Why are people happy to pay thousands for 2 weeks in the sun in summer

[erikbloodaxe]

Yet complain about paying the same (or less) to heat their homes during the coldest months.

I don't mean anyone who cannot afford either but the people who refuse to put their heating on, whose children are wearing multiple layers and coats in the house and now believe turning on the oven is akin to murder.

I take holidays not in the summer though I always go off season to places ! We leave for end of December and early jan and then Next year we go away in feb for 3 weeks - that’s a nice chunk of time where we won’t be using anything in our house and keeping the bills as low as possible / spending the money on fun instead 😂

I understand people don’t want to spend their money on heating but I will not be indulging any pity parties from those who had an expensive holiday this summer. This cost of living and fuel hike have long been signposted.

I don't spend 1000's on a holiday and I don't have 1000's to spend on heating.

Not sure where that leaves me.

So people who could previously afford luxuries aren't allowed to complain when they will no longer be able to? People are allowed to moan that the cost of things is increasing.

Heating your home is a luxury. We are physically able to live in homes that are unheated. People did for years and years and many still do. It is a luxury we are all used to though and has become like normal. It would be really hard to go back to living in unheated houses but we could do it if we had to.

Some might prefer to direct that money to a one off experience like a holiday. It is up to people how they live and spend their money.

I just can't understand why everyone doesn't do the same ad I do.

Can't you? Really? No empathy at all?

I don't understand this thread.
Wouldn't everyone rather have money to spend on luxuries like holidays and going out rather than all their money going on necessities like heating and food bills?
Especially if it's a change in circumstances.

Same reason I prefer a good meal out to buying a new iron

Doesn't mean I won't buy the iron, as I need it more than a meal out, but I don't exactly get a great deal of joy out of an iron, but a meal out with my family is fun and I enjoy it.

My DH is the winner of this. He refuses to pay to commute to work (£6.60 round trip as we live in London) and takes a packed lunch everyday..he calls this zero expense days. He cycled from London to st albans (and back) to save money today while I took the train (I wish I could cycle everywhere but I realistically need to go for cycle safety classes so that I don't die on the road and my class isn't until October). He then spent £35 on a meal for two at a pub and he tried to take me shopping for a new dress. I can totally understand scrimping on necessities so you can enjoy yourself on your work free days. The luxuries are what makes life enjoyable. They don't need to be expensive but it's nice to have a few quid to spend on things you value and on making memories..

What a ridiculous question OP. A fancy overseas holiday is optional. Heating your home to a degree that’s tolerably not-freezing (even if you can’t afford to heat it to enjoyably ‘warm’), is a necessity to stop illness and damp and mould in your home.

Late stage capitalism seems to be great at making optimal luxuries relatively cheaper and making the basic essentials of a life lived with decency- like attainable costs of housing, utilities, food and transport- unaffordably expensive for massive swathes of the population.

It’s disgusting. Everyone should be able to afford to exist with decency and to have a minimum basic income. There are political solutions to these problems.

But what do the Conservative party do? They bring in tax cuts for the wealthiest in the population, with the expectation of budget cuts coming to the public services that the least well-off and most vulnerable in society rely on. It’s beyond immoral. They don’t care if ordinary people die because of this, and they certainly don’t care about the constant fear and stress their policies are creating.

Their house, their money, their business?

I doubt many are "happy" about how much more expensive it is to go abroad on holiday compared with what it was 3 years ago, but I can understand the concept that people have different things that give them real pleasure in life. That people have different idea of where it is worth saving and where it is worth splurging.
I am like this --> at what some people on here will spend on a hair cut or colour, and what some spend on a moisturiser or other make up, or what some spend on a handbag, or clothes.
I am pretty staggered at what some spend on their weekly shop.
I have long been amazed at what some families spend "entertaining" their dc, or an "extras" when they go out somewhere as a family.
But (although we don't ourselves) I can certainly see the appeal of 2 weeks somewhere hot, just completely switching off from normal busy-ness of life.
But then, I would never spend money buying a new car, or a fashionable phone, or replacing a TV that still worked or lots of other things people choose to spend money on.
I've always but another layer on before putting the heating on.

You have a choice on how much, if anything, you spend on a summer holiday.
But with heating costs, you're over a barrel and have no choice about paying, unless you're willing to freeze.

Yep we are the same as your husband @onthefencesitter we both cycle to work in London so no commuting costs (I take my daughter on a bike seat on my bike to nursery on the way) we got rid of the car this year as we don’t really need it! Never buy lunch at work we always take a packed lunch in! All those savings we put in holiday fund / go for a nice meal at the weekend or do something fun (buy theatre tickets or something)

we actually both are going to go to the office more in the winter rather than working from home to drink their coffee, use their heat and electricity rather than our own too 😂😂

I live in North Wales a beautiful area sea and mountains so a holiday isn't high on my list these days. Have had a mixed bag of holidays in the past. BUT if I lived in some parts of the UK I think I'd be keener to get away

People should not have to work just to pay bill and taxes. What is the incentive of working so hard here. We can work somewhere else and be happier.

I rather holidays in the sun than clothes and nice cars. I already compromise. The holidays are very expensive at the moment too. This misery approach of not heating and not holidays is not on.

You know people paid for, planned and booked this summer’s holidays before this massive spike in fuel prices was even mentioned right? Is that really so hard to imagine?

It's been ages since we have had a sun holiday, but I love them. Somewhere different where no-one work can get at you. new scenes. Different food. Time spent with the family all day every day. Bliss.

I’m going on holiday later this month, for two weeks to a hot destination and it’s costing an eye watering amount. However, we’ve been saving for the past 4 years and booked this holiday over two years ago - long before fuel price hikes were known. In that time out fuel bills are going from £80 a month to £250 a month and that’s without putting the heating on, it’s probably going to be closer to £400 in the depths of winter.

Plus let’s not forget that some holidays this year have also been ones that were prosponed and cancelled over the pandemic and the cost would’ve have been spent years ago.**

Holiday is generally somewhere new and interesting, great food, new experiences, quality time with family...
Something you may well have saved up for and looked forward to for months or even years.
Heating your home is just your home, just not freezing.

It's hardly comparable. People love to holiday shame on here maybe I've been on here too long now but I'm getting bored of all the threads recently that are basically 'why do people enjoy doing this thing that I don't personally like myself? I just don't get it'

I can’t understand the summer holiday abroad either, much prefer winter sun personally. I think lots of people may be using up credits from previous cancelled trips. Or perhaps committed before the economic events worsen. I am cutting down our energy use, usually our heating would be on now, but we are managing ok, for now.

Why do people think that a holiday abroad = lying on a beach? Some do, others do more cultural things. Anyway, I digress, I prioritise holidays over everything other than necessities. Fashionable clothes, cars, meals out in this country. I'm not a high earner and do a second job to make my one holiday per year happen. This year I won't freeze for the sake of a holiday but I will economise as much as possible in the hope I can get a break next year. It's important to me.

Yet complain about paying the same (or less) to heat their homes during the coldest months.

Because it means now they can’t afford to spend thousands on two weeks in the sun?

How many people have you surveyed who fit that category?