To be amazed at how much money some people seem to have?

[TinselOnTheTree]

My Facebook feed today has been totally awash with Gucci and Louis Vuitton bags, Laboutin shoes, tickets to Paris/Dubai/Bali, Tiffany jewellery and all other manner of nice expensive items, given to women from their husbands or partners. Generally these are people who work in seemingly average or low paid jobs, but who seem to have absolutely no shortage of money.

One couple in particular work in low paid jobs; he works as a shop manager and she works 2 days a week in a clothes shop as a sales assistant, yet they seem to have money to burn! They have constant holidays, shopping sprees, kids decked out in designer clothes etc. I just wonder how on earth they afford it.

Another couple have 6 kids; the woman is a SAHM and the man works as a teacher so presumably earns too much for tax credits but not a super high salary, and they too seem to have so much money. Again, kids all decked out in lovely clothes, the woman always has her hair done and has nice clothes, they have an expensive pram for their younger two children, and even went to Barbados a few months ago, all 8 of them!

Oh and another couple, who run a small business but say they make very little profit, got back from Florida 2 weeks ago and now the man has surprised the wife and kids with 2 weeks in Morocco for Christmas, and today she posted photos of their holiday of all the gifts he'd taken out there for her; Jimmy Choo shoes, clothes from Selfridges, a Tiffany necklace, and all kinds of other stuff, it literally filled the whole double bed in the photo!

I'm not jealous, before anyone says I am; I am perfectly happy with my life, and I'm pleased for people that they have and do nice things, and do enjoy seeing the photos of course, but it just totally baffles me that people seem to afford so much top end super expensive stuff!

[IHaveBrilloHair]

Credit and debt, it's easy to do if you want to.

[Sparklingbrook]

You can't tell from the outside. I always assume massive debt or funded by rich parents.

But I don't have FB so that makes it a lot easier.

[IHaveBrilloHair]

And btw Bali is like Benidorm for Aussies, cheap and chavvy.
(Amazing place, but it's not as fancy as you'd think)

[maddiemookins16mum]

I know many people on FB from single, unemployed mum of three to very well respected, well known (in his field) barrister. None of them post this (in fact, very few of my FB friends have fakebooked today, as indeed neither have I).

Don't believe all you read. Some (not all) of the posters will be in huge financial debt.

[Longislandicetee]

I don't get any of this on my FB feed! And if I did, I would quietly wonder why they felt so insecure they felt like they had to post that stuff!

[TinselTwins]

the people I know who are seriously loaded do smaller more low key gifts (some small but tasteful, others just tight :-D )

The people who seem to spend a lot on Christmas that I know geuinely have less money, but they spend all year buying/saving so that their kids "don't go without". Even though their kids get way more than their better off peers.

I have a school gate mum who has a chip on her shoulder against me and has decided that I'm loaded compaired to her, god knows why she's seen me in my uniform! Uniformed jobs are not generally the high earners are they… anyhow she made loads of comment about not having as much to spend on christmas as "you lot" …. she's got her DS a tablet, a telly, TONNES of branded clothes, loads of gaming stuff.. tonnes more than my DDs have got
.. I think its sort of an ego/guilt thing for some parents who think their kids will miss out without EVERYTHING on their wish list even if it really stretches them to buy it all

These kids don't do as many (expensive) extra curricular activities as my kids though.. so the money is clawed back somewhere

[EngTech]

I always ask the question as to how loud the credit card bill will be when it lands on the door mat in January ?

[PlumsGalore]

Seriously don't lose sleep. I knew someone like this, when one of them lost their job and they had sell the house it came out their 265k house had a 250k interest only mortgage and they had 30k of loan, finance, credit and store card debt. .

You would only see the foreign holidays and leased cars on her FB.

[DarthPlagueis]

I remember this from school but don't see it so much now (or maybe I don't notice it).

My parents would have been considered middle class, but we didn't have expensive trainers or lots of "designer" clothes, my DSisters and I remember other kids having lots more cash to spend, and lots of expensive electronic goods in the days before mobiles.

We always had nice holidays, and did lots of extra curricular activities which lots of the other kids didn't do so much of.

NOT being snobby, and I may be recalling this wrong but it was often the kids who came from the council estates/less desirable areas to live that had all the bling gear, although some whose parents were very well off had it too ( but there was less of them).

[hibouhibou]

Some people work cash in hand. One of my mum friends is on benefits and works as an escort. Has a car and lovely holidays, wears high end stuff and her DD eats to do lots of fun hobbies.

It's crap isn't it OP.

[Cguk81]

There can be a big difference between the amount of money you have and the amount you spend! Spending a lot doesn't mean they have it to spend.

[Aoibhe]

I can't understand this either. We had a much smaller budget that usual this Christmas. Friends on much lower incomes did the visits to Santa, ice skating, really extravagant gifts, parties, meals out, new outfits for al the family. Are people borrowing I wonder?

[JenLindleyShitMom]

CRINGE @

Gucci and Louis Vuitton bags, Laboutin shoes, tickets to Paris/Dubai/Bali, Tiffany jewellery

All being bragged about on FB! It's the new Michael kors and pandora.

[Graceflorrick]

We don't have a mortgage, lots of savings and a decent income, however, we have only bought 'santa' presents for children. Christmas feels very much like forced consumerism and we deliberately don't buy in.

[JenLindleyShitMom]

I work with families where there is disney florida at easter and food bank at christmas

A colleague isn't in almost that exact situation. She booked Disney land as a Xmas present for her DD whilst scrounging a share of our lunches every day as she is genuinely skint.

[The80sweregreat]

Seeing This just makes people unhappy. Its so sad. My fb friends dont do this or have this level of income , but if i did see this i,would think so what? Are,they happy? Will it bring debt problems.in the future?
I can see your point, but being with family is all that is important to me!
Best not to dwell to'o much. Just scroll on down.
( i bought dh a pair of boots and he paid for my hi lights and a dvd! No commercial overspending here! Lol) x

[ComtesseDeSpair]

I've always thought some of it must be lottery wins - not jackpot winners but a couple of hundred thousand or so that they don't tell anyone about. Several people each month supposedly win that on Premium Bonds, plus all the lotteries which draw several times a week.

Also I was also pretty astounded to discover how much my part-time working and low-earning SIL and BIL are entitled to in tax credits - they live in a relatively inexpensive part of the U.K. and say the tax credits pay for their holidays, treats and frequent meals / drinks out.

[lalalalyra]

We do a lot at Christmas because DH is often away for birthdays so it's a big day for us.

People always assume we're in debt because I'm a SAHM (and previously was in a lowish paid term time job) and they think they know what my DH earns.

In reality I was brought up my grandparents so inherited early (in comparison to people inheriting from parents) and DH's first wife died young and insurance paid off the mortgage. We've had no mortgage our entire married life, but the cost of that was a high one...

You never know what goes on in someone's home. My grandparents hardly had two pennies to rub together but we always had a good Christmas due to clever budgeting and very good shopping skills on Nana's part.

[lalalalyra]

Also people's spending habits are massively varied. I see posts on here quite often where families of 4 or 5 spend as much (or more) than us on shopping each week and we're an 8 or 9 person household.

[oldmums]

its all bloody debt, i have no doubt about it

[Riversleep]

I presume it's partly the old saying- small debt, your problem, large debt, the banks problem.

[notagiraffe]

Some people have family money - an inheritance or handouts from relatives.

Some people are stupidly racking up massive credit card debts

Some Gucci stuff is market stall knock-off

A very few people might have access to a dodgy second income - money laundering or drug sales etc

I think people spend money on different things and what's visible to us all is what they spend on that we don't. Friends comment on how we always have money for theatre tickets, days out and gigs - and we do. But we haven't updated our home in well over a decade.

[Titsywoo]

I don't get it either. DH earns a lot (into 6 figures) and we can't afford stuff like that. Although we are sensible with money (well I am ) and I don't see the point in labels and stuff. I'd rather not be in debt and buy my clothes in cheaper shops!

[TinselOnTheTree]

I probably should have added earlier too that one of the families even got their 2 year old daughter her first Gucci handbag 'Just like Mummy's'. It's a gorgeous cute little bag but again can't have been cheap. It's definitely genuine; this couple are not the type to even contemplate ever buying fakes.