To wonder what people actually expect and why they can’t just be happy to live simply?

Training your kids to think they need endless consumerist landfill, tech and holidays to be happy alongside being unable to entertain themselves without days out and tech and to be dissatisfied with anything less is ludicrous and foolish.

No it isn’t. You can have fun for free. It’s about finding enjoyable activities that don’t cost a lot of
money. Hiking, gardening, cycling, fitness, creating artwork, crafts, diy home projects, learning a new language, reading, swimming, socialising at home, astronomy …

Some people only seem to want fake nails, fake eyelashes, lip filler, drinking in pubs/bars, eating out, driving cars bought on finance, designer clothes on debt and living for instagram. THIS is an incredibly sad way of living life.

Care to share stats as considering only 13% of families owned computers by 1985 they were nowhere near the norm.

This. The attitude that anything beyond a tiny home, 20 year old car and aldi shopping for food and rummaging through charity shops for clothes is excessive, consumerist and crass is literally ludicrous. People are allowed to aspire and work hard for treats

My mum was a teacher ‘in the 90’s’ - even she had a Nintendo - my step dad put it in the attic as she developed a Tetris addiction

We never had package holidays in the 70’s and 80’s but we went abroad - staying with friends and family in France, Holland and Germany- bus, ferry, public transport and the odd youth hostel - we even had the odd takeaway (fish and chips or Chinese).

So anecdotal experience isn’t sufficient when it contradicts yours then?

When living in the UK I went to school with kids that absolutely did holiday multiple times a year and have new tech as the standard. My own parents spent on the same. Outside of the UK, both sides of my family did heavily utilize the (incredibly strong) black market, as despite ‘all you should want and be happy with is you basic needs met’ being the official government line, people very much wanted more than that.

It wasn’t the norm. Only 13% of families owned a computer even by 1985.

Lolz, tell me ypu have spare cash for "stuff" without telling me you have spare cash for "stuff" 🤣🤣

Good one, OP, I needed a laugh this evening.

Well, you're nice aren't you?
Do you actually enjoy such a simple life yourself or just think everyone else should?

People DID have multiple holidays in the 80s. Me and OH did and neither of us were high earners, we both had relatively normal jobs and 2 or 3 foreign holidays was the norm, as we prioritised holidays. Likewise computers, we had a Spectrum around 1982, but then moved on to other computers/games consoles mid 80s onwards. Our school had two rooms full of computers when I left in 1981! My first job (small private firm of 15 people) where I started in 1983 had computers on everyone's desks - we all had a Commodore PET.

I agree Op

My parents are some of the happiest people I know. Even in their 80's they have tons of friends and grandchildren want to go and stay.

They spend bugger all.

They've never done holidays, take away, meals out and cars are utilitarian second hand.

What they do have is active and unusual hobbies, a lively intelligent sense of humour and an interest in the world outside their bubble.

Care to share some stats. Just because you say it happened doesn’t mean it did.

But people weren’t having multiple holidays a year. in them.They just weren’t

Ah yes, because if it didn’t happen in your village it didn’t happen anywhere.

🥴

Holiday towns and destinations were already thriving so it clearly was true!

I see half the things listed on this thread as 'living simply' as actually being signs of wealth whereas some of the 'luxuries' are signs of poverty.

I still think this is spot on.

Reminds me when Kate Middleton was talking about "simple things" with the kids, baking cookies (or whatever it was) and "fun in the garden". 😂

I volunteer in a club with kids raised in your typical suburbian high skyscrapers and not the nice ones. Telling me they should enjoy "the simple life" and stay indoors instead of expecting entertainment in clubs and after-school activities is hilarious.

Whilst I do feel there is more to life than just achieving the basics, there is something around 'higher expectations' having potentially an adverse impact on enjoying life. For everyone, there will always be people with comparatively more money, better houses, holidays, cars, kitchens etc. but it is debatable whether any of these really matter, or equate to happiness.

This is so true. Our quality of life has tanked in so many of these less tangible ways, and on top of that the communities that people used to live having these simple lives have been fragmented and we do it all with less support and further from people we love in many cases too. You put it well.

Sorry but that isn’t true. People didn’t have multiple holidays a year, even the richest didn’t in our village. Re computer games the only computer to be had was a Sinclair spectrum which weren’t widely owned and even those only had a couple of games you bought once. I taught in the 90s and the only computers kids came across were a couple
of moldy old BBC’s an entire class clustered round.

Your point only works because you make fun sound shitty and trivial. Fun can look like a singing lesson, strawberries in summer, books to read, a bucket and spade for the seaside. Plenty of people are priced out of these things. Especially out of buying them ethically, before you tell me you can get that for 20p in your crappy local store that shafts workers and the environment all the way down the line. It's bloody expensive just staying afloat.

Not saying they shouldn’t but expecting them every week and year and other things on top is ludicrous. Pick what you want but you can’t have it all.

Because the quality of life in the 90s was a "blip". That generation had it far better than generations before and generations after. We're still all paying for it now as it was a generation based on debt and unrealistic investment returns (i.e. massive endowment mortgage pay outs never seen before nor after!). It wasn't sustainable so now we're having to scale things back.

Oh I love that song ❤️

Listen to the song Bread and Roses, OP. Hearts starve as well as bodies.

I think there are a huge benefits to more simple activities like nature walks, board games and reading. It’s an antidote to all the screen time.
There’s nothing wrong with spending on luxuries either. People work hard these days. Both parents work and try to raise a family. Why shouldn’t they have takeaways and holidays?