Does hearing about other people's expenditure ever get you down?

MessyMare

Today I was writing a shopping list at the end of my shift and someone came in and started taking the mickey out of some of it. She then told me that she spends £800 a month on food, for her, husband and two children. I spend a tenth of that, and she couldn't believe it. She seemed to think I must live off rubbish to be able to do it. Just made me feel so low, all that money equates to a month's wages for me...

Anyone ever feel like this? I know it's probably just a tinge of jealousy but I can't even begin to fathom that amount of money right now!

bluebag

ColleenPamela wrote: »

Today I was writing a shopping list at the end of my shift and someone came in and started taking the mickey out of some of it. She then told me that she spends £800 a month on food, for her, husband and two children. I spend a tenth of that, and she couldn't believe it. She seemed to think I must live off rubbish to be able to do it. Just made me feel so low, all that money equates to a month's wages for me...

Anyone ever feel like this? I know it's probably just a tinge of jealousy but I can't even begin to fathom that amount of money right now!

I've been at both ends of the money spectrum, pretty wadded and desperate poor.

Whenever I meet this situation I remember it was far easier to move from poor to rich than it was to move from rich to poor.

Which one do you think you are more skilled at?

She is lucky she doesn't have to think about it, if her circumstances change she may have a slippery slide down the very uncomfortable financial pole.

Should that ever happen I hope you will have the generosity of heart to help her.

CH27

I tend to feel smug about how economical I am & how much they waste.

robthesnapper

Just look her up and down and say "Yeah... I can see that".

Deeperblue

Now my perspective has changed I think £800 is pretty ridiculous and not something to be proud of! You should be proud of your £80 though!

Plus, I used to spend £400 on 2 which gave me a helping hand in racking up £20k of debt, so you never know... she may be in a big pile of debt and just not had her LBM.

DebtfreeBY40_2

What a silly amount of money to spend on food!!! They must waste so much and also must eat expensive packaged food. I would much rather budget and save for proper stuff than spend it on food that is gone at the end of the month. Fancy being proud of spending that much on nothing!

MessyMare

bluebag wrote: »

Should that ever happen I hope you will have the generosity of heart to help her.

Your post makes perfect sense and has cleared my head about it; I don't know if I could manage the generosity of heart part, as she told my manager that I was going for a new job after I begged her not to tell anyone, and also put in two complaints about me when I found out it was her who told on me! Schoolyard politics, never seem to get away from it!

DawnW

CH27 wrote: »

I tend to feel smug about how economical I am & how much they waste.

I'm with CH27

RedTulip

I'd be devastated if I spent £800 on food. My OH and I spend around £60 (on a good month) and £90 (on a bad bad month) £800 is an eye watering amount.

I'm with CH27 on this.

LillythePink

We have a transfer to another account of £210 pw which is for food and petrol.

TBH about £170 goes on food.

So, yes, you could put us in the category of the big spenders however..........I am not happy at spending all that especially when I read on here about how quite a lot of you seem to be wonderful at spending that in a month.

I am in awe of you and would love to be able to do it - unfortunately, for a number of reasons, I would never be able to reduce it to the amounts that so many of you say you spend in a week/month, but I am trying to reduce it.

Hold your head up high - as people have said, when her !!!!!! hits the fan you can then laugh at her (not that you probably ever would BYKWIM)

RedTulip

ColleenPamela wrote: »

she told my manager that I was going for a new job after I begged her not to tell anyone, and also put in two complaints about me when I found out it was her who told on me! Schoolyard politics, never seem to get away from it!

She sounds like a lovely person (!)