To think there must be dodgy financial activity going on with this couple?

[TurkeyTeethLookAwful]

A couple that we know (but are not friends with as such) both seem to have a very extravagant lifestyle that is totally at odds with the jobs that they do.

The husband works as an assistant manager at a shop; not a superstore or anything like that, just a small branch of a chain store in the local town. The wife works two days a week as a hairdresser. They have four children aged between 16 and 2.

In the past five years they have:

Totally renovated their semi detached house to a very high standard. They have an instagram account about their home (not many followers, less than 200 so are not earning from that) and have tagged many high end products and tradesmen, such as a bespoke bed and 2k chandelier type light for the bedroom.

Taken multiple luxury foreign holidays per year; not budget holidays but five star holidays. And regular weekends away at Disney Paris, too.

They, and the kids always have very high end designer clothes; the woman wears dresses that cost £400+ when she goes on nights out, and on the holiday they are currently on she has posted on social media that she and her two daughters are all wearing matching swimsuits that cost £100+ each.

The woman has hair extensions, brow lamination, lash extensions, botox, fillers, nail extensions, and probably loads more stuff on a regular basis. All done at high end salons.

They have very regular expensive family days out and weekends away, such as travelling on the train first class to London to see a musical and then staying overnight in an expensive hotel.

In the past, I've known of a few other couples who live that kind of lifestyle and it's turned out that they are earning money drug dealing. This couple both absolutely do not have rich families; both of their families live in council housing. I feel like they probably have not had a lottery win as I feel that if they did, they'd buy a massive house, seeing as they like extravagance. I can't imagine a mortgage could be obtained or a house bought on drug money...

And yes, I know it's none of my business, but I'm curious.

AIBU to think they must surely be doing something illegal to have this lifestyle?

@GonnaGetGoingReturns We hear a lot about struggling businesses but I do think it's a nice little earner when it does well!
A relative earned very little on paper (enough for his kids to get the full student loan) as an agricultural contractor but had a quarter of a million at least in savings and investments by the time he was 50. Not to mention the house.
Much of it was tax relief and cash in hand.

People are often surprised. He's not flash at all though. I only know it because he discussed some investment opportunities with me and told me everything.

I'm sure you've been asked this 100 times @TurkeyTeethLookAwful but what concern is it to you? Im

I mean genuinely why do you care?

And how do you know so much about the cost of thier clothes / holidays / tradesmen? (You've been Googling it all - why?)

My guess is OnlyFans.

Parents being in council properties doesn't mean they'll be skint. If they've been there a long time, they might have got in when council properties were easier to obtain and got a lifelong tenancy. Or been able to buy the properties at massive discounts and then paid off the mortgage. If parents worked then they might have saved/got decent pensions built up. Or parents might have inherited. So it could just be bank of mum and dad - they might have paid off the mortgage for the family leaving them with lots of slush money.

It's pretty judgy to suspect illegal activity and to post online about it. Just let them be and focus on your own lot in life.

Inheritance, lottery win, lawful income that you know nothing about because they aren't your friends so why would you .... but yeah, given they come from a council estate it must be drugs. Or some entitled judgemental jealous bint set on nastiness. One of the two.

If you know that many people whose income is from selling drugs, then you seem to be knocking around in some very dubious company. I know absolutely not one person whose income comes from drugs.

Strangest, nosiest post. As if this is a thread. Just let them get on with it. Why is it yours or anyone on MN's business. Accusing strangers of being drug dealers or fraudsters seems really out of order. Let them live their lives and stop curtain/insta twitching.

You declaring all that as income to the tax man then? Ebay allowance is £1k until you need to start start declaring. You don't work so that might put you under threshold but if you're regularly selling then you need to be careful.

I could never imagine being this invested in anyones life, whether they were friends or an acquaintance.

My dgs told me “nana wants to know where you get your money to go on vacations every year”. I would like to tell her because I am a secret government assassin. Maybe that’s what they do.

People are saying the OP is nosy, but this woman is telling the world on social media what she has. Of course you'd wonder where they get the money from.

OMG why do you care?? Stop digging into other people's finances. You don't know, no one on here knows, you won't get any answers here.

Why don't you go knock on their door and say sonething like, "I've been ruminating about your personal monetary gains and watching your every holiday, home improvement, clothes choice. We're not friends but I've done a bit of further investigation about your extended familes situation too. I'm so obsessed by it I even started an MN thread to discuss what your family may be doing and what they may be earning with total strangers. It's all on the internet if you want to go and see. I know we're not friends, and I have no right to be so petty and nosey, but so I can stop speculating, please tell me.....is it porn sites, drug deals or fraud??"

Please tell me you can see how ridiculous you are being.

Hopefully one of your other neighbours is on here, has clocked who you are and can go tell them to beware.

You'd wonder then move on. Surely you wouldn't be so obsessed you would post it on a public forum.

That was my thought too.

Inheritance? Sorry if this has already been ruled out

I'm curious too and I haven't even seen the pics (don't worry not asking for them)

Maybe they have an illegal butterfly empire where they breed rare butterflies for a the black market 🤔

Do you not understand the difference between income and wealth?

Doubt they're selling drugs, could have some grows on the go though? They're good earners

People think you make a fortune from selling drugs, you don't unless you're selling large quantities

I remember reading about her. I'd be the same! (Not M&S - will continue with the day job as I enjoy it and will get bored very quickly if I retired long before my friends)

She’s the one whose husband started a thread yesterday about the £80k on credit cards they need to clear.

@vermin so was there a thread yesterday about clearing £80k on credit cards perchance? Or you just jesting?

With all due respect if I was spending £50 in B&Q or Primark, or part buying a Kia do you really think I'd have commented on a thread nothing to do with that?

Car. Paid in full. If I hadn't bought that, the value would have bought probably only 2 long haul holidays (but that's for the 5 of us, to the standard we like). DH is high earner, so he typically pays for that sort of this.

Shoes. £550.
BBQ. £1350.

Garland. Large pre lit outdoor archway. £250. Rest of the decs and materials to finish doing it up, yet to purchase.

You really should try it.

Gosh! You know AN AWFUL LOT about these people you aren’t even friends with…

Obviously you aren’t jealous at all.

Hi there, as a qualified accountant, let me assure you, that reselling your own used items is not trading.

But thank you for the financial advice.

I think so too.

One of the regulars in what was then my local pub appeared to be absolutely loaded. Whole family in really expensive clothes, always had luxury cars, long haul holidays to flash places (quite rare back in the 1980s), private school for the kids, etc.

I thought he must have the most lucrative back street car lot in south London, but years later I found out he was importing and dealing cocaine and the car lot was just a front to enable him to launder some of the money.

I'm getting my Botox and filler done this week. It's costing me £150 because I'm a being used in a training course.