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?

Who says you’re just surviving without expensive crap and experiences.

This is the utopia that the left, especially the far left are aiming for. Everyone equally miserable and penniless. Crocheting clothes from recycled tea cosies.

Completely agree. If life is made up of nothing but work, sleep, eat, what's the point?

Except that what you consider to be "wasting money on crap" might be extremely important to someone else. Holidays and travelling are certainly important to me. Who are you to tell anybody how they should live and what they should enjoy?

I’m not. However don’t whine if you’re broke funding it. Holidays aren’t a right .

Have you had a blow to the head or something?? 😂

I've a feeling I understand the so-called 'logic' you were grasping for, but it's nothing short of absurd to frame this as being what the left want after the way the Tories systematically went after the poorest people in society while they themselves got increasingly rich.

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 true. My dad was in the pub two evenings a week, my mum did many evening classes and socialised that way mostly. Those things are really only for people with quite a bit of extra cash now.

And the taxpayer pays this for those who don't work and pays the top up benefits for those who don't earn enough because full time work doesn't always pay enough to live on. Having done all that hard work and paid that tax to support others and the businesses that don't pay adequately, OP then thinks that the working taxpayer doesn't deserve "fun" and extras. SO many working people are really no better off than those on benefits - surely the incentive to work rather than sit around all day is to have some money to spend on a little of whatever makes you happy.

No, it’s that housing costs have become completely out of kilter with salaries.

A single person working 40 hours per week on minimum wage isn’t taking out loans for flashy cars or all the other things you mention. They’re struggling to keep up with the rent and the rising cost of food.

But people are spending a fortune on things they take for granted- gadgets, tech, cars etc .That's why they have little left over .

Well going by car parks they are.

But people are spending a fortune on things they take for granted- gadgets, tech, cars etc .That's why they have little left over

@Bra848tofjn is this feels or facts?

I do think it's actually contributing to our stress levels and poor mental health as a nation.

People assume holidays and buying stuff = happiness.

They don't find happiness elsewhere in life so they have to buy it in. Then dismiss finding happiness in the small things as boring and for old people.

I'm happy to be happy with my small life. Holidays are great fun to be sure, but I don't need them to be happy.

OP then thinks that the working taxpayer doesn't deserve "fun" and extras

Do we think the OP works?

😀

A cupboard, you indulged creature, you! Here we only dream about having a cupboard to shut ourselves in.

It is all a balancr, isn't it?
You need more from life than bread and butter, but nobody needs a sports car.
I have voted YABU because what you mention in your opening post is not that superfluous. We all deserve a holiday after working hard (not abroad, or luxury, but fun), and a take away now and then, and a coffee with friends, and a fun day out.
No one needs billions, yet they have them.

And thinking about my neighbours, big council estate, northern town- everyone went on holiday to Spain or Greece, the club was packed on a Friday and Saturday night, many people went every week, if kids were bright they could go to university for free (my sister did- full grant). For people with a bit of get up and go there were opportunities to progress, hence more money for fun.
It just feels like a treadmill now. I need a new car- a 10 year old Kia hatchback is around 7k… 10 years ago it would have been 1.5k

Of course people need fun.

But fun doesn't have to be expensive, unless you have been brainwashed by social media.

Going somewhere new is great - you can camp, or go to a hostel. But a private room with enough suite, or villa with its own pool isn't necessary.

Have a day out and take a picnic.

Rough it for a night or two, in return for a new experience.

Why do people pretend that in the past holidays were not a thing, people went out dancing, to the pub, they had their hair done, they spent money on tights etc.

It's not a new thing that people spend money

Even Tiny Tim got a Christmas ffs

i don’t want to work, eat, sleep, pay bills. - repeat I think fun makes all of that bearable

Because you’re burning the candle for the scent
candle warmers save money by burning the candle more slowly, and no fire risk
it’s not being used to replace a light
if you like scented candles it’s a nice thing to have. I’m not saying it’s necessary but it has a reason to exist

But they do.Nearly everybody is walking round with a grands worth of phone, driving increasingly expensive cars whilst needing more and more as the basics,living longer and unhealthier ( at the expense of the tax by payer)…..

You can’t have it all.

Because people think spending money on things makes things more enjoyable or life better and leads to a happier life. Let them think that.

It is to do with money in term of freedom. There's nothing missing in knowing that I am happier because I don't worry about putting the heating on in July if I am chilly, that I just order a new coat for my kids when they need one, that they can go to any sport event or school event or tour because we can afford them, and that we can take a few breaks every year.

If money didn't pay for the essentials, why would I bother working?

I don't find gardening and pottering around to be "a finer thing" in life 😂

Would I be happier with more money? Probably, because I would have even more freedom if nothing else. It's not really about the amount in your bank account, but what you can do with it. I wouldn't buy an island or the biggest diamond in the world, but I wouldn't be sad if somehow I inherited a few millions from somewhere - sadly, I won't, life is unfair that way 😂

As a single parent working 37 hours per week i can pay my bills, and have a little left over, thank goodness. So I can.pay for DDs hobby and we can have some occasional long weekends camping and once a year a cheap last minute overseas.

I do care work, and live in the SE, so a little higher than minimum wage and fairly high housing costs.