To be glad I don't have 'expensive' tastes (or am I in denial?l

[Iggypoppie]

Some times I feel lucky because I feel my taste in things is quite basic (food, clothing, small home, like UK holidays in old fashioned, fave hobby is reading/ TV). It definitely makes it easier being a single parent on average income.

On the other hand, I wonder if maybe I'm just settling for what is available and when I get older I'll regret not striving to get more money and have more 'experiences' particularly with my DD.

Does anyone else feel this way? In some ways I feel like it might equate with losing zest for life and not getting excited about anything because excited usually = spending.

Disclaimer, I did travel more when younger and would like to go a few places abroad with DD to give her some educational exposure to Europe etc.

Op I do think it is partly due to you accepting what you can afford, and that’s a good thing as there no point getting upset about something you can’t have

However after 8 years without a holiday when we could finally enjoy one the luxury was amazing and I enjoyed every minute. I won’t feel guilty for that

You live with what you have and enjoy what you can, that is the key

It is what it is. I love a 'bargain', and my all inclusive Spain/Greece holidays every 2-4yrs. I also don't buy fancy designer items (as I can't afford them), and feel very happy with my lot... However! If I won the lottery I'm bloody sure I wouldn't be 'no, no keep the money' 😅 I'm sure I'd be easily able to take myself to the 'dark side', and spend, invest, donate quite a bit of it. I've relatives with 'money' (whatever that may be?), not multi millionaires, but enough for, well enough?

@OhDeez that's so interesting, I'm a pisces so we're supposed to be non materialists I think (obvs not scientific lol)

Do you think liking nice things makes you more driven? Does it represent glamour?

Maybe glamour is a better concept than luxury... Glamour seems kind of fun.

I am the opposite - I can see a line-up of dresses, shoes or bags in a magazine and I guarantee you, even if there are 100 of them I would pick out the most expensive one as my favourite. But I like to think of myself as having "refined" taste rather than expensive taste

As it happens, I don't have the budget for a "refined" life - most of my wardrobe comes from Uniqlo and I generally only buy to replace something that's worn out. My holidays are also more camping than Cannes But a girl can dream!

Do you think liking nice things makes you more driven? Does it represent glamour?

I wish I was driven but I'm not.
Glamour - yes, I'm all about glamour. Just admiration for something well put together. My Dsis dresses like a garden gnome and it's quite jarring to look at the clashing colours and combinations! I love simple understated but well cut clothing and subtle jewelry. I would only wear one item of jewelry for example. I don't know why, I've just always been a bit discerning about clothing and was shoved into horrific looking items as a child which actually made me cry.

Now that I have a choice, I will pay money for one item and wear cheap crap with it. But I usually look well put together.

Teresa May was a personal offence to my sense of what's right and wrong when she invariably wore a nasty cheap looking beaded necklace every day. Gosh it was a low point in my life when she was in power. I had to lie down sometimes lol. Only slightly joking

How does the concept of luxury make you feel sick though? I like nice ham, and I'd far rather pay £3-4 vs 80p for the really watery reformed dross. But I may also pay £10-12 for nice top from a charity shop vs £3 for a basic one from Asda. I'd balk at paying £16 for a packet of biscuits from F&M, but I've read folk doing that. However I'll happily pay £28 for my fav gin vs £8 for a supermarket basic. I guess it's only worth whatever anyone is really ever willing to pay though? And one person's cheap is another's expensive. I suppose having money actually opens your choices up to choose vs having to accept.

Oh, and can recall a relative stating 'they'd had to make some adjustments/cut backs' since they'd bought their plane 😳... Not two statements you'd normally put together! But I suppose everyone's version of 'luxury' items is their own...

I definitely have expensive taste. I don't understand why luxurious things make you feel sick op?

Some things are worth spending more money on, you get what you pay for

It's all about what you want and how your prioritise your spending.

I buy from charity shops mostly, and have old tvs, old cars and old phones. I do not value expensive items when they are clothes, shoes, comsumables etc.

But I like to save my money for things that I value. I love a really good family holiday every year (last year was Greece, this year Cyprus) and I like to stay in a villa with a pool. I like to have a weekend away in the UK once a year and although I would not say it is luxury i like to not slum it. So, for example, last year we stayed on the IOW in a holiday camp type thing and rather than pay for a budget static caravan i chose to spend my money on an upgraded unit with a hot tub. So it was twice as expensive as it could have been, but I valued that. I also like to fly premium economy when we visit my sister in New Zealand.... i value that sort of spending over clothes etc.

It is about choosing what suits you and your tastes. I could not camp anymore or backpack. It is not how I choose to spend my money. Last year I needed a new car. I had a budget for a car and chose to spend less than a third of that budget on something used and to re-distribute the remainder into a family holiday.

I ma happy with that. FWIW, my hobbies are walking the dogs on the beach and going to the pub halfway through for a quick half.

The ability to be content is an amazing thing. I never understand why people who don't want to have a more expensive house, go on more holidays, push for 'better' jobs,etc., feel like they should want it. I do like certain nice things, and I find the wanting is never really satisfied. One of my 'things' is holidays, and as well as not being able to do as much as I'd like and draining my finances, travelling now comes with a massive side serving of guilt about the environment and being one of those tourists that more and more places are getting fed up with. I'd love to be someone who was happy with the odd UK-based break!

I'm genuinely thankful that there are things (cars are a notable one) that I'm not bothered about.

Seriously - not wanting stuff and costly experiences is a blessing.

We have beer tastes on a champagne budget.

It makes for a happy life.

Byllis I am also really grateful that I do not care about cars and things like that. DH is the same as me and we often say this. I really feel baffled by people who will go into debt over a car. I have a fair bit to do with other people's finances in my working life and I have witnessed people get into the most dreadful debt by trying to keep up appearances. I am so so grateful thta this is not important to me. We have a family member who has a pretty ordinary house but has really really expensive cars (think aston martin). His comment on it was that 'no-one sees my house'. That is HIS priority with spending. Mine would be to upgrade a house. It's horses for courses really!

I love my family holidays. I enjoy my little banger of a car that is pretty reliable and un-noteworthy. That's me. My work colleagues think my phone and my car are both hilarious (and that I am a cheap bastard). But I can pay my bills and do pretty much exactly what I want. That makes for a happy life!!