How do ordinary people afford ...

[EbenyZebraScrooge]

good quality furniture, original artwork, water softener systems, anything expensive?

This is not to criticise anybody, rich or poor, spendthrift or frugal.

DH & I are, I think, relatively very financially comfortable. No debts, own house outright, savings...But we see shops full of stuff that is more than we think we can afford -- more than we can justify spending. We will have to save up for a few years to buy some of the things we want (like good quality solid wood furniture).

Most of our current furniture was inherited/gifts, actually. Are there a lot of very wealthy people out there? Do people buy these big things mostly on installment or credit cards? I just can't imagine how most furniture shops/art galleries/whatever stay in business!

[SecondhandRose]

Yes, in big debt here too. Do try to pay off credit cards each month and have just got a new one offering 6 months interest free and this won't start until I transfer the balance. I'll wait for the January statements to come in and transfer the lot over.

[Caligulights]

I can see your DH's point though Tallulah, it's a balance, isn't it? I'm in debt atm because I went on holiday this year. I had an au-pair who offered to drive us all around the Algarve, up to Lisbon and down to Sevilla, and I just knew that we would see more of Portugal if I went with him than if I wait until I can pay for it without credit. And also, I'm not entirely sure that I'll ever be brave enough to go on holiday on my own with kids. Did a bit of a miscalculation with the costs, but my solution is to keep moving credit cards for the 0% interest free rates. It's worrying, but otoh I might not be able to go abroad with the kids for another 10 years, so I figure at least we had one foreign holiday together once, which they'll have good memories of, so it was worth it.

[tallulah]

I'm always interested in this "previous generations didn't do this". DH & me were discussing this the other day. My parents had a set of "decent" wooden bedroom furniture and a dining table & chairs set when they got married, which my mum still has in daily use 46 years later. Their 3-piece suite was re-covered twice & lasted at least 16 years.

In contrast we are on our 4th dining set & our 5th 3-piece (OK so 3 of them were 2nd hand) in 21 years. They fall to bits!

When I was little people didn't go abroad because package holidays didn't exist & flying was only for the rich. My classmates thought we were rich because we had a phone (paid for by Pompey amateur FA), a car (that hardly left the garage), a colour TV (Radio Rentals!) and went abroad (Holland- on a house-swap). There were no microwave ovens, videos/DVDs, PCs, mobile phones.

We have been badly in debt because we "buy now". This is because DH has lost several close friends & relatives very young. What really upset him was a cousin who had a fatal heart attack at 42 and had been saving for many years for his first holiday abroad. It's made him even worse with money than he was

[ChristmasCracker]

Well dp delivers booze, gets sent all over the bloody place at the drop of a hat, has to lift very heavy loads, regularly comes home with cuts all over his hands and gets no sick pay or pension.

All for 14000.

[Gobbledigoose]

Or even cleaners - that must be exhausting too and then there are others in nice comfy offices who get to go to nice business lunches and jet off round the world and get paid a fortune while they do it!

I've utmost admiration for those who work hard to 'get to the top' and have great jobs, but certainly no more than I have for all the other jobs out there that are less well heralded. I'm harping back to that Ruth Kelly thread now aren't I?? I'd better shut up!

[Gobbledigoose]

I often think it's people who work ridiculously hard that are least well paid - look at people who do manual jobs and work really long hours - they must be bloody knackered, and for how much??

And look at some of the other professions like nursing. There are other jobs I really admire like people who work in rest homes - it must be exhausting and I couldn't do it (I'm OK with babies, but not old people I'm afraid ) but I bet they don't get paid much.

I don't know what any of these people get btw - just don't expect them to be at the top of the salary scale!

[ChristmasCracker]

Quite Fio, totally agree.

Personally speaking i wouldn't want loads of money just enough.

Dp's wages are crap crap crap, but he works very very hard. He has left a job that he quite enyjoyed just for the extra 1500 a year and really we are no better off as our tax credits were then reduced.

[wheresmypressies]

(only joking of course)

[hosannainIXELsis]

Merry Xmas Twoifbysanta! You are me! Exactly! Actually, I've just given up feeling poor compared to our friends. I love bargain hunting and would do it even if we won the lottery.
A certain friend recently thought we were totally on the breadline because we live in a flat with a child (oh, horror!), and was very suprised that we're now in the middle of buying a house (just about affordable due to putting my life savings in). I must admit to a certain smugness that I am more 'respectable' than they thought I was!!
But since becoming a SAHM, I do find myself having to justify myself to people more, in terms of why I'm not working, which I resent having to do.

[wheresmypressies]

I could live with that!!!!

[Flumberrysauce]

Yeah but for £100k you have to sell your soul, live in London, never see your family.......... And put up with people moaning about how rich you are

[SantaFio2]

I find it quite depressing when in our local job centre there are jobs for 11k a year and the local rag average wage is 18k - ish. Then you pick up a broadsheet and they are advertising jobs for 100-150k

[ChristmasCracker]

ROFL wheresmypressies.........no offence meant to anyone of course.

[wheresmypressies]

good idea that. sell off a leg or arm as well and you could claim all sorts of incapacity benefits too (wink)

[ChristmasCracker]

LOL Fio, might be trying that soon actually

[SantaFio2]

we sell our bodies on street corners and sell our teeth and kidneys on ebay

[ChristmasCracker]

Have to say i do take exception a bit too the 'ordinary' bit.

So if you have money that makes you what then ????

[Flumberrysauce]

Most people I know who are 'relatively well off' have parents who worked hard for it.

[ChristmasCracker]

Have to say that sometimes some of the posts on here make me laugh, like if someone is saying they are struggling a bit and won't be able to Florida this year and they will have to make do with 2 weeks in spain or whatever. Not pickiung out anyone in particular just trying to say that sometimes some people just haven't got a clue how little others have to manage on.

Still don;t think that came across right, but ikwim.

[EbenyZebraScrooge]

I hope nobody got too upset...
I actually think that most people who are relatively "well-off" have worked hard for most of it, and shouldn't be ashamed (but then, I would say that, wouldn't it?). I just sometimes wonder how far away how we live is from how other people live.
My parents owned fine furniture & original art when I was growing up, but I think they were usually mortaged to the hilt for it.

[JennisaurusUnderTheMistletoe]

I think it definately depends on what you budget for. We can be as broke as you like and always find money for cigarettes (insert rolleyes smiley here), I have friends who can't have any money but for them buying DVDs regularly is essential. Maybe for some people v.expensive furniture is an essential and so they just build it into their budget. Does that make sense?

I do think some people go into awful debt though, but its SO easy to do. I recently realised that my credit card had been increased by another £500 that I never asked for!

Me and DH both work fulltime and that considered I think we have pretty low incomes. I try very hard to live within our means but I want nice things too sometimes. I do like to shop so I have to control that (but I do most of it in cheapie shops). I am always saving up for something, but sometimes I just feel like I have to go into debt. Christmas is not a cheap time of year for instance, but I like to spend. I feel like I work all year round so I can buy nice things. I know thats not a healthy attitude but its how I feel.

[TwoIfBySanta]

Gosh reading this has made me feel like a right poor relation! I have always wondered how "ordinary" people can afford to spend £150,000 minimum on a family home in the town where I live. Let alone furnish the damn thing.

I know being a SAHM some would say I have brought the situation of low income about but DH tries his best. And tbh we manage thanks to deals in shops, the local outlet shopping centre and so on. I couldn't take out credit from a shop as I would constantly worry about it! I probably sound really pathetic but hunting out bargains has become really satisfying for me and if I am perfectly honest it always has been, even when I worked! DH just looks at me funny when I go on about how much I saved.

Original artwork, I don't know anyone who bothers so I wonder what that makes me, my friends and family. Like you EZS we save up for certain things like decent furniture but at the moment our suite is 2nd hand, no point buying new with dst toddlers running around. Heck we even go on holiday thanks to Ryanair and Ibis!

Hmmm, I suppose I can be filed under the cheap and cheerful section then.

[GeorginaAdventCalendar]

Incidentally though, they still appear to get tax breaks on the rent...

[GeorginaAdventCalendar]

Apologies. Have done some research - apparently it used to be the situation that many charities paid a mere peppercorn rent so that premises were kept occupied. This is no longer the case. Source here in particular respect of Oxfam shops.

[GeorginaAdventCalendar]

Hmm morningpaper... maybe it's just peculiar to Monmouth then? I certainly remember being told that the council there at the time gave charity shops the places rent free... of course that could just be misinformation. Sorry