Bad attitude to os?

Sweet_Pea_2

Moggins, my mum moved into council sheltered accomodation a couple of years ago. She was hesitant at first ("I'm not that old you know!") but she is very happy there. She doesnt have to go out to meet people for a chat, they have social events, which you can join in if you are so inclined, communal facilities etc, no worries about maintenance of the home, and its secure. Also there is a warden around and about and a pull cord, which she may not need yet, but she has them for when she does need them.
My neighbour is 81 and lives alone. She has one son and 3 teenage grandkids, but she pays someone to mow her lawn and do her garden (son is too busy) and does not go on holiday because she has to pay for decoraters or new guttering etc. (None of the men in this road will help if they can help it because they think her son should be doing it. Yes he should I agree, but the only one who is losing out is his poor mum - sorry another rant entirely!)
She would be much better off by moving into sheltered accomodation if you ask me, but she still sees herself as too young, and she wants to keep the house for her sons inheritance.

Rachie_B

calleyw wrote:

The point I was trying to make was that yes housing is expensive unless you bought say 7/8 years ago.

Borrowing 3 or 4 times wages. Not sure where you have been but banks are allowing people to borrow 5 or 6 times your wages. And I have even read of people borrowing up to 7 or 8 times there prespective wages in a couple of years time. Professional types who wages would rise.

And to be blunt you don't have to buy we are rather obessed in this country. Strange though to rent the same place you would not have to prove your income.

I don't see getting in to the brown sticky stuff for a house is worth it anymore than getting in it for designer clothes and the fancy cars etc.
But for me be being OS means stepping off the consumer roundabout. And being happy with what I have. And not spending my time going what if. Or I would feel better if I had a nice 06 reg car sat on my drive etc.

Also it means buying anything be it cars/houses etc with your means.

Yours


Calley

when we rented we DID have to prove that my hubby had a fulltime job with wage slips etc

i dont see mortgage as a "debt" like i would do credit card debt,car finance etc

as for us we need a house to live in and like said before renting = money down the drain really

our mortgage now is much less than what our monthly rent was (similar sized house except we now have a driveway etc)and of course it never ends up "yours" plus you cant decorate etc to your standards / taste

as soon as we found a house suitable we bought and would never rent again tbh

larmy16

Many many years ago, I became friendly with a girl from my son's nursery school. One afternoon she said she would have to buy him new school shorts (the grey short ones) and I said I had some spare ones, she could save her money. They had belonged to my nephew and there were a few pairs to use up as my son grew.

You would not believe the look of disgust on her face. She screwed her nose up and said "Where have they come from" and I explained they were my nephews, but she replied "We never ever let L...... wear second hand clothes"! This was a couple living in a council tower block and her husband was out of work at the time. Apparently the grandparents in Ireland paid for all the boy's clothes.

I was so hurt and embarrassed that I always thought twice about offering things to people again.

moggins

larmy16 wrote:

I was so hurt and embarrassed that I always thought twice about offering things to people again.

OMG!! I can't believe anyone could be that unpleasant when someone is trying to help them out. That's another thing about OS though, it's all about good manners and caring for others too.

I'd love it if someone offered clothes for my kids, it's only happened once and although some of it was only fit for the ragbag, I thanked them profusely and then disposed of what was in threads

I'm always passing on clothes to the lady who lives up the road from me as her little girl is 2 years younger than mine and it's far better than wasting it.

calleyw

Rachie_B wrote:

when we rented we DID have to prove that my hubby had a fulltime job with wage slips etc

i dont see mortgage as a "debt" like i would do credit card debt,car finance etc

as for us we need a house to live in and like said before renting = money down the drain really

our mortgage now is much less than what our monthly rent was (similar sized house except we now have a driveway etc)and of course it never ends up "yours" plus you cant decorate etc to your standards / taste

as soon as we found a house suitable we bought and would never rent again tbh

I use to work students who only income was there loans and they had no other income and they can rent. But can't get a mortgage even though they can afford to pay £500 + a month a rent.

But for a lot of people mortgages are now more expensive then it is to rent. So they rent rather than buy. Also when renting if it needs a new kitchen etc you don't pay out the money the landlord does.

I have to take up the point that renting is money down the drain. It is not if you can't afford to buy you have to have somewhere to live. Unless you want to live in your car or under the park bench.

I bought so that in my retirement many years off. I can sell up and downgrade and free up money. If I could rent for the same money or less I would have done. And save all my extra money left over.

A house is really the only thing you should borrow money for. As there very few people with the cash to buy out right nowadays.

But it is still a debt and all you are doing is renting from the bank until the mortgage has been paid off. Because until you make that last payment the bank and not you owns your house.

But each to there own.


Yours


Calley

Chipps

It's very strange, isn't it. I have often noticed that the better off people are, the more likely they are to buy second hand or pass things down. Conversely, the poorer people are the more likely they are to buy new clothes, "designer" labels (not real stuff actually designed by a designer, I mean just stuff with a "brand name" label) and the latest consumer goods - presumably all on the never-never.
The wealthiest family I know only has 1 TV, bought a reconditioned Aga and goes on their main holiday in a caravan in England. (Ok, so they have a number of other holidays, too...)

calleyw

Chipps wrote:

It's very strange, isn't it. I have often noticed that the better off people are, the more likely they are to buy second hand or pass things down. Conversely, the poorer people are the more likely they are to buy new clothes, "designer" labels (not real stuff actually designed by a designer, I mean just stuff with a "brand name" label) and the latest consumer goods - presumably all on the never-never.
The wealthiest family I know only has 1 TV, bought a reconditioned Aga and goes on their main holiday in a caravan in England. (Ok, so they have a number of other holidays, too...)

That is why they have money. They don't waste it on keeping up with the Jones.

And everyone is so worried about what other people see. As long as you are dressed tidy so what and have a car that goes. I am not going to give certain brands advertising for free because I buy there clothes.

In the millionaire next door book it states that in the US millionaires are everywhere but you just not sure where. As a lot don't flaunt the wealth that they have.

They live modest lives and own modest houses and cars etc. A million sound like a lot of money but by the time you have bought a house and car and a nice holiday you would have say 600K left and you have to live off that for the rest of your life. And would only have the income coming off the savings.

Can't see the jet set life lasting very long on that. Spend 100K a year and the capital would gone in 6 years. Even spending it at 20K a year the capital would only last 30 years.

But that is the way with people. It tends to be the ones who have to flash the cash by having big flash houses and cars that actually have nothing as it is all on credit ready to come crashing around there ears at any minute.

As they say it is always the quiet ones you have to watch.

Yours


Calley

Rachie_B

yeah good points calley
im just glad we bought when we did (october 2002)or wed have struggled to buy now

of course a mortgage is a debt, but what i was getting at was that we, personally ,dont view it in the same light if you like, as getting into debt for other things that arent as "essential"

eg we dont have car finance etc

also re renting ,a lot of properties are in a bad state of internal decoration etc ancient kitchens and bathrooms etc and i dont think its as easy as "if it needs a new kitchen etc you don't pay out the money the landlord does"
as getting them to do these things is hard !!
a lot of them dont care so long as they are getting their money paid and theres always someone else who will rent it out if you arent happy type attitude

if you can find a "nice" landlord who will do these things / allow you to decorate etc then you are very lucky lol

moggins

If only I could get DH to curb his DVD habit we'd be millionaires in no time

moggins

Rachie_B wrote:

also re renting ,a lot of properties are in a bad state of internal decoration etc ancient kitchens and bathrooms etc and i dont think its as easy as "if it needs a new kitchen etc you don't pay out the money the landlord does"
as getting them to do these things is hard !!
a lot of them dont care so long as they are getting their money paid and theres always someone else who will rent it out if you arent happy type attitude

if you can find a "nice" landlord who will do these things / allow you to decorate etc then you are very lucky lol

I caught a glimpse of A Life Of Grime this morning and the council were trying to chase one landlord who was refusing to make any repairs despite repeated warnings and his tenants were living in squalor, including a plague of rats.

We have rented 3 times, one was a tiny bedsit on the top floor of a huge house, (never again) we used to stand at the top and drop the washing down the stairs, the second was a twin unit mobile home (loved it and it's huge kitchen) and the third was shocking and was what pushed us into buying, everytime it rained we had a flood through the electrics as the landlord would only make patchy repairs to the roof.