To think some people with money

[FutTheShuckUp]

Will never be able to grasp just what it is like to be on the opposite end of the scale? Some conversations recently with people who have always been well off include debating spending thousands of pounds on a holiday just being an inconceivable thought 'oh well it's worth it for the memories' spending silly money on kids prom dresses, limos etc 'well it only happens once' someone not being able to get somewhere because their car needs hundreds of pounds worth of work doing 'just take it to the garage then'
Am I right in thinking there really seems to be a lack of empathy and even trying to understand what a struggle it is financially for some people?

I have a friend who consider herself poor. because she and her and DH have a comparatively low income (partly because they work very part time from choice), they very rarely buy "stuff", their clothes are all second hand and do all their shopping at Aldi. That's her definition of poor.

However her parents bought their house as a wedding present, they have a cleaner, run 2 cars and go on holiday 4 times a year.

My friend invited me out the other week.

I told her I'd love to but really couldn't afford it.

She replied "god you're always skint!"

Yes I am. Perhaps if I had a wealthy husband I married at 20 and moved straight in with him into his huge house then I wouldn't be skint

Op I think mrsdevere is saying similar to what you are saying?
I was in a laundrette once as a student and a fellow student from an old money family said out loud and in all innocence'i can't understand why these people sit here.why don't they buy a washing machine?'were do you start. . .

Money is always a relative thing. There are social circles in which I feel poor, circles in which I feel rich. I just try to be me and I'm sure there are people who think I have too much money and also people who look down on me because I don't have enough/don't wear posh clothes etc.

You can't keep everyone happy all of the time and neither can anyone else.

I agree that everyone has different definitions of poor.

Growing up I would say - we had no money but that we were very happy and loved. I remember getting the bus and eating lots of 'pasta' type meals and not having holidays etc.

Now I am lucky enough to.....(no way to say this without sounding like a twat) - have enough money.

We're not rich at all but have a lovely house, 2 new cars and are able to do what we want and completely provide ds with everything he needs etc.

Someone we know just had a mansion built for them and built a HUGE 5 bedroom house at the beginning of the drive as an annex - it's double the size of our big house! These people constantly brag about how much things cost and it drives me nuts! I don't give a fuck that your Versace carpet cost £30,000!

i didnt even know versace did carpet and im proud

Haha - feelingood - that's exactly what I thought.

This family has sooo much money but they manage to somehow make everything look cheap. God that sounds bitter but I'm really not, money doesn't really mean much to me - I'm happy with very little - I always have been.

They just tell me at very event how much their shoes costs, their dresses etc. The mum always has a brand new pair of louboutins (last pair I saw were £1,200) and I swear she takes them off and walks round barefoot within 2 hours because she can't fucking walk in them!

Madness

Well we as a family unit are earning good money. However I still have empathy with my less well off siblings especially 1 on jsa who has to live on 70 per week. She certainly can't afford a car or even driving lessons for that matter or a computer.

It's up to everyone how they spend their money but to be so obviously ostentatious whilst many people are struggling is a bit foolish really.

Well, I do not know what it is like to be poor in the UK, but to be honest, I am quite shocked by the level of poverty of the "underclass" here, all the talk about "scroungers" when to my mind benefits here are no goldmine at all, but often just a poverty trap.

A big difference with third world countries, though, is the fact that decent healthcare and very decent schools are free.

Anyway, I get what OP is saying, lots of politicians fall into that category. Am glad Milliband put the energy price debate on the table, as finally people ( politicians) understand that there are lots of people who have to choose between heating and food.

MN has been an eye opener to me as well, about other people's lives.

PopMusic. I feel a bit sympathetic towards mine and my husbands skint siblings but, a little bit of me, thinks that they never worked as hard as my DH and I and that they frittered money at times when they should be saving.

When we were teens and in our early 20s my DH and I worked really, really hard. After university, my DH did professional training that meant he studied most of day (and night) for several years. We also worked hard as teenagers when none of our siblings had jobs. I babysat, had a Saturday job and I made things to sell to local shops.
My siblings didn't work at all at school, half heartedly did YTS schemes and basically bummed around until my parents helped them with a job. It was the same story with my DHs siblings.
We really don't flash our cash about but we clearly have a lot more money than the rest of our family. I admit that I get a bit when they say we are lucky. We had the same opportunities.

I know there is an element of good luck in it it but mostly it's because we made good choices from a young age and because we choose to work hard for our money.