Middle & upper class more money savvy than most?

[Southerngal5]

DC in very mc school with very affluent parents... The talk non stop is about energy bills, bragging about getting free toys on Facebook groups (but they sell their stuff😉) their dc wear second hand clothes... Is this just my area? Forgot to mention they gave an obsession with Aldi & Lidl...

I don't know, the affluent people I know aren't going to have their life changed because they saved a few thousand pounds shopping at aldi.

Working class often are working 50-60hrs a week in physically exhausting jobs.

Well that’s a massive generalisation. Clearly doesn’t apply to a lot of GPs, lawyers or accountants who would be very solidly middle class.

YABU - we're well-off, I've never thought about switching energy providers, am lucky enough not to need to engage with energy prices, and have never heard anyone I know mention it.

I can't work out if you'd prefer middle class people to waste their money or be careful with it?

But it is life changing for many. You can free up thousands of pounds a year by shopping in Aldi not Waitrose, driving a less flash smaller car, shopping around for deals instead of paying full price, taking a picnic to the theme park instead of spending £50 on burger meals for lunch, buying second hand, or simply buying less stuff.

You only have to watch a few episodes of Eat Well for Less or Shop Well for Less to see that there are people who can trim their daily spending by thousands of pounds a year without particularly missing what they cut down on and this frees up money for the big thing they think they can't afford. Obviously that's an extreme example, but there's usually something that most people can do.

@Southerngal5

My problem is little luxuries eg I like going for a coffee with said mums to the local Costa maybe once a week or fortnight... A coffee date was mentioned this morning & then the chief (& probably the most well to do) suggested as the morning were getting brighter & warmer we should bring flasks of tea/coffee to the park & one or two of us could russle up some scones... Other mums enthusiastically agreed & of course said how overpriced costa was anyways....

Since getting a Tassimo I can't have any other coffee :( None is strong enough. I only like strong black coffee and everywhere sells weak coffee like brown water. I have to take flasks of Tassimo with me anywhere now. I'm addicted but I am a total caffeine addict. It costs us £20 a month but it stops me buying coffee out.

I've lived on hardly anything and our income has fluctuated over the years and mine my entire life. My husband and I have had many job changes over the time we've been together so we are both able to manage on very little.

Life is all about being adaptable.

My parents in law are very money savvy. Neither of them have ever had jobs paying over 20k, I honestly dont know how but they managed it even writing it down it doesnt seem to add up to me.

They bought some run down flats when there was a property price crash, rented them out for years, sold them, had some very small investment/involvement in friends/families small businesses that paid off. They will go shop to shop doing price comparisons to make sure they get cheapest deal, they'll massively bulk buy items in sale. They change providers constantly. Did lots of little extra earners e.g car boot sales, selling things on Ebay, he would hire himself out as a man with a van on evenings/ weekends occasionally. She would occasionally help a friends business with deliveries.

They paid off their mortgage at 40, now in their late 50s, have a holiday home, range rover, 2 boats, and a few hundred thousand in the bank and both will have very generous civil service pensions.

Me and my partner make quite a bit more than did, but are no where near savvy enough (or can be bothered to live our lives that way) to maximize our earnings that much. (We would also never be able to buy multiple flats these days).

I dont think it's a class thing personally, just some are better at it than others. If you are completely skint however you dont have the luxary of being savvy and forward thinking, you tend to have to do whst it takes to tackle things in the now, like bulk buying wouldnt be an option, or small investments.

Maybe it's not a class thing but a job thing, perhaps if someones career involves strategy and maximising profit, making plans etc they adopt that in their own lives too.

When you are not watching every penny you are comfortable in your own skin. Nothing to prove to anyone. No "fear" that someone is going to think you're struggling for money or judge your kids being poorly turned out. Your middle class mums have no issues with NCT second hand sales or bargains from the charity shop. Happy to share bags of handmedowns at the school gates, use discount codes, coupons.

Less affluent parents would prefer new to second hand. Second hand is dirty, nasty, smelly. Branded goods in their supermarket trolley prove to anyone who might be looking that they can afford "the best". Similarly the leased car on the driveway.

Massive generalisations of course but having moved from an area with high rates of unemployment and poverty to a much more affluent area, the difference is stark. SIL, who has never had much money sloshing around, won't even donate to a charity shop in case someone sees her going in. Her daughter refuses to shop on sale rails or use discount codes because "that's for povs". It's a really odd way of thinking and I can't get my head around it.

@Datada

I think it's a business type of mindset, which anyone can have for cutting costs. There probably is a trend now, to show off frugality, there are websites on this. I think if a person is working long hours in a low paid job, they won't have time for a lot of mental arithmetic and bargain hunting. Budgeting and frugality do take quite a bit of time and energy to do. Second hand shopping is pot luck and you can actually still spend quite a lot if done regularly. So frugality is easier for the middles and uppers.

That's actually a very good analogy.. This particular group of mums are sahm & had previously had high powered jobs, it's almost like they run their homes as buidnesses... No expense will be spared on the children's education or extracurriculars, holidays, theatre etc... It's the day to day living & household expenses where they hold back.. I'm definitely going to start making notes as I'm terrible & would love a holiday this year

I think the middle classes have more of a range of things to spend their money on than those who are struggling. Such as holidays, fancy stuff for expensive hobbies (...usually cycling), building work, mortgage, etc etc. So saving money on things like second hand toys and cheaper food is an easy 'sacrifice'.
('If we do all our shopping in Aldi instead of Waitrose, after 3 months we would have saved enough money for a weekend in Paris / get the living room redecorated / an outdoor pizza oven...')

It is not down to shopping at Lidl, if you're wealthy you have proper time to manage your investment portfolio- you then still get to shop at Waitrose and waste money if you want to. The idea that wealthy people don't waste money is simply not true. I am on a WhatsApp group that is specific to the locality and has quite a few people on their who are quite well off, they always giving away tickets for stuff they can no longer go to, like tickets to see a comedian or for an exhibition etc. So about £40 worth of tickets to anyone that wants them. In theory that is pretty wasteful and it is not exactly counting the pennies.

My kids would never dream of shopping for clothes in anything other than a charity shop (except for underwear, obs).

Money breeds money.

Once you even have a little spare it’s easier to make choices that save in the longer term eg buying in bulk, buying for the future when it’s a good price, buying better to last.

I don’t think it’s a class thing but it is more difficult when you are hand to mouth.

This is just another way the poor get hit twice. It is so much easier (in a multitude of ways) to get bargains and deals when you aren't poor.

I think this generalisation is more applicable to those who are solidly MC, rather than new money. If anyone remembers the very original series of Rich House Poor House, the rich family were landed gentry, old money types. They often had large houses, filled with antique furniture, but it was all understated. The children from these families used to love going to the 'poor' family homes because "ooooh look, there's a TV in every room!" and they had games consoles. The rich families didn't overly struggle on the budget, because they knew how to manage very well and I suppose they knew it was only going to be for a week. (Although one family went foraging for food to save money and found a plum tree for lunch 😁)
The new money 'rich' homes are now all flashy and crushed grey velvet and they whinge about not having their regular spa treatments and expensive alcohol.

I get loads in charity shops because I love it, and ebay too. I buy pyjamas from Primark and most of DS's clothes are from H&M. I take sandwiches because that's what I like. None of this is self denial, it's what I prefer. I love shopping but I hate waste, my friends are all like this too.

Wouldn't enter my mind to pay a hundred quid for a polyester blouse in eg Hush or similar middle class MN approved shop unless I absolutely loved it and it couldn't be found elsewhere.

This thread is odd.

I don't know about any correlation to class. But we're lucky enough to be pretty well off. I also like frugality in its place but we'll splurge on expensive holidays.

My brother is on minimum wage and is clearly far better than me at frugality, out of necessity. He doesn't have a choice so it's not the same. It's more that I like a bargain so I'll typically buy stuff in the sale, or wait until they send me a discount code. And use cash back websites etc.

I've only ever bought one new school blazer and, like the other parents, love the second hand uniform shop. The ones at our private schools have been highly popular and the proceeds go back to school. There's definitely a pride in not having to buy new.

I think the differentiating purchase may be cars, if the post was perhaps referring to people distinguishing between "new" and "old" money. There's the less well off school parents in their flashy cars with personalised plates and some of the wealthy ones in battered old Volvos. Not all, but I'd say that's one of the main areas for ostentatious consumption.

Again you know when the large stately homes were built they were flashy had all the latest technology, it's only later cash poor generations that live up to the mn bs.

In my town shopping in charity shops firmly puts you in the MC bracket, it's cheaper to shop in Primark and Home Bargains.

I get the feeling that it is wrong to be middle class and frugal from some posters. Does the middle class have an obligation to consume?

I'm definitely frugal. I have just put half a tin of corn and half a tin of black beans in the freezer, will probably make something next week. Really try to not waste food. We check all our providers regularly. I've been spending a few weeks to see if I can get some ikea furniture second hand on FB marketplace. I buy clothes from the charity shop.

Today I have also made an additional payment into my pension, and I have been reviewing my investment portfolio. I will also take my kids to the coffee shop after school because we all really enjoy it.

Am I consuming in the wrong way?

It's easy to cut back on your expenses if its going to go towards a fancy holiday. These cost cutting exercises are not going to get you a fancy holiday on their own, but if you have a decent salary to start with it can be enough to tip you over.

These peoples treats are the holidays, the nice houses etc. Whilst a poorers person's treat is the Costa. If you are getting a better treat you can cut out the smaller things, but if you won't get the better treat by cutting out Costa you are just making your life miserable.

Wealthy people will tell themselves that they are Wealthy because they shop in aldi not waitrose, as if the poor haven't thought of that.

Tbh if all these women had high flying jobs and are now sahms it's likely they will have had to make a lot of cut backs in order to become SAHMs and maintain their lifestyle. It's easy to think that you are oh so savvy when you've had to make a lot of basic savings, but it doesn't acknowledge that there is still a large amount of money coming in and they are still spending a lot of money that many people don't have in the first place.

Don't most people twig they can't afford everything they want and so budget?
Op you sound a bit naive around money up to this point. Not particular to one class but maybe shows that your parents didn't discuss budgeting with you as you grew up?

My parents lived week to week on fluctuating income and I was made aware. So no I don't associate being frugal with being middle class.

We don't even have a Home Bargains where I live so everyone must be solidly middle-class!

The trouble is there is a smugness about it which is a bit sad really. I mean I find it embarrassing for someone to lump me in any class category but the MC one, surely the most boring of all classes! I don't conform by playing poker online and liking jewellery as a gift! I'm lucky as DH and I are similar and enjoy spending money on doing stuff not just holidays. We don't bother with education as luckily our DC are naturally very bright - what a relief!

I agree about the poorer person's treat OrangeShark. Thinking about it, my mum's growing up was the department store tea and scone: pre Costa / post Lyons Tea Rooms era. She was never going to be going away on holiday!

I earn a very good salary and still shop mostly at Aldi because it's better value for money and a better shopping experience. I'm not tight but I'm not keen to spend an extra £50 a week for the privilege of spending an extra half hour going round a massive Sainsbury's with fifty varieties of baked bean or whatever and then spend fucking ages queuing due to their slow-assed checkout staff, slow-assed customers packing and the fact only half the tills are open.