Woman criticised on social media after revealing cutbacks she made to save for a house on £69,500 salary
She had to cut down on the number of taxis she takes
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Your support makes all the difference.A millennial woman with a £69,500 salary has been criticised online after revealing the money-saving lifestyle changes she’s made to be able to afford a flat.
Kate Smith*, a 29-year-old living in London appeared in the i newspaper’s “Our Money” series, where she explained how she budgets and spends her money.
In the piece, titled “How I Live On a £69,500 salary while saving to buy a two-bedroom flat," the project manager told journalist Rebecca Jones she’d deduced that she would need to save £1,500 a month to buy a flat at “the beginning of next year.”
To reach her goal, Smith made certain lifestyle changes - including cancelling her £150 per month gym membership in favour of running, and reducing her expenditure on taxis.
If Smith sticks to the "strict" budget she’s made for herself, which includes putting away a monthly £375 for holiday, she’ll still have £121 per week to spend how she pleases - to the dismay of some readers.
On Twitter, some people criticised Smith, and questioned why she is having trouble affording a flat on a £69,500 salary - almost double the £36,000 median salary.
“So relatable,” one person sarcastically tweeted. Another asked: “How on earth does anybody get by on £69,500 a year? Won’t someone help that poor woman?”
Others took offence to how Smith spent money before she started “budgeting,” - mainly her £150 gym membership and her travelling.
“Wow, don’t know how she copes with all those cutbacks,” responded one reader.
The newspaper has pointed out that the series features “people on a range of salaries", and removed the subject's real name after the backlash grew online.
“We’ve also featured a pensioner on less than £9,000 a year, and a family household salary of £30,000," journalist Rebecca Jones wrote.
Jones defended the subject of the article, stating: "We think it's important to include people on different salaries to build an accurate picture of life in the UK."
But while trying to save for a flat on a salary of £69,500 may sound easy, rising prices and tough mortgage rules mean that first-time buyers generally need a salary of almost £100,000 to buy a house in London, according to analysis conducted by Hometrack for The Times earlier this year.
Local authorities in London account for the top 19 areas that require the highest average salaries to afford a two to three-bedroom home.
The ability to get onto the housing ladder is a contentious one, as wages stagnate and prices continue to rise - pricing many millennials out of the market.
Last year an Australian business tycoon said young people were struggling to save for property because they waste their money on avocado toast and fancy coffee.
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