To be absolutely fucking amazed how much money people have?

[HiggsBoson]

I thought we were in a recession.

I thought people were genuinely struggling.

DP and I certainly do as we are on low incomes, but we try to be grateful for what we have.

How is it then, that so many people can afford ipads, clothes from the likes of Joules and Boden, Mercedes and Audis, Hunter wellies for their kids ffs, expensive overseas holidays and huge 10/20/30K weddings?

Honestly I'm quite baffled. Everybody seems to have an ipad - they're £500!!

What's going on?

[Rosesforrosie]

I'm not sure I am that much of an exception- you say it yourself, you have seen lots of people about with 'stuff'.

Millions of households in the UK, lots have faced redundancy yes- and times are tough for many, but it's not such a tiny minority that have had promotions and good fortune either.

[HiggsBoson]

Blimey Carpe!

I'm not being judgemental at all Tee, just wondering.

What I meant is that I tend to be offended by people who believe that holidays, private schooling etc., would be available to us all if only we made the necessary sacrifices. Clearly some of us have nothing to cut back on, that's what I meant.

If you want to be nasty, that's cool - I expect a certain amount of that on MN

[Alibabaandthe40nappies]

So much is to do with housing costs. If someone has a low mortgage rate because of interest rates being so low at the moment, then they probably have more disposable income than 5 years ago despite price rises.

Also, people are still making progress in their careers, getting pay rises, inheriting money and so on. Our income has increased significantly over the last 3 years but our mortgage and other bills have stayed the same except for a very small rise in the gas bill. So we have more to spend on the visible things if we choose to, which we do sometimes but not often.

[pickledginger]

Everyone earns different amounts of money. And people spend what hey have. At the very high end, some clothes are so 'this season' that you might as well burn money, but higher quality mid range stuff like Whistles carefully chosen and bought in sales works out at great value per wear.

[MyDarlingClementine]

I thought people with money were supposed to be spending it.
If people with money reigned it in, we would all really and truelly be in the shitter wouldn't we?

All the people who work at I pad, the shops that sell them, etc etc etc.

We don't have an I pad and its not even on my list I don't even have a current mobile I am still on the old brick thing pay as you go.

We do not reign it in and there was nothing to reign in in the first place but I have v wealthy family member's who all do as you say, they simply have better paid jobs, more investments and security. I dont covet what they have it doesn't bother me.


People reigning it in, have lead to mass rounds of redundancies where DH works, a reduction in his pay, the company fighting to stay a float.

I for one am glad people are still buying and spending.

Its keeping a roof over our head.

[HiggsBoson]

Good point Clementine :)

[HiggsBoson]

Perhaps we are in the minority then?

[IwishIwasmoreorganised]

We're better off now.

I took a worse paid job than I was in - but now have no childcare fees.

Interest rates are staying low, so our repayments are less. That means we can save a bit, and still enjoy holidays, take always, days out etc.

We're fortunate, but it's not all through luck.

[LessMissAbs]

I live in an area in which people constantly bleat about how poor their families were (ex-mining area), yet it is literally overrun with new build housing estates with houses starting at £450,000 and usually over £500,000. Great swathes of them. Who buys them? Where do they work? All the houses seem to have vans outside them with tree surgeons, security services, drainage services, plumbers, etc.. 2 new cars, 1 a 4 x 4, are standard. I'm a professional, I've bought a couple of run down properties and done them up myself, and I know I couldn't get anywhere near raising a mortgage for that much!

So I'm either thinking the parents weren't as poor as they like to make out, or tax avoidance. Or both.

There always seems to be people in the local Tesco during working hours, they can't all be working shifts, none of our neighbours seem to have anything approaching what could be termed a full time job yet live in houses worth even more than mine, so what do they do that makes so much money?

[Hassled]

I think people just have massively different priorities. And everyone prioritises something - in our case it's holidays. Holidays are a big deal for us (DH works away all week every week so we really value them) and that's what we spend what small amount of spare cash we have on. For other people it will be gadgets, or clothes, or cars or prams or whatever - but it will seldom be more than one thing, IYSWIM.

[forevergreek]

We can afford to but have a different way of life to most.

We could afford to rent a 3 bed flat in central London. Instead we rent a 1 bed ( 2 adults, 2 toddlers). We therefore have more leftover each month.

We could get the tube to work, instead we cycle. Therefore save more.

We could have sky tv/ Xbox/ every toy out there. Instead we don't, spend free time as family, and limit presents to Xmas and birthdays. Therefore more money again

Therefore we can eat organic poncy food, travel lots to nice places, buy 100% cashmere .

Our iPad was a Xmas gift from in laws, the new laptop is dhs from work ( it goes back if he leaves), the shiny bugaboo is actually secondhand.

[CloudsAndTrees]

I'm with Roses too, I don't think she is that much of an exception.

I was made redundant from my part time job, but was lucky enough to find one that is slightly better paid, and gives me more hours. DH also had to change jobs, same pay, but has saved money on petrol because its loser to home.

All of the people I know that have lost jobs to redundancy over the last couple of years have found new jobs within a couple of months max.

[Rosesforrosie]

I don't think either are a 'minority' OP. you are thinking about this in a strange way, every families situation is different. It's not a case of 'all' struggling, or 'everyone' else being ok.

[LittleAbruzzenBear]

Is it mainly Southerners with money? Certainly in East Anglia salaries haven't risen with inflation for years.

[HeadFairy]

I think Alibaba is right too... rents are insanely high at the moment, if you managed to buy before the crash then even a relatively big mortgage is smaller than rent for the equivalent rented property, so although they may not be earning more, they have more of their income to dispose of on frivolities.

[HeadFairy]

LittleAbruzzen I live in the south east.. work in central London. I haven't had any pay rise, in line with inflation or not, in the past 6 years.

[dramaqueen]

I'm another who has a much better job now than I did 3 years ago. Not that unusual TBH. We're not smug about it but quietly get on with our lives without worrying what others think about us.

[claudedebussy]

priorities and debt.

no ipads here. just working through our noses to clear debt. only way to do it.

[RhondaJean]

I suspect a lot of people may be storing up trouble for the future financially by being lulled with the low interest rates. Not everyone obviously - although a review meeting with my bank whoever it was I was speaking to told me that there are practically no new cars, especially midrange upwards ones, on the road that are owned outright or even on HP now, most are leases.

So people don't have x thousand pounds, but can scrape together x hundred a month, but at the end they don't own the car. You can do it now with laptops and tablets in pc world, and I see Vodafone have just started something where you can lease a brand new phone which you don't own but you can upgrade whenever a new model comes out without waiting till the end of your contract.

Some of the people I know who went to Florida etc last year took out loans to pay for it.

So no not everyone by a long shot, but definitely some.

[CloudsAndTrees]

Salaries haven't risen in the SE in my experience.

[Weegiemum]

We appreciate he fact that dh earns very well - he's a GP. It means we don't worry, we own property, we can afford for me to work at a low income for a wee charity that means a lot to us both.

We don't for a second not appreciate it. Our dc have all they need but aren't spoilt - we have one tv, an ageing play station and basic phones (apart from me I got an iPhone for my 40th!! 3 years ago).

We splash out mainly on holidays - 3 years ago we went to the Carribbean, this year it's Italy.

The rest we save, and give.

Never for one minute do we not appreciate our good fortune.

[Tee2072]

You say nasty, I say honest. Don't ask the question if you don't want the answer.

BTW, if I hadn't quit my job to open my own company when my son was born, I'd be one of the people you judge. Well, judge more.

[HiggsBoson]

I think people just have massively different priorities. And everyone prioritises something - in our case it's holidays...For other people it will be gadgets, or clothes, or cars or prams or whatever

Really though? What about low income families who can't afford any of the above? No amount of prioritising is going to make the cost of a flight appear is it?

We live in the South East - salaries have definitely not risen at all :(

[jacks365]

What gets me is people who have to have a new pushchair for each new baby! I wasn't expecting to have another child so got rid of all my baby things most of what my dd4 has now i bought second hand including a very nice upmarket pushchair for next to nothing.

I can't be doing with people who complain about having no money when they then go and buy some expensive luxury.

[Lizzylou]

In all honesty Op Mn always made me feel like this a few years ago. Everyone else seemed to have more disposable income than us.
Then Dh had a big promotion and equally big hike in pay and responsibility.
We don't have ipads (Samsung all the way, which are part of Dh's package).
We always go to France with Keycamp, we've just pimped up this years trip.
We are now fairly set, though Dh has aged somewhat recently.
We are in NW. I do know that we have been fortunate, I come into contact with a lot of people who are struggling a lot through work.