pslewis

Pete, serious question. Whether or not you really can mock those on low incomes, why do you continue to do so?

Very few people who really are in a solvent financial position ever feel the need to do this. So why do you, may i ask?
---------------------------------------------------------------

Can't see how I am mocking?? I was in desperate straits 20 years ago and went to the wall. Had to break ice off the loo before I could have a pee, had hair dryer in bed as I couldn't afford coal, only had ONE coal fire and someones cast off bathroom carpet tiles in the lounge that smelt of pi55.

I laughed at myself then, I laugh at myself now.

What I didn't do is land myself in MORE debt!! What I didn't do was buy a flash car (I had a clapped out old banger!), what I DID do was stop smoking 40 a day, stopped drinking every weekend, got myself hauled up the ladder in my career.

EVENTUALLY, I find myself where I am - comfortable.

How I find my fun now is up to me - but, never, ever, mention that I have no idea what it's like to be penniless!!

Pete

[Edited by pslewis - 12/1/2003 10:00:42 AM]

Mr Leigh

There are a hell of a lot of people out there on less than 12k a year working five days a week! Working in Northampton a successful Sales office Co Ordinator with people below her/him would expect £14k! Just recruited a good un.

I think you have to look around sometimes to realise how low wages can be, even for "Respectable" jobs. I have a good idea because I employ people.

Pete your right about not living to your means and enjoying the fruits a bit later in life.

I dont have a credit card or any debt! Other than that fat suck me dry mortgage lol. Still I could rent a room but choose not too so I should not moan.




[Edited by Mr Leigh - 12/1/2003 3:32:49 PM]

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

"Spend It Like Beckham Justin Rowlatt reports on the problems that could arise from the British public's addiction to spending if interest rates keep going up, as debts -- which are already equivalent to each man, woman and child in the country owing £15,300 -- continue to grow"


Dont know whose spent my 15 grand cos it certainly wasnt me, should be interesting.

RB5-Black

I did I've got myself 150K so I had some kiddies debt too

unclebuck

Including or excluding mortgages? If it's excluding then...

LOL.. There will be a lot of X5's and Land Cruisers going cheap soon.

UB

RB5-Black

150K with my mortgage... if it was without I'd top myself right now

[Edited by RB5-Black - 11/30/2003 9:17:14 PM]

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

£1,315.96

Thats mine, thought I had better checdk as I havent looked in weeks, oops, Christmas shopping has taken its toll, time to get spending as I am about fourteen grand behind !

I would buy one of the cheap X5's, really nice motor apart from the fact I just couldnt see myself in one

mynickers

I have £25k debt from being a student - thanks tony - lovely way to start your life and career with a big old concrete block like that hanging around your neck. Like I am gonna earn that much more than people with A-Levels to warrant paying £25k for it. #

And guess what if I buy a car, I am gonna get it on - you guessed it credit - which will take me up nicely to a clean £30k, all to sit in traffic in the capitals roads..

Ain't life sweet eh

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Dont spend five grand on a car then, spend a grand !

Just cos other people have nice cars doesent mean you have to have one, run a banger, pay the loans off and when you do youll be in a much better position, I have in the past suffered the ignomony of seeing a couple of lads I went to school with whilst driving a H reg Metro 'Clubman', one had a Jag and the other had a Grand Cherokee, couldnt afford it so I didnt buy it, they took the **** I felt humiliated but not as humilated as those running big thirsty cars who happened to still live at the parental home at 30 !

Olly

LOL! Certainly applies in our neck of the woods. Lots of actual wealth for sure, but a hell of a lot of surface wealth (you know the score: a £40k BMW on the drive, but £36k owed on it). Keeping up with the Jones's is almost an olympic sport around here.

Money is thrown around too easily by lenders, there should be better education and tighter controls. On the other hand I have no sympathy with people heavily in debt: you makes your bed etc. No-one forces people to spend. Basic maths is not rocket science.

Anyway I'm too much of a tight git to get into much debt.

unclebuck

Sub-Prime - lol A new category of sub-human it seems.

Interesting prog.

UB

pslewis

I have £25k debt from being a student - thanks tony - lovely way to start your life and career with a big old concrete block like that hanging around your neck. Like I am gonna earn that much more than people with A-Levels to warrant paying £25k for it.
----------------------------------------------------------------

You can thank us taxpayers who picked up the biggest part of your training bill!!

If your degree was a mickey mouse one and doesn't get you entry into the top 5% of earners club then you are paying back £25k for farting about for 3 years ..... why do a degree in a subject that will not get you a decent job?????

Pete

fatherpierre

That bloke that earned £12k per year but had almost £50k on tap on his cards?

Mad.

pslewis

£12k per year?

Well, what does he expect just working 1 day a week? ..... why doesn't he get a full time job???

Pete

fatherpierre

One day a week?

I thought that's what those type of people got from the state when they can't find work?

pslewis

Well, we all know thats not true - that wife swap programme showed a couple on £37k on the dole!!

So I can only assume he is working 1 day a week?? Funny fella?

Pete

mynickers

OK to put things straight.. I paid my own fee's, and the money I clocked up was from living expenses and trying to better myself, with art and design, photography and marketing qualifications over the years, not just a degree.

I work in advertising (or rather will soon), and money will be earned but to begin with its 18-25k which isn’t' low, in fact not far off the national average, but in London it is not much considering the high cost of property, generally high cost of living, high cost of owning a car, in terms of parking, congestion charges, especially with huge debts on top. Eventually I will earn £60k when I get where I want to be (5-15 years, depending how good I am – 5 hopefully) unless I go it alone, which is one of my plans and become an entrepreneur business man and the sky is the limit. But when I first started studying I just missed the free education that many people got, and went on to lucrative careers without having a healthy deposit on a mortgage around their neck to pay off as student loans / graduate loans, and the rest - before they can even consider buying a house or anything else. So as a mature student of 26, it does become a worry, that I still have to start at the bottom, and work up. Most people look to buy by 30, I will of just sorted my debt by then, and then be in a situation of of saving up deposits, and then borrowing. I am not saying it was a bad decision, just moaning, as you do, when you have a struggle on your hands. I would do it again, if I was back 3 years ago but still not a nice situation to be in I am sure you can all empathise.

But my burden on the tax payer (tp) has been minimal given I paid my own fee’s (some of which is supported by the tp, and frankly as much as it hurts to think of your tax going on peoples education you have no connection with, seems we cannot compete with developing economies on manufacturing things (for a broad and complex number of reasons), it is vital that the UK has a highly educated population, as a nation that is what will make us competitive on a world stage. For example we can’t really make mass produced cars to compete on a world scale any more, but how many F1 teams are based in UK? We specialise in being well educated, informed and expert, so education is the key to that. Innovation, design, style, academia, and many other things are at the heart of the UK, and on the whole these can only be achieved by education. Would rather see my tax on that than scud missiles.

I could get a cheap car for £1k, it’s crossed my mind, thought about looking for a decent mk2 GTI 16v to start, but for me, a car is by no means a necessity, in fact, it will be a hindrance, and a waste of money if you look at it from an economical and practical sense. But for me, cars are my world, they’re my hobby, and something I am very enthusiastic about, have been since a child. So owning a runabout will bring me no joy, and will be even more of a waste of money relatively, as for just getting about - travelling – I am better using public transport, what I want a car for (I say want, not need) is fun, and life is short, in 3 or 4 years time when I am in a financial position to buy what ever I want, I might well have lady, and even little ones, and a sports car will not only be impractical it will be unworkable. It’s such a cliché but you do have to live for the moment, I want a car to have fun in, take to some track days, learn how to drive, and as a young single man, this is probably the only opportunity I will have. Certinly living in loodnon, cause we’re gonna get taxed, congestion charged, and parking charged out of the city in a few short years.


So you see, I want to do it while I still can..

Nick

PS Didn’t watch the program was working!

TelBoy

Pete, serious question. Whether or not you really can mock those on low incomes, why do you continue to do so?

Very few people who really are in a solvent financial position ever feel the need to do this. So why do you, may i ask?

weapon69

Well im in debt and the amount of tv programmes ive watched with Alvin Hall and Martin Lewis telling me how to open about 30 bank accounts for every single thing that goes out of my bank account, LOL. The only thing that will help me is a better paid job or winning the lottery. Both looking quite unlikely

TelBoy

Pete, we've heard all the "when i was a lad" stories before.

It's up to you if you read my "Why do you mock people on low incomes?" as "Why do you mock people on low incomes, seeing as you've never been in that position yourself?".

Still awaiting relevant answer.

Tiggs

"had hair dryer in bed as I couldn't afford coal"

thats one way to get a *******!

boom boom!

ian_sadler

Since I had my scoob nicked earlier this year I decided to make a real effort at ditching all my credit card debts etc.

I'm running around in a cheap deisel and have paid off over 6k in the last two months.

Thats not just what I got back on the insurance (after the remaining 6 repaymens and the baloon were deducted ) but what the car was costing to run and me being good for a bit

Personal debt is going to become a major issue in the UK soon.

pslewis

You're trying to tell me that folk on here work 5 days for £12k??

Do me a favour!!

Pete

TelBoy

Yes Pete they do. Get your head out of the clouds and look around you.

289

Pete sort of has a point, though I'm not sure he meant it this way. If someone has a massive debt, why aren't they working every hour God sends (or working smarter, or upskilling) to clear the thing. If someone's earning £12k per annum this suggests to me that they're not maximising their earnings, as you can get £6.00 p/h working at Tesco. Do 50 hours per week and you're sorted; do it well and you'll get promoted to a management position and significantly increase your earnings.

And where's the personal responsibility in this? Just because someone offers doesn't means you have to take it, doe it? I could have vast amounts of credit, but stick with one personal credit card which gets cleared every month, because I know (as does every borrower, no matter how stupid) that eventually there WILL be a time of reckoning.

I have someone who works for me and earns less than half of my income, yet has designer clothes, new car(s) on a regular basis, expensive holidays ....... they cheerfully admit to funding it on Visa and are always on the hunt for a new 0% credit card. This is clearly thier own business, but given that they have responsibility for cash and banking in the group I have to start to wonder whether I should be getting concerned.

weapon69

LOL i'd have to work full time hours 7 days a week to get 12k where i work

TelBoy

289, totally agree. Somebody living a lifestyle they can't afford is one thing, but let's not just "pick" on lower wage-earners as a whole, i say.