to think my parents are idealistic wallys

[Fleabie]

they drive me md with there dreamy ideals

the complain that the lotto fund is 32 million and say noone wants to win that much

thye complain that pople shouldn't be allowed to buy second homes and holiday homes

some tv programme wasa on, the people had sold there homes to the bank,if the house prices went down they didn't lose out, then when the houses went up in value the people couldn't afford to move, my parents think the bank should say "oh well we've made enough money ot of you so just pay us x amount"

it's like they are in cloud cukooland and have no idea how the world works

dizzy i already said that about no publicity.

their reply?

oh no everyone will still find out.

and no their ideas are nothing like free healthcare and education.
they think everyone in the world is fundemnetaly a good person
mmm beg to differ on that one

Fleabie my Dad is a bit like this, he thinks that if he, (or my sister who is a LP) can't afford to pay a bill, or clear arrears, that the companies will just write off the debt if he rings them to explain that they can't afford it.

If he gets a parking ticket he expects not to have to pay because he's a pensioner.

He thinks that bank charges will magically go away because they are immoral.

It's mad, he's nearly seventy. Surely he'd have learnt a bit about how the world works?

Then again my parents did go for an equity-release scheme a few years back and still expect that my sister and I will have a decent inheritance coming our way because they don't understand compound interest. Their money, their choice though!

And a really good example of them thinking the best of people is that they have a belief that catalogues and the Provident with their horrific charges and interest rates exist purely to help people on low incomes!

They sound like a breath of fresh air - I agree with Belle, thank heaven for idealists.
I wouldn't want £32 milion either, what a horrible burden. Yes, there is such a thing as too much.

'they think everyone in the world is fundemnetaly a good person
mmm beg to differ on that one'

Are they happy? Probably. Sorry Fleabie, but you sound a bit of an ol' miseryguts.

I actually think the best amount to win is the value of a good house in the area you already are in or definitely wish to live in.

Then you are still in your own community, you still have to work to cover the bills, but you are that bit more comfortable because of no mortgage/rent and able to be generous but not overly so.

I think anything more would make life difficult. I could certainly name the members of my family that would expect constant bailing out from that point on.

Don't fancy funding my cousin-in-law's crystal meth addiction for a start.

It's good to ahve high ideals. You also need the realisation that many people will happily stuff you and anyone else rather than sharing your own motives, but heck I'd rather live in hope

Anyway- there are valid debates about second homes in areas where the loals are being priced out (not offering opinions but it is a very valid debate)- they're on the ball as to current topics there

I would love to win a massive amount BTW

Not just for the house, but for the abiolity to choose a care home for ds3 (severe SN) when he becomes adult, and to know he will always be able to have the costs covered (quite posibly over a million in his life if not far mroe)- to give ds1 the support needed (SN) to amke the difference between dependence and not, and just to make sureds2 and ds4 don't think they have to shoulder the financial impacts of their sibs when I am gone.For me, that would be massive.

"they think everyone in the world is fundemnetaly a good person"

So do I. IME they are. And I think that is a good thing. How can it be better to think the worst? What does it profit you?

i disagree with second homes and holiday homes too.

Must say I agree that playing the lottery while not wanting to win is a bit weird! But it's a kind of pleasure - they are perhaps reassuring each other that they happy with their lives together as they are, in a non-sloppy way. DH and I say to each other that we have really enjoyed the challenge of living with much less money, and it's true, but tbh when I am working again I won't turn the salary down

I think there might be a whole thread here about what we would all do with £32 million.

Occassonally me and DW play the game of working out what we would do with such a sum (although we do not play the lottery).

The problem is once we have got past maybe buying a house and having a nice holiday we can't think of anything else. We eat well and drink as much wine as we can safely handle and we don't want a big car so we are a bit stuck after that. The only luxury we can really think of is maybe having a house keeper to cook and clean for us and I would like a really big garden of my own - for me to play with.

I'd be fine with £32 mill- I spend my life in a virtual game of broke-but-wannabe-secret-millionaire anyway LOL, if we won a silly amount like that DH would set up the business properly with decent rpemises, i'd finish my PT course FT and then we'd buy a campsite (DHs business tagged to back as it has different peak times), get security for the kids sorted and use the rest as a grant making scheme that I would elight (having been in the charity sector for years) in running.