Rich Housewife - AMA

[Iho]

Ask me anything.

Haha you have never met me and have absolutely zero idea about my level of intellect!

Well actually it turns out most of the RHOBH were in financial dire straits and it was all smoke and mirrors (or husbands stealing from clients, I guess in a misunderstanding of the expression "rob Peter to pay Paul")

£600k per year and you’ve paid off a 2m house and have another property? That doesn’t add up unless you haven’t got children and have put everything into the mortgage? That salary is quite normal for investment banking MDs and every team in every bank in London has many of those.

Half of that goes to tax and then living costs eat up an enormous amount even if you are living frugally. You must have had money from another source or no kids and DH must be nearing 50s. Or maybe you guys are just way better at saving than me and I have sour grapes! Also, (without trying to sound bitchy) 😂 saying you have two Mercedes and their relative cost versus the properties makes me think you aren’t in the finance/banking world!

Agree. That would be fairly average in my circle, or penury for one tech sis VC buddy in San Fran 🤣

My question to you, OP—and apologies if this has been asked already—did you grow up in a lower-than-average wealth household?

Private jet @goz

you honestly think the op is being truthful when she says she could fly by private jet?!

In Rural Lincolnshire?

I also think many people on here would be very surprised that even if you have household income nearing £1 m per year you generally will not have a paid off £2 m mortgage, nor a second home.

Most people who earn that have not earned that for long as it takes until mid-40s or 50s in banking before you get to those levels. Half goes to tax and you will have children in private school (2 children means fees cost £80k per year of your salary before tax). The mortgage eats up a huge amount. Then if you add in holidays, cars, council tax, eating out and groceries you rapidly adjust to spending more than you did without really noticing!

Yawn.

What gives you a sense of purpose in your life? And similarly, what gives you a sense of achievement?

Do you worry that your life might seem a bit empty once your dc leave home?

When you get to 80, do you think you will look back with satisfaction about how you've used your time?

And if your sons married high earning partners, would you be happy if they followed in your footsteps and became rich house husbands?

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/172786787#/?channel=RES_BUY
Look at what you can get for £1.5m in Lincolnshire! 8 beds, character property, love it.

I'm moving. That's beautiful

It has it's own swimming pool, tennis courts and Graded II listed church in the grounds!

It's amazing. You'd only get a very suburban 4 bed house for that, where I live.

It's possible she could pay for it - cash up front with no fall in her standard of living - but she doesn't value it.
One of my friends has at least £5million to play with in her retirement - she spends very little on holidays - eats out at the cheapest restaurants, buys the cheapest wine, boasts about how little she spends - she could afford more but she doesn't value it. She intends to spend every penny before she dies too - I think she's deluded and she should stop being so tight fisted but not my decision.

She said early on in the thread that her two children both went to state school. Maybe she has a natural pattern of lower spend on holidays, eating out etc. I haven't tried to do the sums but I don't think lifestyle creep happens to absolutely everyone.

Op, dont you feel like its inevitable your dh will leave you for a younger version sooner or later. Some women home in on rich guys and don't let go.

Honestly?

I'm curious about what you do in an 8 bedroom house though. Surely you have several rooms that you just don't use, or do you just go and sit/sleep somewhere else for a bit just to make sure you're making the most of it? Surely once the house is a certain size, adding more rooms becomes a bit pointless?

I often think that with the omaze houses, they look lovely but what could I possibly do with so many rooms.

In my experience this can happen anyway, rich guy or not...?Certainly happened to me when my first husband was cheating and we certainly had no money. And may not happen to OP at all!

It is not like me to be motivated to respond harshly (or even at all) to an empty thread but gosh - you’ve all that wealth, and time, don’t give to charity, don’t volunteer, don’t have any interesting hobbies, spend lots of time cleaning, even your holiday home is somewhere boring. I’m baffled!

Do you think you’ve made any kind of positive contribution to this world? Have you personally achieved anything?

Mumsnet got up on the wrong side of the bed for this thread. Wowsers. What I always find interesting is when people inject elements of their lives into their response like it matters. It really doesn't. Its like "how dare you say you have this? well I have this"....Sat here thinking "and??". Its been an entertaining read regardless. Enjoy you life OP and I await a picture of your favourite bag!

Good for you. I love my job most of the time but I’d give it up tomorrow if I could. Would I get bored? No. I’d find plenty to do!

What animals do you have?

'Water front holiday home on the IOW.'?

Do you think that the cost of ferry to IOW is disproportionately expensive for the distance (if you take one, or both, of your Mercedes) compared with Dover to Calais?

Or is this, perhaps, a calculated deterrent for prisoners to not escape from Parkhurst due to the high cost of onward travel?

The OP's hobbies are her animals, interior design and gardening. Leaving the interior design and animals for the moment. (I love both of those too!)
Gardening can require vast amounts of knowledge, skill and creativity - but you have decided it's not interesting enough - it is a fascinating subject area to study - I rarely discuss it with anyone though - unless they are equally as obsessed. What interesting hobbies do you bore people with?

I don't get all the hae towards the Isle of Wight either @Iho it's lovely and very different to Lincolnshire so must be a nice change when you go there.

I think you seem nice, honest and pretty down to earth/normal. iI don'tunderstandall the nit picking about exactlyhow rich you are- a lot more that the vast majority of us! I'm very envious of your financial position I would love to be that wealthy, it's not going to happen for me unless I win the lottery but fair play to you.

Can I ask what you give back to your community? I am not talking money but time. I am a SAHM, no mortgage, working class childhood etc but I have always felt I had to give back. And have volunteered for various projects. If you don’t volunteer what stops you?