What is your quality of life like in comparison with your parents?

[Isla2021]

To me quality of life is about having a good balance between family life, work and leisure and being able to have CHOICES in life to make life easier/better, I.e holidays, weekend breaks, a comfortable home being, being able to afford hobbies for children etc. Family also means a lot to me and to me having those close to me increases my quality of life incredibly ❤

I am sure this is subjective as to what this means to you.

But I would like to ask the question what your quality of life is like compared to your parents? Do you think your quality of life has directly been impacted by the way you were raised?

As a child- My own parents both came from poor backgrounds, one of my parents unfortunately grew up in an alcoholic home with deaths of family members at young ages and has suffered tremendously, I am very fortunate that I have had a good upbringing and although we were never wealthy, my parents owned their own home, I felt incredibly loved and we had an annual european holiday. I never had expensive clothes/toys (charity shop purchases) but actually this never mattered i was happy.

When my parents were the age I currently am (early 30s) they were able to purchase a 3 bed semi, in a nice town outside a big city centre on 1 average salary. Myself and my DP both earn well (much greater than the income of my father) yet we are having to make a lot more sacrifices to save for a house deposit than what my parents ever have done- we have a fantastic life but I feel pressure to be able to withhold a career, save for a house, wedding and have children before fertility decreases. We do not have the same free cash to be able to travel the same (although on the other side of the coin, travel is more accessible than it ever was in the 1980s). I could argue though that my mother was a house wife and didn't get the same opportunities I did to be able to study and have my own career- and my job does provide me with stability and I find it rewarding.

Bit of a ramble but interested to hear your answers =)

No agenda, tues night discussion to distracted me from the news!

Them - Big detached house, final salary pension schemes, plenty of disposable.
Me - one bed council flat, minimum wage job, no pension.

My parents both worked in ok paid jobs, we had an annual holiday abroad, plus they owned a second home about an hour away we visited for many weekends.

My sister and I also went to private school.

They now have great pensions and in normal times are always on holiday and live in a four bed house.

I earn much less, and earn enough to cover my bills and rent and that's about it. I manage the odd cheap holiday every now and again.

Not sure where I went wrong

I have just this year started earning as much as my fathers pension equated to when he died during lockdown 1

I still don’t earn what my grandfathers pension was in 2001 when he died on a GPO pension

I’m very comfortable & have been savy over the years to make sure I could do the weekend breaks abroad & long haul traveling

Interesting post,

My grandfather when he retired would go to Kenya in the winter for holiday, this was the 1970s he flew to Australia on more than one occasion.

Not sure it was that common the 1970 s to be living the life my grandfather was

On the whole I would say my lifestyle was better than my parents and my inlaws. Their world was very small, three of them weren't educated beyond 14, there were fewer opportunities and our mothers didn't go to work. They were content because (in my parents case), they came from very poor backgrounds so what they had was great by comparison. I wouldn't swap. We faced different challenges and had some hard times but life was far more interesting. We also met a lot more people and were more broad minded.

I suppose similar. As a child it seemed to me that my parents didn't have money worries as we went on 2 holidays a year, they owned a nice house. Nice cars. Horses. But maybe they did have struggles? I don't know. I do know that my dad's drinking was always a problem. But they definitely loved each other a lot.

We have money issues and relationship issues. But there's no alcoholism or cancer so I'm going to say we are very lucky there.

@yohoheaveho as a 60 something parent who made a lot of money on property and who has worked full time for 32 years with a 7byear break as a SAHM, and who has been very wise vis a vis pensions and has been married for 30 years to a good and hardworking man, may I respectfully ask to whom you think the ill gotten gains will go if not to the children? Neither DH nor I benefitted from nor will the inheritance cushion our DC will have.

I find it awfully sad that gens x and y resent the baby boomers to such a great extent when ultimately they will benefit from it. The difference between our DC and us is they have choice to do more as they please secure in the knowledge they will never go without.