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?

Probably as long as humans have existed tbh

OP hasn’t posted again.

I think problem is that many people don’t have enough to pay their mortgage, bills and feed and clothe their family.

It’s not about people wanting ‘stuff’ or expensive holidays.

My parents grew up in the same city in cramped, crappy housing - low income households. As DC one of them went to the cinema weekly, had fish and chips, sweets, day trips to the sea or fair, occasional panto, turkish-style baths every few weeks, a TV. The other had these things much less often. Many decades later they still talked about the differences and what the ‘fun stuff’ meant.

In a developed, modern country with low energy lightbulbs I don't think many people would have their mind boggled at that idea! Putting the heating on is a different matter.

My point is, advertisers convince us that we have a need when in fact there isn't one. So much money is wasted that way and it doesn't end up improving our lives or bringing happiness.

Whilst I enjoy the simple things @Thepeopleversuswork , what you describe is just existing until you die. If that is all we do or need then there would be no ambition or fulfillment and no incentive to do the jobs that may need years of training and/or hours of extra time.

This ^

What is the point of working if you don't have enough money to enjoy yourself?

Yes I agree. Think you may have meant to respond to someone else?

I think the environment you live in can make a huge difference to how you feel about life and how much you feel the need to spend money on fun stuff to make life seem better . Living somewhere beautiful will mean someone is much more content than if they’re living on a smoggy A road into a major city . Perhaps OP has a nice environment?

Some people end up with very new cars when they have young children because they need to fit children's car seats which are now massive, alot don't have the cash to buy an older car outright and end up with cars on finance paid monthly. Not that I think it's the best way to go about things but I can see why it happens
Back in the day men used to be in the pub several times a week drinking with friends, now people are more likely to grab a coffee on the way to work
People could afford to live very well on 2 full time wages a few decades ago and could survive on one. Now both parents need to work full time and might still only cover life's essentials and not have an adult left at home to do the domestic labour. So now the time they are not working is used to do the stuff around the house. You can't blame people for wanting to do things like having a holiday once a year to unwind and have a break from everything

I agree, we should be happy if we have food and shelter, everything else is just nice to haves, we don’t need them.

Because life would be tedious as fuck without fun, holidays etc.

I agree with this, but in this economy, I think even a dog, a book and a hot chocolate is a luxury for some people, although it shouldn’t be!

Ah sorry! Thought I tagged the OP

This ^

Humans aren't meant to be compliant little units of taxation. Even the people in the middle ages used to have fun and humans have made things and played musical instruments since their time began.

God forbid we try to enjoy this life that is so full of hatred and worry.

OP has clearly missed the point that life should involve 'living', not just surviving.

I worked hard to get an education and what I thought would be a decent career to live a nice lifestyle, if I wanted to just exist, I wouldn't have bothered investing my time, energy and money in trying to better myself. Although I enjoy my job I work to live and have a nice life, that involves nice holidays and fun activities. It'd be a pretty sad life if all I did was work to pay the mortgage and sit in my house thinking wow we have enough money to eat. I want to live my life, not merely exist.

Well, my parents back in the 60's/70's had a very modest income but we still had pleasant, simple UK holidays (not in caravans!), were given modest, thoughtful presents and occasionally slightly splurgy ones, had our eyes opened up to inexpensive delights like (ahem) art galleries and stately homes and the amazing stuff you could check out of the library and beautiful walks through beautiful country and even got to have fish and chips from time to time! And were never told that we were not to expect that life might hold some pleasures for us.

But similar things are living.

Why do they?

Is that an expectation you set up?

My children (on the whole) played with their toys at home and if going out it was to a park which didn't involve cake and coffee (or any form of soft play)
Going Out Out was an occasional treat

Holiday trips do seem to be the norm now. It wasn't like that at all when I was growing up.

Books and hit chocolate aren’t.
Libraries are free and you can make nice coffee and hot chocolate at home often nicer than out.

Joyfulness comes from inside, not from stuff you can buy.

It's not wrong to want it, but it seems like the waste of a life to be perpetually miserable because one cannot afford what others have.

My utilities are going up another 18 pounds a month end of this month. Food isn’t getting any cheaper now and everything is so expensive. No wonder people feel hard done by and if you can’t have the odd treat due to cost it is a miserable experience.
Holidays are a luxury. They used to be affordable.
It’s certainly grim and how families with little ones manage I’ve no idea.