Where do people get the money?

[MrsLouisTheroux]

I understand that there are people (I thought the minority) who earn a zillion pounds and are very high earners but I just don't understand how so many people afford to eat out, shop, go to the cinema/theatre so often. The huge shopping centre near me is always literally packed with people doing just that. Not just at this time of year either.
The shops seem to be doing brilliantly but I don't know where the money comes from.
DH and I earn a good amount between us and we do nice stuff but can't afford to eat out, shop or go to the cinema more than a couple of times a month and we don't buy a lot when we do go shopping - certainly not for designer stuff.
I thought there was a recession?!
AIBU to wonder how people afford it?

"DH and I earn a good amount between us and we do nice stuff but can't afford to eat out, shop or go to the cinema more than a couple of times a month" So thats every other week then - those people in the shopping centre are just doing exactly what you are doing - that is far more than we can afford to do and i dont consider ourselves to be hardup at the moment.

I doubt it's the same people doing the shopping centre eating thing every day.

LeMonce: So thats every other week then - those people in the shopping centre are just doing exactly what you are doing Not really. We go to the cinema, eat out OR shop about twice a month. Max £50-60 spent. Cinema £10-20. Eating out £30-40 with discount code. I guess people are spending a lot more than that.

That's £50-60 TOTAL spend on treats BTW.

A month.

Between 4 of us.
£15 per person per month.

God I'm pissed off now!

I think I need to start being a lot more savvy with discount codes, they seem to save you heaps. What's the best site to go to for codes?

SirChenjin 'Vouchercodes' website is good. But I often just type in the place I want to go followed by 'discount codes' and the latest offers appear. 2 for one, 20% off bill, buy one main get another free. That sort of thing!

Thanks MrsLT

For example: free wine at Carluccios
or
Some others!

Brilliant, thanks!

Perhaps they've paid off the mortgage, send their children to state schoolsanddo without a car? Or perhaps it's one of their twice monthly visits too?

Very interesting thread - have often asked myself the same as the OP. Conspicuous consumption seemed to continue round here even during the credit-crunch/recession years, not just now during the tentative "recovery". Extensions (house, not hair), new cars, and oh, my god, the holidays. Some of these people are on their own with kids as well. DW and I both work - professional salaries - and just boggle at what people can afford.

I've always found this website interesting www.ifs.org.uk/wheredoyoufitin/

It compares your salary to others in the UK. It's interesting because we thought we weren't very well off compared to our friends. Turns out they're in the top 1% so no wonder we feel poor compared to them. But we're in the top 25% so there's still three quarters of people we earn more than which we didn't feel but now I appreciate a bit more (caveat: that was before I went on maternity leave and now part time and DH in full time education. Now we really are skint. Hey ho. Should have really bloody appreciated it when we had it!)

I too have wondered how families on MN are able to live extravagantly well;

4 by 4s
5 star hotels on.holiday
Meals out at weekends
Dc attending ballet/dance/swimming/music classes
Beauty treatments
Expensive bags and clothes
Coffee and cake in expensive tea shops

Coming on here reminds me how frugally we live.

Today we went into the city centre. First we went to a lovely event which cost £2.50 to do Chrismas crafts for about an hour and a half. Then we went to a friend's Christmas party (she lives right in the middle of the city) for nearly three hours, that cost nothing. Then we did some shopping for an hour or so. We bought a Christmas present for £5 (reduced from £10). And we bought two luxury food items costing £5. So we spent nearly all day in town and spent £12.50 in total. And we walked there and back, so that cost nothing. Some of the other people in town will have spent less than us.

Mortgage would make a huge difference. My friends' repayments vary from £50 to £4000 per month.

Freewee
Thank you for posting that link.
There are far too many people on MN who have no concept of how much richer they are than the average in this country.

Dh and i eat out most nights, mostly at restaurants but sometimes a take away. We both have nice cars. We currently rent, the house we rent is quite expensive for this area but it does allow us 4 spare bedrooms. We are currently buying a house, of the same size so the mortgage wont be any cheaper.
We can afford treats, and nice things for ourselves. We have a horse, so is never cheap!

BUT DH works VERY hard, doing long hours. He worked his way up the ladder and education, often sacrificing a lot. We have NO children- and they are expensive, so thats one saving. We live in the SW, on DHs london salary, so that helps a lot.

Not having children is one saving?! That's one of the biggest understatements I've ever heard

Meemo dont you get bored? Genuine q

bored with what??

Eating out all the time?

no not at all. we dont go to the same place each time!! lots of variety. plus I am a terrible cook, and dh works so hard that he doesnt want to then have to cook - or to put up with my shit cooking!