Life is tough on a six figure salary

[shaunbhoy]

It's hell being posh but poor: Petronella Wyatt has sold her pearls and given up dining at the Ritz in Chanel suits because, like her friends in the 'Broke Generation', she says you just can't live on a six-figure salary | Mail Online

If it is any consolation to the poor girl, I'd be prepared to give her a pearl necklace!!

[hyperD]

Thanks for the compliment, hypercretin.

HTH, BIDI.

Oi, less of the "hyper" Mr Grumpy!

Have a good Sat evening!

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Who was a (turncoat) Labour MP - they seem to be turning out more toffs than the Tories.

FTFY

He was a quality nutcase - I remember reading his stuff in the News Of The World (I think) at my Grandma's. His column was called "The Voice Of Reason" and was hilariously anything but. Private Eye parodied it for many years as "The Voice of Alzheimers".

[eek]

It's easy to scoff, and the article is hamming it up a bit for entertainment value. But it's absolutely true, in London anyway, and those on average salaries are finding just the same even with their more modest aspirations.

Obviously sky high property prices is one factor. But high income taxes mean anything involving personal service, or employment generally, is priced almost out of existence, suppressing the flow of money like trying to pump fluid round leaky furred up pipes. Also, it's clear that in the long run importing cheap labour is like taking strychnine for a stomach ache.

Actually sky high house prices lead to any personal service being more expensive. We are having rooms decorated up North £100 a day. Down south its £150-200 a day for the same service simply because more expensive rent prices mean people have to charge more.

Now I know some people will argue its supply and demand but in this case its not. Both prices are from general tradesmen with more than full diaries.

[SandyD]

One minute she says her rented flat, the other says she is paying £350 a week mortgage, that's around £1400 a month, which is not that much really... £80000 monthly after tax is £4500 a month, so lets say the utilities are another £400 a month (its a flat) that leaves £2600 a month... not sure about her loans, but am presuming the take up most of what's left.

Last year I knew so many people in London who are living it up to the max, always getting taxis and never going on the tube, going to posh hotels for a drink (£15 a drink is the cheapest) and posh places to eat, crazy, actually a couple of contractors who are men kept going out for lunch break and coming back with some crazy shopping e.g. spending £800 on a watch winder ... I kept thinking was I the only poor contractor there ?? And I was earning my highest rate last year !!

[SandyD]

since Maggie died I started seeing lots of her articles all over the papers, she is trying to make as much money as she can out of the sudden fame as she knew Maggie as a child/growing up so she is an expert on the subject.

[DaveB]

One minute she says her rented flat, the other says she is paying £350 a week mortgage, that's around £1400 a month, which is not that much really... £80000 monthly after tax is £4500 a month, so lets say the utilities are another £400 a month (its a flat) that leaves £2600 a month... not sure about her loans, but am presuming the take up most of what's left.

Last year I knew so many people in London who are living it up to the max, always getting taxis and never going on the tube, going to posh hotels for a drink (£15 a drink is the cheapest) and posh places to eat, crazy, actually a couple of contractors who are men kept going out for lunch break and coming back with some crazy shopping e.g. spending £800 on a watch winder ... I kept thinking was I the only poor contractor there ?? And I was earning my highest rate last year !!

There are always a few that don't stop and think about what happens when they are on the bench. I worked with a guy a while ago who blew his tax money, had to pay his IC bill on credit and still went out and spent £20k on a wedding and was planning to by a brand new Range Rover Evoque.

I'm on my best rate to date atm and yes, I'll splash out now and again but only what I know I can afford and after the bills have been paid.

[BlasterBates]

I just had a tin of Heinz Chile Con Carne for tea.

Really splashing out.

[bless 'em all]

I just had a tin of Heinz Chile Con Carne for tea.

Living the dream.

You lucky bastard.

[norrahe]

Her Dad was Woodrow Wyatt (according to Wikipedia "Woodrow Lyle Wyatt, Baron Wyatt of Weeford, was a British politician, published author, journalist and broadcaster, close to the Queen Mother, Margaret Thatcher and Rupert Murdoch") - she is just a privately educated, well connected no-mark. If her old man did all that and got over £100K a year then what do you think a common-or-garden journo got at that point in time? Not as much as he did that is sure.

Even as a journo she is well paid on £100K, over paid IMO. If she wants the lifestyle her parents had then she needs to work a lot harder and make something of herself. She is getting what she deserves IMO. She is a journo with MP's tastes, - champagne tastes and beer bottle pockets. Silly cow

Too high expectations, coupled with no idea of how to deal with Money.

I've met a few people like that who were brought up in such households, privately educated and had no idea how to write a cheque. They would constantly complain about having no money despite earning good money.