To think that people don't budget carefully enough these days?

[daffodilrosedaisy]

I've come across several people recently who are living hand to mouth, and struggling to afford things... BUT spend out on what I would consider unnecessary luxuries. Examples:

• Struggling to pay rent for a large family each month, ended up in huge debt to their landowners and got kicked out... but have newest iPhones, iPads for all the kids, big TV etc.

• Unable to pay for boiler and car to be fixed at the same time in winter, so had to take out a big loan to buy new ones of both, but go on two week holidays abroad, and again own high-end electronics.

I'm not referring to people that are never able to save, because their living costs equate to what they earn. I mean people who seem to get their priorities wrong and spend lots on 'luxuries' but don't budget for the basics like rent, and having a contingency fund for when things go wrong (broken boiler/car etc.).

AIBU in thinking this is ridiculous? Especially when people have families to care for?

Thanks @chocolatemademefat

@duffeldaisy Yes, I was with her in the phone shop when she bought it! It was an iPhone X (I think) or whatever the newest one is, and a plus so the larger version, with the maximum amount of storage and unlimited everything.

@daffodilrosedaisy
Well you’ve learnt your lesson.

Tough Tits.

Next time plan to go with someone who doesn’t have an iPhone X so you wont feel bad if they pull out and you won’t feel the need to blame it on their phone bill or rent that is a priority to them. 🤷‍♀️

YABU. Nowadays its' essential to have something with access to the internet (and smartphone's probably easiest) for job applications, benefits, and generally keeping up with friends and family (which is very important for mental wellbeing), and for entertainment.
But there is a massive range of those. Amazon Fire tablets are around £50, a decent smartphone surely less than a £100. You don't need the newest device from Apple which cost £500 and up

Agree with IAmLlazyArse.
Me and DH went to Lichfield awhile ago and saw 4 men in their twenties waiting for the food bank to open whilst smoking and drinking cider .
This was Nine Thirty am.
One of them had a toddler with him who wanted a bag of crisps,was told promptly that I ain`t got money for that shit.
Also I know of a family who are constantly in debt,yet can afford a nice 16plate car and have two holidays abroad.
Common sense has gone out of the window.

And if she couldn’t the deposit, what made you think she could pay for a full holiday ??

Couldn’t afford the deposit*

@CTRL Charming, you are.

@CTRL She was getting paid just before we were due to go, so she said she'd be able to pay for it then. Please stop trying to pick holes in everything!

Butternutsquashy I'm with you. If you live alone and there's no one to split the rent and bills with, life is almost twice as expensive! I keep trying to explain this to friends, who maintain that their expenses must be double if there are two of them and therefore it's the same...

No. No it isn't. Maybe two can't live quite as cheaply as one, but when there are two of you paying the bills it makes a HELL of a lot of difference.

OP I’m not picking holes.

I’m putting myself in someone else’s position.

Something I wish everyone would do before they judge.

@CTRL But if she budgeted... she'd know that even though she was getting paid just before we were due to go, she wouldn't have been able to afford it! Now do you understand?

Also...
The people who did the "Aww. Poor you" when we were renting cheaper flat on not so great street while they were renting the luxury options...
Their choice, but it gets annoying when now they are going "Lucky you! I will never get to buy a house like you. Who can afford to save? Not me"
Well. That £350 you paid on rent more than I did could have helped...

Seriously wouldn't judge anyone's choices like this if they just shut up about how "lucky I am compared to them"🙄

CTRL we get it. For many people they have no choice & are doing the best they can on sod all money.

But you cannot pretend there are not some people out there that are just pig dumb and make repeatedly poor choices with money.

But you cannot pretend there are not some people out there that are just pig dumb and make repeatedly poor choices with money.

And these are the ones we are talking about. Which was said numerous times

@noidontwatch

Your right. There are some people who are wild with money but there are equally people who don’t and still struggle.

I don’t like the assumption that just because OP saw her friend get a new phone that means she doesn’t know how to budget.

Has it ever dawned on you that other expenses just turn up ?
Maybe she said it was the rent but she could be struggling.

Why come on here to slate her off and make generalisations

Some people have the attitude that as they work they deserve to treat themselves but choose to do this over paying bills. I have a friend pays no mortgage(her brother pays it) works full time, gets rent of her son and is paying last years council tax bill, not even this years, constantly gets cut off from Sky for not paying, has loans to pay off etc. But every pay day will do online clothes shopping, have nails done, eyebrows done, she has her hair done at the most expensive salon in town, she is awful with money. Me and another friend have decided we are not lending her any money anymore due to the fact we have repeatedly tried to help her with budgeting and she does not want to know. Some people just wont/cant be helped.

Yanbu my favourite is when ppl ask for help with their budget and then you tell them to cut out Netflix, sky, Spotify etc and they say “oh but it’s my only treat” blah blah etc etc.

@CTRL That was one example. I'm tired of sticking up for myself, you clearly have it in for me. I have been upset by how they've both treated me recently and I feel these have been down to their rubbish spending habits. Being pissed off with me when I won't lend money, for example. I came on here to see if others had experienced the same, as I've been feeling rubbish about it and frustrated. But you clearly think I'm an awful friend

And if she couldn’t the deposit, what made you think she could pay for a full holiday ??

I routinely go away with a group of friends, one of us will usually book the place we’re staying in and we’ll reimburse them ahead of time or when we all meet up. I’d be very upset if one of them had said she was coming, knowing the costs and timings etc and then couldn’t come because of an entirely predictable expense leaving me and the rest of the group to carry the cost. In fact I’ve had friends need to cancel at short notice and still pay their contribution precisely because they didn’t want anyone to be out of pocket.

It’s not rocket science to plan for forthcoming expenses that you know you’ve agreed to incur. Again, we’re not talking about crisis or things that go wrong at the last minute.

You don't get to set other people's priorities. I find the tone of your posts smugly objectionable. I suppose it makes you feel superior.

@Youmadorwhat Exactly! Coffees and nights out, too. They all add up! I don't go on any nights out and never buy takeaway coffee. Not saying I'm amazing - I've been crap at budgeting in the past. But I have essentials to budget for and save most of the rest so I don't have the money to fritter on those things.

This is a forum and I gave my opinion. Sorry if it doesn’t coincide with yours hence why your feeling offended but you asked the question asking for opinions

@midsomermurderess I don't feel superior at all, I just hate it when someone's rubbish budgeting begins to affect you or your friendship with them because they keep asking to borrow money. And it seems all too common that people spend money they can't really afford. I have said in this post that I used to spend a lot at uni on unnecessary things: clothes, coffees, food out, takeaways etc. I'm not being holier than thou.

You don't get to set other people's priorities.

No, but people who spend/borrow beyond their means lose the moral high ground to whinge and be jealous of those who know how to budget and live within their means!

You make you bed and you lie in it!