UK Back In Recession In Xmas Quarter-Are You Too Scared To Spend?

Conrad

GeorgeHowell wrote: »

It makes sense to think about downsizing in retirement. Apart from the financial consideration a big place takes a lot of effort and energy to maintain and those two things are in increasingly short supply with increasing age. Also makes sense to move nearer to amenities if necessary -- doctor, dentist, pharmacy, food shops, post office etc.

I get really vexed when old ladies phone into LBC radio bemaoning the 'terrible' fact they may have to downsize from that large London victorian home in Balham now worth £1.9m!! Jeeze I dream of having that kind of capital one day. You get get a bungalow in Surrey or Herts for £400k and stick the rest into income producing investments!!

They have zero notion how incredibly fortunate they are. I doubt many people will evber have a fortune like that to utilise.

Worst kind of selfish greed. So they gotta move, boo ruddy hoo, my heart bleeds. Who the heck wouldnt want to live in a magical village with safety and nature all around anyway. Plenty of single old folk love living in my village. Far more community than in souless sticking London.

Conrad

BertieUK wrote: »

I think that it would have been more respectful if you had not replied to my last post, instead of making 'your own interpritation as to my comments' I may not be as educated as you seem to think that you are but respect I do have over you.

I never doubted your intellect, I was rightfuly responding to your 'respectful' comment you'd never want to be my neighbour. For the record I'm forever helping others, such as a lost old lady outside my office recently that everyone pretended was not there. I managed to get her back home, miles out of my way whereas others were happy to ignore this poor cold soul who was clearly lost.

I know nothing of you B

Sorry if I offended

Tis just hearty debate in my book

Cheers

CLAPTON

homelessskilledworker wrote: »

Well MrPrick, maybe some(many) are just adressing the problems in the REAL world rather than bury their heads in the sand.
You just have to look on the dealing with debt boards on MSE to realise that there is a lot of REAL pain going on right now regardless of how "postive" people try to make themselves feel, and which I might add is something the British do quite well.

One of Martins Lewis best trophys is his compassionate web site and understanding of the problems with debt in the UK today, this MSE site being one of the best advisory with the highest traffic on the subject.

I can only hope that you and your little possy do not go anywhere near the dealing with debt boards, the advice such as "plan better" or "live within your means" or "I have this/that or the other, so there, nah!!" will not go down to well. Along with the endless posts of buying property crippling so many on those boards and their plea for help and advice, I wonder why they do not come to this board for advice,, Hmmmm.

The one thing I can agree(slightly) with you is that you have always got to look for the rays of hope, HOPE being the strongest medicine going. But to abuse or insult people for voicing their concerns over a painfull recession and economy is just plain ignorant.


p.s I personally feel very blessed in that I too will have a xmas paid up with enough funds in the bank to make my pillow that little more welcoming over the xmas period. But I prefer to see my own circumstances as just a case of lucky rather than preach at the less well off.

actually a huge part of the debt free wannabe board is all about giving advice on how to 'live within your means '.
how could it be otherwise ?

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

Foxy, you loveable little dimwit you.....

Thinking that the posters on the debt boards here are representative of the wider population is like thinking that the readers of the Robb Report are representative of the wider population.

BertieUK

Conrad wrote: »

I never doubted your intellect, I was rightfuly responding to your 'respectful' comment you'd never want to be my neighbour. For the record I'm forever helping others, such as a lost old lady outside my office recently that everyone pretended was not there. I managed to get her back home, miles out of my way whereas others were happy to ignore this poor cold soul who was clearly lost.

I know nothing of you B

Sorry if I offended

Tis just hearty debate in my book

Cheers

Lets just say Conrad that some days things do not always go to plan for us, we all can overstep the mark at times....

...but I can always admire a person who has the guts to say 'sorry' so with respect have a pleasant Festive.

Cheers

grizzly1911

Conrad wrote: »

Sure thing, but thats life. We cant all have some sort of perfect retirment somehow bought about by the state.

The world has caught up with Britian and now wants a cut of resources, hence price rises.

Why not celebrate all those years we had artifically low prices thanks to us being one of the few advanced nations, able to take resources out of the thrild world at will?

The person I mention has independent means and apart from basic pension and universal benefit does not expect the state to provide other than healthcare.

I wouldn't celebrate the artifically low prices I would see it as squandered opportunity. We should have faced up to the problem decades ago, rather than having made the problem that much worse. We are now paying for the spendthrift nature of successive governments and the consumers they openly encouraged to do the same to help the illusion of prosperity.

Those that have been prudent are being beasted.

Like you I doubt the eventual retail sales figures will much down, if at all on previous years. There is a lot more fat yet to be rendered.

homelessskilledworker

HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »

Foxy, you loveable little dimwit you.....

Thinking that the posters on the debt boards here are representative of the wider population is like thinking that the readers of the Robb Report are representative of the wider population.

Do you ever put any effort into your massive MSE "Anti anything said about property prices falling must be attacked" campaign to check the facts of what you are saying..

Are you REALLY trying to say that the debt problems of people in the UK today is just small minority problem where a few people ramble on about it on sites such as this. That is a really fascinating outlook from somebody who is not in the least in touch with the economy and social issues of his own Country IMO. I will put your "Dimwit" remarks to one side, and to be honest your unrelenting obsession with ramping a property market with very odd spurious claims goes way beyond being a "Dimwit".


My Take.....


Yes I do think that the MANY MILLIONS of posts on the MSE site who have told their story on a handful of boards on the subject of debt are very representive of the problems we are seeing in the UK today, but by no means the only evidence. And if you were to take a look at posts on that board it would not take you long to find one stating the comfort some get knowing SO MANY people are in the same boat.

I watch the TV and see endless companys selling what are actually way beyond loan shark rates, many over 2000%, again a service with a huge market using national TV to find victims.
We now have record numbers of interest only mortgages with no repayment vechile for record lengths of time. I seriously do not think it would take long for anyone to come up with evidence(should they leave the comfort of their armchair and laptop) to realise that there is a huge problem with those in debt in the UK. I have a strong feeling also that many of the prolific property rampers on this board could well be in that club.

So Hamish, by all means come on here and make a rash statement with zero evidence to back it up and start name calling. But if you have evidence to back yourself up I for one would be grateful, main reason being I want to know the facts rather than thinking it is OK to BS and lie as a means to an end.

moneyinmypocket

I don't really know how people get into debt over Xmas - it's got to be bad planning. If you don't have the money then don't spend it. I genuinely feel for those who fall on hard times but for goodness sake every poor person I have ever met has a large tv, beer money, smartphone etc - people don't know how to limit themselves. I can entertain myself with a good book - some need to spend money they don't have then moan there in debt

GeorgeHowell

moneyinmypocket wrote: »

I don't really know how people get into debt over Xmas - it's got to be bad planning. If you don't have the money then don't spend it. I genuinely feel for those who fall on hard times but for goodness sake every poor person I have ever met has a large tv, beer money, smartphone etc - people don't know how to limit themselves. I can entertain myself with a good book - some need to spend money they don't have then moan there in debt

Unfortunately for a lot of people these days material acquisitiveness and the perceived status that it affords to them and their immediate family are the only things that give their lives meaning and purpose. When that is coupled with the type of personality that struggles to deny itself anything that it wants when it wants it, plus inability or unwillingness to manage domestic finances adequately then you get this personal debt build up. Nevertheless we now live in a society where government policy is geared in various ways in favour of people like that, at the expense of those who exercise restraint, sensible financial management, and self reliance.

SingleSue

My parents keep talking of downsizing...they look at property details, get all interested and then look at the size of the rooms.

And moan about the smallness of the places!

Don't think they have quite got the hang of this downsizing business.....