Champagne Lifestyle on a Lemonade Budget.

happyandcontented

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Bit wary of answering - because it usually results in the person that had these things going off on one (though they've had them personally) - but I'll assume the genuine query you say it is.

The "married persons tax allowance" was around for a while after I started work. There was no equivalent of "child benefit" to childless people.

It was a genuine query. I am just a bit confused that you seem to feel upset about 'benefits/concessions' that you didn't qualify for. There are a lot of things that I probably missed out on, but I just accept that I didn't fit the criteria and I don't dwell on it.

moneyistooshorttomention

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happyandcontented

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

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Sorry, I don't understand what that means....

I assume it means you don't want to discuss it further, if so why not just say that?:rotfl:

caronc

Glad you had a good holiday LL and how lovely to come back to your new bathroom.:)
My champagne moment for today was lighting my new stove:D.

moneyistooshorttomention

On a change of topic -

Glad you had a good holiday LL:D

Shame the guy isn't your sort - but there's no harm in trying a bit of gentle matchmaking between the other two..

suki1964

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Fingers crossed.

I try not to think about the over £10,000 of net income the Government stole off me before I even had the chance to get my mitts on it - and I could do with having my money myself:cool:

I only wish I could get back that bit of SERPS pension money they stole as well (ie by making that couple of changes to how they worked it out - as I recall one of them, for instance, was changing from basing it on my "best 20 years" to "average 30 years" and there was some other excuse for helping themselves they also put in place).

I won't even go there re all the other money I've lost over the years - being single and childless....

Single most of my life, never had children, Ive not lost out over the years unless you are talking about CT, LT etc, taxes we have to pay on the value of the property we live in or where we live??

Never benefitted from any "married" allowances or kids allowances but Ive also not had to cough up for the privilege, and have enjoyed spending my money as I so chose

candygirl

suki1964 wrote: »

Single most of my life, never had children, Ive not lost out over the years unless you are talking about CT, LT etc, taxes we have to pay on the value of the property we live in or where we live??

Never benefitted from any "married" allowances or kids allowances but Ive also not had to cough up for the privilege, and have enjoyed spending my money as I so chose

That's what I was thinking. Kids aren't cheap to bring up are they ?

moneyistooshorttomention

candygirl wrote: »

That's what I was thinking. Kids aren't cheap to bring up are they ?

But they are personal choice to have them - ever since the 1970's. To some extent before then - ie my mothers choice not to have any and it was the 1950s resulted in two children. If she'd been born in my era - she wouldnt have had any - but 1950s technology and law hadnt quite advanced to 1970s onwards level at that point in history.

One thing in life I am very thankful for - being born at an era where I came of age in the 1970s meant I chose not to have any and therefore didn't have any.

Not a personal choice to need to buy a house for instance - more a necessity and I could have done with half the married persons tax allowance and something instead of child benefit for one of the two children I could have had and that would have helped me buy my necessity (ie my house).

lessonlearned

Money......trust me, any "extras" in the form of married couples allowance, child benefit etc do not go anywhere near the costs of having a family. They don't even scratch the surface.

We married ones certainly don't have children for the money we can make .....:rotfl::rotfl: You don't make profits from getting married and making babies. .

I once had a conversation with my youngest son along those very same lines. He was around 14 at the time and was lusting after our neighbours Lotus sports car, and their gorgeous house with their fantastic kitchen extension - not forgetting the exotic foreign holidays. The guy probably earned about the same as my husband and she worked too of course. My son wanted to know why we couldn't have all those things.

I explained to him that I too could be swanning around in a designer kitchen and that his dad could be driving a flash sports car but we chose to have him and his brother instead. I also said that we were happy with our choice, we had no regrets whatsoever even though he had just grown 6 inches in 6 months and was costing me a small fortune in clothes (and food).......

As it happened the couple got divorced a couple of years later......he ran off with a woman who had kids, after him saying for years that he didn't want any.

The irony. .

See our posts crossed.......you're right it's all about the choices we make and the paths our lives take. Sometimes the choices are forced on us.

If I hadn't "chosen" to become my husband's carer and forego my career I would be a lot better off financially than I am now but I don't regret my decision, even if it was Hobson's choice. And I certainly don't regret foregoing a life of ease and plenty to have my boys.

lessonlearned

candygirl wrote: »

That's what I was thinking. Kids aren't cheap to bring up are they ?

I recall reading somewhere that you were looking at over £200k to bring up a child. I have never dared tot it up but it wouldn't surprise me if you took into account lost income, childcare costs, helping them through university etc.

They are not a cheap hobby......:rotfl: