How are people affording this lifestyle?

[AmusedTaupePlayer]

Just curious if anyone can shed liJust curious if anyone can shed light on this. I know a couple a few years older than me (late 20s/early 30s) living in Newton-le-Willows. He works as an admin/warehouse inventory clerk at some small frozen and she did not go to uni, she has no LinkedIn, never mentions any kind of work or side hustle.

And yet they’ve been on a couple of holidays in the last year, seem to eat out occasionally, and post pics of family days out etc. It’s not luxury by any means, but still — two kids and one modest income??

Are they just really good with money? Family help? Universal Credit top-ups?

Genuinely trying to understand how people make it work on paper when everything is so expensive these days.

Could be anything. Inheritance? Trust fund? Secret income you don't know about? I don't have a lot of money and manage to go on holiday and eat out, although my mortgage is small.

Genuinely, their finances are none of your business.

You just never know people’s circumstances. I think someone could write a similar thread about us. Dh works in a fairly low paid office job. I don’t work. We’re on holiday at the moment in a very nice 5 star resort. We have another holiday booked in August. (Dc aged 13 and 22, dh is late 30s, I’m 44). We have a nice house in a decent rural area. Brand new Kia. Things people wouldn’t know - I’ve got hidden disabilities and get PIP at the highest rates indefinitely / ongoing (you wouldn’t know that as I don’t tell anyone, even close friends, I have really complex autoimmune issues, under 5 specialists, take double figures medications every day). Ds has autism so we get dla for him, my abusive Mum died a few years back and I’m an only child so inherited enough to pay off our mortgage etc with that. Dh has a court case (he was a victim of serious assault as a child) so had money / compensation from that. You just never know what’s actually going on.

Wasn't aware having a LinkedIn account was required to be able to afford nice things. We're financially comfortable on a single income yet I couldn't figure out LinkedIn if my life depended on it. Maybe if I make an account I'll be a millionaire!

You sound very jealous OP.

You sound like my brother, he is obsessed with how other people afford things. Spying on their social media etc. I'm sure people wonder about us as we live in a big house in quite a premium location with 2 kids. Neither of us went to uni, it looks like I hardly work (no linked in!) as I regularly WFH. We don't have big salaries at all. Bottom line is I am extremely tight with the purse strings, I love an offer, shop a lot on vinted and am just very careful with our money. Days out and meals out tend to be for treats/special occasions but we do have a takeaway here and there.

Undercover agents. Everything paid for but make sure you get the information by living a "normal" life in a normal community. A few treats thrown in if you get a good titbit for us. It's a model!

From the outside, we have a very comfortable social life - lots of meals, holidays and theatre trips.

We are mystery shoppers and seat fillers 😄

He’s obviously stealing fish fingers in bulk from the freezer place and selling them on the black market and she’s a benefit cheat claiming all sorts of pip. I mean how else could they possibly afford such a lavish lifestyle?

Lots of people go to uni but still earn a pittance. Lots of people don't go to uni but earn rather well.

Newton-le-Willows?
Well, say no more…

Unless you ask them it could be a number or reasons : she may have a job. I didn't go to uni, On the outside it doesn't look like I have a job, WFH and walk the dog every lunch time. Delivery drivers tell me " why aren't you out In the sun" regardless of how many times I say I am working. They may have inheritance or savings they are burning through or may use credit cards and have lots of debt. Different for everyone I guess

I live in Newton le Willows. It is not an expensive place to live 🤣

Credit cards or Only Fans 🤣

What is the main industry like? How do people keep themselves? My ex used to live there but commuted to Liverpool for work. Is it a commuter town?

Yes and there's also a big industrial park in Haydock a few minutes away so handy for warehouse workers. There's quite a few warehouses there including Amazon. It's cheap to live here - especially if you're more in the Earlestown area of Newton-le-Willows, and there's a few basic shops and pubs. We recently got a B&M, and we have a Home Bargains and a Tesco. The train lines have links to Wales, Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Chester, York, Warrington so really handy. We have a little music festival and town show/fayre every year.

For real? 😂

They live up north. Housing is cheap, living costs are fairly cheap. They have a double income. Maybe they get themselves into debt, who knows. You don’t even know what job the wife has, so definitely a bit of a weird post.

Maybe she doesn’t work because they have inherited money?! To be honest it’s hard to really know people’s finances. Maybe they literally scrimp and save in areas that you aren’t aware of to afford the little treats that you are aware of. I do l agree tho, cost of living isn’t kind to small income family’s

I near enough earn minimum wage and my husband a few thousand a year more, about £55,000 a year between us.

We're both very sensible with money, eat out/takeaways a lot more than we should, have a car each, mortgage etc and some savings. I have Netflix, Disney+, Odeon Limitless and Spotify - all considered unnecessary spends by some!

We don't worry about money at all. I can afford (easily) about £3.5k a year on a 'big' holiday and babysit to afford a second, smaller holiday if I want one.

We don't have or want children, but compared to my other childless friends, I'm pretty happy with my financial situation considering how little I earn!

Am I the only thinking…OnlyFans?! 🤣 just kidding, who knows and who cares?! They’ve obviously found a way to live that works for them so good on them!

Could literally be anything. Some get lots of help from parents. Maybe they have inherited or have a trust fund. Maybe they were gifted a large deposit for the house so their mortgage isn’t big. Maybe they just live beyond their means and have maxed out credit cards.

They earn more than you are assuming and/or are good with budgeting - isn’t that the most obvious answer? Why do you think it must be something else?

When I was on the bones of my arse I had 2 sunshine holidays a year...

To my cousin's place with £29 stupid o'clock flights. But folk didn't know that and yeah, I was judged.

People manage their money in different ways. Or they don't manage it at all and end up in ££££ debt that will hang over them for years. Unfortunately I see a lot of the latter amongst some of my younger colleagues who have eye watering levels of debt.

Neither DH nor I are on linked in. We both have very well paid jobs.

Why did you give such bizarrely specific details about this couple? It was so unnecessary

Anyway, there are lots of plausible explanations

• she does work but doesn't use linked in
• inheritance

-lottery win

• good with money /investments
• wealthy parent who pays for treats
• find good deals
• only fans
• crime
• he does lots of overtime

Why why WHY do you care or think their lifestyle and how they fund it is any of your business? Why are you on the internet pondering this? My mind gets more and more blown with Mumsnet every day 😂