Is having to much "stuff" the problem ?

themaccas

Feel I should re-do the ,list so we can compare our sitch to the OP's one. So when we were expecting our first child.....the list would have read as follows:

1) A computer at home No
2) 1 car
3) No camcorderYES we had 1
4) No ipod
5) No sat nav
6) NO mobile phone
7) 1 TV + portable in bedroom
8) No lap top.
9) No play station
10) Did not buy DVD's or CD's.
11) No SKY.
12) No digital camera.
13) No dishwasher.DId not buy one until we had 2 kids

Just feel OP is generalising a bit we all have debts due to circumstances, some of which are deeply personal. It's not all due to 'stuff'.

lady_fuschia

I agree with vindalooloo. I don't think you can underestimate the problems of having to live on a low income- particularly for people with kids. If you're on minimum wage just having the one second hand car is out of the question. Things are much better now, but there was a time when I couldn't afford to be with my Dad for his fiftieth birthday because I couldn't afford the train fare, and found myself counting out coppers to get together enough for a weeks shopping (I kid you not)- and not a gadget or a holiday to show for it either! I was getting into debt but just the idea of having a TV or a computer wasn't even worth thinking about: more a question of "Can I really justify buying wholemeal bread when its 10p more expensive than white?" I really feel for people who have to try and bring up a family in that situation.
I think stuff is part of the equation- but not the whole. I mean, it doesn't matter how much stuff Victoria Beckham buys, she's unlikely to get into much debt through it, yet the girl down the road who works in a biscuit factory is probably going to get into debt just buying herself a pair of shoes from Primark. I think the consumer culture has had a lot of media attention, but it does oversimplify the situation.

livinginhope

sashacat wrote:

fascinating thread! I do believe that people ( ok, some people) get into debt because they buy "stuff" they think they need. Someone said on here that they need a sat nav for work...how did they manage to work a few years ago before sat navs???

and no debt.. because I only buy when I can pay cash with savings. if my tv or dishwasher break down they won't be replaced until I have saved up the money

You may not think a sat nav is needed for work,but it is for my DH,he did manage a few years ago without one,by not finding farms in VERY remote areas,being late and losing contracts,our sat nav was £50 from a friend,it has been a godsend,and well worth the money.
Step down from your moral high horse about not being in debt,we were debt free a couple of years ago,one MAJOR disaster followed by many small ones caused our debt,NOT overspending on 'stuff'.One day it may be you.

bobbadog

I think OH and I have our fair share of 'stuff' but it's been mostly paid for cash or as presents. Our problem is the debt we both totted up during University / College. He's now a trained Carpenter, and I am unfortunately a media 'ho, on a semi minimal wage (happy one though)...

1) A computer at home (new, brought with old flat deposit cashback)
2) Car - F Reg Ford, OH brought second hand and paid in cash
3) No camcorder
4) We both have ipods, both presents
5) No sat nav
6) OH and I both have contract phones (£20 and £25 - he needs his for business, I can claim back chunk)
7) A tv in the lounge that is ours, paid cash 5 months ago
8) No lap top.
9) Gamecube, few years old, OH present from his mum
10) We have millions of CD's but mainly promotional ones.
11) No Sky or Cable
12) No digital camera.
13) No dishwasher

Our debt isn't down to greed or high aspirations, really, it's down to the cost of studying and doing so in London.

beer2006

lady_fuschia wrote:

I think stuff is part of the equation- but not the whole. I mean, it doesn't matter how much stuff Victoria Beckham buys, she's unlikely to get into much debt through it, yet the girl down the road who works in a biscuit factory is probably going to get into debt just buying herself a pair of shoes from Primark. I think the consumer culture has had a lot of media attention, but it does oversimplify the situation.

You are right of course, it is simplifiying the situation. Yet how many people look at VB and people like her and think they deserve the same sort of stuff?
I'm not that old, only 36, yet virtually all the people I know who think like that are around the 20 yr old mark. And I really do know people like that, people who have no idea what they have on their credit cards, think "card charges" must be something they buy every month.
There just seems to be so much stuff available to [STRIKE]waste your money on[/STRIKE] sorry, buy.
I think the debt problem is getting worse for one reason, more teenagers are coming into the market and the world they are being bought into, is a consumer mad market.
I see no end to it atm, borrowing is too available and too cheap.

tomstickland

I've got no debts apart from mortgage now.

1) A computer at home (both use internet access at work
Hand me down, going to replace with a £379 Dell soon
2)Have just one car (I cycle to work). Our car is 6 years old ie. year 2000 reg.
15 year old car, paid for cash, love it
3)No camcorder
No
4)No ipod
No
5)no sat nav
No, I love maps.
6)until recently one pay as you go mobile between 2 of us.(mobiles are not
camera mobiles) only when she became pregnant did we buy a mobile for me.
PAYG
7)one tv in the house (non plasma)
No TV
8)no lap top.
No, I prefer desktops
9) no play station
No, what's the point if you have a computer?
10) we don't have many dvd's or CD's.
I do have loads of CDs, loads from Ebay
11) we don't have the full sky package.
No
12)no digital camera.
No but am going to buy one for Ebay work
13) No dishwasher.
No

I'm very happy with my life. I think there's a lot of be said for seperating owning things from happiness. Consumer society would like you to think that owning things impresses people and "defines" you. It doesn't really.

If I want something then I like to plan ahead, research the options, save the money and then make the purchase.

lady_fuschia

I dunno, most people I know in their 20's aren't terribly into stuff culture- most of them are too busy worrying where the next meal's coming from!

I'm aware its out there- but I'm not sure that the "keeping up with the Jones's" mentally isn't just as prevalant amongst the middle aged- a lot of my Mum's friends are constantly boasting about their new cars, and can't understand why she does her decorating herself when she could pay someone to do it.

I think its just another one of those cases we tend to heap in that huge "young people today don't know they're born" pile. I'm not an irresponsible spender, I really don't know that many people who are- my age or otherwise, we've all bought frivolous things from time to time- but I don't holiday (would love to travel the world but its probably never gonna happen), I don't wear designer clothes, and I rarely go out. It does annoy me a bit that there is such an assumption that if you're young and in debt you must've been incredibly irresponsible in a way that no person ove rthe age of 30 could POSSIBLY ever be!

beer2006

lady_fuschia wrote:

I think its just another one of those cases we tend to heap in that huge "young people today don't know they're born" pile. I'm not an irresponsible spender, I really don't know that many people who are- my age or otherwise, we've all bought frivolous things from time to time- but I don't holiday (would love to travel the world but its probably never gonna happen), I don't wear designer clothes, and I rarely go out. It does annoy me a bit that there is such an assumption that if you're young and in debt you must've been incredibly irresponsible in a way that no person ove rthe age of 30 could POSSIBLY ever be!

Nah, I didn't say that FGS, all I said was most of the people I know, not all of them. And I reckon its alot harder to be 18 now than 18 yrs ago when I was

ZTD

I would agree with that lady_fuschia. I think the worst time for debt is when people suddenly become "richer". Whether that's because they've left school and have a job, or left university and got a job, or they've suddenly managed to get themselves "a nice little earner".

I think the extra money makes people go a little mad, and thats when the debt starts to pile up. Especially when people view "debt money" in their current account the same as "earnings money".

Then any sort of hiccup later - and there's trouble...

ZTD

beer2006 wrote:

Nah, I didn't say that FGS, all I said was most of the people I know, not all of them. And I reckon its alot harder to be 18 now than 18 yrs ago when I was

It isn't. That's the doubt of age speaking. If you were 18 now, you'd cope as easily.

Remember you're 18 - you're never going to die, and the world quakes in fear of you...