Personal debt in Britain has reached £1.4tn
#181
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My argument/thesis is that this trend is accelerating, and that actually the simple act of "working hard" will no longer be enough to give you the lifestyle your parents my have enjoyed.
#183
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If you are born into poverty pulling yourself out of it is the hardest thing you will ever go through. Someone who has never been in that situation will never understand it.
#184
That's one theory of art, I suppose, albeit a rather crude one and depressing one. Of course such a theory invalidates itself because it isn't 'useful' in the sense it doesn't exchange into money, just idle philosophising.
Anyway I'm just saying I don't think I have the right to decide what 'the right way' is for other people to live. The more I hear it from others the more it appears an unwarranted authoritarianism, even when the discourse is in the language of liberalism.
Anyway I'm just saying I don't think I have the right to decide what 'the right way' is for other people to live. The more I hear it from others the more it appears an unwarranted authoritarianism, even when the discourse is in the language of liberalism.
And fresh batteries.
#185
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Aha, very good, and pretty close, although my wife and children have slightly posher accents ( genuinely)
In fact at this very moment my third child Gala, is preparing some celeriac for the Sunday roast
Most of our cheese is sourced locally, however we do buy our Parmigiano, in bulk and direct from Italy.
In fact at this very moment my third child Gala, is preparing some celeriac for the Sunday roast
Most of our cheese is sourced locally, however we do buy our Parmigiano, in bulk and direct from Italy.
#186
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A lot of traditional middle class jobs are under pressure, teaching being one good example. I know teachers at my old school who raised families comfortably and live in nice houses, a lifestyle way out of reach of teachers starting now.
#187
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In our family it's the other way round. My lifestyle is 100 x better than my parents had at the same age, their lifestyle was 1000 x better than their own parents.
If you are born into poverty pulling yourself out of it is the hardest thing you will ever go through. Someone who has never been in that situation will never understand it.
If you are born into poverty pulling yourself out of it is the hardest thing you will ever go through. Someone who has never been in that situation will never understand it.
Hopefully I am wrong
#189
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I suspect in most villages the nicest house belong to someone who works in London, or if too far away a second home owner
We can look to the US to see how this all plays out
#190
I live better than my parents ever have..
Maybe because i havent got kids..
Some people are lucky and have well paid jobs and careers,they have chosen a path that gets them a lot of money,and thats fantastic but lets not pretend that that lifestyle can be achieved by everyone,thats just not possible.
Its all about money management..My wage is below the UK average wage and my missus only works part time,yet we still have managed to pay off a mortgage on a £180k home,drive a decent enough car and are not in debt to anyone..No credit cards,no loans or HP..
We are contemplating moving to a bigger house,which will be our first debt in 7 years and im extremely jumpy about it. But at 45 i do realise that if we leave it any longer we may not be able to afford to move.
Maybe because i havent got kids..
Some people are lucky and have well paid jobs and careers,they have chosen a path that gets them a lot of money,and thats fantastic but lets not pretend that that lifestyle can be achieved by everyone,thats just not possible.
Its all about money management..My wage is below the UK average wage and my missus only works part time,yet we still have managed to pay off a mortgage on a £180k home,drive a decent enough car and are not in debt to anyone..No credit cards,no loans or HP..
We are contemplating moving to a bigger house,which will be our first debt in 7 years and im extremely jumpy about it. But at 45 i do realise that if we leave it any longer we may not be able to afford to move.
#192
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The last fifteen years or so we have taken so many things for granted. You only have to read some of the threads on here where people have bragged about queuing up on the day of a new iPhone release, there's nothing wrong with their old phone but they have to have the latest one so they can share it with 100 FB 'friends' that they were first.
Having money is nice and it can make life much easier, not having enough is soul-destroying. But, if you have a roof over your head and food in your cupboard, fresh water and electricity whenever you need it, compared to half of the world you are already wealthy.
#193
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Art doesn't exchange into money? What *^%ing planet are you living on? So I can acquire a nice piece for free and the artist pays for his electricity by the provision of the almighty? The work we do for artists that they pay us for is because no one pays them for their work? Damien Hurst isn't rich? Traders don't make a fortune out of art?
#194
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Either everyones take home wages increases greatly, or house prices will crash.... If no one can afford to buy houses... within a generation whos gonna buy them all?
#195
Would that necessarily be a bad thing though?
The last fifteen years or so we have taken so many things for granted. You only have to read some of the threads on here where people have bragged about queuing up on the day of a new iPhone release, there's nothing wrong with their old phone but they have to have the latest one so they can share it with 100 FB 'friends' that they were first.
Having money is nice and it can make life much easier, not having enough is soul-destroying. But, if you have a roof over your head and food in your cupboard, fresh water and electricity whenever you need it, compared to half of the world you are already wealthy.
The last fifteen years or so we have taken so many things for granted. You only have to read some of the threads on here where people have bragged about queuing up on the day of a new iPhone release, there's nothing wrong with their old phone but they have to have the latest one so they can share it with 100 FB 'friends' that they were first.
Having money is nice and it can make life much easier, not having enough is soul-destroying. But, if you have a roof over your head and food in your cupboard, fresh water and electricity whenever you need it, compared to half of the world you are already wealthy.
About soul, re-incarnation aside, strength of the soul has its roots in attachment. A child with secure attachment but less money would have stronger soul than the one with materialistic wealth base and insecure attachment.
#196
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Would that necessarily be a bad thing though?
The last fifteen years or so we have taken so many things for granted. You only have to read some of the threads on here where people have bragged about queuing up on the day of a new iPhone release, there's nothing wrong with their old phone but they have to have the latest one so they can share it with 100 FB 'friends' that they were first.
Having money is nice and it can make life much easier, not having enough is soul-destroying. But, if you have a roof over your head and food in your cupboard, fresh water and electricity whenever you need it, compared to half of the world you are already wealthy.
The last fifteen years or so we have taken so many things for granted. You only have to read some of the threads on here where people have bragged about queuing up on the day of a new iPhone release, there's nothing wrong with their old phone but they have to have the latest one so they can share it with 100 FB 'friends' that they were first.
Having money is nice and it can make life much easier, not having enough is soul-destroying. But, if you have a roof over your head and food in your cupboard, fresh water and electricity whenever you need it, compared to half of the world you are already wealthy.
But I am always a bit wary of comparing our standard of living to the 3rd world
and the problem with the "shiny new things" debate is that this behaviour is encouraged by successive governments - people can' t win it seems, which is why I refer to them as economic "cannon fodder"
Last edited by hodgy0_2; 24 November 2013 at 05:19 PM.
#197
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Yes as I said before.... Houses prices have now massively outstripped realistic wages, so in my opionion one of two things has to happen....
Either everyones take home wages increases greatly, or house prices will crash.... If no one can afford to buy houses... within a generation whos gonna buy them all?
Either everyones take home wages increases greatly, or house prices will crash.... If no one can afford to buy houses... within a generation whos gonna buy them all?
BTL landlords.
#198
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Art doesn't exchange into money? What *^%ing planet are you living on? So I can acquire a nice piece for free and the artist pays for his electricity by the provision of the almighty? The work we do for artists that they pay us for is because no one pays them for their work? Damien Hurst isn't rich? Traders don't make a fortune out of art?
#199
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I have to admit I don't have a clue what you're talking about, but I also can't be bothered trying. It is rare that I find an argument so boring and irrelevant to take this position, especially given the content of the original post that had my interest.
Last edited by john banks; 24 November 2013 at 05:33 PM.
#200
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Too many good years of. Buy now pay later.. Or not as the case seems to be now. When I turned 18 which was 10 years ago the banks were bending backwards to give me loans, over drafts, credit cards, you name it I could get it. Finance on a £10,000 golf mk4 gti then being young at the time I was more than happy to spend spend spend without realising how much debt I was getting into. Now 10 years on I'm still paying back what I spent. Chances of a mortgage are slim since I lived off credit for so many years.
Now I won't even take a phone contract out, pay upfront for anything i need and I'll never go back to being in debt. Really the bank should of realised a 18 year old who was getting 150 a week should not be given a 12k overdraft. 14k credit card and A 10k loan. But hey that was before it all went **** up..
Now I won't even take a phone contract out, pay upfront for anything i need and I'll never go back to being in debt. Really the bank should of realised a 18 year old who was getting 150 a week should not be given a 12k overdraft. 14k credit card and A 10k loan. But hey that was before it all went **** up..
#205
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The point is trivially, are the only things worth doing with your life what make money?
#206
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A better place to look is Brazil where you have a small number of landlords owning vast amounts of apartments and slums. Because they can use their existing assets as collateral, they can borrow loads of money to buy up more property. Ultimately you end up with a tiny elite of property owners owing almost everything. The amateur landlords get shaken and squeezed out.
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#208
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I'm not really talking about property, (that has probably been done!!!!) rather the squeeze on the middle (and lower middle class) that has happened in the US in the last 30 years
The fact that large sections of the US population actually have a lower life expectancy than the previous generation, and as a "class" are significantly worse off
I have a friend who was the daughter of a postman in Pittsburgh, a simple but hard working blue collar worker, he had 6 children, all born in the late 50's and 60's
He was able to buy a house, car yada yada, in short have a very comfortable (and secure) lifestyle -- in addition, and crucially he was able to put all of them thru Colledge - this would simply be impossible in America now
In fact he would barely be able to afford health insurance
This "squeeze" is happening here in the UK
The fact that large sections of the US population actually have a lower life expectancy than the previous generation, and as a "class" are significantly worse off
I have a friend who was the daughter of a postman in Pittsburgh, a simple but hard working blue collar worker, he had 6 children, all born in the late 50's and 60's
He was able to buy a house, car yada yada, in short have a very comfortable (and secure) lifestyle -- in addition, and crucially he was able to put all of them thru Colledge - this would simply be impossible in America now
In fact he would barely be able to afford health insurance
This "squeeze" is happening here in the UK
Last edited by hodgy0_2; 24 November 2013 at 09:02 PM.
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Nearly everything I do has a monetary value in terms of earning or consumption. If you have a hang up about money you might have difficulty with this, but I don't get too hysterical about these things. I am rather keen on money, and not scared to admit it and am not ashamed of it. How about you?