Preparedness for when

[Deleted User]

People can't be doing too badly, given almost everyone I know, has a family foreign holiday (in some cases two) each year.

When I was a child, if we were very lucky, we got a day at Blackpool.

Likewise, school trips.

The highlight for my class, was a day in Chester, ending with an afternoon in the zoo.

The (just) teenage daughter, of one my friends, is going on a school trip next year, which consists of a fortnight in France.

[Deleted User]

bluebag wrote: »

The same comparison for travel, heating and housing costs don't come out that well though.

Oh I don't know.

Hardly any family I knew, as a child, owned a car.

Now, almost every family I know, owns at least one.

Back in the 60s/70s, avoiding being cut off was a permanent struggle (which was lost, a couple of times), yet I can't think of a single person I know, in the last 20 or so years, who has been cut off.

bluebag

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

People can't be doing too badly, given almost everyone I know, has a family foreign holiday (in some cases two) each year.

When I was a child, if we were very lucky, we got a day at Blackpool.

Likewise, school trips.

The highlight for my class, was a day in Chester, ending with an afternoon in the zoo.

The (just) teenage daughter, of one my friends, is going on a school trip next year, which consists of a fortnight in France.

I think a lot of it is a game of two halves, some who seem to be in well paying jobs are doing OK.

But many are finding their income is being eroded by fewer hours, pay scale adjustments, redundancy, zero hour contracts, loss of bonuses, no cost of living pay rises and changes to in work benefits.

This combines with the double blow of above average inflation in basic living costs, food, heating, travel and housing.

The high life or even just a higher lifestyle has been available to many ... the foreign holidays, smart cars, new kitchen etc for quite a while, but this is rapidly changing and we are seeing a fall in living standards for more people who previously had a fairly 'middle class lifestyle'.

Those who started at a lower base are being utterly crushed, hence the rise in food bank use and the growth of the very high interest short term loan industry.

Wyre

We haven't had a holiday this year. The kids go on cadet camps and the girls go to brigade camps as they are cheaper than going as a family. We are planning a holiday next September though. It won't be a foreign holiday, we have never had one of them. It will have been about 30 months since we will have been away together. My Mum and brothers with respective partners will be coming too.

We do have a car but it is always second (or third/fourth/fifth) hand. Hubby needs it for work. He used to cycle until they moved the depot across the water. It cost us easily £400 a month just on fuel, ridiculous really but his work pays too much to go elsewhere although not enough to be comfortable. We are always looking to make savings.

Pooky

I think one of the differences is that my parents didn't have debt, there was no way for them to have credit so they could only spend what they had. Those having holidays and new cars nowadays aren't paying in real cash. (I know the small majority do, but that small majority was probably the same % as those in the 60/70/80's) I don't know anyone aside from my parents/Inlaws that are debt free. We have a mortgage but no credit card or loan debt. DHs old work colleagues are earning 60k plus but they're all up to their necks but still find another card to put a holiday on.....because they deserve it!

bluebag

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

Oh I don't know.

Hardly any family I knew, as a child, owned a car.

Now, almost every family I know, owns at least one.

Back in the 60s/70s, avoiding being cut off was a permanent struggle (which was lost, a couple of times), yet I can't think of a single person I know, in the last 20 or so years, who has been cut off.

Most of this has been transferred to debt, how many would have cars or be able to pay for heating if there was no credit available. No cards, no loans.

The average family owes £6 K in unsecured borrowing, they would have been cut off and be getting the bus to work long ago if this wasn't available.

Most of the families back then paid cash for everything, Credit was very hard to get.

ALIBOBSY

mardatha wrote: »

Going back to what BB said - maybe if more kids today did get secondhand bikes done up for their xmas, then those families would be able to afford decent food instead of paying back the plastic!

I have to own up DD2 is getting a new bike from Halfords shortly, BUT its for her birthday at the start of November, she has only had hand me down bikes before from sisters and friends and we are going halves on not a massively expensive bike with the inlaws. So now she has learnt to ride properly she has asked for her first new bike. She is 6 this time and fully understands that she won't get any other pressies off us-but will get bits from her other gran, and my sister.

We aren't having a party and her birthday treat she came up with is a "cinema trip", but with a difference. Our local council sets up a big screen in a large conference room and you can watch a newish film-usually family films for £2 per child £4 per adult. We will take our own snacks and drinks. The room has those public building type chairs, but they always say the kids can bring pillows/beanbags/cushions and sit at the front on the floor if they want. Luckily Smurfs 2 is on the day before her BD. Plus we always combine firework night-big pot of chilli/baked spuds, homemade cake etc, cheap and cheerful and a couple of boxes of reasonably priced fireworks, with her birthday so she will get fireworks as well. I reckon all in we may spend £70 at most which will cover everything for her BD and firework night.

But with 4 kids you have to learn to make the most fun with the least amount of cash.

Actually the "cinema" is nice and friendly and totally uncommercial feeling, plus you nearly always bump into someone you or the kids know.

Otherwise we sometimes do the kids club cinema at the local vue/odean, but that is a longer drive so this saves petrol.

I hope the way we do things the kids really understand the value of money and things. I was nearly in tears at the lovely get well soon cards the kids made me at grandmas. All "family" cards and cakes are homemade. We made the mistake of crazy Christmases when we first had the kids, and even when we had to cut back still tried to buy the massive piles on a budget. But in the end a few years back we decided they would get one main present-not too crazy price wise and a few bits, still shopping early and looking for the best deals. TBH although we noticed the "piles" were greatly reduced they didn't seem to at all.

Same with food, we had gone from a big December splurge on a credit card, to saving, buying over time from Sept-Dec and saving Morrison stamps to stock up Christmas week. But we changed that to planning the key main meals and stocking up on certain items over time again, but no saving stamps an no big December splurge. Pretty much a normal shop with a few treats really. Again the kids barely noticed. Before we "changed" over we said to the kids we had less money to spend, and go out over the festive period, but we would have a "good old fashioned" Christmas with plenty of family time together. The kids all agreed these are the best Christmases of all.

Simple things like a crisp December walk for holly branches etc. for a Christmas wreath, or a walk down to the river to feed the ducks who are always starving that time of year as no one bothers to go down, especially on any of the main days. Playing games, trying to play and sing carols and just generally being silly and having fun-we don't even drink much as OH is tea total and I just have the odd glass. Just being together.

I sometimes think we under estimate what kids can understand and will be satisfied with and there is that element of keeping up with the joneses so to speak. But most of that is the advertising and retailing industrys fault.

Ali x

[Deleted User]

Pooky wrote: »

Let's be honest, how many people would know how to strip a second hand bike down now and rebuild it?

The point I'm making is, they don't need to, because new bikes are so cheap, compared to wages nowadays.

Most people can buy a new bike, in the same way they would buy a loaf of bread.

By that, I mean they don't save up for it, but rather they buy it almost as a spur of the moment thing, using the money they have on hand.

I've paid all this months bills, including putting aside enough to cover fuel and food, and I still have enough to buy a new bike.

There's no way my father could've done that, back in the 60s/70s.

[Deleted User]

ALIBOBSY wrote: »

She is 6 this time and fully understands that she won't get any other pressies off us-but will get bits from her other gran, and my sister.

You have one very mature 6 year old there.

You should be very proud of her.

bluebag

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

The point I'm making is, they don't need to, because new bikes are so cheap, compared to wages nowadays.

Most people can buy a new bike, in the same way they would buy a loaf of bread.

By that, I mean they don't save up for it, but rather they buy it almost as a spur of the moment thing, using the money they have on hand.

I've paid all this months bills, including putting aside enough to cover fuel and food, and I still have enough to buy a new bike.

There's no way my father could've done that, back in the 60s/70s.

That's part of the problem, manufactured goods are much cheaper now as they are mostly made in china with the help of very, very low chinese wages.

We don't make anything here now as we can't compete on wages, so we get cheap stuff, but no jobs.

This was OK while the banks were doing doing their off balance sheet magic money creation, but that blew up in 2008 with the credit crunch. Now we have no magic money and no jobs, stuff gets real.

We were supposed to be the service economy with the far east being the manufacturing economy, but that ain't working out too well just now.