How and why do people who aren’t actually well off pay for this stuff?

[Watersunscream]

If I told you our income I would be told we are in the top percent of earners etc but I honestly couldn’t actually justify or financially manage these sorts of purchases.

Has anyone heard of the essentials brand? Literally hundreds for a tracksuit. I think another is Bergen? Expensive t shirts. Then there’s the usual like Fred Perry etc.

Obviously I know lots of wealthy people buy these things too but it’s mostly people from low income backgrounds. How do I know this? Because people I work with who live in deprived areas and not paid much are forever talking about these things! They actually buy the stuff for holidays or as gifts at Christmas etc. Is this a misguided attempt to gain status? An insecurity thing? I find it really bizarre, it wouldn’t ever cross my mind to spend this.

Vinted Hacoo fakes etc , not sure why it bothers you though

It would seem like OP thinks they’re not allowed, no.
Nothing but Primark for the plebs!

“Many higher earners have learned to be responsible with money and think about the long term.“

Where as those low income scallywags just squander their poverty wages and benefits on flashy crap, living only for the moment with no thought to being responsible…..

What you don’t understand @Ponderingwindow, is that when you earn just enough to survive, with maybe £30 a month for extras, saving is an indulgence. And, if you’re only able to save £10-£20 a month you actually don’t accrue a nest egg to maintain you in your old age. You might just be able to get a small buffer to cover car repairs or a new washing machine. To save effectively you need to be able to squirrel away hundreds a month, maybe more. Higher earners can be ‘responsible’ and think longer term because they have much more to work with. That statement alone has echoes of ‘everyone has the same 24hrs in a day’ and “if you want to earn more, get a better job”. Both are statements rooted in privilege and ignorance.

To answer your question @Watersunscream, knock-offs, loans/credit, vinted etc.

Following on from this point, poorer people are what the better off deem "irresponsible" because they know they can never have the 5 bed luxury home, bucket list type holiday every year, private school for the kids etc. Even any home of their own is unlikely in the current climate and system. It's just not affordable ever. So you can do without and save up bit by bit until you have £6k and then start getting any help withdrawn. Or you can accept that expensive items and experiences are just not for you and go for the little (relatively) wins instead. Saving say £100 for a track suit is feasible. Saving £20k for a house deposit is not.

@Ileithyia That statement alone has echoes of ‘everyone has the same 24hrs in a day’ and “if you want to earn more, get a better job”.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/B-zBfU6aP54

Lower earners get help from the government to make ends meet. High earners can do tax avoidance plus have enough money anyway. If you're in the middle and earning a decent wage you qualify for zilch and pay top whack for absolutely EVERYTHING. By default, middle earners tend to be worse off for the numbers of hours they work to income ratio.
I'm sure I'll get flamed for this comment but my some of my lower earner friends work half the hours I do but with their government help, actually take home way more! This isnt a benefits bashing post but it makes you question if its worth busting your arse?

Ive always thought that there is a particular demographic that are very ‘brand focused’ lets say… I think the top band and the bottom band amongst us are equally brand obsessed / snooty about labels but only one of those groups would actually wear visible logos.. the other group are all about plain / low key brand details visible. I think that’s the trick of the marketing - to make it desirable even when really it’s unaffordable. I often think many things are actually unaffordable to most people - but people choose to spend their money on it rather than pension or savings etc. Even if you have a decent savings balance is something XXX£ really worth the monetary value.. probably not in truth

YANBU. For some people it's the label that counts, as in being seen in that brand. They will save up to buy just that Tshirt while other brands are just as nice, more affordable and often of better quality. They claim that owning the right brands makes you belong to "the better classes" but I don't believe that. I know such a person and she's always uncomfortable - Is her bag fancy enough? Do her children look at least as poshly dressed as x, y and z's?

I think people on the breadline have learned to be responsible with money too, but without the benefit of being able to think about the long term as a result.

No kids? Mortgage paid off? Vinted? I don’t know half of these brands but I rather buy a Barbour jacket or a nice designer handbag I wear for 10-15 years than something poor quality that I would bin in a year. Not very sustainable is it

Yes, this is me to an extent as well. No interest in buying designer things, but also no interest in bringing sandwiches every day to save for a home deposit because the number of meal deals I'd have to give up is enormous.

Anything, surely? My boss earns a lot more than me...

Are you really so naive @Watersunscream? I can’t help thinking that this is just an attempt to be goady and disparaging about people who don’t think the way you do.

Couldn't agree more. Especially about Boden!!

"I don't get why people want to spend £££s on a holiday abroad. Simply do not understand why all that money for a week or 2 and nothing to show for it."

Good weather and new experiences. It's educational (depending what exactly you do) so not true that you have nothing to show for it.
I don't really know why someone would not go abroad if they can afford it.

Because people are interested in different things.
Is that too complicated to understand.

"You often find they value stuff like huge TV's too"

I thought we were over the time when huge TVs were considered common. Aren't they all huge now? And the old ones don't even work now so not sure how you'd use a small TV anyway.

Hahahaha, I didn't want to be the one to say it, and could never have put it so beautifully. @Watersunscream I'm afraid she's right - it may shock you, but some of these tracksuits may be short of the paperwork.

I feel like this too. I’m utterly baffled. I earn about £100k, give or take depending on bonus, and I drive a 2013 Ford Focus, holiday usually in the UK, and own no designer clothes. And yet people I know earn way less than me have new cars, holidays abroad, flashy clothes etc.. Do we have a whole nation of people getting into masses of consumer debt and vehicle payments? What am I missing?

I'd rather not have to agree with this, as it makes me sad, but yeah - total nonsense that millionaires "don't look wealthy." I think about my wealthy mil, compared to many of the women her age from my home community, and the difference between poverty and wealth is so visible in their bodies and faces as well as their clothes. Teeth, hair, weight, even the stress is visible I think. And that's before we even get to the pearls and quarter zips.

Of course is worth it busting your arse. The country cannot afford paying benefits at the current rate for long, especially with the threat of war being more present. They need to get the money for the defence budget from somewhere and they are already saying that it will be from “getting more people into work”, which translates into “sorry but your benefits helps is being reduced by x percent unless you do x, y or z.

Trying to find a job in this climate would prove that staying fully employed was the best decision you could make.

Some people prioritise things like clothing, cars and holidays over mortgages, pensions and savings. Where I live nearly everyone deals in cash, presumably to avoid higher tax brackets... I don't think you can do much about it except just keep on being sensible and have the last laugh when you're retiring in a more comfortable position than they will.

I find it interesting how many women in benefits spend in having their nails done, fake lashes, hair extensions and the like. These regular expenses can amount to 1000s a year. I simply cannot allow myself to spend that amount of money without having to rely on credit that could easily get out of control. Same goes for cigarettes and takeaways.

I wouldn’t blame people experiencing hardship wasting their money in gambling, I have never felt more tempted to buy lottery tickets than when I had gone through a bad patch. It just seemed like the only way out…

I have always noticed that I buy lottery tickets when I’m feeling unhappy at work.

I don’t understand it, I buy everything from Vinted/supermarkets, but then I get lots of Ubers (can’t afford to learn to drive) and I’m sure many people wearing those designer labels would wonder how/why I spend my money on that when I could walk or catch the bus and save for lessons/car/insurance. Best not to judge how others spend their money and just be thankful if you’re comfortable