Author Topic: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline  (Read 14656 times)


deborah

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #1 on: November 26, 2014, 03:49:49 AM »
I find it ironic that she thinks her parents grew up the way she did, and at the bottom of the article it has a clip of what it was like to grow up in the 60s in London. Totally different from her ideas of reality!

UnleashHell

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #2 on: November 26, 2014, 05:02:53 AM »
she's worried about paying her mortgage of 500,000 on a 1m home. she shops at aldi, primark etc...

the answer in all around her - sell the house and buy another one for 500k - the equity in the house.
then you have a paid off house and if you carry on doing the aldi shopping you'll be able to pay for private school - if that's what you want.


stupid bitch.  I'm getting sick of these "its so hard for me being rich" articles. get a fucking grip. theres tens of thousands around you using food banks ffs and you are worried about your 1m house?

KaizenSoze

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #3 on: November 26, 2014, 06:17:07 AM »
stupid bitch.  I'm getting sick of these "its so hard for me being rich" articles. get a fucking grip. theres tens of thousands around you using food banks ffs and you are worried about your 1m house?

Really effective click bait. This is the sixth one I have seen in the last month or two. It just hit me that it's just another type of click bait. One that works well on me.

odput

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #4 on: November 26, 2014, 06:59:56 AM »
Quote from: dumb bitch
But curiously, I find myself in another category entirely: a dumpy who is hiding behind a facade of opulence.

I don't find that curious at all...in fact, I would venture that 100% of "dumpies" are in this category.

I'm sad that this kind of bullshit "journalism" works on me as well as it does...I can't tell if I love watching people fuck themselves over, or if I just can't help the curiosity when I see these links...either way, I should probably stop...

Self-employed-swami

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #5 on: November 26, 2014, 07:30:51 AM »
And since someone else posted this link recently, I'll pass it along here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eBT6OSr1TI


Bigger Plan

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #6 on: November 26, 2014, 08:00:53 AM »
stupid bitch.  I'm getting sick of these "its so hard for me being rich" articles. get a fucking grip. theres tens of thousands around you using food banks ffs and you are worried about your 1m house?

Really effective click bait. This is the sixth one I have seen in the last month or two. It just hit me that it's just another type of click bait. One that works well on me.

Yeah click bait is exactly what it is, all this poverty porn is the rage atm.

GuitarStv

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #7 on: November 26, 2014, 08:18:53 AM »
I think that maybe the language in this thread could be toned down a tad.  It's fine to call a person stupid or dumb, but picking the word 'bitch' instead of 'woman' seems a bit beneath these forums.

TreeTired

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #8 on: November 26, 2014, 08:25:31 AM »
Quote
Fur coat and no knickers

Love that!!


I didn't even read the article, but I did fall for the "click" bait... and for some reason, that photograph of the lady posing in her kitchen just made me LOL!!!   Take a look and tell me if it is really funny or am I just in a strange mood this morning?


ok,  and farther down is actually a very nice picture of the entire beautiful family.  No problem there, except the caption:  "Ursula and her husband Mike need a big home so their four sons can all have a room of their own"

Really?   Young boys can't share a room with a brother?   LOL again!

« Last Edit: November 26, 2014, 08:30:11 AM by TreeTired »

Bob W

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #9 on: November 26, 2014, 08:32:12 AM »
Sadly,  one of my daughters actually believes that people who live in million dollar homes and drive fancy cars while taking expensive vacations are rich.   If she could only see their balance sheets!

UnleashHell

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #10 on: November 26, 2014, 08:34:21 AM »
I think that maybe the language in this thread could be toned down a tad.  It's fine to call a person stupid or dumb, but picking the word 'bitch' instead of 'woman' seems a bit beneath these forums.

she's a woman who is bitching about her lifestyle needs and how its unaffordable.

Is that better for you?

GuitarStv

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #11 on: November 26, 2014, 08:44:50 AM »
Yep!

lielec11

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #12 on: November 26, 2014, 08:47:57 AM »
I think that maybe the language in this thread could be toned down a tad.  It's fine to call a person stupid or dumb, but picking the word 'bitch' instead of 'woman' seems a bit beneath these forums.

she's a woman who is bitching about her lifestyle needs and how its unaffordable.

Is that better for you?

+1

Tallgirl1204

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #13 on: November 26, 2014, 09:08:40 AM »
It's the Daily Mail.  I'm guessing 90% of the article is fiction, and is designed to elicit just this kind of discussion. 

Chranstronaut

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #14 on: November 26, 2014, 09:16:27 AM »
... and for some reason, that photograph of the lady posing in her kitchen just made me LOL!!!   Take a look and tell me if it is really funny or am I just in a strange mood this morning?

The second kitchen picture made me laugh because I can't figure out what's happening with the ovens in the wall.  I've seen houses with two ovens and a microwave that looks like the ovens, but.... what's the fourth thing?  Also, do these people USE all those ovens?  Who wants to lift a thanksgiving turkey or giant ham to shoulder height?!

lielec11

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #15 on: November 26, 2014, 09:21:47 AM »
It's the Daily Mail.  I'm guessing 90% of the article is fiction, and is designed to elicit just this kind of discussion.

Is this a similar publication to the Onion?

Cpa Cat

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #16 on: November 26, 2014, 09:25:47 AM »
The second kitchen picture made me laugh because I can't figure out what's happening with the ovens in the wall.  I've seen houses with two ovens and a microwave that looks like the ovens, but.... what's the fourth thing?  Also, do these people USE all those ovens?  Who wants to lift a thanksgiving turkey or giant ham to shoulder height?!

She just wanted to make sure each of her children had an oven of their own. IT'S NOT ABOUT STATUS!!!

It's the Daily Mail.  I'm guessing 90% of the article is fiction, and is designed to elicit just this kind of discussion. 

I know a couple like this. They built this monstrous, 1.2M custom-built home. Had to come $300,000 out of pocket on it because it cost more than the biggest jumbo mortgage that was available in our area. Over the next 8 years, they dumped $1M into mortgage interest, utilities and property taxes. And then they had to sell it with no equity. The wife outright refused to sell their "dream house" - even though they were swamped financially - but finally compromised as long as they didn't purchase something worth less than $500,000.

When her friends on Facebook asked why she sold her beautiful mansion, she said, "Oh, I decided I wanted to upgrade to a house with a pool!" *barf*

Self-employed-swami

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #17 on: November 26, 2014, 09:38:20 AM »
It's the Daily Mail.  I'm guessing 90% of the article is fiction, and is designed to elicit just this kind of discussion.

Is this a similar publication to the Onion?

No, more like National Enquirer.  This explains their usual topics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eBT6OSr1TI

Self-employed-swami

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #18 on: November 26, 2014, 09:40:33 AM »
... and for some reason, that photograph of the lady posing in her kitchen just made me LOL!!!   Take a look and tell me if it is really funny or am I just in a strange mood this morning?

The second kitchen picture made me laugh because I can't figure out what's happening with the ovens in the wall.  I've seen houses with two ovens and a microwave that looks like the ovens, but.... what's the fourth thing?  Also, do these people USE all those ovens?  Who wants to lift a thanksgiving turkey or giant ham to shoulder height?!

I think the top left hand one is a build in expresso machine, but I don't know for sure.

projekt

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #19 on: November 26, 2014, 11:15:01 AM »
The Daily Mail is an Onion that's so good at its job, even its writers aren't in on the joke.

UnleashHell

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #20 on: November 26, 2014, 11:40:49 AM »
The Daily Fail.


explains it all.

SisterX

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #21 on: November 26, 2014, 12:01:10 PM »
She just wanted to make sure each of her children had an oven of their own. IT'S NOT ABOUT STATUS!!!

This made me chuckle.  Thank you.

Chranstronaut

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #22 on: November 26, 2014, 01:25:57 PM »
She just wanted to make sure each of her children had an oven of their own. IT'S NOT ABOUT STATUS!!!

I'm dying XD

Donovan

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #23 on: November 26, 2014, 01:58:16 PM »
Quote
But I am not alone. While most of my contemporaries enjoyed all the perks of a middle-class upbringing in the Eighties - living in a spacious family house, private schooling and at least one foreign holiday a year - few of us can offer our children such luxuries.

I can't understand this line. When did international vacations, private school, and riding lessons become the standard trappings of the middle class? I feel I had a very middle class style upbringing because we had a nice house and no money worries, and I've always considered the kind of extravagances that she is talking about to be strictly upper-class fare.

russianswinga

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #24 on: November 26, 2014, 02:15:31 PM »

The second kitchen picture made me laugh because I can't figure out what's happening with the ovens in the wall.  I've seen houses with two ovens and a microwave that looks like the ovens, but.... what's the fourth thing?  Also, do these people USE all those ovens?  Who wants to lift a thanksgiving turkey or giant ham to shoulder height?!
I figured it out pretty quickly as I have a euro-kitchen (nothing quite that fancy and certainly not that expensive)
Built-in espresso machine in the top-left, like this one:
http://www.abt.com/product/82301/Miele-CVA6805SS.html
Microwave top right
2 ovens on the bottom.

Left

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #25 on: November 26, 2014, 03:25:32 PM »
if kids reflect parents, is she sure the in-laws arent still living in their 1.2 million euro house still because they havent paid it off yet either?

KodeBlue

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MrsPete

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #27 on: November 27, 2014, 01:24:39 PM »
Several thoughts:

- She says she's part of the Dumpies -- Downwardly Mobile Middle Aged something-something.  I'd call her something else:  House poor.  She says that she bought this house because she wanted her four sons each to have his own room; yet she's posing in a very upscale kitchen -- the vast cost of this house goes beyond the bedrooms.  If she hadn't chosen this over-priced house, she'd be able to afford the music lessons and private school that her parents provided for her.

- She whines that she has the "misfortune" to be born into the first generation doomed to do worse than their parents, and she makes choices that make that "fear" come true.  I'm the same age, and I'm worlds ahead of my parents financially! 

- She doesn't say how many children were in her family, but she does say that her in-laws provided this and that for BOTH of their children.  Yet she and her husband chose to have FOUR children.  Didn't they expect that four would cost more than one or two? 

- She's quite upset about not being able to put her children into private school . . . yet how much good did it seem to do her and her husband?  They aren't in particularly prestigious jobs, and they're clearly financially strapped. 

- First she whines that she can't afford a latte and that she thought after college she'd be past this kind of penny-pinching.  Then she goes on to say that her parents were "easily" able to give her everything in her childhood.  So did she penny pinch in college, or is it new?  One statement or the other is wrong, showing her ability to bend the truth to fit her needs. 

- She says she's been unable to work much because of ill health -- but she's a freelance writer.  Does a case of the sniffles prevent you from pulling out your laptop and composing? 

What a whiner! 
« Last Edit: November 27, 2014, 01:29:18 PM by MrsPete »

frugalecon

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #28 on: November 27, 2014, 02:42:33 PM »
Quote
Fur coat and no knickers

Love that!!



My father used the term "a champagne lifestyle on a beer budget" to refer to people who borrowed to keep up appearances.

Kyle Schuant

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #29 on: November 27, 2014, 03:06:49 PM »
I'm glad that the DM has given us something to feel indignant about. This is an important part of our day.

We have a saying where I come from:
Fur coat and no knickers.
Actually that sounds like fun.

auntie_betty

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #30 on: November 27, 2014, 03:40:03 PM »
I'm glad that the DM has given us something to feel indignant about. This is an important part of our day.

We have a saying where I come from:
Fur coat and no knickers.
It makes a change from them being outraged by lesbian disabled Muslim single parents :)

agent_clone

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #31 on: November 28, 2014, 04:55:09 AM »
So, I have a question.... why does she need/want 4+ ovens? (I can see 4 in one of the pics, but I can't see if there is more than that...).  I assume they are about 1000 pounds each (I have no idea what they actually cost in the UK, or what she got).  I wonder how much of the renovation that they did was actually necessary, or for that matter urgent.  I also wonder how much they actually spent on the renovation.  To me I don't see why they couldn't have renovated over time making it a bit easier on their budget...
The article doesn't state when the in-laws bought a house for 20k.  I know that my parents bought a place for $AU100k in 1983, it is now worth about 8 times that...  Its called inflation... In those days interest rates were also higher in Australia, I assume the same for the UK (although they have never had a mortgage on their house) so actual costs may have been fairly similar to those of today.
I wonder how much of her thoughts of her parents and in-laws not worrying about money are more the child like fantasy of not realising things that are reality as opposed to them not worrying about it.  Her parents may have picked and chosen what they wanted to spend their money on, and if her mother wasn't worry about the cost of things she may have already known approximately how much things cost.
She also compares her with her 4 children, but it is not stated how many siblings either she or her husband have.  This can also make a difference to costs.  I also know that growing up in the 80's it was not uncommon to share bedrooms even though they personally didn't.
I'm not sure at what decile on the median income range that you become rich vs middle class, but to have 4k income post tax it appears they need to be in the 8th decile of incomes for couples in the uk (i.e. top 20%).  I wonder if she's also associating with people who think they are middle class but aren't, and are equally as spendy...

n.b. for median incomes i'm looking at http://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/mar/25/uk-incomes-how-salary-compare and for the salary i'm using http://www.thesalarycalculator.co.uk/salary.php to work out post tax income.

libertarian4321

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #32 on: November 28, 2014, 05:30:48 AM »
Sadly,  one of my daughters actually believes that people who live in million dollar homes and drive fancy cars while taking expensive vacations are rich.   

So your daughter is a typical American, then. :)

I always remind folks that BMW, Mercedes, and the like all have thriving "credit" departments.

Rich folks don't need "credit" to buy a stinkin' $60k car, they write a check.

Kyle Schuant

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #33 on: December 16, 2014, 02:54:43 PM »
When I was a child, we rented a small house. The thinking was, if you rented a small place, you were poor. If you rented a large place, you were doing okay. If you owned any house at all, you were rich. If you owned a house and a beach house, you were stinking rich.

Now as an adult I am still adjusting to the idea... I'm rich.

Richard3

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #34 on: December 16, 2014, 11:16:17 PM »
It's the Daily Mail.  I'm guessing 90% of the article is fiction, and is designed to elicit just this kind of discussion.

Is this a similar publication to the Onion?

Less journalist integrity than the Onion.

The Daily (Hate) Mail is a right wing tabloid that believes that pedophile immigrants gave Princess Diana AIDS (or something like that I try to avoid looking at it). Imagine if Fox news and the national enquirer had a baby that was raised by Hello! Magazine

cautiouslyunconventional

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #35 on: December 17, 2014, 12:20:33 AM »
- She says she's been unable to work much because of ill health -- but she's a freelance writer.  Does a case of the sniffles prevent you from pulling out your laptop and composing? 

What a whiner!
Chronic illness probably isn't the sniffles. From my own experience, headaches make it really hard to get anything done - you can't think clearly with a bad one. And there are also people who have chronically low energy levels to the point that they can't handle solid food some days. It's quite possible whatever she's got isn't that bad, but there are a lot of illnesses that cause serious trouble but aren't visible in a nice photoshoot.

She's still a dummy, of course. (Incidentally, fear of my headache problem getting out of control enough that a can't hold down a regular job is part of my motivation for saving a lot and getting some side businesses started.)

UnleashHell

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #36 on: December 17, 2014, 05:41:46 AM »
It's the Daily Mail.  I'm guessing 90% of the article is fiction, and is designed to elicit just this kind of discussion.

Is this a similar publication to the Onion?

Less journalist integrity than the Onion.

The Daily (Hate) Mail is a right wing tabloid that believes that pedophile immigrants gave Princess Diana AIDS (or something like that I try to avoid looking at it). Imagine if Fox news and the national enquirer had a baby that was raised by Hello! Magazine

Bit harsh on the DI thing.. I thought the Express had them beat.. "Ratings are falling - quick lets have a 3 page Princess Di special"

but - very good way of describing the Daily fail :D

NoraLenderbee

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #37 on: December 17, 2014, 04:17:23 PM »


The Daily (Hate) Mail is a right wing tabloid that believes that pedophile immigrants gave Princess Diana AIDS
Quote
Imagine if Fox news and the national enquirer had a baby that was raised by Hello! Magazine

Hahahahaha!

franklin w. dixon

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #38 on: December 17, 2014, 09:13:55 PM »
It's the Daily Mail.  I'm guessing 90% of the article is fiction, and is designed to elicit just this kind of discussion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eBT6OSr1TI

edit: i can't believe i was beaten to posting the daily mail song
« Last Edit: December 17, 2014, 09:20:00 PM by franklin w. dixon »

GrayGhost

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #39 on: December 20, 2014, 02:37:59 PM »
I'd really like to tackle this absurd idea that our generation (in the West, anyway) is worse off than our parents.

It's true that we've had to deal with certain political and international issues, and periods of high unemployment... but even with all of that said, if we're poor, a lot of the time it has to do with us buying xboxes and ipods, having kids before we're prepared for them, eating out a lot, and stuff like that.

There's no doubt that there are huge problems our generation has to overcome, like a lack of job security and health care issues, but when it comes to dollars and cents, we've got it pretty good. Frankly, if you're single and making $24k+ a year, or if you're married and making $40k a year, you should be able to live a very awesome lifestyle without sacrificing anything at all.

I know, because I'm single and I'm forecasting spending $24k a year, and that's with international travel, eating out multiple times each month, and all sorts of other luxuries.

agent_clone

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #40 on: December 20, 2014, 04:31:40 PM »
There's no doubt that there are huge problems our generation has to overcome, like a lack of job security and health care issues, but when it comes to dollars and cents, we've got it pretty good. Frankly, if you're single and making $24k+ a year, or if you're married and making $40k a year, you should be able to live a very awesome lifestyle without sacrificing anything at all.

I know, because I'm single and I'm forecasting spending $24k a year, and that's with international travel, eating out multiple times each month, and all sorts of other luxuries.
That is very US centric, also something to keep in mind is that your federal minimum wage is $7.50 an hour.  If you have $7.50 x 40 hours a week x 52 weeks a year you end up with a wage of $15.6k a year.  Then on top of that you have an issue where the people on the $7.50 an hour are probably working part time as places like Walmart don't hire most people full time as then they would need to give their staff benefits, and yes I realise that many of these people would attempt to have more than one part time job.  Yes for most people it is a matter of how they spend their money, but not for everyone.

My personal thoughts for Australia are that most people have more disposable income now than they have previously, but I would guess that it is a lot more difficult for people on the minimum wage now, than it was 30 years ago.  For 60 years ago I would say that today is probably easier than then due to technological advances.  How much money you can easily live of is also very dependant on where you live due to the cost of renting in various places (I am including share houses in this assessment).

EarlyStart

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #41 on: December 20, 2014, 08:50:36 PM »
I'm 22, and I have to say that the OP's description of the discussion he had at the bar is a representative sample of people our age. People my age are blown away when they ask about personal finances (something I don't ask them about), and I say that I max out an IRA and contribute to a taxable account after that. The feel like saving and tax-advantaged accounts are "for old people".

I'm still in school (about a year left), and you'd be amazed at the percentage of the student body who doesn't work at all, but has a God-given right to buy anything and everything. Seriously, cell phones are the tip of the iceberg.

GrayGhost

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #42 on: December 20, 2014, 08:54:05 PM »
My physics teacher said that you live in your sixties on the money you saved in your twenties.

He's right. In four decades, untouched index funds will expand to several times their original size.

Welcome to the forums!

Kyle Schuant

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #43 on: December 20, 2014, 11:42:26 PM »
My personal thoughts for Australia are that most people have more disposable income now than they have previously, but I would guess that it is a lot more difficult for people on the minimum wage now, than it was 30 years ago. 
The main issues for someone on a low income are the cost of housing and uncertainty of income. Minimum wage is A$16.87 which at 37.5hr a week comes to $632, which is about $510 after tax. For a single person living alone, the cheapest rental in Melbourne (for example) will be $250pw for a studio apartment, or a single-bedroom apartment in the suburbs about $300pw. Most people will have to share a place, couldn't live on their own.

Most minimum wage workers are part-time casual, so while they work less than 30hr pw, they get a 25% loading on their hourly rate (taking it to $21.09ph, at the cost of having no sick, holiday or long service leave - and can effectively lose their job at any time with no notice, the boss just says, "there are no shifts available for you next week, sorry."

For example, I once worked in a sheet metal factory on minimum wage (which at the time was $12ph, and I worked 50hr pw), and as I came up on 6 months' service, they cancelled all my shifts - because after 6 months of doing the same shifts, you're entitled to ask to be made permanent. So that many employers will cycle through employees every 6 months.

So the biggest issue for the low income people in Australia is not so much the level of income, it's that the income is uncertain.

The unemployment benefit, on the other hand, is less money - but it's certain. Thus, employer "flexibility" creates a perverse incentive for low-paid workers to just not bother with it all.

MgoSam

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Re: Just because I live in a £1m house doesn't mean I'm not on the breadline
« Reply #44 on: December 21, 2014, 12:02:34 PM »
I don't know what real estate is like in London, but is it possible to find a suitable place that's 500k? This way she could sell her home and buy this and be mortgage free, which could eliminate much of their ungoing expense.

My parents, I am proud to say, bought their house in cash about 20 years ago.