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PositiveBalance

chi

edinburgher wrote: »

PB, I think you're too middle class to get there, what with your weekly chiminea purchases :rotfl:

I'm crap at keeping up with diaries, but I didn't even clock the point at which you went from DFW to having a house!

:eek: :eek: :eek: You mean SINCE THE LONG POST AT THE START OF MY NEW DIARY! :eek: :eek: :eek:

In my defence, the chiminea purchase was a once-in-a lifetime thing. It was originally £29.99 down to £22.99 and I got it for £12.99 thanks to a bargainous glitch. Is it really bad that I bought it? I've got to admit I wasn't too bothered about having it but I *always* wanted some nice garden bit as my mum was always completely anti-barbeque etc. when we were growing up as she said it made the washing smell and I was determined that when I got my own place I would have a barbecue and garden furniture that I used as much as possible during the summer and it seemed too good to turn down. And now is the best time to buy as everywhere has started sellling garden stuff cheap as end-of-season stock.

Same with fridge magnets. My mum always deemed them unhygenic so we weren't allowed the letters I really wanted. Now I'm a grown-up with my own house I have two sets of letters and a set of numbers. :rotfl:(Send DD round - she can join all my other visitors in writing insults to me on the fridge!)

Is all that reasonable or is it me making weak excuses?

Karmacat wrote: »

Thanks PB!

Ed has great focus, we can all learn from him - not only the rigorous overpayments of all the tiddly bits, but also reading all the financial blogs. I waver :o:o but I don't buy chimineas :kisses3:

:rotfl: Fair point. But I just moved into a new house and am trying to make it pretty! I'm planning the garden for next year as I haven't been able to enjoy it this year. I'll be setting up the composter this weekend so I have good compost for nest year. :T

I do read lots of blogs, though. Not sure I've got my head round pensions or a really good financial plan in place, though. Must. Get. It. Together.

mrsp1987 wrote: »

My grandparents who are mid-80s now apparently became old overnight when they retired. They quit all their social groups like the church choir and just, well, I don't know what they did. Gardened and watched cricket I think!
How terribly boring!

I've come to the conclusion that a lot of it really is mind over matter and cultural assumptions. I had two elderly relatives who had great health for many years but whom I am convinced spent years wasting waiting to drop off their perches as that's what you do when you get to that age and you've 'done everything else'. What a waste!

Naturally, I shall wear fluorescent purple and go to raves! :rotfl:

Karmacat

:kisses3: Good for you, PB, about the chiminea and the fridge magnets both :beer: It's definitely mind over matter about that and about world view and all the rest of it

Fridge magnets are a good thing - one of mine says "all of us are in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars"

:j:j:j

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gallygirl

Not much point in spending money on a nice garden then being too chuffing cold to use it! Chiminea sounds totally bargainous :T.

edinburgher

Exceptionally bad mood today. Probably linked to the amount of DIY that awaits me

Hey ho, at least we get posh gryos for dinner (lamb leg slow cooked with garlic and retsina on top of homemade potato wedges with diced red onion, vine ripened tomatoes, olives and taztziki). I'm sorry little lamb, at least you went out in style...

smallholdingsister

Feel your frustration with MIL but at Miss E's age I wouldn't worry about "stimulation" unless she never talks to her.

edinburgher

Lots of broke car clowns. I have no idea how the family in Glasgow can spent £640/month on groceries. I could shop in Whole Pay Check for that...

Why do all these 'skint' families have 2 new model cars?

choccielover

Yep I thought exactly that too Ed.

The list of must haves and can't live withouts is amazing. £100 a month on sky, £90 on gym and yoga, £100 on hair.

Amazing.....

mrsp1987

Childcare's a bit pricey isn't it?!
I literally don't know what to say. It's slightly different for each of them but I think ultimately it comes down to them expecting the high life on a 'modest income'. What's the phrase - champagne lifestyle on lemonade income?
I bet there is so much that they buy that they don't need! The utilities are massive! I bet they don't all shop around, they complain about how expensive their homes are but have they looked into moving? Going out takeaways costing £60-odd a month and they have surplus income of £167 a month.
It's not that they can't afford to live on their incomes it's that they aren't affording to live within it. They want, so they will have whether they can afford or not.

Wow, that was rather ranty! Apologies

mrsp1987

Just read the comments section too. Someone's claiming that people on benefits can get the same amount of income!! :mad::mad::mad:

AlexLK

turtlemoose wrote: »

Your MIL sounds very frustrating! I disagree with Alex though, I don't think a 1 year old necessary needs to be "stimulated". Exploring the garden is wonderfully exciting, all those textures, smells, creatures - no need for a grown up to stick their oar in and tell them what to do

And how is she exploring the garden (which would be stimulating her mind and helping her to develop) when she's sat in some, no doubt plastic, paddling pool? Absolutely nothing wrong with supervised exploration which will be stimulating the child's mind but if all she does all day is sit in a pool or is stuck in one room of a house with the same toys (not implying this to be the case as I do not know), I hardly think that is an ideal scenario for a developing mind.

edinburgher wrote: »

Lots of broke car clowns. I have no idea how the family in Glasgow can spent £640/month on groceries. I could shop in Whole Pay Check for that...

Why do all these 'skint' families have 2 new model cars?

And ghastly houses.

Seriously though, those lot are making me feel quite wealthy. :rotfl:

As for the cars, they are struggling because on top of their mortgage payments and other household / car expenses, they have expensive finance on the cars they will likely swap every three years because they are scared of the MOT man. Mind, having said that my wife and I currently have two new cars; hers is a company car and my mother bought mine. The headline is also misleading: none of them see anywhere close to £50,000 p/a as the newspaper is quoting pre-tax figures.