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...

How on earth did you get from “I saw some MC parents discussing money saving tips” to “Middle and Upper classes more money saving than most”?

There are flakes in all classes and income groups. There are canny people in all classes and income groups.

The difference is, for low income groups, knowing how to penny pinch makes the difference between sinking and swimming.

Now I work ft, the children are older I am much less careful

The only people who care about class are the fragile egoed middle class

@OneRingToRuleThemAll

Fritterers spend an awful lot of money on nothing. I'm working class, married to middle class husband and he buys very little. But what he does buy is the best quality he can afford, with a view of buying to last. He can't abide waste.

ditto - I learned a lot from my exH about buying the best you could because it would last..... when he left I got the family home - so custody of various items he'd originally bought. Things I would probably have skimped on, e.g. an expensive sofa bed for the spare room - that is still going strong 20+yrs later, a pair of wellies that cost over £200 (yes I know) but I have been wearing for 15yrs with no sign of wearing out (they have a ZIP! who knew you could get wellies with a zip?). He bought me a "good" winter coat over 35yrs ago that I still wear....

If you have the money to pay out up front then you really do get a better deal, financially, on many things.

Aldi and Lidl sell lots of “MC” food from Quinoa (several types) to vegetables/unusual cheese/french/italian food etc.

@Changedmane

Aldi and Lidl sell lots of “MC” food from Quinoa (several types) to vegetables/unusual cheese/french/italian food etc.

Are snails MC? Lidl have them in next week. Get them while you can!

@Whammyyammy

I loathe the class system, so don't use it. Our combined income is circa £90k, no kids. We drive a 7 year old BMW and my husband an 8 year old motor bike. Both owned, no hp etc and we're not expensive. My husbands mate has a new RR sport and his wife a new audi soft top, both on hp/pcp/never never. Both in low paid jobs, have 2 DC and always moaning they're skint 🤷‍♂️

I don't think I'm savvy, just not lavish

What do you mean you don't "use" the class system? It still exists so everyone is a part of it.

My DH and I are both fairly frugal and we come from very different families- DH on free school meals, my parents are very wealthy. But our parents were both extremely frugal but in different ways..my dad logs every penny he spends in excel, is horrified if he spends 10 cents more than he should and he owns a lot of commercial property. DH's mum needs to economize but at the same time, she is very good with her money; I am always shocked at how she manages with so little. Has never been in debt, owns her home despite earning below minimum wage (bought in the 1990s but not everyone on a low income managed it). I remember once telling her that there are people who buy thousand pound sofas on credit and she asked 'are they mad? I would just sit on the floor'.

DH and I were watching a BBC documentary on buy now pay later and it was fascinating. I use my credit card for everything but we pay off everything in full at the end of every month, it has never occurred to us to buy something we can't afford in full (other than our flat obviously). We have been cash strapped before, but we would do things like walk 5 miles to save on tube fare, buy clothes from charity shops (still do this), carry furniture on the bus to save on delivery. We still don't have a car.

Absolutely what @BarbaraofSeville said.

It's not a class thing. It's about prioritising what's important to you and spending accordingly.

@Changedmane

Aldi and Lidl sell lots of “MC” food from Quinoa (several types) to vegetables/unusual cheese/french/italian food etc.

I never understand why foods that are cheap basics in their country of origin, see also hummus, falafel, anchovies or pasta dishes like spaghetti puttanesca that are eaten by everyone in their countries of origin are seen as 'aspirational' in the UK.

I think it makes sense, surely? Save pennies on the boring household stuff, so that you have more pounds for a holiday/big items like furniture/family activities etc? Seems obvious, and not sure as a process it’s linked to class.

Maybe the feeling smug about and talking about it, is the middle class bit though!

Yes this is absolutely me. Both high earners (6 figs each), multiple holidays but I bought a second hand bugaboo, switch energy providers regularly (although that bit me in the ass a few months ago and am now on Martin Lewis's famous Price Cap, gah). I shop around for high interest bank accounts. I love a bit of day to day penny pinching. But think nothing of spending £100 per month on a facial or £250 on a nice dinnner.
Martin Lewis is my hero.
But as a PP said, it's a bit of a game to me. I have a choice.

Well I have never chatted about it at the school gates but that you describe sounds normal to me. I'm middle class but my mum is very working class and brought me up to scrimp, stretch and save. Same with my dh (his mum was wc too).

@peedawg

The only people who care about class are the fragile egoed middle class

Sorry but that's a crock of shit. The vast majority of English society are class obsessed, it runs through every aspect of life.

I find people waste money in very different ways.
A holiday is a bit of a waste of money imo.

I live in a place with quite a few independent coffee shops, restaurants. If people don't spend money at these places, they will go and some.did during lockdowns. I would rather have the occasional treat and have some places to go where I can meet friends and particularly in the winter. Yes, we do go to each others homes but I don't always want to do that and these places are what makes the place I live vibrant and interesting..I.e not a ghost town.

Honestly, I hate threads like this.
Everyone knows it is cheaper to buy quality. Everyone should know that many people cant do that.

Also if you have a decent wage but are taking up freebies that could go to someone who needs them, then I judge you for that. Go and buy them at a charity shop instead or on ebay.
And if you are mean, I also judge you.

There’s no-one more savvy than WC parents on a low income budget. No-one.

Buy cheap, buy twice maybe true but there are plenty of people who can only afford the cheap.

I was quite a spender in my 20s and would often get to the end of the month and wonder where it had all gone.

Until I decided in my early 30s to keep a tab on everything I spent for 5 months. What an eye opener this was. The accumulation of little things that didn't cost much until they all added together. The expensive items that I really didn't need and oy seemed a great buy at the time.

It totally changed my view on spending. Suddenly, I found myself with quite a bit at then end of the month without seemingly having made huge changes.

I'm now in a good position financially and can afford not to care much but I haven't forgotten how easy it is to spend meaninglessly and will still try to get the best deal and avoid impulse buying.

@SvartePetter

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?

Yes indeed you are.

You are not allowed to spend/ not spend your own money on the things that you want.

And because you are the despised “ middle class “ you deserve to be sneered at.

And if you are also white and female you need to apologise just for existing .

Buy cheap, buy twice maybe true but there are plenty of people who can only afford the cheap.

In principle I believe in this but at the same time I am still wearing a £10 dress I bought from ASOS in 2013 so 9 years ago. A few of my favourite work dresses were from charity shops. I think a big part of consumerism is the constant need to refresh your look; for me I wear things until they have holes (the ASOS dress has no holes)..

I realized how badly poor people are punished for being poor when I realized my friend in Yorkshire had the same outgoings as me living in London. I asked why, when her rent was lower than my mortgage. She had a car (cos no public transport). She had debt from the time she was unemployed (I was able to stay with family, cos DH's mum owned a house; it wasn't possible for her as her mum lived in a park home). Unlike people on ok incomes, they are punished for yesterday's debt and having no safety net. My friend prided herself for being very frugal and she coupon clipped to the extent I never did.

ime the poorest families I know are the best with money - because they have to be. They have to shop around, they have to budget carefully, they have to get the best deals. They can't afford luxuries at all. (and for some of them, bus fare is a luxury).

So I kind of disagree with you OP.

In terms of people with money, there is a class thing that w/c people think it makes them look poor to get things second hand. m/c people have no issue with second hand uniform, second hand baby gear, bikes and cars. This is of course a huge generalisation.

@HowlingKale

Martin Lewis is a bit of a social hero in my book. He actually does good in the world.

More than a bit of a social hero, the guy is a complete hero!

The work he does on financial literacy is amazing, he saves so many people so much money and tries very hard to hold the government to account. His campaigns have on several occasions resulted in real changes that have improved lives.

He also does much less high profile work on childhood bereavement.

The fact that he hasn't been knighted yet is disgraceful.

I think you mean people who earn more generally have more left over after their bill's are paid, but not always.

I'm not sure how you can say someone who earns 17k a year and manages is less money savvy than someone who earns 60k and manages to save 2k a year.