AIBU to find this depressing rather than inspiring?

[freecuthbert]

I really try my hardest to scrimp and save whilst on a low income. I'm a hard worker too but my industry is massively underpaid.

I keep seeing articles about people and how money savvy they are and how great their money management skills are, buying houses young and retiring early. But they usually have a good/high income to start with, some inheritance or gift from family etc.

Today another article like this has cropped up. A couple has over 5.5k income a month and have about 3k disposable income. They are set to retire early because they're so good at managing money and they would like to share their wisdom with us so we can achieve the same. Except me and my partner earn far far less than them. We'd feel well off on just the 3k, which is what they have leftover.

I am also pissed off that at the bottom of their expenses is "other costs: child support and repaying interest-free loan for a new boiler: £401.18". What a way to disguise the actual pittance the guy pays in child support, meanwhile he gets to hobnob it and retire at age 40? Also very telling that his child is simply just another expense no different to a new boiler.

I honestly haven't read past this because it really got to me. I don't feel inspired at all, I only think "what a knob". And I find it kind of depressing because I feel like no matter how hard I work I won't ever be able to achieve this, which they apparently think is purely down to good money management. I'm sure that is an aspect of course, but definitely a lot more to it than that!

So, AIBU? I'm sure I'll get a few responses telling me I'm just being jealous or to just not read these articles!

Article for those interested:
inews.co.uk/news/uk/how-i-manage-my-money-couple-photographer-royal-navy-plans-to-retire-40-earning-974132

I read that too and also clocked that he mentioned when his son would be 18 as if he couldn't wait to stop paying child support. Bloody arsehole

I hate that kind of smuggery. These people need to fuck right off.

Oh god, I hate those articles that are like “how this 23 year old got on the property ladder” and they dress it up like they managed to afford it by cutting back on takeaways and getting their clothes in charity shops, but if you read it it’s always someone who lived with their parents, paying no rent, has low outgoings and often got a large portion of the deposit as a present from their family.

@Mojoj no doubt the mum will be stuck helping the kid out with expenses like uni or driving lessons after he turns 18! Never mind food on the table and day to day living expenses, as I doubt the kid will be leaving home (apart from uni possibly during term time) at age 18!

"I have a son, aged 14, who lives with my ex-partner. He’ll be an adult when we go travelling so he’ll no longer be a dependent."

I am agog.

So not only will he not be paying for his son, he won't be around to see him much either.

Agree OP!

Why on earth do women enter a relationship with these useless sperm donors? I don't mean his ex of course, but his current partner!

Shame there isn’t a comments box for that. What a nob!

Because she’s different!!! She’s “the one” and his ex was a complete bitch, that’s the only reason he’s the way he is with her. He does all he can for the son - she’s just ungrateful. Any children they have together will be their proper family anyway. She’s also a genuinely AMAZING stepmother for the two days a fortnight she sees the stepchild anyway and that’s what counts.

@Sammiesnake ahhh of course

"I have a son, aged 14, who lives with my ex-partner. He’ll be an adult when we go travelling so he’ll no longer be a dependent."

Assuming the kid doesn't get ill or have an accident - he could be dependent on his parents for far longer than expected!

It's actually a Twitter meme - the headline, some sort of "wait for it...." picture, then the line at the end of the article casually mentioning that the hard-grafting young couple lived for free in their parents' second home while they were saving up... I'll try and find an example!

I can't imagine not supporting my daughter at all past the age of 18! My parents didn't help me once I went to college, and I got stuck in a cycle of working full time while studying full time and it made things impossible for me

There was one that really made me laugh, it was in the US I think; she got a job at the charity her mother ran in a lower cost of living area than where she was before at the same salary. Her mother then gave her a condo as a wedding gift. After a little while they moved out of the condo to live rent free with her grandparents and rented out the condo for more money. Now retiring at 32 or something ridiculous. And then she had the gall to end it with “if I can do it, anyone can!”

To be honest I find all of these inspiring articles depressing whether they be about money or getting fit or being a wonderful parent etc.
It makes me feel like I am the only ordinary person around everyone else is out there doing wonderful things.

So his child support is less than £400 a month? Have I read that right?

@megletthesecond Yes! But I wonder how much less than £400, as that includes a loan for his boiler!

What a prick.

@Crunchymum

"I have a son, aged 14, who lives with my ex-partner. He’ll be an adult when we go travelling so he’ll no longer be a dependent."

I am agog.

So not only will he not be paying for his son, he won't be around to see him much either.

We have a couple of cats, and the plan is to leave them with a family member as they won’t be able to come with us.

They’re also palming off their cats.

They may be able to retire at 40.
But we can all console ourselves that we’re not a pair of absolute arseholes.

Oh my god... I missed the part about the cats!

What truly horrible people. I suppose money doesn't buy a conscience.

YANBU. People who don't prioritise paying for their kids are cunts. And I hate all these types of articles, what Any said.

Well these are seriously horrible people and I hope the fall out from the article prompts some serious self reflection and soul searching.

On an unrelated but sort of related note - you can learn to manage money better regardless of your income - ok not absolute bare minimum, living on food bank help type situations - but from low average upwards you can learn to be better with finances.
But I absolutely agree that THIS article isn’t that. It isn’t inspiring or motivational because they’ve picked cunts and the cunts earn way above average income.

DH did 22 years in the forces and left with a modest pension and lump sum. His decision to leave was based on not wanting to be away from teen DC for months on end anymore. We certainly weren’t in a position to go travelling Europe in a camper van, we both needed to carry on working to provide for DC, and for both of us to keep building up extra pension so we can afford to have a reasonable retirement when we’re in our 60s, like most working folk.
This couple sound smug and selfish, the comment about his son no longer being a dependent at 18 was just horrible, what a twat!

YANBU
They have similar articles about debt. They usually are titled “How this couple paid of their £50k debt in just 16 months!”

And again, usually it’s people on high incomes that were spending way beyond their means suddenly deciding that several exotic holidays a year, weekends buying entire pubs rounds of drinks, a new SUV every year and their shopping sprees were the cause of their £50k credit card debt, by swapping clubbing for take aways and Netflix, gong without a new SUV for one year, holidays for self catering cottage in UK instead and the charity shops meant they could get out of debt! And how they’re now saving money....

It’s depressing.

@Ohpulltheotherone those are the types of articles I want to see, but sadly it's these knobheads that show up on my Google newsfeed instead! I've been trying to reduce my outgoings as much as possible, saving whatever I can, and sticking to a budget etc. I use cashback websites and started doing some matched betting. My partner is currently out of work though (although he has an interview on Friday, fingers crossed), and I'm currently on SMP. But I'm always interested in what else I can do to cut back and save more!