2.5 Million Families on £100k/year Don't Feel Rich

fc123

Mr.Brown wrote: »

Perhaps it makes some sort of point PN. 100k doesn't neccessarily get you any more 'fun' or better quality freetime- just a bigger mortgage, higher school fees and an imperceptible rise in living standards that you are too tired to notice.

Oh and that utter twonk Gordon determined to bring class war back into politics and basically blame and bleed rich people until he achieves some kind of equality. Having failed to raise standards for poor people, why not tax the rich out of existence?

Some sort of achievement, that after ten years or so of Labour, and the NICE decade, and supposedly low inflation - 100k is not the lottery winnings that it would have been considered in earlier days. No wonder every other dim wit with a second rate degree has a job on t'council at 100k PLUS.

Sorry. Meant to do a jokey post. Got a bit annoyed instead.

I have a family member who, as a single, earnt about 100k+ and he had a ball. Smallish house, but plenty of space for 1. Even had spare for an exceedingly flashy car too.

The wife...then 2 kids close together......the house was tiny with all of them in it and he was skint all the time due to nursery fees and all the extra expense...like another car to put the kids in and so on.

Got worse as schools weren't great so decided to move to nicer area...which was more expensive...and then ended up paying for schools too....he earns loads and never has a spare penny. They have a nice life but it's not cheap. Even he was saying that to provide for his kids what we had for free means earning serious money nowadys.

BTW..Can anyone confirm that water was free years ago....when did water rates come in?

PasturesNew

fc123 wrote: »

BTW..Can anyone confirm that water was free years ago....when did water rates come in?

I've never known water to be free.

Of course, some rents include water rates, but it's always been a bill somewhere.

PasturesNew

lostinrates wrote: »

...you can;t tell someone's money ... just by looking at them

Shoes ... that's what I was told once. I remembered this one night when I went down a bit of a grotty pub. There was a bloke there, drunk, dancing alone in the middle of the carpet, flailing his arms. He looked like some throwback to the 70s the way his clothes were cut. But I noticed his shoes. Shoes like I'd never seen before. Good shoes, clean shoes, comfortable looking but expensive shoes .... then he staggered out ... and straight into a top of the range Porsche, in which he was whisked away by a waiting driver.

lostinrates

PasturesNew wrote: »

Shoes ... that's what I was told once. I remembered this one night when I went down a bit of a grotty pub. There was a bloke there, drunk, dancing alone in the middle of the carpet, flailing his arms. He looked like some throwback to the 70s the way his clothes were cut. But I noticed his shoes. Shoes like I'd never seen before. Good shoes, clean shoes, comfortable looking but expensive shoes .... then he staggered out ... and straight into a top of the range Porsche, in which he was whisked away by a waiting driver.

Its a clue. I know a billionare who wears those ghastly slip on clarks shoes for grandads though. Men here said watches too...made me smile. A very rich man I know wears a watch that cost £14.99 and is a well known ''cheaper'' name....he says he likes that some people might judge him on his watch not him: it makes sure he doesn't make the same mistake. And it tells the time perfectly.

There is nothing wrong with spending money you have on things that give you pleasure/comfort though.

Cleaver

abaxas wrote: »

£500 a month of groceries! £1300 a month on cars! £500 pm on crap

What planet are you living on, planet 'I like my bottom reamed' ?

You can be rich if you want to, just you choose not to be rich.

I would say that living life and having the small pleasures such as having a chinese with your missus, enjoying the gym, a few meals out with friends and family and a good few beers with friends isn't 'cr*p'.

In fact I would say that these small things make your life all the 'richer'.

Cleaver

PasturesNew wrote: »

I've actually no idea where wealthy people do hang out... golf clubs? at each others' houses at dinner parties?

Pastures, as much as you're ace these types of comments from you do baffle me.

Wealthy people hang out in the same places as poor and middle-income people: pubs, sporting events, clubs, theatres, cinemas, colleges, shopping centres, golf clubs, museums, swimming pools, gyms, social clubs, resturants, cafes, art galleries.

I'm sure there are exclusive places designed for a very small percentage of 'wealthy' people to waste their money, but most people are just average joes at the end of the day.

My Dad earned a six figure salary for the last 15 years or so before he retired and if he's out and about you'll generally find him enjoying a pint at Weatherspoons, eating brekkie in a greasy spoon or enjoying a cuppa in a nice, quaint cafe. Just like everyone else really.

SingleSue

In my younger pre children days, I was earning really quite a large amount of money and was considered rich amongst my friends.

I hung out at the local pub listening to rock music the same as them, the difference was that I could afford to hang out there 3 nights a week plus pay for all the different rock gigs around the country without batting an eyelid.

fc123

I was talking with DD about wealthy and non wealthy types during our drive back down south yesterday.....it was a long drive too. She is having a life experience (that, obviously, isn't a big deal to her) which has meant she is mixing with a very different set of people at school and get's little glimpses into their lives.
She thinks we are ''very poor'' as we rent down here, it is freezing, dated and 80% of the house is now a full on design studio/ storage/work...with little bits of space for beds and things. Also, we have an 02 plate car with dents, I have a face that is not stretched and tucked and we don't have spare £££ to buy her things like real Chanel bags.

I don't dig her out on it too much but she acknowledges that we are not ''poor'' when compared to some of her cousins. She is also understanding that rich people are the same as not so rich people......the only difference is that they just have more money.

Cleaver

About 2.5million families enjoy a household income of nearly £100,000 - but do not consider themselves rich, a report has revealed.

Just my two penneth on this...

You get used to your conditions and lifestyle very quicky. Just as an example, have you ever had a week or so really roughing it, doing something like camping? When you get back how much more do you enjoy the little things? A hot bath, a good cup of tea, your own bed, a read of the paper, being warm.

I wouldn't consider us rich, but I imagine that you simply become accustomed to the life you have which is similar to the camping example. You have enough money for a nice car, good holidays, buying whatever you want and need for your family: you start taking it for granted, or at the very least get used to it. Human nature I guess.

We earn about £70k bewteen us and don't really have any overheads - no debts at the moment even for a car, mortgage or rent. But we tend to live the life we always have and the rest just gets saved or invested, so we never really feel any richer.

Just to keep this waffle going, if someone gave us £100k tomorrow then I doubt life would change much, which is a weird thing to say. We'd probably take a couple of holidays because we like them but everything else would pretty much stay the same: food, car, property, clothes, going out - all the same. I guess we'd buy some stuff for family and friends, which would be nice.

I really am rambling now, so I'm going to shut up. I was planning to watch QI at ten, but turns out it's a repeat of one I watched earlier this week. Don't you hate it when that happens?

nearlyrich

C_Mababejive wrote: »

I dont see much point in earning to a level which tips you into the 40% bracket.

Whats the point of working for half pay??

You only pay 40% on the amount above the upper tax bracket and you get 40% tax relief on pension contributions etc so it's worth it believe me.