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?

[UserError]

My DP won my our iPad in a raffle at a work's do. Honestly.

[deleted203]

Maybe it's the area you live in? I don't notice anyone round here with clothes from Boden, driving a Merc or having foreign holidays. We are in an area of high unemployment and very low wages. I do watch things on TV about London, say, and think 'fucking hell - it's a different world'. It just seems very alien to me. The big thing for me is probably watching shows like 'Escape to the Country' and wondering how the fuck a couple in their late 30s has got £750,000 to spend on a house, say.

Everyone I know is wondering if they can afford one that's going for about £68,000...

[AngryFeet]

Well we are pretty well off in comparison to lots of our friends. DH has worked 60+ hours a week for many years to get to this point (I know we are very lucky that he found a job in the industry he is in). We now have 4 times the income we did 4 years ago. We have an ipad but won it in a competition. We don't do holidays apart from camping. We are about to buy our first house so I think things will get a lot tighter financially then. Most people I know struggle most of the time apart from friends who have no kids and work long hours in London - they seem bloody loaded!

[Skinnywhippet]

I have an ipad. I also bought my first house at 23. However I don't have an especially well paid job. However, my husband and family have helped out. So in our case, we have been lucky to have financially supportive parents. I think that makes a big difference. Also, I don't have children. Everyone's circumstances are difference....it doesn't always matter what their obvious disposable income is as there are too many other variables.

[GirlOutNumbered]

We don't pay a huge mortgage and both earn good wages. We have seen things get more expensive, so we plan meals well and have got rid of gym memberships. We own our own cars, so I guess that helps.
I don't buy all expensive clothes, just mix them up with cheaper high street ones.
We do go on holiday every year, but just camping. Nowt fancy.

[ShowMeTheYoni]

We spend little on food, I try really hard to make it healthy and from scratch. My job gets us a lot of "perk" such as free nights in hotels, park entry etc so we do go away a lot, but I work for it. We don't holiday abroad, but run two cars, have a ipad, a brand new mac and so on. I'd say we are better off now than before. BUT that is because we have had to cut our cloth. And by doing so we are not frivolous anymore, but frugal. We have learned to cut back on non essentials, but our moneysaving ways have been the making of us. We now appreciate all we have. We make our income meet our outgoing.

[overprotection]

We also inherited a house, which we decided to rent out as we struggled to sell it

That's because you were asking too much money for it.

HTH.

[Roseformeplease]

I wear Boden, Joules, Levis (bought on eBay and sold when I get fed up and because they are good brands, you get your money back, or even make a small profit. We have a lovely car (eBay and 10 years old) and I have an ipad (bought by our business and cheaper than a laptop at the time). Not everything is as it appears......

[LittlePeaPod]

Firstly sorry I haven't read all comments.. I am a little confused but why does it matter what other people spend their money on.. Different people make different choices and sacrifices. Some can afford it and some get into serious trouble. Recession or not utilmately it's no ones business really. Or maybe IABU.

[Skinnywhippet]

Want2besupermum

That may be true for some, but I have decent savings and have a pension through my work. I would never buy anything on credit. I too am amazed, like the OP, of some people's apparent lifestyles, but I would rather properly own the things we have like the car and house than be paying for them with added interest.

[awkwardsis]

I think appearances can be deceptive. I buy dc and I lovely clothes second hand, our wanky bugaboo cost £100 secondhand, and dd's dad won our iPad as his bonus as work (tech bod). To a casual observer we probably look well off. We're not.

[LayMizzRarb]

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.

We're lucky, the recession has not really affected DH and I. Our Mortgage has actually decreased with the falling interest rates, by a couple of hundred pounds a month. Please don't be offended because we are not having a major struggle.
We are not mega wealthy, but honestly do appreciate what we have. And I really mean that sincerely.

Please don't think those who are not having to reign it in are literally sticking two fingers up at those who are.

[freddiefrog]

That's because you were asking too much money for it.

It was on the market for what a local estate agent valued it at

[AvonCallingBarksdale]

Depends on people's circumstances, too. People inherit money/win money/have v generous parents or inlaws. Also depends where you live. Round here, people tend to go skiing in February abroad in the summer and a week in this country at some other point We do not do this. However, DH earns way over the national average, but it doesn't go very far here and we have a big mortgage. The recession hasn't affected everyone, that's for sure.

[BiteTheTopsOffIcedGems]

We have very low wages.
We have an some luxuries like an iPad and a posh pram, the pram was like new just an older model secondhand from Ebay.
However, I budget carefully, start Christmas shopping early to save money, use the Tesco vouchers, take out lunch with us on day trips which are usually to cheap places like a park.
Friends of ours earn about three times what we do but don't budget for the same things as we do.
For example we will eat sandwiches when we meet them and they will go off for a expensive meal.
I think different people have different opinions on how to spend their money.

[Skinnywhippet]

What's the obsession with private schooling!!

[LadyBeagleEyes]

To those that have been able to hold their own during the recession, can't we just say Good Luck to them?
If the lucky ones come on threads and bash benefit claimants and people in social housing, or anyone struggling to make ends meet, then yes, I will react with suitable anger.
I do see many, many Mumsnetters out there though with good incomes and lovely lives who will be the first to jump in to defend those struggling.
Live and let live though I will continue to hate this Government and it's treatment of the vulnerable until they're out of office.
Oh and I'm poor and live in social housing BTW.

[overprotection]

Ah yes, it all becomes clear, nobody has actually paid for their iPad, everybody got theirs for free by winning it or finding it in a hedge or some other dubious story.

[TiredFeet]

you can't tell how much money people have from their visible assets. DBIL and his wife are always in nice expensive clothes, but I know for a fact they have 100% mortgage on their house, car loan for their car, and even bought their ipad on a credit agreement thing (and that was when he had been made redundant and just before their first baby was born ) and basically they often struggle with money for food by the end of the month because of all their debts and have to be bailed out by overly kind family members

[overprotection]

It was on the market for what a local estate agent valued it at

That was the problem.

[BoffinMum]

Most of my flash stuff is second hand or comes from the skip/charity shops/Ebay etc. You would be amazed what you can find if you look.

[Mrsrobertduvall]

We have no mortgage and pay our credit card off every month..we have a John Lewis card and pay for everything on it...in return I get about £750 worth of vouchers a year .
We have savings and dh has a good pension. He has his own very small business.
We don't have flash holidays or cars but a nice lifestyle and don'towe anyone anything.

[awkwardsis]

Overprotection, why would I lie to a bunch or faceless strangers on the Internet? Dd's dad has a geeky job and were handing them out to all and sundry by all accounts

[BoffinMum]

Also if you save your Tesco vouchers and book a year ahead with discount codes you can get a holiday for much less than if you just ploughed in and booked it when you felt like one. Sometimes we stay with friends/family for holidays, and buy Eurostar tickets with Tesco vouchers, so we only pay for petrol and supermarket shopping. I realise that relies on calling in a lot of social capital, though!

[ComeYoniWithMe]

My salary is £200 per month - yes per month.
I have an iPad, nice car, am going abroad this summer and I'm a single parent.
I get wtc and child maintenance.
I can afford nice things because I have a small house with a £20 per month mortgage, I also sell on eBay which works out about £100 per month.