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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be annoyed with my friend saying she's broke all the time?

77 replies

Glastogirl · 12/07/2014 21:43

Every time I see her she always seems to mention how broke she is and how she is scraping by.

I saw her yesterday and she has just bought a £7000 watch!!! When I said I thought you were broke she said she is and her current account is empty but this money was from their savings account .

I find it quite insulting, she knows we are in financial difficulty at the moment and don't have any savings so if anyone is broke it's us not her!

I'm sorry if you think IABU but if you can afford to buy a watch for that much money then you're not broke and shouldn't say you are all the time.

Not planning to meet up again any time soon!

OP posts:

sassytheFIRST · 12/07/2014 22:29

I do sometimes plead being "a bit skint right now" when I don't feel like wasting money to make friends feel better about their choices. E.g last min invite to local pub for tea by a lovely friend who can't be bothered to cook for her kids and wants to justify it.

sassytheFIRST · 12/07/2014 22:30

But my friend might then see me book a holiday or something and wonder why I was saying I was skint before.

TestingTestingWonTooFree · 12/07/2014 22:31

Next time she does it I'd be inclined to say "let's not talk about money, it's vulgar/tedious/depressing" and change the subject. She sounds irritating.

My sister used to plead poverty as a student so I'd always pay for lunch etc. Then one day I walked last as she was on online banking to see she had several thousand pounds in her account. I challenged her, she said it wasn't "her money" it was "travelling money", that is money she had saved intending to spend it on long holidays. Different people see money in different ways.

Bearbehind · 12/07/2014 22:32

Surely you would have been better to ask if anyone has a 10 (or older) year old watch that cost £7k and is now worth at least £14k?

No- because my post was referring to the person who justified her DH buying a £6.5k watch now by categorically stating it would be worth double in 10 years.

If you have that much cash to take a gamble on and if you want it anyway then fair enough.

A skint person claiming to have spent £7k on a watch is talking out of their arse- it's either fake or they are on the rob.

foreverforaging · 12/07/2014 22:33

DH has a friend like this. Earns over £100k a year and lives in a modest 3 bed semi yet was always moaning he was skint. DH had a bit of a rant at him one day and I don't think he has ever mentioned it since.

I'm afraid I would have to distance myself. She sounds like a self centred bore.

maxpower · 12/07/2014 22:33

Yadnbu. I have relatives who sort of do this. Apparently they can't afford any childcare so a mutual relative provides it all free of charge. Yet both of them have bought brand new cars since March.

Dontgotosleep · 12/07/2014 22:34

£7k on a watch. No freekin wonder. It's a watch. It wont tell the time any better than a watch that cost £10. Also who wears watches anyway. Don't mobile phones tell the time.
some people have it so easy they don't know when they've got it good

STOPwiththehahaheheloling · 12/07/2014 22:34

No- because my post was referring to the person who justified her DH buying a £6.5k watch now by categorically stating it would be worth double in 10 years.

So you would have been better asking if someon had a 10 year old watch that they spent £6.5k on then.

A skint person claiming to have spent £7k on a watch is talking out of their arse- it's either fake or they are on the rob.

Or they're not skint.

Anotheronebitthedust · 12/07/2014 22:36

Although I would never say I was completely skint when I wasn't, I have to admit I do use 'Sorry, can't afford it,' as shorthand for 'I could technically afford it, but not easily and to be honest there are better things I would rather spend my limited money on' for fairly expensive things I don't really want to do, for example an ott hen party.

I think of it as a nice ish white lie, that everyone accepts without too much questioning. However I wouldn't then go out and spend a much larger amount on myself (and brag about it) to make it immediately obvious I was lying!

monkeyfacegrace · 12/07/2014 22:37

And I'm saying this gingerly as I'm not totally convinced on my accuracy.

But I believe gold prices were around $400 in 2004, and now they are over $1000?

So as long as you buy gold, you are laughing. as long as it keeps going. It's a risk some are prepared to take.

STOPwiththehahaheheloling · 12/07/2014 22:37

I dont think anyone buys a £7k watch because it tells the time 'better'

Just like nobody buys a million £ mansion because it keeps the rain off them better than a 1 bed flat.

Nicknacky · 12/07/2014 22:38

I wear a watch as it find my iPhone doesn't balance on my wrist. It's a good watch and I do see it as an investment as it was bought in America at 1k less than I would pay in the UK. But no, I don't pretend I'm skint though.

It could well be a good fake!

Bearbehind · 12/07/2014 22:38

Or they're not skint.

Agreed

Bearbehind · 12/07/2014 22:40

So you would have been better asking if someon had a 10 year old watch that they spent £6.5k on then.

No because what has happened previously doesn't guarantee what will happen in the future- if it did we'd all be loaded.

STOPwiththehahaheheloling · 12/07/2014 22:41

Tedious

Sicaq · 12/07/2014 22:42

7K? Surely even 7K watches still get scratched to fuck the first time you walk too close to a brick wall. Or am I just clumsier than most?

Bearbehind · 12/07/2014 22:42

ODFO STOP what's tedious?

monkeyfacegrace · 12/07/2014 22:46

Siqac they are virtually indestructible. They are made of diamond glass, or sapphire something or other, and dh's also has ceramic in it.

If you service it every 2 years and have it refurbished, they should look like new forever.

Nicknacky · 12/07/2014 22:46

Siqcaq, my Tag Heur has a special face that is scratch proof and after 2 tears it is completely scratch free. For the life of me I can't remember what it's made of, but that was one of my concerns.

andsmile · 12/07/2014 22:46

broke to me is being £10 ish overdrawn

Bearbehind · 12/07/2014 22:51

OP, i seriously doubt that she spent £7k on a watch if she's skint.

You'd have to be seriously well off to even consider spending that kind of money on something that tells the time.

There are some very good fakes around

I know of someone who has an insatiable need to talk complete bollocks and thinks it impresses people.

Ignore her.

STOPwiththehahaheheloling · 12/07/2014 22:55

Why are you telling me to fuck off? There's no need for that.

You were being tedious.

Sicaq · 12/07/2014 22:56

OK, scratch-proof is reassuring. I'd still probably be too nervous to wear it

SquigglySquid · 12/07/2014 22:58

I have a friend who's idea of "broke" isn't being able to go to on vacation.

MrsKoala · 12/07/2014 22:58

I kind of get the thinking OP. DH and i live from our income/current account. We do juggle but we don't struggle - if that makes sense. Ie we can't afford to eat out at expensive restaurants from that money, or buy much. It just covers our monthly expenses and i often have to say 'no, i can't afford that' about something. BUT we do have savings, which are for a car and a deposit for a house. So technically, we aren't skint and could afford coffees and food out and to shop at waitrose if we used that money. But we choose to have packed lunch and shop at lidl and keep that money aside for a house/car.

We don't moan about being skint often and haven't bought ourselves expensive watches out of those savings tho (altho we do both wear nice watches, which were gifts/inherited - i wear an Omega and DH a Rolex - so i suppose if we really wanted to go to costa more often we could sell them! ). I do like a nice watch and think they are possibly one of the things that if i had lots of money i would splash out on.

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