Signs you are doing well financially.

[ClichéGuevara]

I had a longer post in mind, detailing my own experience, but I think this summarises my opinion better.

Leisure by William Henry Davies​ Next​

What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare. No time to stand beneath the boughs And stare as long as sheep or cows. No time to see, when woods we pass, Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass. No time to see, in broad daylight, Streams full of stars, like skies at night. No time to turn at Beauty's glance, And watch her feet, how they can dance. No time to wait till her mouth can Enrich that smile her eyes began. A poor life this if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare.

 

[All uphill]

I had a longer post in mind, detailing my own experience, but I think this summarises my opinion better.

Leisure by William Henry Davies​ View attachment 702995 Next​

​ What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare. No time to stand beneath the boughs And stare as long as sheep or cows. No time to see, when woods we pass, Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass. No time to see, in broad daylight, Streams full of stars, like skies at night. No time to turn at Beauty's glance, And watch her feet, how they can dance. No time to wait till her mouth can Enrich that smile her eyes began. A poor life this if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare.

Perfect. Maybe we need a poetry thread?

 

[glasgowcyclist]

I had a longer post in mind, detailing my own experience, but I think this summarises my opinion better.

Leisure by William Henry Davies​ View attachment 702995 Next​

​ What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare.

Brilliant!

I had that opening line as my sig on here for years.

 

[gbb]

A flip side way of looking at it all.
We're careful and have reaped the rewards...and yet led a moderately quiet frugal life. If I want something I buy it but still don't rush into it.
I know people that spend, have nice cars, a nicer house than mine etc etc.

The.kicker is...we will all die in the end. Has the person who was extravagant, had really nice things, enjoyed his.life as much...maybe more than i have.mine...possibly, just at a higher risk level.

 

[MrGrumpy]

A flip side way of looking at it all.
We're careful and have reaped the rewards...and yet led a moderately quiet frugal life. If I want something I buy it but still don't rush into it.
I know people that spend, have nice cars, a nicer house than mine etc etc.

The.kicker is...we will all die in the end. Has the person who was extravagant, had really nice things, enjoyed his.life as much...maybe more than i have.mine...possibly, just at a higher risk level.

The other kicker is if you’re very well off and don’t spend the tax man will come and take it !

 

[Saluki]

My neighbour, who has a BMW, a 4 x 4 and a SAAB drop top has told me - an hour ago - that she is ‘a better class‘ than me because she has more money than me and can run 3 cars, has a 70” TV (that sounds massive to me), a massive hi-fi, brand new furniture and kitchen (landlord has just done an upgrade to hers) and 5 dogs. She said much more but most of it was profanity and name calling and I can’t remember the order of it.
Unlike her, I work and have done all my life, since leaving school in 1980. Yes I have been to college and University too but worked then too. I have one 09 reg car, which is paid for. A few bikes, also paid for. Everything I own has been saved for to be bought.

I am not sure what ’class’ the 29 year old, next to me is. She has never worked, ever. She had her first child at 16 and has had 2 more since. She likes to tell me that she is ‘better’ than me because she has all this money thrown at her by ‘scrubbers like me, money grubbing to pay her bills’. I certainly think that I have better manners. She has just told me that I am a failure as I don’t have life trappings. Maybe, I don’t have an IVA or an ASBO either. Neither, in my opinion, are desirable in life.

I don’t think that I am going to try for her ‘status’.
Actually, I have seen many people trying to keep up with the Jones’, as my parents use to call it. I have seen people financially broken by it too. Now I work for a bank, in the debt department and see the horrors, I think that the status game is a losing one. I have watched a few videos from the YouTube lady, she speaks a lot of sense.

Never a borrower or a lender be, is what I was told, growing up. Don’t buy things on the ‘never never’ and you’ll be fine. I always have been too. I have a spreadsheet and I am not afraid to use it.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

My neighbour, who has a BMW, a 4 x 4 and a SAAB drop top has told me - an hour ago - that she is ‘a better class‘ than me because she has more money than me and can run 3 cars, has a 70” TV (that sounds massive to me), a massive hi-fi, brand new furniture and kitchen (landlord has just done an upgrade to hers) and 5 dogs. She said much more but most of it was profanity and name calling and I can’t remember the order of it.
Unlike her, I work and have done all my life, since leaving school in 1980. Yes I have been to college and University too but worked then too. I have one 09 reg car, which is paid for. A few bikes, also paid for. Everything I own has been saved for to be bought.

I am not sure what ’class’ the 29 year old, next to me is. She has never worked, ever. She had her first child at 16 and has had 2 more since. She likes to tell me that she is ‘better’ than me because she has all this money thrown at her by ‘scrubbers like me, money grubbing to pay her bills’. I certainly think that I have better manners. She has just told me that I am a failure as I don’t have life trappings. Maybe, I don’t have an IVA or an ASBO either. Neither, in my opinion, are desirable in life.

I don’t think that I am going to try for her ‘status’.
Actually, I have seen many people trying to keep up with the Jones’, as my parents use to call it. I have seen people financially broken by it too. Now I work for a bank, in the debt department and see the horrors, I think that the status game is a losing one. I have watched a few videos from the YouTube lady, she speaks a lot of sense.

Never a borrower or a lender be, is what I was told, growing up. Don’t buy things on the ‘never never’ and you’ll be fine. I always have been too. I have a spreadsheet and I am not afraid to use it.

A posh house to put a posh sofa in front of a posh telly to watch the exact same programmes you can.

A posh car, to sit in the same queue of traffic you're in.

I suspect one of the only real differences is that you appreciate the value of what you have, and the thirst for 'posh' things suggests that your neighbour is definitely trying to compensate for something.

They know they can't 'beat' you, as you're not interested, and haven't even bought a ticket for their circus to bother watching it.

Add all that up, and your life is far richer than theirs will ever be.

 

[johnblack]

Ms AU and I might be seen that way by some, but what if you don't want to travel or have cruises, house improvements, cars, big nights out? Why the assumption that these are universal pleasures?

We love the quiet life, gardening, reading and the odd cycle tour. Our greatest wish is for good health to enjoy these simple pleasures

That’s the thing, you’re doing the things you want, that’s what it’s all about, thank god we all want different stuff, makes things far more interesting.

 

[johnblack]

True.

It's probably partly that I used to be enthusiastic and nerdy about cars as they offered freedom in a rural area.

Years later I realised that owning a car had gone from being a liberation to a commitment and a liability, and that I had invested too much of my identity in the car I drove.

I’ve worked in the car industry for a long time and because of that have had more cars than most people ever will. Little, big, 10mpg, 60mpg, electric, all kinds and now within reason I don’t really care what I drive, but I really get why people completely invested in them.

 

[mustang1]

I think some people have BMW (or whatever car, I'm sure you have a friend of a friend who has a super super expensive car etc) not as a status symbol, but because it's genuinely a better car than some other car.

Just sayin'.

 

[cougie uk]

I think some people have BMW (or whatever car, I'm sure you have a friend of a friend who has a super super expensive car etc) not as a status symbol, but because it's genuinely a better car than some other car.

Just sayin'.

So long as the car gets me around the place - I'm really not that bothered at all. I certainly don't understand paying big bucks and changing the car each year.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

I have a friend who is trapped in the status approach and has been for years, whereas I consider myself to be in the wealth approach.

The clearest way I can show the distinction between us is that where he is always boasting about how much he spent on something, I always boast about how little I spent.

He’s got two failed businesses behind him, umpteen thousand pounds worth of debt and no savings.
I’ve got no debt, no mortgage and several years’ salary in the bank.

 

[mustang1]

So long as the car gets me around the place - I'm really not that bothered at all. I certainly don't understand paying big bucks and changing the car each year.

Yeah I get the annual changing of car is perhaps a bit much, but every 3 or 4 years to stay within warranty and I can see why people do that.

The other thing is, well, some people dress scruffily, it does the job of covering one's back, a basic human need. Similarly, some people may see their car like that too. It could be a rust bucket which will do nicely, or a small eco car to get about town, or a small "branded" car to do the same, or one might need to show "success" if one is a salesperson, and so on, whatever reason. And it could also be to keep up with the neighbours, or to show who the boss is, or some people even say it's a way to make a small guy feel like a big guy.

Life shouldn't be just to survive. We live in a wealthy country, why not enjoy it if an expensive car tickles you, or a watch or jewellery or clothes or whatever. I'm totally with the "better to save money and spend a little" rather than the other way round (like most people on this thread).

Edit: with that last statement, I meant most ppl on this thread prefer to live frugally which is my way too).

 

[Reynard]

I too, don't do the whole status thing.

As a kid I wanted to. I went to a girls' public school (on an assisted place) where my classmates were footballers' daughters, diplomats' daughters, business magnates' daughters... They all had all the latest gadgets and gizmos and fashions. In contrast, my dad was an upholsterer and mum a district nurse, and while I never wanted for anything while growing up, a lot of what I had was second hand. Except books. I could have as many books as I wanted... But I was taught to save, and only buy something when I had the requisite sum in my piggy bank.

Though as I've grown older, I've realised that the constant stream of latest gadgets and gismos in order to stay on trend isn't really that necessary. I don't think it really makes you happier tbh, and I really do hate showing off. And I think being taught to save up for stuff set me up for not following trends, because by the time you've saved up for one thing, it's out of fashion and something else is the next big thing. I'm quite happy to buy something decent, and then use it till it's not fit for purpose anymore, and only then replace it - rather than be caught in the cycle of constantly upgrading. (Particularly true of tech.)

I have savings, my house is paid for, as is my car (a 64-plate top of the range Skoda). If I want / need something, I can afford it, but I don't throw money away unnecessarily. I love yellow stickering, foraging, growing food in the garden, cooking from scratch. I still love books, and that's my main treat, along with collecting motor racing memorabilia / ephemera.

When it comes to clothes and the like, I take my granddad Arthur's words to heart: I'm too poor to buy cheap stuff. Although I certainly won't turn my nose up at buying second hand.

Having to be a bit careful right now though, as my savings have taken a bit of a battering these last three weeks due to unforeseen expenses. But that's why they're there.

Bottom line is, I'm happy.

 

[Jameshow]

I'm happy with a brooks saddle under my back side, 9 gears and an open road..... ideally without the need to be back in the office at 9am Monday morning....

That's the plan.....!