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

Not necessarily

I have a group of friends who all swap seeds and plants.
I've saved seed from what Im growing for years.
I barely spend a few pounds a year.
I compost so I don't even buy that.

Sewing and knitting yes guilty but it takes me a while to sew or knit something.
I compared it to instant gratification items such as online shopping, make up and gaming which have an instant novelty which requires more and more purchases.

Nope, I'm not.

OP is painting the sodding 80s and 90s as if everyone was stuck down the mines and everyone was happy about it.

Which is complete bollocks. If anything, people these days have less disposable income than 10/20 years ago, which is why people are going out less and so many leisure facilities/ pubs etc are closing.

Maybe they are talking about '5 minute crafts' type things like reusing cereal boxes. As someone who enjoys crafting, I had to stop certain activities due to the cost of materials. And when I think back to how much my mum spent doing her garden up. The compost, the plants, (many of which were annuals), replacing tools etc, she could have probably bought the latest iPhone
And the dog, oh my. Walking it is free but keeping it fed and healthy certainly isn't😂

But possibly there were few with your fathers qualifications. So he was relatively highly paid.
I left school 1970 2 went to do medicine, one to law, one to study languages but everyone went to jobs where they were trained or to colleges so out of 20 ,I would guess, 4got degrees -and this was the top class -oh and one went to art college.

Im usually aggrieved at the cost when I buy a new phone.....but playing devil's advocate, we are basically using phones for all kinds of stuff that original phones didnt do.
Im pretty sure no one buys a tomtom or sat nav now because its either in our car already or we use a phone. I send and read majority of emails on my phone...rather than a PC or lap top, I do banking on the phone ...rather than going to a bank and to a certain degree shopping...rather than going to shops. (Although I've never spent more than 500 on a phone)

My late mil used to love knitting but I remember her telling me about 10 years ago that she spent £60 on wool for 1 jumper....so its not super cheap, although arguably cost/hour might be less than the cinema etc

But credit cards meant people had the choice to spend money they didn't have, more demand = cheaper prices.

When I was growing up Mum would have physical money in her purse.
Once it was spent, there was no more.
For a family a good cook was revered and providing for your family on budget was a skill.

Thank you! I thought that too. They're not even free activities.

I agree. People going on about gardening/creating a nice garden, arts and crafts and walking the dog.
All of those things can be costly to set up and maintain but somehow those are 'simple and good' activities but others such as going on holiday or travelling are to be frowned upon as needless luxuries.

Agreed. I think it's crazy the amount people spend on tech. Upgrading to the new model which is pretty much identical to the former model. And with new functions most people don't even end up using. I only ever get a new phone if the one I have breaks or the battery gets worn out. I preferred the old style with a removable/replaceable battery.
I made sure the last phone i got was guaranteed to get software updates for a few years so it wouldn't become obsolete too quickly.
Of course I love the convenience of a phone. Like being able to scroll through Mumsnet right now. But I also often wish I could throw it in the bin and do without.

Absolutely this!
Everyone has so much but people are so unhappy.

Wow so Apple are thriving on second hand / old models ship- who knew? A quarter of 4-5 year olds have smart phones. The majority of phone ownship
amongst the young are iPhones , stands to reason many are newer models and expensive. And an internet search will show you an iPhone 15 ( released 2 years ago) starts at £600! Then there is the package and replacement when they inevitably break them. Then there are iPads and laptops on top. Parents are spending huge amounts of money on tech. They’re increasingly being banned in schools so it really isn’t necessary to have an all singing all dancing phone. A brick and a family lap top is fine.

How am I making excuses. I simply said that certain items aren't luxuries but essentials. Even paying for monthly mobile/internet can be difficult for some when they barely have anything left over after paying rent and utilities and food. But it's an essential not a luxury. Where did I condone spending £££££ on the latest phone every 6 months?
And I'm refering to the original post that seems to imply everyone should be delighted as long as they have food and a roof over their head. I mean someone working hard all week and then expecting to GO OUT and have some fun at the weekend. And have a holiday once a year!! Shocking!! No. We must all stay indoors and play board games and enjoy arts and crafts with old plastic bottles and toilet rolls

I also love a nice walk which is free. But it's not free for me to travel to an area where walking would be enjoyable. Would that constitute a frivolous day out that I don't really need?

And I don't know why people are banging on about luxurious foreign holidays.
It's always cheaper for me to spend a week abroad than it is stay in the UK. Apart from camping

AI generated data based on a survey of US teens.
AI generated indicated it was 69% for UK teens.
And owning an iPhone and owning the latest model and two very different positions.

We are joining in, our teen's next phones, they have had their current ones for years, are going to be iPhones. But not new ones.

My teen doesn't. She has never had an iphone/iPad and will never unless she can afford to buy one herself. Some parents may get caught up in buying the latest gadgets, others don't.

It's extremely interesting that these type of hobbies/ leisure activities are described as dull.
They are activities that require skill , patience and the reward is not immediate but really satisfying when it comes.
Contrast this to the instant gratification of Insta/ online shopping/ gaming

All studies show that the dopamine hit of the these instant rewards fades quickly, leading to a more, more, more set up.
Yep they have you hooked, buying more and more crap you don't need until with your MH falling apart, your house cluttered, your kids miserable, you ask yourself how the hell did I get here and why am I not happy ?

Hobbies like sewing, knitting and gardening are making a massive comeback, never been away as far as Im concerned !

I have a teen and I assure you they have no idea who has what phone, they don't care either. She has an old Samsung of DHs. They aren't allowed phones at school and have to hand them in each morning so it isn't a thing. Maybe you don't know all teens?

Loving the expectation of us all being supposed to believe children and teens don’t own expensive tech. A quick internet search will you 88% of teens own an Iphone and parents feel obligated to buy the latest tech.

And our teens don't care because a phone to them is just a tool.

My older teens don’t care what phones their friends have. Don’t think they even know. Eldest daughter has an old Samsung and now she’s working she still can’t be bothered to upgrade it.

🤷‍♀️Think what you like. Yes my teens have always been agog at how new and expensive their peer’s phones are.

Just asked the youngster before he left, erm X has an iphone 11 I think I don't know and X has a maybe 13pro, didn't know the other 6 or so These are the two he walks home with and it takes them 45 minutes most nights to walk, no exaggeration, 300 metres! So they must eventually run out of things to say, but the ones he doesn't crawl along the pavement with, no idea.

So not the obsessive "what model iPhone you got" that you seem to indicate is prevalent in all teenagers.

We've got two teenagers and bet they couldn't!

I dont think i would recognise the latest iPhone, either, or notice other peoples phones. DD is the only one in the house with an iphone and weve always bought refurbished or second hand ones, I think hers is a 13....but to me it looks like her old one! She bought it off a friend....who's dad had upgraded and given his DD his previous one

Most new iphones are bought by young adults with a lot of disposable cash, not teenagers, or even teenager's parents.

Apple know their market! The teens get refurbished ones, still a decent money spinner for Apple, if you put all your photos, music, data into the AppleCloud, it's really hard to get it out. So give the teens refurbished ones and they are likely to be customers for life.

Apple on the other hand are a hardware company, they don't keep their users data, governments have to take Apple to court to get them to release messages, they take user privacy very seriously, more than other mobile phone companies, they don't make money on selling users data and have incredible security measures in place for their hardware. That is what you pay for with an Apple phone, a company who, for the time being, still respects the privacy of what is on people's phones. Not even Apple can read your messages they are that well encrypted.

So I do know a fair bit about mobile phones, and user security.
Still couldn't pick out an individual model of iPhone in a line up, not even a close up one, never mind a brief look at a teenager's hand! And I don't think you can either.

Eliminating a fire hazzard for those who like candles? No idea, just guessing.