DINKS living the highlife?

[GoingPostalTallyHo]

I found this article online (it's behind a paywall, but you can read it for free if you switch to reader mode on your phone/browser). The story tells of a "dual income no kids" (DINK) couple living the highlife - for example, last week she was in Amsterdam on holiday, the week before that at the Grand Prix, two weeks before that in Mexico on holiday.

AIBU to think that most DINKs aren't really living the highlife like that?? Yes, maybe a couple more holidays, brunches and clothes compared to the average family with kids. But these people sound like millionaires! Surely the average DINK just lives a similar life to the average 'parent' before kids came along? Or are most DINKs loaded?

I know in the 80s/90s DINKs was a thing and it had a YUPPIE-type richness connotations. Most DINKs I know are trying to pay rent, and save for a deposit with a little fun on the side. Maybe as childfree people get older then life turns into a holiday every month?? 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

OK, I've said DINK too much now, and used too many exclamation points and question marks. Over and out.

https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/we-love-our-dual-income-no-kids-life-why-would-we-give-up-being-dinks-2500526

I think it depends on your stage in life really. Most early on have mortgages, commuting costs and COL issues etc. kids or no kids. But when the mortgage is paid off then Dinks can be better off and can spend on themselves alone where there are no kids crashing in your house for years and costing a bomb.

I am early retired, a SINK, am now comfortably off and can do most things I want. I was v poor when in my 20's and thirties though.

I don't think DINKs are living the high life at all while they have a mortgage to pay. Maybe once it's paid off (and should be earlier than average if no kids) that could be the case.

The DINKs I know at work are both still living at home with their respective parents, saving for a deposit-it’s very different to life in the 80s.

Not necessarily. I didn't get on the property ladder until my mid 30's and have a long mortgage. There's no magic extra money just because we don't have kids.

I'm never sure if it's ok for me to post on here but due to infertility I was married and childless for 10 years before adopting. I feel I've ( for a while at least ) experienced the life of a child free person even though I've now got two teenagers but I often read stuff here that takes me back to that time in my life.

DH and I were the stereotypical DINKs. We used to joke that we had so many weekends away booked that one day we'd wake up and realise we'd forgotten we were supposed to be at the airport. ( these were the days of the £1 easyJet flights)

Our friends with kids struggled to hide their envy which we found quite annoying when in our eyes they had everything we were dreaming of. Our fairly lavish lifestyle was just a small compensation for our inability to have kids.

We embraced being child free for a number of years and for a while enjoyed the benefits. One day while sitting on a beach in the Maldives we realised we couldn't go on pretending and made the decision to look into adoption.

If we had stayed childless we'd have been incredibly wealthy by now and we didn't even have particularly well paid or professional jobs - just good disposable income , a low mortgage and the ability to save and invest lots.