Britain's Secret Spending

[ImperialBlether]

Anyone watching this?

I've already spotted someone I bet is a MNetter! Step up and reveal yourself!

We have 3 children and are currently on similar income. We spend more than £9 a week on clubs. Ours have individual swimming lessons which are £10, then brownies and gymnastics.

We have never earnt over 34k joint, and often less than that. We still own a property and have 5k savings. It isn't that low of an income for having 3/4 children. I thought 32k was average? 25k is not that much below that.

25k as a opposed to 32k makes quite a difference per month. Maybe £500 a month more after tax?? £500 less a month will be noticeable when trying to feed 4 kids.

But it's 31k with tax credits, also last 6k is net so very similar to 34k gross.

We are under 16k at the moment. 34k was when I was rich and before children.

The family spent £700 a month on their mortgage (£184,000 house) but she said they bought it for just over £50,000? The man of the other family said something about 50k and she said that near to what we paid for this house - did I catch that right? So 700 pcm seems a lot for a relatively small mortgage, do those figures add up?

We pay £200 a month (roughly) on a 36k mortgage. So £700 for a 50k mortgage sounds steep. Wonder if they've remortgaged at some point?

After what came out about the woman with the £2 million business I feel a bit suspicious about all the finances now.

I know quite a few women who do not work, spend ridiculous amounts of money on branded clothes/goods to 'keep up with the Jones's. Spend every day in coffee shops with their toddlers and are "too busy" to tidy the table and floor up after themselves leaving the table looking like a cake/coffee bomb has gone offso that the assistant has to do it. Then, once said children start school full time will find any excuse not to go back to work even part time.

Their partners? Schlepping into the City/office every day to pay the bills and keep the hamster wheel turning and turning... Cannot see much of a difference between these ladies and the cocklodger? Yes he came across on national TV as a pillock, and yes I am sure his DP is getting a ton of ribbing at her workplace.

Point is, nobody should judge him for not bringing home the bacon because he is 'the man of the house'.

No, Anthony/TheDiet - I just piddle around too much on MN instead!

Have just added up what it's costing to keep DS (A-level musician) in music lessons for the year .

The 4 kids woman did say something like '50k is what we paid for our house the first time around/originally' or something, which I took to mean they'd remortgaged. No idea for what though cos later she said they hadn't redecorated for 10 years!

I caught this on iplayer.

As a format, the two families looking at each other each other's lives just didn't work. I don't think either family learned anything.

I would have liked to have seen the lower income family teach budgeting and bargain hunting, so that the higher income family could have the things they wanted.

I would have liked to have seen the higher income family teach about raising income (eg he's a career coach and she works part time. How about taking on private clients).

Anyway, the higher income mum looked totally worn down.

Anyone watching today?

Yes! I think the mum with the Gucci watch is silly. Saying no point saving as you could be dead, etc. bet she runs her credit cards up buying her Radley handbags.

I was surprised by the Waitrose, I've never even seen one let alone been in one, we don't have them here (NE Scotland)

I don't know what I was expecting, but that one didn't look posh at all!

Waitrose is my local shop, it's not that posh really!
Rosie's a bit bonkers.

I'm with ethical spender Mum on not buying t-shirts just for the one-off nativity - it really bugs me.

I find Sainsburys as expensive as waitrose so not sure why she was saying as a kid their family shopped in sainsburys and now she shops in waitrose (but Tesco as well)

But Sainsburys wasn't as posh in the 80s.

That radley handbag mum and her eldest daughter are patronising idiots.

My opinion of someone wouldn't be changed by Radley handbag.....apart from maybe they're a bit unadventurous in their handbag choice.

Radley handbag woman is being a dick. Those handbags aren't even that nice.

Dunno what sainsburys was like in the 80s, we shopped in morrisons.

Hate Radley bags.

Loving the fast fashion girl