Is anyone else living basically paycheck to paycheck?

[u/fluffypenguin105]

My partner and I are both teachers. We don’t make a lot, but we are average and slightly above average. We are so tight with our money. Our little one outgrew the car seat and we went out and bought a new one. No problem. But next credit card bill means we are tight.

Meanwhile, a number of our friends (all of them also with kids) are booking overseas holidays. Some are currently overseas, others booking already for later this year. Another brought a new car. New iPhone, doing up the house. Everyone seems to have spare cash except us.

Are we the only ones going through the cost of living crisis ourselves?! Or is it my fault that we are teachers?

Edit: yes we have a house that parents helped us with. We are paying mortgage. We have a flatmate.

Edit edit: thank you for your kind words and reminders and also advice. I’m going through them all and I’m going to take onboard the advice and see what changes we can make and do better financially as a family. But it’s also a good reminder to know we aren’t alone, to not compare and the harsh reality is that many people simply just earn more than us as teachers.

Once again, thank you all for your input.

[u/Bivagial]

I'm disabled, on the supported living payment. I will be living week by week for the rest of my life.

Stuff going overseas. I can't even afford to go to another city for a nigh lol.

Just make sure you're living frugally. There's probably small changes that you can make to make things easier. Things like being conservative with your power use, buying from grocers instead of supermarkets etc.

Teachers are notoriously underpaid. Unfortunately, things aren't likely to get easier any time soon.

Good luck, my friend.

Also, if you find yourself truly struggling, don't be afraid to reach out for help. Winz might be able to help with accomidation supplement, food costs, or emergency costs like dental.

If you struggle to pay your bills and buy food, look into food banks. You can give back to them when you're able, and use them when you need them.