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[rockhound]

Guys i hope u can help as ive had an ongoing argument with a friend of mine who is somewhat a bit of a storyteller,

It all started when i asked a mate who has a mate to ply line my vivaro,   He quoted me a ridiculous price and when i had it fitted cheaper elswhere this is when it all kicked off, 

His friend turned up with my mate for a curry one night and we was talking about this and that and what kinda money a van ply liner takes home,   He has been working witha company called van fit for about 5yrs but has been doing his own thing for about 2 yrs so 7 in total

He told us that he takes home £800 a week !!! Thats take home pay!!!! so im guessing by the time he buys the ply and whatever else he needs plus the running costs of a van for travelling and paying tax,  stamps fuel , bla bla bla he must be on about 60k,

Now this guy laughed his ass off when i told him i was on 30k before stopages and this wage wouldnt get him out of bed,  cheeky t>>t

So i would love to know if hes talking the talk or talking the bull

[JamesV6CDX]

It is reasonable he is making that kind of money at present, if he is getting the work

nothing to say he will sustain it though. Plus, on your 30k, you will probably get hols, sick pay, and lots of benefits you wouldn't if self emlpoyed.

Horses for courses, and each to their own. There is no right or wrong answer here...

[Varche]

The first thing we need to know is does he have that sort of work every week? Week in week out. Does he declare his earnings for tax or is it"black money" ?

[rockhound]

not sure if he is on the fiddle kinda thing,    But it seems a bit of a tall story just to put ply in vans,   I might do it for that kind of money :-)

[paul.lovejoy]

to ply a van is prob about 150-200 inc materials the pre cut panels are prob less than 100 if he buys enough of them i plus vat etc so its feasable lets face it you could ply a van in a couple of hours easy with the pre formed panels

he may take home 800 but the end of year tax bill etc mind you if hes got his head screwed on he will keep most of it i would say true to a point on a very good week but its not something i would tell my mates or brag about and certainley not laugh at thier salary £30k mate is not a bad salary just a shame most people have tp pay so much tax

[STMO123]

Anyone willing to put the hours in and having a steady stream of customers can earn that sort of money, I would think. But, unlike the steady 9 to 5 grind which brings you £30K, I would imagine he has good weeks and bad. I would prefer the steady income. You are able to budget for the future with confidence. If you socialise with this guy frequently, bide your time. I reckon he may want to borrow a tenner when no one needs their van doing over Christmas.

[millwall]

i can earn 1k a week easily  but the next 3 weeks i might earn 50    so he probably forgot to mention the crap weeks

[hercules]

Anyone willing to put the hours in and having a steady stream of customers can earn that sort of money, I would think. But, unlike the steady 9 to 5 grind which brings you £30K, I would imagine he has good weeks and bad. I would prefer the steady income. You are able to budget for the future with confidence. If you socialise with this guy frequently, bide your time. I reckon he may want to borrow a tenner when no one needs their van doing over Christmas.

2nd that steve

[paul.lovejoy]

Anyone willing to put the hours in and having a steady stream of customers can earn that sort of money, I would think. But, unlike the steady 9 to 5 grind which brings you £30K, I would imagine he has good weeks and bad. I would prefer the steady income. You are able to budget for the future with confidence. If you socialise with this guy frequently, bide your time. I reckon he may want to borrow a tenner when no one needs their van doing over Christmas.

well said i have good weeks and bad weeks more bad than good this year probably earning now what i did 10 years ago to be honest if i had a salary i wouldnt. being self employed is not what it used to be and the building trade certainley is not blah blah 30k mate very respectable well done and if your mate wants to borrow a tenner say what on my salary or similar

[rockhound]

Thanks for the reply's guys,   no more free drinks for him then lol

[geoffr70]

People are very economical with the truth and only let you know what they want you to, generally the good bits. They also embellish, and bullshit. That's probably turnover.

Anyway, we all need money to live, and we're all obsessed with it to a certain extent. But it doesn't make you a better person. It's just a tool. Not trying to be condascending, but I try to move away from material things and be content with what I've got, and haven't got.

I saw a quote on someones signature here, and it said : "The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they make the best of everything they've got".

[Webby the Bear]

first of all i think its a bit disrespectful to take the mick out of what is actually a very good wage. secondly he sounds like a complete knob head!

[Martian]

Before my recent misfortune I was clearing more a week than your mates mate, so £800 a week is not beyond the realms of possibility for what he does if he's self employed.
I should add that I was only hitting those kind of figures WHEN I had the work, on some weeks I have struggled to make £75 for a days collar. As for £30K not getting him out of bed, I'll bet he'd get out of bed for £10 in the periods his phone isn't ringing 

I agree with Webby about him taking the piss out of your wages, but while wages haven't kept up with inflation over the years I'd still say that £30K in todays current climate is a good wage (depending on what you have to do for it of course).

[blackviper90210]

first of all i think its a bit disrespectful to take the mick out of what is actually a very good wage. secondly he sounds like a complete knob head!

I had a good salary in the forces, but since then I've only managed to max out at 21k, though currently after losing my job, I'm on 67.50 p/wk. Now that is hard to survive on with a family!   30k a year, I wish. TBH, I'd be happy on 15k right now, just to have a job and feel normal. In 24 years I've never been out of work til now and hate it 

[pscocoa]

It happens in life that you sometimes pick up a lucrative contract where the person you are doing work for is able to lay off the costs you charge onto his own customers. Your mates mate may be in that situation which is fine as long as it lasts. If he is lucky enough to hold onto it then he is fortunate - however, with the type of personality he appears to have his good luck maybe short lived.

There are people I know who were earning several hundred pounds "a day" as consultants to public sector but they all seem to have disappeared now from the morning train. At the end of the day you have to be comfortable with the trade off between peace of mind of a steady job and uncertainty as to where next job is coming from.