children with a weekly income of £685

 

 

So apparently a uk holiday is a socially acceptable life essential as is parent social activites (what ever they are?)

Edited 10 July, 2012 by doddisalegend

[Jonnyboy]

Well yeah, if you can't have a crappy holiday once a year and the odd trip to the cinema that is pretty unacceptable.

[bridge too far]

according to the article

 

Minimum weekly spend on some "socially acceptable" life essentials includes:

 

Household goods and services: Childcare: £147.85, beds and bedding: £3.29, garden equipment: £0.66

 

Food and drink: Meat £18.08, vegetables: £11.27, snacks: £3.65

 

Social and cultural: Parent social activities: £30.00, UK holiday: £18.52, birthday gifts: £8.42

 

Transport: Car: £60.25, public transport: £12.38, Cycling: £1.40

 

Based on a couple with two young children with a weekly income of £685

 

 

So apparently a uk holiday is a socially acceptable life essential as is parent social activites (what ever they are?)

 

Given that there is no provision elsewhere for such things as clothes, haircuts, TV licence etc,. I guess those are the sorts of things included in 'social activities'?

[doddisalegend]

Given that there is no provision elsewhere for such things as clothes, haircuts, TV licence etc,. I guess those are the sorts of things included in 'social activities'?

 

I figured parent social activites were the pub, gym, cinema, dinner out, swinging etc etc but I'm not totally sure TBH

[buctootim]

I figured parent social activites were the pub, gym, cinema, dinner out, swinging etc

 

If they went swinging for free more they wouldnt need tv or expensive dinners out. The Government should promote it for those on low incomes.

[doddisalegend]

Found this from this link to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation of the bbc article

 

http://mis.jrf.org.uk/

 

Which gives a far more detailed breakdown of weekly expenditure. Some of their costs seem very odd 0.08p a week on toys for a family with two kids? I can't wait to tell my kids I only need to spend £4.16 on toys a year to allow them to live acceptably

[doddisalegend]

If they went swinging for free more they wouldnt need tv or expensive dinners out. The Government should promote it for those on low incomes.

 

Excellent idea low income swinging...Who wants to go first?

 

[Trader]

They forgot the £20,000 a year on crisps FFS.

 

(see other thread)

[Toomer]

A family that live close to us said when we got back from our second cruise last year wish we had the money to do a cruise my reply was if you both gave up the fags you would be about £5k a year better off.

[Dibden Purlieu Saint]

A family that live close to us said when we got back from our second cruise last year wish we had the money to do a cruise my reply was if you both gave up the fags you would be about £5k a year better off.

 

Yeah, a similar thing happened to me. When I was forced to get rid of my second yacht to pay for Eton for my 2nd child, the local poor family said they wished they could send their children to Eton. I told them that if they gave up being poor and got better jobs they might be able to, although their children wouldn't get in to Eton due to the fact that their ill-educated.

[buctootim]

due to the fact that their ill-educated.

 

they're, pleb

[Deano6]

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There, pleb.

[buctootim]

^

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There, pleb.

 

Do you work in graphic design?

[Viking Warrior]

And the fags and booze

 

What if you were living in a high rise flat would you still need to take into account a provision for gardening.

 

Based on those figures that I am well be low the poverty line.