As we're all too embarrassed to talk about money, I'll put my own purse on the line first. In the 2014-15 tax year I took home just £1,316.93pcm after tax (£60.78 a day) and around £53 per week in tax credits. I must have applied for a hundred jobs before I eventually opted to retrain in management. I didn't want to be in a low-income job; we just happen to be coming out of a recession.