Some of you are vultures

Geenie

Many people did well over the boom years when money was being chucked around, not just plumbers!

If I remember earlier this year, there was a report about GP’s contracts and the large wage increases they had secured over recent years, despite reducing their working hours by some and being harder to see then teeth in a hens mouth!

Don’t remember any of them saying “no, don’t pay me those extra thousands……put it back into the NHS to buy a scanner or expensive drugs for needy patients, as I already get a jolly good wage for a few hours work ”!

Everyone has taken what has been offered, be they bankers, builders, beauticians, buy to let or benefit claimants over the last decade! It was market forces and everyone said thank you very much what ever their profession or circumstances.

What is important though is how you manage your money. It is easy to spend it all in the good times, on holidays, flash cars and fancy kitchens etc. It takes restraint to think long term of all possibilities like job loss, illness and death, and put money aside or insure for these times, no matter how unlikely that may seem. The older generation knew this only too well, and never took anything for granted. We need to get into the same mindset.

tartanterra

DirectDebacle wrote: »

Fair enough. Do you mean the whole of the S.E. of England or the whole of the South of England. either way it is not representative of the whole of the U.K.

Even so £200 a day, 5 day week, 48 week year is £48k p.a. Take off income tax, N.I. contributions, public liability insurance, capital cost of buying and replacing tools, advertising, phone calls, accountants fees, fuel, 3-4 hours in the evenings a week pricing jobs, preparing and posting estimates etc what does the £200.00 a day come to then? This assuming that there is no time off for injury/sickness. Not working=no pay.

What is in the mans pocket then. Big difference between what someone charges and what their nett earnings are.
If you are a PAYE employee look at your gross earnings on your pay slip. Then ask your employer what it costs him to employ you. Factor in a proportion for all the other necessities for that business to function add it up and divide by the amount of your contracted hours per week. What does your gross per hour work out at?

It must be awful for you not being able to find a good tradesman for £100 a day. What a rip off.

Hurrah! Someone who actually realises that tradesmen actually have pay for things!

skap7309

Congrats people, now officially the most replied to ever thread on this sub board.

caveman38

tartanterra wrote: »

Hurrah! Someone who actually realises that tradesmen actually have pay for things!

He's a trademan you know, thats why he's on your side.

tartanterra

caveman38 wrote: »

He's a trademan you know, thats why he's on your side.

Armed forces actually, check the armed Forces thread!:D

fiveyearplan

neas wrote: »

I like a quite drink but am such a scrooge compared to other people.. i like a night out a pizza hut and the odd 30 quid meal for wife and I. I'd die paying 100 quid on a meal... just seems such a waste of money...
Again though, some building professions are way overpaid... such that a few years back people with degrees retrained as plumbers and leccys.... so crazy if you ask me that a scientist someone so intelligent so bright that not many people could that job... woudl quit and become at plumber... so crazy britain.. so wrong... but an example of what went wrong.

So what we had was... instead of rewarding scientists and innovators in our world.. that would make us more competitive in the world... we had toilets fitted, drained, cleaned and central heating systems fitted.... well at least we are warmer...until gas prices become too high... ah well.

You can't criticise what people value and choose to spend their money on. Some people (I must say I don't include myself here) may prefer to spend £100 on a meal out as opposed to several £10 meals out - they may prefer quality and ambience.

As for tradesmen making the kind of money you are talking about - it is supply and demand. If you don't want to pay that kind of money learn to do it yourself.

caveman38

tartanterra wrote: »

Armed forces actually, check the armed Forces thread!:D

DirectDebacle is a tradesman

I am a tradesman myself and have a good idea what other tradesman charge. If there are plumbers earning £90k then they will no doubt be in a minority and probably of the type you see on Rogue Traders.

115K

Geenie wrote: »

What is important though is how you manage your money. It is easy to spend it all in the good times, on holidays, flash cars and fancy kitchens etc. It takes restraint to think long term of all possibilities like job loss, illness and death, and put money aside or insure for these times, no matter how unlikely that may seem. The older generation knew this only too well, and never took anything for granted. We need to get into the same mindset.

I agree with you really but some people, obviously quite a few on this forum, have got into difficulties with debt or have had just plain bad luck with health problems or unemployment and haven't been able to do this and have just about kept their head above water and they haven't all been living the good life on credit cards.

I think the OP was just trying to make the point that some people are finding things very tough at the minute and some people on this forum are being unsympathetic towards them. Obviously boom and bust times have winners and losers and I felt very sorry for FTB's over the last few years as I knew quite a few people who were completely priced out of the market. I didn't sit there and laugh at them because I had a house already.

I personally think money management and basic economics should be taught at school.

tartanterra

caveman38 wrote: »

DirectDebacle is a tradesman

Don't understand. Why would he be on my side? I haven't posted anything about tradesmen.:D

carolt

Do give the poor OP a break! She apolgised for her OP about 10-15 pages back! (This thread does go on rather!) She then made the cardinal error of giving her personal history ensuring that those who disagreed with her OP could pick her life to bits too.

Best of luck, OP - and to all others, homeowners or non-homeowners, suffering in the bloody recession.