to be disgusted by these wealthy people pleading poverty?

[margerykemp]

www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/sep/14/do-britons-feel-rich-poor?fb=native&CMP=FBCNETTXT9038

eg £118,000 income+ £22,000 savings but 'doesnt feel rich'

£100-150,000 income but "we're poor"

£1 million a year "but it's not enough"

They should be ashamed of themselves.

I don't know how they managed to find such navel-gazing twats but some people are clearly very ignorant and stupid, despite being high earners

Yes, i agree with you, i hear it all the time from people will a perfectly comfortable lifestyle.

I just think about times when i have had to go to the machine in sainsbury that changes your small change into notes in order to buy a few dinners and put petrol in the van so DP could get to work. My DP is self employed so wages tend to be erratic.

We are in debt, struggle to pay our mortgage and you can knock a zero off our income there. But actually, i feel that whilst we are not rich, we are certainly not poor!! Poor is when you actually can't feed your children, have the heating on, where your children are malnourished, THAT is poor. Honestly some of these idiots make my blood froth like a cappuchino on acid. wankers.

oh dear.. my heart is bleeding for this one...

"You're going to laugh now ? it's a six-bedroom house, but that's because we took on a doer-upper. The mortgage is crippling ? £2,600 a month. Once you've paid the mortgage, your nanny, bought food and fed everybody, there's really nothing left"

They rent out a £500k house as well as that one!!

"Not feeling rich" doesn't offend me at all, they are richer than many, but not what I'd class as 'rich' more comfortably well off.

I don't think anyone should be ashamed of themselves for how they feel though I think a few need a reality check.

It's well documented that people's perception of their own wealth is by comparison to their immediate peer group and not the general population- it's the "best house on the worst street vs the worst house on the best street" analogy that one of the interviewees mentioned in the article.

Whilst I agree that some of those people come over dreadfully I suppose it's about where you live and your lifestyle expectations.

Where I live (reet up north) DH and I are probably middle earners and because we live relatively simply we get by and have nice things like holidays. If we lived in London I doubt we could afford to rent a one bedroom flat.

I think also if you have a nanny as standard and piano lessons are a must etc these things become part of your normal expenditure whereas I might see them as an extravagance.

There were a lot of very reasonable people in that article too.

The key word is "feel"

I think it depends on the circumstances.

I would NEVER claim to be poor or hard up but even with our combined income we don't have loads of money to throw around. We are 'comfortable'.

We are very lucky to have things that we know others can't afford but no matter how much money you have you always seem to need more.

However I'm sure I'd be more comfortable with £300k a year income

I know they were asked about how they 'feel', but there is still an undercurrent of resentment and self-pity in some of the responses, plus denial/failure to acknowledge where they stand on the spectrum of income and living standards in the UK. I mean, I'd like my income to allow for a Mediterranean holiday home, couture wardrobe and some serious jewellery, but I'm not wanky enough to describe myself as poor because it doesn't.

It shows how segragated our society has become that these rich people are only comparing themselves to other rich people, as they are the only people they know. Why dont they know and compare themselves to people who cant afford to buy a house, have a nanny, take piano lessons?

They have erected these walls between sections of society. They have the freedom to live in poorer areas. They choose not to. The poor dont have this choice.

I agree on the feeling part being what is significant. Some people have more anxiety about money than others do, and they don't feel comfortable unless they have x amount. This is my situation. I know we are financially ok, but I am still very frugal and try to save a much as possible. My DH tells me I don't have to do this, and I can go shopping if I like, but I grew up in a family that was always teetering on the brink of financial ruin, and I just can't break the habit of scrimping.

for a few years I had a horrible job that paid incredibly well, that was the only time I really felt like I was carefree financially. but the job killed my soul and so I left for a better, lower paying job.

I feel somewhat sorry for them, imagine not being happy with that amount of money Also, he says he works 8.30am-10pm - so does my dh and he doesn't earn that - a lot of people work that hard.

Time to get this out

dakiniland.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/smallest-violin.jpg

Whatever you feel, 'poor' surely has some element of objective meaning? Not being able to afford the fundamental necessities of life? Everyone knows if you give your kids piano lessons and skiing holidays you aren't in the 'poor' category. You may feel you are in the 'not rich enough' category, but that's very different.

Can we have walnut floating shelves hurricane woman? Can we? Please?

I feel sorry for them too, and that they wouldn't be happy however much money you threw at them, it wouldn't be enough.

I hope they do a piece next about people for whom money doesn't mean happiness and talk about how fulfilled and at peace they feel regardless of their working hours or pay packet.

There are plenty of people like that but they don't have any 'moan value' for the newspapers.

£5,00 debt when they've got £22,000 in savings and "£118,000 a year?!

that's foolish.

£5,000 even...

It's about time she came out Sue innit?

Jesus Christ some people have no idea! Some of them are minted!!!!

Our household is in the higher earning bracket and I think I'd like more money (only recently though as having kids has decimated our income). However we chose stupidly to have a bigger mortgage, a nanny and to shop at Waitrose etc. never for one second would I say I felt poor because I know what it is like to really be poor (as a kid sometimes we'd only have porridge and flour in the cupboard for food!)

YY, but I have to go back to work
Someone find her. It's a public service, really.

mytornadohell.livejournal.com/

I really don't believe half the figures people quote in this article. It just doesn't add up.

Having a nanny doesn't make you "rich" by the way. For us it's exactly the same as nursery for 2 DC. The only difference is they are in the house with heating on and eating food all week! My travel and nanny = my salary. I work for my sanity and to preserve my career development for a time when I want to work FT again.