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?

Not wasting money on crap and things you don’t need is not “ exist, work, die” - far from it.

Agree, pisses me right off when people declare it free. I’m a net contributor and it’s not remotely free. I graft to help pay for that. Sure it’s free to those who are financially inactive. But for the rest of us, it’s far from free.

Wasting money on what you don’t need. So basically we should only have what we need, to survive, and anything else is a waste of money and crap. Righto.

And all that is fine.
But don't complain that older people never suffered to survive liker you have to, because made different choices to you.
It's the disconnect between your definition f 'survival' and older generations' that's at play here.

We don’t have massive bankrupting healthcare and education bills on top of our taxes .

I don’t think the pressure on young families to do pricey activities every weekend is necessary, however stuff that used to be cheap and easy is now… not.
As a child, say, 35 years ago my many siblings and I all had stuff we could go and do pretty cheaply.
I used to take a bus to the next town to go ice skating or to the lido. We didn’t have loads of stuff but we all got driving lessons. We had a uk holiday 1-2 weeks every year. We had fish and chips at least once a month, and cream cakes from the bakery every Friday. As a teen I could go out clubbing with barely any cash, and as a young adult I could hop a flight to anywhere in Europe for a few quid and stay in cheap places. Camping was really cheap, second hand cars were a few hundred quid.
There were loads of simple caffs where you could get a chip butty and a mug of tea for not much.
Everything is so expensive now. Just bus and train fares alone are a barrier to doing anything if you don’t have a car for example.
My first flats in the 90s were affordable and in zone 2 London- places like Ladbroke Grove. Unthinkable now.
So yes, fun is a lot more expensive now and more restricted to the rich. That’s not a good thing (except maybe the flights but why can’t we have more cheap ferries!)

So? Still, doesn’t make it free.

then everything that is not survival is a luxury.

Electricity is a luxury if you look at it that way, where does it stop?

It’s the basics because everyone should arguably be able to have all access to food, warm shelter, suitable clothing, be able to spend time with friends and too many working people can’t.

I understand what you mean - to some extent. For many people around the world, this lifestyle would be more than they could ever hope for, and they’d be perfectly content with it. But for those living like this in a wealthy, developed country, it feels more like mere existence than truly living. Working day in and day out just to cover the mortgage, bills, and children (who will probably go on to repeat the same cycle) until the end…it’s understandable to feel dissatisfied. Many of us want more out of life than that.

I’m afraid I also think holidays are a luxury and not remotely comparable to electricity.

I understand what you mean - to some extent. For many people around the world, this lifestyle would be more than they could ever hope for, and they’d be perfectly content with it. But for those living like this in a wealthy, developed country, it feels more like mere existence than truly living. Working day in and day out just to cover the mortgage, bills, and children (who will probably go on to repeat the same cycle) until the end…it’s understandable to feel dissatisfied. Many of us want more out of life than that.

Well if you are constantly changing your kitchen, sofa, phone, car, toaster …every couple of years or so when you don’t need to and buying crap that just collects dust, clothes you bin after 2 wears etc yes you are wasting money.

Oh good. Another one of these threads.

Well sure, but that’s a bit extreme. And not what’s being discussed.

Purely because the government uses tax receipts to pay, and if you look at the national debt…

Yes they can if they’re not taking out ridiculous car finance for shiny high spec cars they don’t need, buying the latest phones, booking foreign holidays every year, spending silly money on take always every week and eating out etc.

If my hours of work only cover basic food, a roof and "daily walk", I might as well go on benefits 😂

Holidays are a basic expense in my books, so are my kids birthdays and just .. life. If I can't afford them, I need a different job!

Having a dentist is a luxury in this country, and getting medical treatment is going that way. It's grim for some people.

Oh I think it is. It’s very much excess stuff I see people spending on and then whining that they’re broke.

But is it all to do with money? I think there’s seriously something missing if you are equate in more happiness with more money.

Financial security is necessary for happiness but not just loadsamoney.

And you don’t need to be 105 to appreciate the finer things in life!

I had a different experience, I was WC and born in the late 60’s. We went abroad every year from the age of 7, I had beautiful clothes and new toys frequently during the year. We did lots of days out (my DM collected coupons from the local paper for kids travel on the train for free/a pound or whatever).
I also did clubs every weekday evening and three on a Wednesday.
We often went to London by bus or train and ate at Garfunkels and went ice skating.
I grew up on a massive council estate and the clubs were free at school and I was always signing myself up for things such as tennis camps or a kayaking course or getting the bus by myself to the nearby museum to do brass rubbing.

Ok, I’ve never met anyone who changes their kitchen and sofa every two years, but understand you live in an environment where that’s common. I’d agree it is wasteful. I don’t think anyone would disagree. My point is simply that’s never extreme and not most people’s experience.

Life is short you shouldn’t just “survive”.

I think Covid showed us how much fun life was with very little to do - namely not very!

I did find joy in the little things during that time too, but one of the things I found most depressing was having so little to look forward to.

Wow we went on holiday every few years as a child. We were seen as fortunate. My kids had to put up with camping in Cornwall for most of their childhood before we could take them in a a few city breaks. They feel fortunate, it’s laughable that people now think 2 weeks in the sun every year is a right and basic necessity and probably explains why so many people are in debt and looking at miserable retirement.

It’s so entitled.