When did Mumsnet become so obsessed with money/ wealth ?

[sorryghadtochangeuser]

I joined mumsnet as I thought it was a group of parents discussing parenting issues , stories , giving advice

I thought it was going to be down to earth real advice

Yet practically every day I keep reading threads about wealth , how to look expensive , how big is your house etc etc etc , how much money you earn

Is this a new thing or has mumsnet always been this shallow and materialistic and I just didn't realise ? It's so do dull .

Then don't join in those topics? Some people find money and wealth interesting. Not everyone wants to bang on about babies, kids and breast feeding 24/7

Clearly by passing the topics are the easiest option

I was asking if it had changed recently

Not particularly in the 2 years I’ve been here (various name changes).

There does seem to be an influx of goady fuckers currently, as happens periodically who are deliberately arsey.

But other than that not really.

Nope

No it hasn't changed. Do not go on to the education threads about people discussing the relative merits of Eton v Winchester.

MN is a very broad forum. You can discuss knitting and crochet, dog food, sofas, face cream, feminism, BLW or your favourite swear word (possibly all in the same day).

However, it does a slightly more MC wealthier demographic that the country as a whole.

*does have

I think people just have a desire to be nosey and find out about others life’s. If you don’t like a thread because it’s so so dull then you don’t have to join in, plenty of others around to join in with

Something you like some of us would probably find dull, becuase everyone is different.

No I don’t think the site is suddenly obsessed with money tbh

It has changed yes but I don't think it's just about money. The posters used to be a lot more witty and up for a laugh. These days a lot of posters seem sour faced.

E.g. In the old days you could post a thread saying "I'd like to be a writer and I'm thinking of writing a story about x, y and z"

People would reply and say "good idea, sounds like a good story" or "wouldn't be my cup of tea to be fair but good luck with it"

Now the replies are more like "a writer? You can't even spell properly" or "that story sounds dull as fuck, I've had more interesting shits" etc etc

People swear a lot on here now for the sake of swearing. It's always been a sweary forum but in the old days it tended to be in context. Nowadays it's like being in a room with a bunch of teenagers trying to act hard.

I think there used to be a lot more posts on credit crunch than there are now, probably because people are quick to accuse the OP of asking for money if they talk about how skint they are or ask how to make a chicken last week.
I love reading about how the other half live though but I think the rich posts have increased and the poor ones seem not so frequent.

Bossy I agree with that

Its always been like that. When I first joined there were posters with pictures of their huge houses on their profile! Crazy!!

People discuss wealth on here as it’s something they can’t discuss on real life. However it is interesting the range of things MN collectively hates:
Camping
Dogs
Large cars
Speeding
Junk food
Poor people
Guns
Americans
Vegans
The countryside

Nowadays it's like being in a room with a bunch of teenagers trying to act hard

Love this comment 🤣🤣

I think sometimes though it’s not specifically about wealth but some people find a way to “gloat” for want of a better word, about what they have.

The two I’ve seen today relating to money were about whether it’s easier to look good on more money, to which I think well yes obviously! And one which I think the title could have been worded better, because it wasn’t really about who has what, what they wanted more was budgeting tips.

I tend to read the threads where people want genuine advice (and respond if I think I have something to add) and I like the funny ones. Some poor woman was stuck in a jumpsuit the other day, I hope she managed to get out 🤔 There are some witty people on here who make me chuckle.

Tbh I've found that posters are reluctant to talk about how much they earn or how much their house is worth for fear of being called a braggart!

I come from a wealthy background myself, currently not living as such but the whole idea of boasting about one's wealth is so crass .

I miss the funny stories and amusement that used to be on here

I've been on here nearly 10 years and I do feel the stories have changed

As bad said second post some people want to talk about money .
Fair play . I'm not criticising them .
I just didn't think mumsnet was about that
Maybe it's myself I should Be looking at whether I want to be an avid follower of a group of people who prioritise money

When MN started out it was a very MC and often quite wealthy demographic. It's got a lot bigger (obviously) and a lot broader, but that element has stayed.

You do actually find both extremes of wealth in UK society on here. It feels as if the 'how much do you have in savings threads' tend to be 50% 'nothing, just getting through the month as it is' and 50% 'well, we have the recommended 12 months' net salary, of course, plus a few investments'.

MN really, really doesn't hate camping, dogs or poor people

I realise it's not every poster
It's the gloating I find so dull

I much preferred the joking camaraderie of laughing about ones parenting

Most people.like to boast where they can and you it's easy to do so online?

If you've been here 10 years you should know that posters have always talked about money, how much they earn/save, how much they spend on holidays each year etc.

Agree with sourfaced, some posters just come on to spit an insult and then disappear from a thread unless anyone else backs them up. It's just petty and reflects on themselves.

There has always been an air of yummy Highgate mummies feeding their Tabithas and Crispins quinoa and kale smoothies on MN but this has certainly become more balanced out by tired mums with SN kids and CF neighbours in recent years.

Do you mean stealth boasting?

posters use to be ridiculed for stealth boasting, not sure if they still are, as I haven't been on many threads like that, for a while.

I think there are an awful lot of posts that are just made up. I sometimes doubt some of those which brag about how much they earn. Of course if you are exceptionally poor or exceptionally rich you might feel more inclined to post about your unusual situation than the rest of use middle aged, middle income 2 kids and a medium mortgage brigade.

I fell exactly the same. I came on here for advice and to talk to like minded/similar status people but feel this place is filled with middle class or rich people who complain about things I can't relate to like nannies , best area for private schools or even things like morgages and cars. I don't have much money so it can be a little sad seeing people complain about things I dream about