Baby Boomers making out like bandits as usual

Graham_Devon

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

I agree that it's expensive but it doesn't seem to put most people off.

Should it put people off? Is that what you would prefer?

Outside of London, having a car increases your prospects of making a living ten fold.

Jimmy_31

reweird wrote: »

No JimmyLad it is not me who is hurting, and no matter how many smilies and protestations to the contrary you try you and everyone reading senses and feels your sadness. It is not right for a man approaching middleage still to be at home. A man who has known no other teet than his mums. And still at the age approaching mid 30's. You're a man-baby. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Nah lad you have defo got a gob on:rotfl:

Really2

I am also in my 30's and lent my baby boomer parents £5k this year.
But they are so blinking rich I am surprised they need it, what with their 2 state pensions they raking it in?

Why cant any one see generations are different.
My parents are boomers and I am richer and more asset rich than them, how can i turn round and say it was worse for me?

The younger also have to admit that there is a pressure to spend and a big cultural shift to what you have being a reflection of what you are.

We saw that in the riots with brand names and tech taking the majority of the hits.

Anyone thought population, life expectancy and oil could have more to answer for than the boomers?

But on phones, there is a difference to having a PAYG phone for contact & emergencies compared contract to spend £720 over the next two years. That is taking on 2 years of debt for something you cant afford to buy outright.

Oldernotwiser

Graham_Devon wrote: »

Did you not have anything that made life a bit more pleasant that your parents life?

Like an indoor loo? Did you have a go at yourself for having such a thing? Should you feel guilty that you may have had an indoor loo when generations before you didnt?

Or do you really believe that every single advancement all of a sudden landed in OUR laps...and you saw no advancements at all?

I had an excellent education which was the greatest difference between my and my parents' generation.

I don't want to make people feel guilty at all, I just want them to see the wider picture. It's supposed to be my generation who looks back to an earlier life through rose coloured glasses, not those who weren't born then!

Oldernotwiser

Graham_Devon wrote: »

Should it put people off? Is that what you would prefer?

Outside of London, having a car increases your prospects of making a living ten fold.

You earn ten times the salary if you have a car - really?:rotfl:

Graham_Devon

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

I had an excellent education which was the greatest difference between my and my parents' generation.

I don't want to make people feel guilty at all, I just want them to see the wider picture. It's supposed to be my generation who looks back to an earlier life through rose coloured glasses, not those who weren't born then!

Ok, if you want people to see the wider picture, I refer you back to the original article.

Just a couple of paragraphs

The facts speak for themselves. More than 80pc of the nation's £6.7trn in wealth is owned by baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964). Collectively, the country owns £2.6trn in shares and savings – and those aged 50 to 64 own £1trn of this. A third of the £1.8trn held in pension funds is owned by this age group (and a further quarter is owned by those aged between 45 and 50). And they own 40pc of the £2.5trn tied up in property. In fact, property has been such a staggeringly good investment for this generation that one in five baby boomers owns a second home.

As Will Hutton of the Work Foundation – and a baby boomer himself – pointed out: "Having enjoyed a life of free love, free school meals, free universities, defined benefit pensions, mainly full employment and a 40-year-long housing boom, [the baby boomers] are bequeathing their children sky-high house prices, debts and shrivelled pensions. A 60 year-old today is a very privileged and lucky human being."

Do you deny it, or not?

If not, what are you arguing?

Going4TheDream

Graham_Devon wrote: »

Oh just bring on one of the house price threads, and say it's harder today.

Same people as on this thread telling the younger generation they never spent a penny, will tell you how their washing machine cost tripple what ours do now and that they had to pay £400 for a VCR.

Of course, this thread, they spent nothing, and had no technology which they bought into, whatsoever.

But do you know how much a VCR cost in 1980? Do you!? Do you know how much a walkman cost?! Do you!? And records, they were damn expensive too. Couldn't play them on a £20 item from Tesco either, had to buy expensive hi fis to play them on. You know how much that all cost!??

Woe betide you if you have a phone though. You can do without. And an Iphone? Scandal....write off the whole 20-30's generation because of the avaliability of such an absurd piece of technology.......bt don't forget how we had to cope with top loading VCR's costing nearly a months wages. We had it hard we did, and we'll take great pride in telling you how much this stuff cost back then making out we had it harder....but we'll also take great pride in telling you no one actually bought this stuff that ended up in peoples homes up and down the country. Aye....thats because were older and wiser. The charts in them good days....just made up as no one actually bought music as we had to save up for our tin pot to pee in.

I think the big difference here is people back then took advantage of technology when they could afford it.

The average married couple in the 60's/70's started their married lives (use living togther today as appropriate) with mostly 2nd hand stuff given to them...and probably had a bed, 2nd hand sofa, and table cooker, fridge and rented tv and not much more.

How many younger people today would start their lives together with so little ?

ILW

Still think I would prefer being 23 as opposed to my 53.

Graham_Devon

Going4TheDream wrote: »

I think the big difference here is people back then took advantage of technology when they could afford it.

The average married couple in the 60's/70's started their married lives (use living togther today as appropriate) with mostly 2nd hand stuff given to them...and probably had a bed, 2nd hand sofa, and table cooker, fridge and rented tv and not much more.

How many younger people today would start their lives together with so little ?

I had all of that, bar the rented TV. Owned one, and still have the same one in the bedroom, big chunky thing. (Much to dervprof's dissapointment).....I'm told by the media and politicians to spend...I'm told on here, that I am a parasite for saving and feeding off others. Now I'm told I'm a friviolous technology junkie wasting money on iphones, lager (when I should be drinking cider) and that I go out all the time and want everything today. I have access to over 20k credit. If I wanted it, I could have it. I don't. The access being the testament.

My mate still has the second hand furniture, as does my sister. Infact my sisters sofa is a good 20 years old, as it's a hand me down from my parents. Mine is an uncomfortable DFS reject from a back room off from the show room, which I got delivered for £200. My lounge is so small, its the only reason I went hunting for a particular sofa.

I don't have sky. I don't have an iphone. I do have a blackberry, but my work requires it and it's £14.95 a month.

The people on this thread have also told you they don't go out. Don't have all the things we supposedly have. But it's ignored and were simply told we do, regardless....I assume because you see a handful of 20 somethings living it large on the TV....which is no different to what I see now, when I look at programmes about the 60's...the butlins or whatever it was holidays, the beatles....people spending loads of money to go see them and collect anything to do with them.

Whichever holiday resort it was went massive in Spain, (Butlins I think, or Pontins)....due solely to babyboomers now spending their money jetsetting to these resorts. But for someon reason, everyone is insistent everything documented simply never happened.

Nothing has changed. Absolutely nothing. The only thing that has changed is you now need two wages to survive, and even then, it's often not enough to live on.

I think people are (somewhat purposely) confusing the young, single, living it up youngsters (who have no intention of settling down at 22), with those wanting to get on in life, maybe with a young family. It's annoying, and frankly, immensly immature to keep banging on that we are frivilously spending all our money on tech, phones and alcohol, when I can tell you, not all of us are. I can also tell you, the people you (collectively) seem intent on highlighting are unlikely to have a young family and unlikley to want one at such a young age and are just enjoying themselves. Your generation had exactly the same. Please don't deny it, as there is enough evidence out there to suggest there was a party scene in the 60's, 70's 80's and 90's.

Theres enough evidence to show people DID have access to and DID buy technology, even on contracts. Rumbelows in the high street is enough evidence in itself. The shop wouldn't have existed if people didn't buy it. Same as apple shops wouldn't exist if people didn't buy their technology. Where rumbelows is now, apple will one day be and something else will be the new thing.

CB Radios....your generation never had those? Cus I swear my dad has told me over and over again all about his and the stuff they used to get up to.Wasn't exactly cheap.

StevieJ

Graham_Devon wrote: »

I had
CB Radios....your generation never had those? Cus I swear my dad has told me over and over again all about his and the stuff they used to get up to.Wasn't exactly cheap.

A few !!!!heads did