To think you're not poor...

[RunningjustasfastasIcan99]

AIBU to think you're not poor if you can afford SKY TV? Felt a bit irritated that on "rich house poor house" this week the "poor" family had massive Tv's in the kids bedrooms and sky tv. I know they didn't have a ton of money and were in the bottom 10 %. But really?

RunningjustasfastasIcan99

Did they have a refrigerator too?

I never understand this argument. Maybe the TV's were bought when the family were "better off", maybe they were a gift, we don't know. People can make decisions for themselves on how to spend their money - it is not our job (or the government's) to sit in judgement on what people decide to spend their money on.

And puuuurrrrrlease don't anyone start with benefits are the taxpayers money - they are not, they are the individuals/families to budget/spend exactly as they want......just like taxpayers can spend their salary on what they want.

And whilst I'm ranting, the sooner programmes like this are scrapped the better. Are we still taking enjoyment "looking at" the poor people, like the Georgians and Victorians??!! Shame on you.

They should be weaving their own hair shirts to pass the time. Those bastards, spending their own money as they please.

Yes everyone who has SKY TV, a phone line or broadband should just cancel them immediately if they fall upon hard times - even if they're within their minimum term and would be charged hundreds just to cancel

Sometimes I think people think the less well off should just stare at walls while practising their grovelling.
I was too busy running round after the free goat when I was unemployed...

I don't know why these people can't just kick a can for entertainment instead

Aye. Or go and pick up litter from the streets. Keep themselves busy, get some fresh air and give back to the community for all the benefits I expect they're sponging off the hard working taxpayer. If they can afford sky then they're getting too much. That'll learn them. For being poor.

People forget that times change. There was no mention of when thosr TVs were bought. People also forget that things like Sky mean you are tied into a contract, usually for 12-18 months. It isn't at all easy to get out of a contract!!

Anyway, if the poor all cancel their telly subscriptions, they may wake up and start questioning things.

You'll be wishing they'd kept Sky Movies when they're all rioting in the streets and looting Brighthouse out of boredom, won't you?

Sky is fucking extortionate. Unless you really can't peel yourself away from a bajillion channels or the sports specials, get the most popular ones on Freesat for one payment of 100 quid or whatever it is for the box. That shaved my outgoings riiiight down. You plug it into the same dish and get loads of satellite telly for free ongoing. You can separately get all you can eat broadband plus a phone line for 25 quid a month or thereabouts from talkra or other providers.

I kind of agree. I'm not saying that people in the bottom 10% shouldn't have TVs, or people on benefits shouldn't have TVs or anything like that, how people spend their own money is their own business. However if people can afford to spend £35+ a month on Sky TV then no I don't think they can be classed as poor.

Yes but surely when the goat is sat there watching Homes Under the Hammer enough is enough.

How very dare they have multiroom to entertain their family scum of the earth clearly

He was a TV engineer wasn't he? I assume he'd get a good a deal.

We have two TVs and haven't bought either. Both were bought for us by family as gifts.

If you look a lot closer, you will probably find none of this stuff is bought first hand outright. It's likely either second hand or paid for on tick at places like Brighthouse.

Sky TV, phone and broadband costs less per month than a single visit to the cinema for a family of four in our (admittedly expensive) town. In terms of expenditure on family entertainment, I'd say that's pretty economical.

The OP must work for FOX news.

I thought it was the wealthy kids who had the tvs and games consoles in their bedrooms.

You can be poor and still have loads of games consoles, cable TV, other exoebsivr gadgets. But you are poor because you have made yourself poor through sheer stupidity. I think what you ate thinking of is the 'deserving poor'.

I must admit it really annoys me when people say they can't afford X for the kids - but they have Sky, smoke, Apple watches etc. Priorities seem a little out of order.

Also they might not have bought them - they could be hire purchase, in which case someone naive about interest rates, or expecting things to improve etc could see it as a good idea, before the costs start to mount up, the ex stops paying for the kids, and the hoped for money/job doesn't come. And I've known even some highly educated people to be hopelessly naive about interest rates, borrowing etc.

Your right Op, when I was poor after my life took a bad turn I had less than 50p in my pocket to buy food, I was tempted to steal thats how desperate I was, now that is poor. I am no longer poor and do have Sky (well Cable actually) but I am not rich I am able to eat every day and save for nice things like holidays etc.

The cheapest wifi only package I could find was £20 (wifi is pretty much essential these days) that was with EE by the way not sky.
I don't think an extra £15 is a lot to entertain the whole family? I don't think anyone spending that is rich, TBH. they might be but in and of itself it's a red herring surely. It's £35pm not £500 ffs!
I don't think anyone would want to be too poor to buy a laptop their kids need. I'd assume that the consoles were very cheap 2nd hand or gifts tbh.
If they were then their priorities are screwed.

Lakie I used to volunteer at a food bank that offered budgeting help and debt relief plans and the amount that people were paying out on what I would deem non essentials was shocking. I remember someone saying she couldn't afford food or oil and when we went through expenditures she was paying about £80 a month on SKY When I suggested cutting that back she got really offended and said it was a necessity for the sports channels. It is a true fact that some people are in poverty because they are crap with money and would rather to go food banks than cut back their outgoings.

Onesmallstepforaman

I don't have sky because I hate the thought of Rupert getting even a sniff of my money. (Misses point completely)

Ha. Same here!

Obviously being poor in one of the richest countries in the world is going to look a lot different to abject poverty in poverty stricken countries. We don't know if these things were purchased in better times, tied to a contract etc etc. Best thing is not to watch this deliberate outrage inducing crap and you won't be so outraged.