The generation poorer than their parents

ILW

So, houses are dearer now and just about everything else is cheaper. Sort of equals out doesn't it?

zagubov

People did used to buy on credit- isn't one of the big credit agencies (Experian) split off from the mail-order catalogue company Great Universal Stores (see who remembers that) eventually evolving into Argos Retail Group. Now you buy from catalogues using credit cards where Experian had to check if you were worthy to get one.

Granada, DER, Radiorentals were merged to become boxclever which became online-only and disappeared from the High Street. People used to hire/lease then buy cheaply from these outlets all over the country.

System

HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »

So the whole "My parents bought this house as working class youngsters" argument has no validity at all.

A good argument well put.
But it has no geographical limit. The effect spreads out to other regions of Britain, and now overseas. The cheaper areas that people can afford are in less-populated France ( a bit cheaper), the Balkans, Eastern Europe, perhaps Africa, far East, etc.

You might not want to live there, and the wage rates are lower, but anyone moving there from the UK could afford a house, just as anyone moving from London to the depressed regions of Britain used to be able to pick up a house bargain for next to nothing.

Move to India, work in a call centre, buy a house with a mud floor and sit on packing cases, and in 40 years time it will be worth a lot more and you will have priced the locals out of the market in your turn.

Percy1983

ILW wrote: »

So, houses are dearer now and just about everything else is cheaper. Sort of equals out doesn't it?

Lets see which I would prefer.

1, Can't afford a house but can afford an iPhone.

2, Can't afford an iPhone but can afford a house.

I would take 2 anyday.

ILW

Percy1983 wrote: »

Lets see which I would prefer.

1, Can't afford a house but can afford an iPhone.

2, Can't afford an iPhone but can afford a house.

I would take 2 anyday.

Basics such as food, drink and clothes are also cheaper.

Percy1983

Very true, but I would class shelter as a need so I would rather the optional things in life are more expensive while the needed things in life are resonable.

Graham_Devon

ILW wrote: »

Basics such as food, drink and clothes are also cheaper.

Which should mean, we are living a higher quality of life (in wealth terms).

But reality suggests not. Especially considering the personal debt figures and those in need of state support.

It's fine to point out some items are cheaper, but that isn't correlating into an easier / higher standard of living. Indeed, we are going backwards. Smaller houses, worse quality houses, worse quality items.

It's alright things being cheaper, but the generation before then suggests things never last as long or are built / llast as they used to. If a kettle is £10 now instead of £15, but you need to buy 2 at £10 in 3 years compared to one at £15 over five years, were no further forward.

Most of these posts need to go a few steps further than just pointing out blindly what was cheaper and whats more expensive today.

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

zagubov wrote: »

Net result: a country of 60 million people with about 120million bedrooms (most of them doubles)!

This myth keeps popping it's head up, that there are two bedrooms for every person is nonsense.

There are roughly 25 million houses, and 62 million people.

In order for the "two bedrooms for each person" myth to be true, the average house would need to have 5 bedrooms. Which it obviously doesn't.

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

Percy1983 wrote: »

Very true, but I would class shelter as a need so I would rather the optional things in life are more expensive while the needed things in life are resonable.

You do need shelter.

You don't need to own a house to have shelter.

ILW

Graham_Devon wrote: »

Which should mean, we are living a higher quality of life (in wealth terms).

But reality suggests not. Especially considering the personal debt figures and those in need of state support.

It's fine to point out some items are cheaper, but that isn't correlating into an easier / higher standard of living. Indeed, we are going backwards. Smaller houses, worse quality houses, worse quality items.

It's alright things being cheaper, but the generation before then suggests things never last as long or are built / llast as they used to. If a kettle is £10 now instead of £15, but you need to buy 2 at £10 in 3 years compared to one at £15 over five years, were no further forward.

Most of these posts need to go a few steps further than just pointing out blindly what was cheaper and whats more expensive today.

My point was that with general prices being lower, that means more to spend on housing hence higher prices.

As far as standard of living goes, I would suggest that for most it is much higher than in say the 70s, but it does depend on your definition.