The Green Eyed Monster....

Norfolk_Jim

fascinated wrote: »

And do you know what though, if I had £3500.00 at my disposal I can think of much more worthwhile things to spend it on than two weeks in the sun.

Fasci xx

And if you did, it will probably rain all week and there will a hurricane, the food will give you the runs and the drains will be blocked. The photos in the brochure will be with the landfill and the airport runway behind the camera and the holiday company will fight every inch of the way about the compensation and the plane will be delayed by 7 hours and your luggage end up in Shanghai.

Well that pretty close to my last trip to Hong Kong anyway, some while ago and no longer part of my current debts.

We used to take a week in Cornwall or Devon but now I consider how much would I enjoy paying hundreds of pounds to sit in a tin can in the rain when I could be doing my garden and walking the dog instead. Who said we have to live in a box for 1-2 weeks a year to be having a good life?

IsoChick

bathgatebuyer wrote: »

There's a great book called The Millionaire Next Door in which it talks about the wealthiest in society and about how they are actually often the poorest dressed, driving the most average of cars that they haggled over at the dealership. The neavou riche are those who appear to have the most - new cars, fancy holidays, designer labels - but in reality they have little savings, live from month to month and have very little 'true' wealth. It was a bit of an eye-opener for me.

My immediate boss earns a whopping great salary, but you wouldn't know it. She drives a 10 year old car that breaks down a lot, lives in a small terraced house, wears very nice, but very old clothes etc. When she does spend money, it goes on fabulous holidays - walking part of the Great Wall of China, visiting Machu Pichu etc. not material things like clothes and cars etc.

Norfolk_Jim

The most wealthy person I know smells, hardly ever changes clothes, sits in the dark with no heating and eats cold porridge to save on the cost of heating the milk. They are very elderly and will soon leave it all behind for some distant relative to blow on tropical holidays and cars. You would think she'd buy an annuity and live it up a little. How often do you read of seemingly really poor people leaving an amazing sum in their estates

fascinated

Hi All,

I'm at work so just a very small reply to let you all know I am grateful for your thoughts on this matter. I am quite pleasantly surprised to see my thread still going, but I am glad it has got some of us thinking about the materialistic world we live in.

And I totally agree that you cannot tell someone's actual worth by their dress, appearance or car etc. I know of several people who are very well off who drive around in undesirable vehicles and spend very little. Good for them I say.

There is a fine line however between living frugally and not wasting money on material assets, and doing so to the extent that you waste the best years of your life staying at home. We all need some fun - if we can afford it.

Fasci xx

liuhut

Interesting thread... one of my friends recently told me that someone had commented to her that I must be skint as I had an old car!!!! Now I'm not skint (because of this place!!!) but even if I did have a new car how the hell would she know if I paid cash or not...ooh it really p'd me off but it just goes to show how some people think xx

liuhut

oh meant to say, why dont you pop over onto the comps board and enter for the holidays and car comps, be even better to go on a free holiday!!!!

PercyPig

Hello :wave: What a great thread. It is natural to be jealous I think, I could kick myself over my stupidity of getting in to so much debt. In one 12 month period a few years ago, I went to the USA three times and had several European mini breaks. I know my sister and close friends were jealous at the time however they aren't jealous now of my huge debt.

The next time I go on holiday, it is going to be paid for in cash with money I have saved up - after my debts have gone. It may take a while but I WILL get there.

Percy

fascinated

Thanks liuhut and Percy. Isn't it odd how we make so many assumptions? People are buying new stuff and going abroad so we ASSUME they are doing well. People keep old stuff forever and we ASSUME they can't afford to replace it. It really intrigues me.

Thanks for the comping tip Liuhut. If I won a car or a holiday in a competition, would I tell anyone that I won it and didn't pay for it? Of course I wouldn't - let them think I'm doing well for myself.

Well done with the debt slaying Percy. Roll on your next holiday - bet you'll enjoy it even more knowing that it's all paid for.

Fasci xx

tomstickland

There are some simple techniques.

1) The virtual shop
In your mind run through the various stages of the process. If it was a car, run through the test drive, the haggling, the paying, taking it home, cleaning it etc. Then run through how you will feel as you use it. There will be an initial excitement, but within a few days you'll notice things that are wrong, or not ideal, or blemishes. Over time the novelty will fade and then, possibly, you'll reach a point where it's just another car really.

2)The negatives
To balance out the interest/excitement, think through the negatives in detail. Will you have to pay more insurance, lose money selling the old car, is there more risk of it being scratched, would you have to care more etc?

3) Alternative spend
Think how much more money you will spend, take half of that, and then think what you could spend that on instead.

4) Financial strength
Buying cars on credit or loans is not really "doing well". Any idiot with a reasonable credit rating can do it. However, I much prefer having no debts and an old car over an expensive new car financed on money that hasn't been earnt yet.

It goes on.


I rather like keeping my financial status secret. If people think that I can't afford a newer car then they are welcome to continue with their ignorance. That it allows me to pay for my holidays in cash upfront and not use credit cards etc is a detail that they no doubt miss.
That I choose not to waste money is my personal thing, and I'm very happy with it. To base your life on ownership of consumer tat is sad, and to judge others on what they own is even sadder.

luxor4t

One of the benefits of being older is experience.

I used to cry with sheer,ugly jealousy when people I knew went off on luxury holidays/ bought great 'stuff' for the house etc etc

Couple of years down the line & we are secure but they are up to their ears in debt, & up the swanee