The credit crunch ?

[Arch]

I'm sure I could feed my family of five on less than £100 a week, but the problem is I earn enough to make it unnecessary. I've had times in my life when I had to watch the pennies, but it's a pleasure not to have to think about it now.

Ah yes - there's nothing like a bit of poverty to help you appreciate having a little more than just enough. I'm moderately thankful I grew up being careful, because I can get proportionally much more joy from blowing a fiver on something than many people...

The only time it matters what people spend is when they start to spend money they don't have, because they don't know how to shop any other way....

 

[simonali]

The only way it's affecting me is that my house is on the market and no-one is even coming to look at it. I also nearly cough up a kidney every time I fill the car up, but I'm using it less nowadays coz of the occasional bicycling!

 

[Cycling Naturalist]

The only way it's affecting me is that my house is on the market and no-one is even coming to look at it. I also nearly cough up a kidney every time I fill the car up, but I'm using it less nowadays coz of the occasional bicycling!

Round here the agents are saying that a house has to have one of the three Ds to sell: Death, Debt or Divorce. Those who don't absolutely have to sell are refusing to reduce the price to the selling level.

 

[simonali]

None of those! The EA keeps trying to persuade me to lower the asking price, but I won't. For the amount they're charging me to sell it they can damn well do some graft for it!

 

[gbb]

Round here the agents are saying that a house has to have one of the three Ds to sell: Death, Debt or Divorce. Those who don't absolutely have to sell are refusing to reduce the price to the selling level.

This is very true. I have had mine on the market since JUST before the market hiccupped, but i'm not really interested in playing the EA's game of reducing the price. I realise it's not likely to attract much attention...but i dont have to sell it either. Thats the crux of it...i dont really care if i sell or not...so i can afford to sit on it.
They would have me reduce the price by say £10K....but prices havnt dropped anywhere near that percentage wise.

The EA's must be getting quite desperate as well....SWMBO watches RightMove religiously....the majority of properties havnt moved in 2 months.

 

[gbb]

Ah yes - there's nothing like a bit of poverty to help you appreciate having a little more than just enough. I'm moderately thankful I grew up being careful, because I can get proportionally much more joy from blowing a fiver on something than many people...

The only time it matters what people spend is when they start to spend money they don't have, because they don't know how to shop any other way....

Perhaps like me Arch...you reap the rewards of being careful in financial matters.
But even though i have no problems whatsoever in meeting the bills...the 'credit crunch' has made me look again at finances in general. No harm in that eh?.

 

[User169]

Taking out a mortgage for more than ninety percent is a mugs game anyway. A small slip in the market and your in negative equity. Lose your job and then even once you've sold your house you have no way of repaying your loan!

It rather depends. Frankly, if you have a mortgage of anything less than 100% in the Netherlands you are a "mug".

 

[Hugo15]

It's effecting me big time. Since I have started riding to work to cut down on diesel costs my spending on cycling kit has gone through the roof

 

[yenrod]

If you shop sensibly it is possible to eat good but effectively.

Pre-packaged stuff costs a TON.

Whereas stuff you buy and cook doesnt.

One pkt of pasta may cost 23p for this the basic asda pasta 500gram bag

OR you could buy this:

Napolina 500gram for 74p...

I know which one I buy.

I anyone thinks its difficult to feed themselves and whomever they need to look not far from what they usually buy if not give themselves an education...

I occasionally buy, for someone else, KFC - I dont touch the stuff with a barge pole trans fat. acids or not.

If I see a 17yrs old kid in a car either the families doing great OR theirs mis-handling going of a budget going on OR something illegal !

It seems people still have cash to throw away in my locale !

 

[fossyant]

Bugger - anyone got paid yet for April.......? just got paid, and despite all the saving on switching fuel, telephones, mobile and the like all this has gone... £70 a month worse off now due to the new tax rates and increase in pension contribs (that was only notified a few weeks ago)... hmm where else can I save...

Robbing government !!! Grrrrr

 

[domtyler]

It rather depends. Frankly, if you have a mortgage of anything less than 100% in the Netherlands you are a "mug".

You'll have to explain this one to me.

 

[User482]

I think that if the "credit crunch" brings lending terms and conditions to a more sustainable footing, then that's no bad thing. 100% mortgages are absolutely absurd - everyone knows that house prices rise and fall over time. I would also expect that savers could benefit from better interest rates, which may just encourage us to stop living on credit.

 

[wafflycat]

The other half is an IFA/mortgage broker. Certainly the total number of mortgage products available has dropped significantly but we're inundated with calls from companies doing secure credit wanting us to send business their way...

 

[Alcdrew]

If you shop sensibly it is possible to eat good but effectively.

Pre-packaged stuff costs a TON.

Whereas stuff you buy and cook doesnt.

One pkt of pasta may cost 23p for this the basic asda pasta 500gram bag

OR you could buy this:

Napolina 500gram for 74p...

I know which one I buy.

I anyone thinks its difficult to feed themselves and whomever they need to look not far from what they usually buy if not give themselves an education...

I occasionally buy, for someone else, KFC - I dont touch the stuff with a barge pole trans fat. acids or not.

If I see a 17yrs old kid in a car either the families doing great OR theirs mis-handling going of a budget going on OR something illegal !

It seems people still have cash to throw away in my locale !

I know which one I'd buy as well.

Some times it's worth spending more for the taste. That and I would never go shopping at Asda, just don't like the place.

 

[User482]

I know which one I'd buy as well.

Some times it's worth spending more for the taste. That and I would never go shopping at Asda, just don't like the place.

Can you honestly tell the difference between brands of dried pasta? If taste is the priority, then wouldn't you be better off buying it fresh?