What's it like having and earning loads of money??

techwatcher

The original question is interesting. Whilst I earn more than £45k and we received some money through an inheritance a few years ago, I don't really think we have 'loads of money'. I think we are comfortable and, in the current environment, fortunate.
Money can buy some security; we are mortgage-free and it's reassuring to think that no matter what happens we cannot be thrown out of our house. It's also reassuring that we wouldn't have a problem if, for example, we needed a new central heating boiler.
What others earned used to bother me when I was younger but I came to realise that I couldn't do anything about it and as long as I had enough to keep a roof over my head, had everything I needed and some of the things I wanted (within reason!) then all was well.
Money is also a question of levels; some will earn the £45k, some will aspire to earn £45k and some will literally not get out of bed for it.

Iamdebtfree

AskAsk said:

John_ said:

Iamdebtfree said:

Money is the root of all evil. I'd give anything to live in a money-less world. A commune. Huts, chickens, grass (of the inhaleable kind), long hair, Led Zep, Purple, Motley Cru and Steel Panther and vodka. Eh. 

Money buys you a tiny bit of peace, a tiny bit of semi-security, a few things you need. Rent, bills, food, booze. A few things you want.  Nicotine patches for smokers. Red hair dye.

Otherwise..I'd like to exchange a few choice words with whomever decided life had to be about having bits of paper to trade for being alive.

You really do have some strange views.

It’s not about the pieces of paper, they just mean that you don’t have to directly barter your labour for what you need that day, it’s about the fact that it’s no-one else’s job to provide you with either life’s basic necessities, or luxuries, or happiness. You’re writing as though it’s unfair that you have to get off your backside and do something to earn your food and shelter.
What you are implying is that other people, people like me and other posters on here, need to work harder than we otherwise would to let you lie around being fed and clothed.

The hippy life that you describe is the life of a leech, taking from others, and giving nothing back in return.

i don't think she is saying what you understand, but i do think she is a bit naieve, especially for someone who is 50, to live in the world of the 70s hippy.  i have come across a lot of people who would blame money for all the wrongs in the world.  they tend to be people who do not have money in the first place, and i feel it comes partly from them being envious of others who have more money than they do.

i don't have a problem with people who want to lead a lifestyle that is on the fringe of the norm, but to criticise the general public for wanting to earn more money to provide security and comfort for themselves and their family is totally wrong.

money is not the root of all evil, greed is the root of all evil.  greedy people who are evil and selfish are the root of all evil.  money certainly does not guarantee happiness, and often it can cause unhappiness, but with a lot of money to cushion you, it can take the daily stress away from you, and no one wants to live a stressful life if they can help it.  having lots of money can also be a good thing as being a kind person, you could do a lot of good with the money that you have.

'.but i do think she is a bit naieve, especially for someone who is 50, to live in the world of the 70s hippy'

Oh I'm anything but naive. I am a mix of a 70s hippy and an 80s metal chick who's sadly got to live regular life. Which I do. You know, decent  job of ten plus years, home, private medical, pension, savings, not a pence of debt..
Was a wild cat when I was young though.

Thank heavens my husband is a male version of me and gets me and thinks like I do. We'd rock a commune together.. (yep, he does have long black hair which I adore.)

AskAsk

Iamdebtfree said:

AskAsk said:

John_ said:

Iamdebtfree said:

Money is the root of all evil. I'd give anything to live in a money-less world. A commune. Huts, chickens, grass (of the inhaleable kind), long hair, Led Zep, Purple, Motley Cru and Steel Panther and vodka. Eh. 

Money buys you a tiny bit of peace, a tiny bit of semi-security, a few things you need. Rent, bills, food, booze. A few things you want.  Nicotine patches for smokers. Red hair dye.

Otherwise..I'd like to exchange a few choice words with whomever decided life had to be about having bits of paper to trade for being alive.

You really do have some strange views.

It’s not about the pieces of paper, they just mean that you don’t have to directly barter your labour for what you need that day, it’s about the fact that it’s no-one else’s job to provide you with either life’s basic necessities, or luxuries, or happiness. You’re writing as though it’s unfair that you have to get off your backside and do something to earn your food and shelter.
What you are implying is that other people, people like me and other posters on here, need to work harder than we otherwise would to let you lie around being fed and clothed.

The hippy life that you describe is the life of a leech, taking from others, and giving nothing back in return.

i don't think she is saying what you understand, but i do think she is a bit naieve, especially for someone who is 50, to live in the world of the 70s hippy.  i have come across a lot of people who would blame money for all the wrongs in the world.  they tend to be people who do not have money in the first place, and i feel it comes partly from them being envious of others who have more money than they do.

i don't have a problem with people who want to lead a lifestyle that is on the fringe of the norm, but to criticise the general public for wanting to earn more money to provide security and comfort for themselves and their family is totally wrong.

money is not the root of all evil, greed is the root of all evil.  greedy people who are evil and selfish are the root of all evil.  money certainly does not guarantee happiness, and often it can cause unhappiness, but with a lot of money to cushion you, it can take the daily stress away from you, and no one wants to live a stressful life if they can help it.  having lots of money can also be a good thing as being a kind person, you could do a lot of good with the money that you have.

'.but i do think she is a bit naieve, especially for someone who is 50, to live in the world of the 70s hippy'

Oh I'm anything but naive. I am a mix of a 70s hippy and an 80s metal chick who's sadly got to live regular life. Which I do. You know, decent  job of ten plus years, home, private medical, pension, savings, not a pence of debt..
Was a wild cat when I was young though.

Thank heavens my husband is a male version of me and gets me and thinks like I do. We'd rock a commune together.. (yep, he does have long black hair which I adore.)

when i was little, i used to watch the young ones and i loved the fact that they were all high on drugs and lived in a world of make belief.  they didn't have a care in the world and just floated around doing their thing.  it was like the kids watching harry potter these days    

however, the reason i enjoyed the tv series so much was that it was simply make belief.  i knew that people do not live like that or behave like that in reality.  i would never do anything that they did as it was just so ridiculous and careless.  and even for a little kid, i knew that they were being totally stupid.  to me they were adults, although i later found out that they were actually youngsters at uni!

so this sort of lifestyle does not exist, except in fiction.  and those that do follow it and make it reality will not fare well in life.

Marvel1

On about £20k, I'm happy.

There are promotions available wjere I work, I wanted to move up, obviously for the money.  However having stepped in temporally while manager was off sick long term, it was too much hassle in the manager role, the extra money was not worth it.

fred246

Hobbies are more important than money.

steampowered

Am I the only one who finds this thread a bit depressing? There is a stark lack of ambition! What happened to working hard and being the best you can be? 

Perhaps this is because I am still in my thirties. I suppose I might be looking for a quiet life by the time I get to my fifties !!!!

I do not see £45k as a large salary at all, though my attitude is probably skewed by living in London.

Iamdebtfree

What I find depressing is this obsessed consumerism that exists in modern society. And a culture of 'become a CEO by thirty'. Some call it ambition. I call it wasting life and missing things which really matter. Love. Family. Beauty of nature. 

One can just BE. One doesn't have to constantly DO. 

I don't earn a huge amount. I don't want or need to earn more. I haven't got work on my mind 24/7 and I'm not uber stressed by relentless demands from management and subordinates alike. Not ambitious in the slightest and don't see anything wrong with it. 

To each their own I suppose.

Marcon

Iamdebtfree said:

What I find depressing is this obsessed consumerism that exists in modern society. And a culture of 'become a CEO by thirty'. Some call it ambition. I call it wasting life and missing things which really matter. Love. Family. Beauty of nature. 

One can just BE. One doesn't have to constantly DO. 

I don't earn a huge amount. I don't want or need to earn more. I haven't got work on my mind 24/7 and I'm not uber stressed by relentless demands from management and subordinates alike. Not ambitious in the slightest and don't see anything wrong with it. 

To each their own I suppose.

You might feel that way, but perhaps try accepting that others have a different viewpoint? As you say, each to their own - but don't automatically decry those who don't share your approach to life. We would be nowhere near a vaccine for COVID19 without the huge ambition shown by those who have been developing it.

MovingForwards

@steampowered there may be reasons for the 'lack of ambition' and 'working hard' as you put it.

I've had my career, could have carried on working up the ladder, kept working 7 days a week and 15 hour days to do it, could have changed to a better paying company etc. 

I still get chased to go back into my former career, it's tempting, in a way I miss what I had spent thousands on to qualify into, but at what cost to my health and my future employability. It only took one car accident to disable me, leaving me on a combination of meds to get through a day.

Eventually, I put my health first, stepped back, took a different direction and wonder how I can hang on working FT before I have to drop hours. 

Money isn't much use if it can't be spent.

naedanger

steampowered said:

Am I the only one who finds this thread a bit depressing? There is a stark lack of ambition! What happened to working hard and being the best you can be? 

Perhaps this is because I am still in my thirties. I suppose I might be looking for a quiet life by the time I get to my fifties !!!!

I do not see £45k as a large salary at all, though my attitude is probably skewed by living in London.

I don't find it depressing, I find it all quite interesting, seeing the different views people have.

I am all for people working hard and being the best they can be at something they enjoy or towards a purpose they believe is important or to test what they are capable of achieving etc. But I also think people can find themselves working hard, at things they don't enjoy for no good purpose or only because they believe it is expected of them, or to be one up on the next person, or because it is the easiest course of action etc. So I think it is always good to take stock of what is really important to you and work accordingly.

I also don't see £45k as a large salary but it is definitely all relative. You could be earning £millions a year in London and still feel hard done by if your peers were earning more, whereas someone in a small community earning £45k p.a. in a responsible worthwhile job is likely to feel much wealthier within themselves.