To think people expect too much?

[CCL123]

I’ve seen a few articles in online papers about people worrying about the cost of living, and not being helped by the budget, etc, but these people are on high incomes (combined incomes of 100k or more) and the articles are often talking about not being able to go on more than one holiday abroad or not being able to afford a cleaner or having to give up skiing holidays or not being able to build a house extension. I don’t have any sympathy for them. Are these things all considered a ‘right’? I would say they’re luxuries and you can’t have everything. It’s hardly heat or eat.

I have seen articles by people on two incomes saying they can’t afford childcare, but not cleaners or ski trips. Can you link to some of these?

You're asking whether to have an opinion on strangers quoted in articles that are only there for people to click on?

Why are you wasting your time deciding how to feel about hypothetical people's hypothetical situations?

If that's there situation and how they feel then it's as valid as any other article moaning about the cost of it all

We are all tightening our belts... hits different for everyone

I think a lot of people have just got use to the 2or 3 foreign holidays a year, numerous mini-breaks etc, weekends abroad for hen/ stag do's. It's not something I've ever done so wouldn't miss it.
I have a friend who is barely 30, in the past few years alone she has had a massive wedding, 2 kids, bought a four bedroom immaculate house that was done to perfection straight away and then panics if they can't afford holidays abroad/ feels that the kids don't enjoy Uk holidays etc as it rains ! They have to be doing something every weekend, farm parks, bubble parks, it's madness. . It doesn't hurt people to wait a bit for things, we have been 25 years doing up our home and it's still far from finished. Sometimes things are better when you've waited or saved or they come round less often.
Expectations are so much higher than when I was a child 50 years ago, life was simpler and expectations lower so people weren't disappointed or forever chasing the next high. I can understand people getting disappointed when they've been used to it, but really they need to just lower expectations a bit.

Holidays are apparently a right whn discussing term term holidays (even though many-a-teacher is happy with a caravan in Hull because that's all they can afford)

However, £100k in the SE if you are a recentish homebuyer is not a lot. I know it sounds it, but after 2k on mortgage and 2k on childcare every month, 100k gross really doesn't cover everything. It works out ~5k a month net so that leaves 1k for all bills. I say this as an owner of a 3 bed terrace on a council estate, not a lovely detached in a leafy suburb.

I don't think people in this articles complained about not being able to go on luxury holidays. All that I read were about childcare + mortgage under new interest rates leaving nothing else.
But let's assume such people exist. Two questions:

1. Do you believe that, in principle, some people should be able to afford a cleaner, a skiing holiday or to build a house extension?
2. If yes, what income threshold do you believe these luxuries should start being affordable from?

dont have specific links as they’re things I’ve read here and there or heard on the radio.

it’s more I’m wondering if my expectations for life are too low…we don’t have a cleaner, and have put off the kitchen and bathroom reno, and we dont get takeout etc so that we can have emergency savings, can pay higher mortgage and for heating and we get a couple of short holidays abroad (long weekends in Europe). But if we want to go a friends wedding or party, we’d miss something else to balance.

it was just the way I was raised. I grew up quite poor and it was always ‘you can’t have everything’ attitude and ‘you shouldn’t borrow money to pay for something like a holiday. You should save until you can afford it’, ‘don’t get into debt because no one will bail you out’ etc. Having a mortgage for a house is the only type of ‘good ‘ debt.

@zendeveloper not really sure. I’ll think about that one.

Surely you can think of the name of one of the online papers to link to?

I can't think of anything I've read or heard where they've said couples on combined incomes of 100k or more can't have more than one holiday abroad or build a house extension?

I listen to Radio 4, aimed at the middle class. They do a lot about the cost of living crisis. Many I would say are in the six figures range (which wouldn't go far near me: zone 3, where a three bed terrace rents for £3500/month). Anyway, I do not hear them talking about cleaners and holidays, more like the childcare costs and mortgage increases. Just like everyone else.

I haven't seen the articles you're talking about just ones about childcare and interest rates.

I think in your mind me and DH both likely fall into the category you're talking about. We both have to work to afford to stay in our home but with the costs of childcare rising, mortgage rates rising plus the COL our salaries don't stretch to what they once did. As someone above said after we pay our mortgage and childcare plus insurance and other bills our spending income has dropped in half so we have less to spend on what you would think are luxuries.

I guess what I'm trying to say is what seems like luxuries to you isn't for others. Our holidays (either weekend breaks or holidays abroad) allowed us to have quality family time together, shift work and long hours means family time is minimal as a foursome. A cleaner helped with this, neither me or my husband have to come home and scrub the house. The cleaner does this and we just tidy as we go and run the hoover over the place.

Maybe I do sound selfish but it's how it's worked for us.

I fall into your category. Household income of about £95k. But live in SE, high mortgage and 2 in nursery so high childcare. We are scraping by. No foreign hols with the kids ever. No cleaner. Both work full time. Everything is relative. Don’t be so judgemental. Live your own life (frugally) but hardly anyone is living the high life thanks to this shitty government.