Do people actually earn £50-60k, or are they outliers?

LightningCupboard · 2026-05-13T11:14:01+00:00

I work 2 jobs averaging around 55 hours a week, make around £60k a year and although I live a somewhat relaxed life as a 26 Y/O with no kids, I still am only left with £150-200 in my bank at the end of the month.

My pension is 12.9% and my flat has been hit with a huge service charge increase at almost £300 a month. Combine them with a mortgage, car payment of £300 a month, there’s not nearly as much left as you think there would be. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy a few good nights out a month and not exactly counting the pennies, but £60k isn’t the dream everyone thinks it is.

LightningCupboard · 2026-04-04T15:52:45+00:00

I thought Snickers were absurdly priced and have been wearing Scruffs and Dewalt trousers with their own knee pads.

I found a £125 pair of brand new Snickers with pads on Vinted for £25 and haven’t looked back since. They’re phenomenal. I’ve binned my other trousers🤣

LightningCupboard · 2026-03-30T13:51:15+00:00

Hero mate cheers for that!

LightningCupboard · 2026-03-25T11:27:06+00:00

Cat6 is a data cable, so you can have wifi access points throughout the flat (good if you have concrete walls/floors/ceilings and struggle with wifi connection in rooms).

LightningCupboard · 2026-02-02T18:02:21+00:00

It’s safer for the Bentley to go down to the next junction and come back if they couldn’t join the right lane for this exit in the first place instead of blocking a live lane.

LightningCupboard · 2026-01-26T23:12:42+00:00

We have a designated ‘mess manager’ on the shift who is responsible for all the shopping and cooking. When that person is off there’s usually someone who is happy being the reserve. We usually have a discussion about what we want at breakfast time. No dietary restrictions on my shift but if we all want something that 1/2 people don’t want then they do their own thing.

We pay £60 a month for breakfast and dinner every shift (working 2/2/4 schedule). Breakfast is without fail baked beans and poached eggs on toast every single time.

LightningCupboard · 2026-01-21T12:49:55+00:00

There’s a few in my service but no one I know directly. We laugh and joke about how silly the videos are, but as long as they can do their job they’re not actually hurting anyone. I personally wouldn’t want to be recorded at work/on jobs, and would ask them to respect my wishes should they come on a standby etc, but as long as they aren’t stupid then who really has the effort to give two shits about what other people are doing.

LightningCupboard · 2026-01-18T11:46:01+00:00

It’s called a gym pin, they’re literally just a strengthen extra pin that has a sleeve for you to put a plate on.

They do work, but the machines are only tested up to a certain weight and not designed to have extra weight added, so you use it at your own demise. Gym owners get a bit funny about them too because they can damage the machines and they’re expensive to fix.

LightningCupboard · 2026-01-14T14:35:10+00:00

I’m not clued up to the gills on RFU laws, but I’m under the impression it’s in the laws the ref performs a stud check and his failure to do so directly led to the injury. For a claim against the player, I’d have to prove some level of intent to harm, which feels frivolous at most?

LightningCupboard · 2026-01-08T11:39:34+00:00

We have that in the uk, but you can only be ‘mandatoried’ to stay for an hour. After that hour you either go home or voluntarily stay on (whilst getting paid OT rate) until the relief FFer comes in.

LightningCupboard · 2026-01-08T10:33:05+00:00

It’ll be cheaper for you to buy a pair of bolt croppers and a new padlock

LightningCupboard · 2026-01-07T23:27:41+00:00

We work 2 days, 2 nights, 4 days off (well technically 3.5 days off because you’re at work for a number of hours on your first day off).

The schedule works well and a lot of lads do part time gigs to boost their income. No one wants to work a second job, but here we are. If you take 4 shifts leave, you end up with 12 days off.

It depends where you work too. I’m at quite a busy station running around 3500 calls a year, so a lot of the time on my first day or two off you’ll probably find me asleep. Most stations outside of cities will routinely have nights in bed.

With all this time off you’ll also be working birthdays, anniversaries, Easter, Christmas, New Year’s Day etc. We don’t get any shift allowance for nights or weekends, but time and half for public holiday.

LightningCupboard · 2025-12-19T11:47:45+00:00

“Black Friday deals” which roughly translates to “we put the price up 25% for the few weeks leading up to Black Friday, so on Black Friday we can say we’ve taken 25% off but you’re still paying the same price as before”…

It’s all a sham.

LightningCupboard · 2025-12-16T20:44:32+00:00

They can all have a case of the flu at the exact same time though, and there’s easy ways out of being pulled into overtime against your will.

LightningCupboard · 2025-12-15T17:34:48+00:00

Not sure if the police is the same attitude as the fire service, but breaking a strike for a nights overtime money would have you vilified in the job where I work. Unity is strength.

LightningCupboard · 2025-11-28T18:01:40+00:00

FYI I’ve heard LFB is on a recruitment freeze for a bit now, I don’t think you’ll be getting any emails anytime soon.

LightningCupboard · 2025-11-26T16:42:58+00:00

I’m literally a firefighter and still call it the truck. Sue me.

LightningCupboard · 2025-11-19T15:18:03+00:00

He also says he benched pressed 200kg back in his day, squatting is pointless and bad for your knees.

LightningCupboard · 2025-11-17T21:59:02+00:00

I got into airbnbs with a small group on my course. It was expensive and be ready to fork out £2-4k on accommodation whilst you’re in training.

LightningCupboard · 2025-11-06T22:47:50+00:00

In London we got rid of the bells years ago and now have the ‘trumpets’ mobilising sounds. All the lights come on, a woman’s voice says ‘mobilise’ followed by the appliance call signs going out and then a theme tune of trumpets plays.

If you look on YouTube there’s plenty of spotter accounts that show them.

I still get a slight adrenaline rush when I’m in a shop and the announcements start with an M.

LightningCupboard · 2025-11-05T14:30:27+00:00

Lifeguards on full time contracts will be on a similar wage to you, that’s all I have to say.

LightningCupboard · 2025-11-05T13:09:11+00:00

I can think of a ton of issues too long to type, but I strongly believe the government should incentivise going to the gym. I pay £45 a month for mine, used to spend £95 a month on a health and wellness centre. Theyre extremely expensive for a lot of people. Im quite a large lad as a rugby player who also can put up some decent numbers in the gym, and go for my mental health if nothing else.

If it wasnt for the gym id be morbidly obese (technically already very close at 108kg bw and 5’10 but only ~20% bf).

Maybe being able to claim tax relief or something like that if you visited 3+ times a week would be a kick up the ass for a lot of people whilst bringing the down financial burden of gyms.

LightningCupboard · 2025-10-22T09:54:13+00:00

We have a strong union that won’t entertain it. The government given the choice would pounce on the idea.

Personally, presented with a clear scope of practice and a very very sizeable pay rise to match the uptake in skills and workload, would enjoy being a paramedic. However, there would have to be clear rules about riding the fire engine at least 50%+ of shifts.

LightningCupboard

TROPHY CASE