a day in the life of a baby boomer - please give some info

The-mouth-of-the-south

I am intrested in the life of how baby boomers are currently living at the moment. for example how many homes do you own, do you have cash in bank, kids, health, retired, lifestyle etc

my parents are boomers, they are well off in that they own a nice home, have cash in bank, car, no debt, good pensions but they dont really go anywhere other than to tescos using there free bus pass.

Really intrested to hear some baby boomers lifestyle stories.

ERICS_MUM

Before I embarrass myself by claiming to be a baby boomer, could you remind me of the age range please. :beer:

The-mouth-of-the-south

baby boomer - 52 -67

Cleaver

ERICS_MUM wrote: »

Before I embarrass myself by claiming to be a baby boomer, could you remind me of the age range please. :beer:

Think it tends to be people born from around 1945 to around 1964. After that you're Gen X then all the other new-fangled stuff they've come up with since generation theory became all sexy.

With regard to the OP, most people would characterise this generation as being wealthy and having lots of opportunities in life but asking a random few people on an internet forum won't really give you an accurate picture.

My Dad is a boomer, born at the start of the fifties. He was brought up on one of the roughest council estates in the North and shared a bed with his brother and sister until he moved out as an adult. In terms of his lifestyle he worked very hard and earned good money (£200,000 plus before he retired) and has two houses, one quite modest house that he lives in and a small holiday home. He drives a little Citroen and tends to holiday at campsites in Cornwall. I believe he has a lot of cash in the bank but doesn't really have the need to spend much of it. He has no debt (including mortgages) and a good pension. His health is pretty good.

Hope this helps.

Cleaver

The-mouth-of-the-south wrote: »

baby boomer - 52 -67

Although the end year of the Boomers can be debated (it tends to be around 1964 though) the start is normally considered post-war which is 1945 onwards.

SingleSue

My mum is just about boomer age (the older end - she was 68 a few weeks back), dad is older but could also be called one of the boomers.

They own their own home, have no debts, dad has a good pension (no pension credit there), have savings, have a static caravan holiday home and although mum would not agree, comfortable.

They have 3 children who have survived into adult hood, mum has arthritis and high blood pressure, dad has been registered disabled (when it was possible to be anyway) since 1972 when he fell off the bridge he was making, had heart attacks 4 years ago and 2 strokes in April 2010...they have never claimed out of work or sickness benefits.

Dad was born in Scotland, mum was born in the East end of London in an air raid shelter. Dad's parents were fairly well off, mum's parents were not - she was brought up in a council house.

Dad worked in construction in the early part of their marriage and later in offices (due to falling off the blooming bridge in 1972!), mum stopped work the day they married and has not worked for an employer since. They purchased their house in late 1969 when my elder brother was 2 and I was on the way...only purchased because the construction contract was a long one (approx 4 year contract) and they decided that it was financially prudent to buy rather than rent while they were here...and also because they couldn't afford to buy a house in Epping (their first choice).

They have never had credit cards, only took out sensible loans and paid their mortgage off in full by 1975 - large compensation for that fall off the bridge (someone didn't fix the rails properly hence the fall - they collapsed and he fell approx 50 foot).

PasturesNew

No house, no job, no pension. Ekeing out a small living online while dossing at parents house.

No holidays, no gadgets, no degree.

Would like a job, but once you're of a certain age you find you are passed over for "people just like them" who they feel could play in the office footy/clubbing culture.

Have cash to buy small/modest house at some future point.

It's not ALL rosy for boomers you know.

vivatifosi

I don't know that its that straightforward. I'm a late boomer by the above dates, my brother is an early X-er. I bought my first house in the late 80s when it was really expensive, being a few years younger, he bought his in the early 90s and managed to get four bedrooms for the price I paid for one, albeit not in as nice an area. Although neither of us now live in the same houses, he benefitted from lower prices and I didn't. This is not unusual. Many early x-ers benefitted from low house prices in the 1990s and many of those same x-ers will also have benefitted from final salary pensions.

Looking at one group of people as though they all have the same experiences and advantages is ludicrous, as is claiming that all the gen x-ers are hard done by!

PasturesNew

I think most people have the chance to "do well" if they're in a couple as that gives them two wages to get a head start with.

If you do the maths and say a person takes home £1k/month, rent+bills costs £800, food costs £100, then that leaves a single person with £100/month to live and try to improve things. Bring in a 2nd person and the bills only go up by about £100, leaving them a full £1000/month between them to either enjoy, invest or plan with.

amcluesent

>I am intrested in the life of how baby boomers are currently living at the moment.<

I guess I'm neither boomer nor Gen-X, born in 1964.

TBH, right now, life is a bl**dy shambles.

SingleSue

Not always the case that both people in the couple would work....my mum stopped working the day she married (dad was old fashioned) and has not worked for an employer since, she has been a traditional housewife.

Everything they have done, has been done on a single wage and before the days of tax credits etc.

I tried being a housewife for a little while and didn't much like it...much to dad's annoyance...."mums should be home with their babies", I went back to work within a very short time of having eldest (he was 6 weeks old).