To wonder what people actually expect and why they can’t just be happy to live simply?

[Terrazzomazzo]

So many posts on here of people saying that they are running out of money and “I have no fun money” et. Why can’t people just be happy that they have enough to pay their mortgage pay their bills and feed their family and clothe their children? When did holidays , excess “stuff” and weekends of fun days out and take away etc become a given right and expectation?

Because at least a part of life should be about “fun”?? Yours is a pretty miserable way of looking at things.

Because we’re not Puritans and I believe experiences give life depth and meaning. When did it become so wrong to want to see, do and eat nice things? Half the posters on MN these days are angry at anyone with half a can of beans to their name.

Because we are in the 6th(?) largest world economy, working people should expect more than to just about cover their bills every month. Life with nothing in it but work is a miserable existence. Would you be happy with it?

Why can’t people just be happy that they have enough to pay their mortgage pay their bills and feed their family and clothe their children

Because that's a bottom basic things one should be able to do when working. People rightfully expect to be able to afford more than absolute basics after all the work hours.

Bur come on, you know that.

Good one OP!

I'm one of those people who is very happy with a nice dog walk, a good book and a mug of hot chocolate. I don't want or need a lot of stuff.

However, I don't think that humans exist just to work and pay the bills, and in the sixth largest economy, anyone who wants a bit more should be able to expect it tbh. Everyone who works should be able to have a little left over for fun, whatever that means for them.

Well you’re a good little cog for the machine aren’t you? 😉

Because the last time I checked, the UK was not a communist country.

Even they had money for fun...

I don’t agree with you but I kind of do to an extent.
I had a family member recently pleading poverty because she has nothing left at the end of the month to save. She lives with her partner in a three bedroom home, has been abroad twice this year one of which was long haul, nice car on finance, always dresses lovely, goes to the gym, has an expensive hobby and goes out for dinner at least once a week and a takeaway at least once a week. There’s a difference between poverty and just spending all your money every month and I do feel like people always expect more. However, there are people in genuine poverty in this country and in general I think lifestyle standards are slipping.

Mankind has made vast technological improvements in the last 200 years which should mean that far less labour should be needed to provide a basic standard of living, however in many cases the ordinary individual still works very hard and sees most of the value of theur labour flow to the rich. Social media makes it ever clearly just how wealthy some folk are, we want more because we are aware it is possible

Who has ever said that it is their 'right' to have fun stuff like a takeaway or a holiday? What people are saying is that if they work bloody hard all week there should be something left in the pot for fun. People want to live, not exist. The fact is that hard work does not pay for millions of people in this country. It is ridiculous the state has to top up wages because salaries do not meet the cost of living. THAT is a scandal, I wish people like you would get irate about that instead of grumbling that people should be happy with less and less. Even when I was a kid in the 70s, working people expected to have some fun with their money. Pub at the weekend, a trip to the seaside, an outing to the cinema, that sort of thing. And by and large, they could afford it and pay their rent, without benefits.

This is really interesting and is what DH and I were discussing this morning. I have a child in his mid-30s, I had another who will be graduating next year. I get that life is hard for younger people and families.
But I do think what is forgotten in the many, many threads on MN about how greedy boomers are having 14989 cruises a year while young families struggle is that expectations are SO much higher these days.
We passed a nursery at drop-off time today in an ordinary wc area and my goodness, the cars were all massive and no more than two years old. When did it become the norm to drive a huge SUV around? When I was a teen, an average family car was something like a Ford Escort or similar, and most (not all) families only had one car.
The amount of activities families seem to consider normal has ramped up massively too - all costing money from the family budget. Holidays and takeaways seem to be expected too.
So while I would not ever say young families can't afford to buy a house because they buy a takeaway coffee every day (although that's another relatively-new thing), the incremental increased cost of all these things that people seem to feel they are entitled to because both parents work, or we are a rich economy, or whatever.
Because what a pp described upthread as a miserable existence is pretty much they way life was up until about 25 years ago.

Are you one of those people who tried fun once and didn't like it, so you expect everyone else to be the same?

Unless you are very young, you must remember when it was possible to have a normal job, afford food and somewhere to live plus some fun stuff.
All this nonsense about being satisfied is just a way to keep us in our place and gloss over the fact that this country is hugely wealthy but the wealth is concentrated at the top and those at the bottom are struggling more with food and housing than they have for the last few decades, but of course we should blame immigrants and people on benefits - it's all a diversion - don't be sucked in op.

Years ago, people were fine with less. Expectations were low.

But life has moved on and people want and feel entitled to more luxuries/fun stuff now. 🤷‍♀️

Because it’s very easy to spend time gardening, going on walks, watching films, playing board games etc. when it’s two adults in the house.

My toddler NEEDS entertaining and getting out the house, and with two full time earners we should be able to buy a coffee and cake without worrying about it! Or taking her to a soft play when it’s pouring with rain

Doing the same thing every day of the year would be boring. I like to have bigger things to look forward to. It helps me remain focused and work harder to achieve those things.

Because people don't want to work 40 hours a week to barely cover bills. It's not like the resources aren't there - they're just concentrated at the top as another poster pointed out. Plus prices rose so quickly there wasn't enough time for everyone to acclimatise. I don't live an extravagant lifestyle and have never been abroad or owned a car but everything is so so expensive now. Some foods have risen by 150% in price in my local shops.

Because I want my kids to be raised in the knowledge that it IS normal, and the question they need to ask to decide how they live their life, choose their education, their career is "HOW" they can have a decent life, not "if".

People ALWAYS had expectations, always had "luxuries". A part of the population might have be content to just about survive (even if it's more because they had no choice and were too preoccupied to just have enough to eat) but no one would have gone anywhere if the bare minimum of food and a shelter was enough.

Holidays, days out, a decent property, decent schools, and just enjoying life is my kids right and I want them to consider that to be normal. They just have to be aware that they need to fund it. Other people do, so why not them.

Not everyone can be a Hollywood mega star or a World Football champion, but anyone can get a job that pays more than the bills.

Why would anyone actively want to live this miserably. Don't you have hobbies and interests?

Interesting thread. I was thinking about 'lifestyle creep' earlier, and how much social media feeds into it. I saw an advert for a 'candle warmer' which is an electric contraption that melts the wax of your candle without you having to light it, so that you can get the scent. It even provides a simulated candle-like glow around your not-lit candle. My mind was blown by the idea that people might buy such a thing (plus the candle), instead of, say, buy a room spray and put a side lamp on.

Because, unless you really love your work, working just to be able to survive is a pretty miserable existence.

IYKYK

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