To be shocked when adults have absolutely no savings at all?

[ThisJollyReader]

I’m going to be honest, I find it quite hard to understand when adults have no savings at all. Not even £100 put away. I’m not talking about people going through a temporary rough patch but just having nothing set aside whatsoever. Personally, I try to keep around £10k as a buffer (I know everyone’s situation is different), but even putting that aside, I would still feel uncomfortable having nothing at all.

AIBU to feel like having at least something put away is important or am I being too harsh?

At the start of ‘up’ it shows the two main characters saving to get to the Grand Canyon and every time their jar gets full something results in them having to use it up. This is us. We’ve used any savings up numerous times, car issues, plumbing issues, heating breaking down, having to buy a new appliance. Personally I don’t get how anyone other than very wealthy have savings!!!

This is almost the last post I read before I flounce! Hilarious!

If you really live in a community where NOBODY has struggled today I can’t help you.

open your eyes, have a walk around, it’s horrific. take a look at your local state school, go to the local community food banks. The baby groups. The charity events.

people are not doing this for fun. It is their life.

I have no savings or assets in my name. DH has savings and assets but I have no idea how much those are.
DH was able to save because he was able to work full-time in a job that involved travel abroad, whilst I worked part-time in a job that meant I was around to look after the children and paid for all the childcare that was required whilst at work, this meant no money left out of my wage in the Summer holidays.
As well as paying for all clothes and uniform, and clubs and the vast majority of presents and well there wasn't a lot left over for me to personally save.
So doing all the adulty stuff , DH hasn't worked for 5 years and I still do 99% of everything plus working full-time, came at the price of not being seen to be adulty enough for you !

What’s shocking about something that is perfectly normal for a huge section of society. 🤷‍♀️

(know everyone’s situation is different), but even putting that aside, I would still feel uncomfortable having nothing at all': I wouldn't say you are being too harsh, I would say you are lucky to not live in a world where 10k is out of reach, even if you'd saved your entire adult life..less judgement and more understanding of what it's like for most people would be my advice.

I hope those who are bad with money, get help to manage better

I'm shocked that some people can be so wrapped up in their own little bubble that they have no idea about the lives of others and the struggles they may face.

Probably anything other than gruel or maybe bread and water.

.. Some people can't afford food.

I have nothing at the moment! Left my job last year due to my mental health. I’m happy to just be alive. I don’t think you can judge these days everyone is kind of going through something.

It's been a while since a thread made me roll my eyes and whisper "aw go fuck yourself OP" but here I am....

Sorry but you are obviously rich and this post comes across arrogant and tone deaf.

If this is genuine I'm shocked that you are so unaware of how many people live in the UK today. You really need to educate yourself about the society in which you live. if you can afford to save 10K presumably you can afford a newspaper or a television or to connect to the Internet to read about current affairs.

Meh some people are skint. They live payday to payday with nothing left to save.

If you can afford to save, then you're not skint.

You have an opinion that probably should be kept to yourself IRL. The universe has a way of punching you in the head and you may find yourself on your uppers with no grands saved up.

Shocked? Really?

I was shocked to read that you only have 10K saved when you're so judgey of others' savings... what do you think to that?

If you claim UC, you get told on there that if you can save anything at all then you are getting too much money.
Can't bloody win.

The most I have had has been about £5k, and that was only because I sold a vehicle I could no longer use. I am lucky to not be overdrawn at the end of every month.

I do think some people are just really bad with money. I have a friend who is currently behind on all the bills, her phone was cut off last week. She has two daughters who have left school and have part time jobs. Neither pay board, food or for their own phones. She also will put concert tickets and whatever else they ask for on her credit card. Including for a friend to attend with them. She earns good money, more than I do.

their credit cards are maxed out from putting holidays and weekends away on them and they prioritise eating out several times a week. But then she will forgo buying medication as they have run out of money.

its really awkward when she starts complaining about money and saying things like I don’t know what it’s like ect. that we are so rich. We earn less. We are just careful and don’t waste money and save.

Exactly, we have had more holidays than ever before as I can't keep the month in my bank because of UC rules. I am not able to save over £16,000 or my benefits stop. Over £6000 and I pay a fee. I need to be saving for the future but I can do I am spending it instead. Totally against my ethos.

£10k is more than I get in a year. I had to give up my job because of health problems and they've only become worse to the point I'm currently housebound. I get £824 a month in benefits.

Try being a severely disabled, widowed parent and struggling to provide enough food every month as it is! I mention the fact that I’m a widow rather than simply a ‘single parent’ to explain that I (obviously) do not receive child support.
My disability suddenly became a lot more severe after becoming a widow and I can now no longer work. Thanks so very much for reminding me of what a loser of a mother I am.

For years I had nothing saved. A single mother living pay day to pay day, knee deep in debt. It wasn't a nice place to be, but it was life. I was lucky, I had a well paid job, but childcare was expensive with only my income to fund it.

I'm self employed now and in some respects more financially stable. I do appreciate now having a safety net, and I've had to fall back on it a few times since 2021. Just because I now have it doesn't mean I don't understand that others don't.

It amounts to the same thing. I had money saved up until before xmas & now I have none (unexpected household emergency). Exactly as if I had never had it in the first place.

Made me feel so sad reading this. I wish I'd known you back then (and to have known some of you who have also indicated such dire straits). Sickens me that situations like this exist in the UK these days.

I don't have large savings and my salary is modest, after bouts of unemployment. OP, I get the saving mindset - my family were always savers and we were always encouraged to do the same, but a lot of it's luck. Life can be shitty and you just don't know what will be thrown at you next.

I am quite well off at the moment. My mortgage is paid and I have healthy instant savings, stocks and shares and ISas etc
However 15 years ago we were in an absolutely bleak situation with Dhs business failing through no fault of his, long story.

We were doing everything to hold it together, to keep the mortgage payments and bills to keep paying the childminder so I could work.
It was soul destroying and dh was on his knees. Then the balifs came. We managed to come to an agreement.
It would have been bloody awesome if I just had some savings to pull out of my arse at that point.
Unfortunately the savings had gone trying g to pay the mortgage.
That is why as an adult I didn't have any savings at that point in my life.