How many people complaining they are broke have fancy devices?

[IRememberXanadu]

I was waiting to pay for petrol this morning when I overheard two ladies who were queuing up for the till next to mine, complain about the price per litre (of petrol). One way saying that she is really worried about the upcoming increase in price of electricity and gas, with the other agreeing and saying they don't know how they'll cope. While talking, they were looking at their phones - these were very expensive iPhones.

Later, I was relaying this exchange to a colleague, who said he has a friend who has also been going on and on about the upcoming price hikes and how worried he is, but also just bought (himself - it was not a gift or a work phone) a brand new iPhone.

So that got me thinking - while it's unbelievable that we are having to worry about utility prices in this country in this day and age - how many people are saying they are worried about how they will afford to heat their homes and use electricity, while still spending money on non-essentials? Of course we all need treats, but surely spending hundreds of pounds on nicer stuff when you could still buy something cheaper and put the savings towards essentials you are worried about affording, beggars belief? We are not hard up but have been thinking twice about buying luxuries when we are still in the dark about how much it will cost us to run our home, come this winter. Surely it can't be just us...

@sunglassesonthetable
Lots of things can be done the old fashioned way but if it's more convenient to do it on one machine, why would you? I don't blame you.

Mine can do most of that, I think, but I'm off to research about scanning because I've not done that.

Thanks for taking the time to do that for me. It's appreciated.

Bonkers reading some of the posts on here saying they ‘need’ their £800 phones. These are the people OP is directing her comments at. What does a £800 phone do extra that a £80 phone doesn’t do? It’s about status. People do judge you by what phone you’re using. Just like judging you by the car you drive. Others on here though are being deliberately obtuse and mis interpreting the point OP is trying to get across.

CBA even trying to explaining n why I need my phone. And bollocks to status you don't know everything @Livelovebehappy
You think you do. But you don't know about my life and hilariously why I have an expensive phone. Obvs you think you do.

I absolutely agree with you OP!

I have recently got my very first smart phone. It was a present. I have always managed to live my life without one (and I am a professional who works full time in my late 40's). I needed a new phone but I would have been happy with another dumb phone. All I need is a phone that can text and and receive calls.

My husband and I are always shouting at the TV when people are moaning about costs, and you can see they have a fancy smart phone.

Can someone explain to me this narrative of "so poor people shouldn't have anything?" that most people are pushing here?

Why does having things need to include a nice car, an iphone, takeaways, nails? Why does nice things have to equal consumption?

Poor people in the UK have more than average people in most countries.

Lots of people also saying "well they took out the contract before" - right, if you're in a situation without savings where a shift in the economy (which happens often) would make you worry, why would you ever take out a contract for 3 years for an expensive phone?

I'm very confused by this mentality.

I actually find Motorola too expensive, I buy a Xiaomi phone. But my makeup is really expensive as it is from department store brands. (i only replace it when it is all used up though!) I live in London and I don't want to attract pickpockets by wearing designer clothes or carrying an expensive phone. They can't tell how expensive your makeup is. Backpack is expensive but it is full leather and non descript. I don't want to cry buckets of tears if someone nicks my phone or waste my money on insurance. In fact once someone stole my phone during a wedding abroad, and then they were so disgusted at how low value it was that they put it back! I was very grateful because at least my personal data and my photos were safe.

But I wouldn't really call myself frugal because I do spend a lot of money on eating out. And I guess my mortgage is quite high at £1000 (and would get higher when I buy a bigger flat). But sometimes (like with my mortgage), spending more on X might actually be saving money on Y. Like my mortgage is higher in London but i spend less money on commuting and we also don't need a car and DH doesn't even pay for public transport! Council tax is lower in London. By that same token, if someone buys a really powerful phone that covers all his needs,it might be better than buying a cheap phone. I just don't have those needs .

Agree with all those replying to you that you’re either fucking stupid or a troll.

I could sell my iPhone for about £50. My utility bill has doubled and is about to go up again, that £50 wouldn’t even touch one month’s bill increase. But then I’ll have no fucking phone.

is it idiot’s day out on mumsnet or something? How many mumsnetters are here trying to defend the cost of living crisis today?! It ain’t going to shag you…!

Phones are a necessity not a luxury but some people do like the latest version - their choice.
What gets me is cars. My last one cost 8k 3 years ago and still appears to be worth 8k now despite the fact I do a lot of miles. That 8k felt like a lot of cash to spend in one go. Pretty painful.
I turned up to collect mu son after a school trip when all 300 pupils in his year were being collected - there were well over 100 cars at the local secondary. Mine was probably in the bottom 5. The vast majority were new 4x4s or high end BMWs, Range Rovers etc. I would struggle to save 30-50k to buy a car upfront and I am in a well paid senior role. I assume quite a few people use finance. Again their choice.
I am most envious of people who buy new things! I once bought something shiny and new on finance and I couldn't really bring myself to use it until I had paid it off - so maybe I am just an oddball.

If you can afford an £800 phone then it’s a non issue.

If you have an £800 phone and are moaning that you can’t afford your other essential bills like food and heating then that is an issue.

If you don’t ‘need’ an expensive phone (not sure why anyone needs one tbh but people seem to think they do) and are struggling to pay your other bills then I’d urge you to go onto a cheaper contract when you can, or keep your older phone a bit longer and go SIM only. I know you might be locked into a contract but at the end of this. I type this on my iPhone 6 which works totally fine!

The only people who judge you by your phone are really not worth impressing.

You are reading posts in a different way than me then Because what I read is

• people need a phone, a smart phone to be able to access… well about everything.


• whilst you dint need the latest iPhone or whatever other phone you can get at £1, people will have got it in contract some months ago (which they can’t get out off) OR might well have bought one year ago or more, second hand (which is what I always do when I buy a smart phone or an iPad etc…)

So yes having the latest iPhone IS a marker (of class, status, whatever) but it doesn’t mean that 1- they would buy now even though they’ve bought one a year ago and 2- they are pissing money up the wall unnecessarily

No one is defending the cost of living crisis.

We just comprehend that if you're not financially stable enough to have savings, buying an Iphone is probably a stupid idea. That's common sense. It's not some outlandish crazy talk.

There's lots of cheaper smartphones. This mentality of I'll buy expensive things I don't need and not think about what would happen if the economy changed does seem to keep a lot of people in poor financial health.

The government needs to do better, but that doesn't mean that on an individual level someone is holding a gun to your head forcing you to spend your money on an iphone.

I bought my phone outright last year I pay £10 a month airtime. You would consider it a fancy iPhone. I work from my phone. It's not a luxury

@MarshaMelrose I’m with o2 - I don’t have an iPhone 13 but a fairly new model - I didn’t know the OP had specified they were 13s.

My point is that they aren’t that expensive monthly.

@Miajk i don’t think an extra £700 over 3 years is going to make a dent in the cost of living crisis.

The majority of people will be locked into contracts that they took out a while ago. Judging people for their choice of phone (I like apple products and find it easier to stay with them even if they are better brands I could research) is really shitty.

I am very lucky and personally don’t need to cut down to get through the next few months / years but I think we could all show some compassion to others instead of judging every choice and somehow trying to put the blame onto people that are struggling.

@Lioupin thats I joy possible if you CAN go in a cheaper contract.
When you get your phone on a contract, you are usually tied up for 2+ years until you’ve paid said phone. You can’t just get out of it - unless you are also happy to pay the whatever hundreds left to pay for the phone.

It’s the same for a lot of other utilities like phone/internet cost or gas and electricity fixed price etc….

So embarrassing of you OP. This is the same rubbish about poor people and “flat screen TV’s” you see on the Daily Mail.

I have an iPhone I’ve had for years, if I was to sell it I’d get next to nothing for it as it’s an old model. And I use it for all my entertainment (YouTube, social media, Netflix), I don’t watch TV. It’s all my entertainment.

@MarshaMelrose Of course they're allowed to charge customers, but have you seen the record profits these companies have reported making?
I'm not saying people shouldn't have to pay for their energy or bills, but I what I am saying is that the price increases are unfair and that they shouldn't have to pay this dramatic increase. You could say - the average person needs to adjust their spending, not have nice things, save up better, pay whatever they charge, or you could say - we need to hold energy companies accountable. Whilst the OP says it's unbelievable we have to worry about utilities, the emphasis here is that people that are struggling shouldn't 'complain' if they have 'luxuries' like a phone, that they need to be more careful with their money. I think this focus ultimately diverts away from the much larger issue here.

Right but maybe if we stopped portraying this issue as inevitable problems and start helping people make better financial choices these people wouldn't be struggling as much?

If you have wiggle room in your budget for an iphone, takeaways, nails, whatever, then you have wiggle room to build up an emergency fund, save, invest.

That £700 when you take into account compound interest could actually be a massive help financially if invested.

Buying an iphone when you are in a fragile financial position (don't have savings) is not a good idea. Maybe that offends some people but it's true and it's obvious the government isn't doing shit to improve our life quality sadly. Some personal responsibility is also important here.

This is endlessly boring, but I'll bite anyway.

I recently upgraded my (perfectly fine) iPhone 12 mini for an iPhone 13. I was offered a trade in price that paid off my previous contract and this one is a lower outgoing every month and I got some airpods with it, which I've fancied for ages.

I'll now be paying for it for longer, but my monthly outgoing has lowered, which was what I was after. So, judge away, I don't give a fuck! I'm still allowed to worry about other outgoings going up... though I am bloody lucky to be on a fixed price deal for energy that means I don't have to worry as much about winter as those on the variable tariff do.

Most phones are on contracts you're locked in to for up to 30 months. A phone is an essential in this day and age and many took out contracts when finances were less tight.

There are those people who say they're broke when they have surplus income. A friend of mine is constantly talking about how broke he is whenever he passes less than £300 available (expendable) income in the bank. But he's an outlier and a product of always having quite a lot of expendable income as he's a saver.

It's all relative. I complain I'm broke but I can still pay my rent and feed my kids. Some people can't do that and are truly broke.

We just comprehend that if you're not financially stable enough to have savings, buying an Iphone is probably a stupid idea. That's common sense. It's not some outlandish crazy talk.

@Miajk seeing the very low proportion of people in the U.K. who have savings, I’d say that you are talking about the majority of the population.

The reality is that people in Britain have been encouraged to spend and spend for the last 20 years. That’s what has kept the economy going - people getting all sorts of stuff on credit rather than buying little and saving. It’s nit new.

And tbh telling people they are stupid because NOW it’s an issue, that no one had foreseen, isn’t helpful at all. You, me, we all have benefitted from people spending rather than saving. It has created jobs and/or kept the current ones going. You can’t have it all.

How do you know the ladies phones were top of the range? If they were, maybe they’re work phones or account or insurance upgrades? Yes some people will buy top of the range gadgets on credit whilst struggling to pay for living costs which isn’t the best thing but it’s their choice…I wouldn’t want the hassle of long term contracts or paying out hundreds for something that’ll be a magnet for thieves..but that’s my choice.

I have a pretty up to date smart phone. Only costs me a tenner a month, it's not a massive outgoing and extremely useful for life in general. It's not something I'd cut down on first if I were skint as it's pretty essential to help me with lots of other things.

@MarshaMelrose

What I'm about to say is not a brag as this is an anonymous forum and no one knows me or knows my user name.

My partner and I, as well as our parents with our frugal mindset so it's not just one generation but generations of people not wasting money means ...

Houses in Berkshire, London, west Midlands all mortgage free.

We've got a mortgaged home in St. Albans.

A flat in Toulon and a house near Samur - France.

I don't wear make up because I don't have imperfections. I probably now won't bother as I'm in my 40's even if my skin does go to crap.
I don't dye my hair as it is yet to go white. I've decided when it does I won't - waste of money and looks dangerous - chemicals on your head!
So these are not actually money saving points more that I'd dint have to however, I can't believe what people spend on this rubbish.
Drink water, eat healthy, exercise - the wrinkles and grey hair will stay away. Your bloom will naturally be present so you don't need make up.

Any young person that asks me for advice I say - don't smoke, don't drink alcohol, don't take drugs, don't waste money on designer clothes unless it's good quality foot water or coat, jacket or suits.
Don't eat sugar
Don't eat junk food, take aways.
Not only you won't look like crap but you'll save money too.
Save every possible penny and buy a house, even if it's a crap house in an area full of people you wouldn't touch with a barge pole and then rent it out to those people.

I know lots of people like me from humble backgrounds that have lots of money and assets - they spent their money, time, energy where it belongs - education, career development, assets.

I really have no time for these people crying about the cost of living if they are doing a number of things I wouldn't - every penny does count.

If you can't afford childcare, then stay at home.
Your career can't be that good anyway.
You can't have it all.
You have to make sacrifices and accept if you're poor, you're poor.
Not everyone can be wealthy.
People that spend unnecessarily certainly don't deserve a look in.
People that go on holidays on finance don't deserve help.

In the old days people in Britain didn't go abroad on holiday - local seaside was enough.

I've already told my partner any child of ours will learn the meaning of money even though we can afford to throw every luxury their way.

Grammar school rather than private.
Little jobs around the house to get whatever toys they want.
Sports activities rather than slobbing in front of the games station.

Nothing worse than seeing poor people spending money on Nike trainers and queuing up at foodbanks.

I think I have poor people apathy now.

@Miajk yes - some people spend every penny they have and don’t save etc and yes that is silly. And I know some people like to feel superior towards those that do that.

But firstly, it is hugely unreasonable how much the cost of living will increase. Some people might have had to use all their savings to get through covid, having taken a phone contract out prior. Unless you know them well, you don’t know.

Or some people’s phones might be paid for by work, or second hand - it’s hugely unreasonable to judge someone based on their phone that you fleetingly pass in a petrol station without having any background.

I'm not saying that's how we're going to live. Although many currently use food banks and absolutely DO live like that. I'm saying that the OP believes until people live like that, they should happily pay and shut up.

Op I mean this gently bt are you quite elderly? It does read like you don’t know how phone contracts work and it’s really not possible to tell the iPhone series just by looking.

yes luxuries are still selling but not everyone is in poverty or struggling.