How has this house gone up so much?

Martico

Mark_Glasses said:

The last time I saw this person down the pub I bought him a drink because I wanted to give him the impression I'm richer than I am.

Sorry, but this is awful. Please reflect on what you wrote here 

RHemmings

MeteredOut said:

RHemmings said:

I don't have the time to read 20 pages of this thread, but I think I'm getting the gist from some recent posts. 

This thread makes me feel happy that I moved out of London. As with my job choice and salary I would be 'poor' in London in a not very good property while outside London I can afford a good house and I seriously considered buying a Porsche (second hand Tayman - rejected after I read about the size of the back seat, not the price). 

And, this isn't the only thread that makes me feel that way. 

Jealous of Sheffield House prices though. Maybe I have to move out of Leicester to Sheffield to have a higher standard of living again.

But the OP is not "poor in London". The have a very comfortable standard of living, more than the vast majority of this country, but are seemingly finding it difficult to accept that.

If the OP earns £42K after tax, they have a bigger income than me. And, my statement is about what my situation would be if I had stayed in London. But, even though the OP has a bigger income than me, they feel poor and they can't do this or that. It's quite possible that I would feel the same (and be a bit more justified) if I was still there. 

Herzlos

The OP feels poor, despite putting £1600+/month straight into savings, because he's obsessed with keeping up with an old school friend and having £1m.

He's got the budget to do more or less anything that he wants.

RHemmings

Herzlos said:

The OP feels poor, despite putting £1600+/month straight into savings, because he's obsessed with keeping up with an old school friend and having £1m.

He's got the budget to do more or less anything that he wants.

This doesn't sound like a good way to make fundamental life decisions. 

Herzlos

RHemmings said:

This doesn't sound like a good way to make fundamental life decisions. 

It's a terrible way to go through life and a guarantee to never be happy.

Mark_Glasses

@annabanana82 other people don't have such a hard time getting a job. Some people think I'm talented enough to get any job I want but the reality is I've not really wanted any job I've had but took it because that's all I was offered.

@herzlos ski trips are expensive, I think it's something like £1500 each. We don't save £3k a month. Cars are also expensive because you also have to pay insurance, tax, maintenance etc. When I did have a car I couldn't save any money the month the insurance was due.

I don't think I will feel financially stable until I have enough money to never work again. It scares me how much I rely on my job for money.

@Elliott.T123 I've got much more than 5 years until retirement. Even though I hate work it's not so much me unwilling to work it's more others unwilling to give me a job. I think my salary and savings are misleading, if I put all my savings into buying a property then I'll have no savings and if I lose my job I'll have no salary.

@YoungBlueEyes I could easily end up being one of those people. I've lost my job before through no fault of my own and one thing I've learned about the world of work is your ability to do your job counts for nothing especially in these days of so called diversity and inclusion.

@sheramber my thoughts were that I'd keep the million and spend what I have over a million

@hazyjo I go on holiday to Southend so have visited Leigh-On-Sea 

@rhemmings I think I would struggle in a little town like Leicester

@MeteredOut I do feel poor though

@martico what's wrong with buying someone a drink?

Herzlos

Mark_Glasses said:
@herzlos ski trips are expensive, I think it's something like £1500 each. We don't save £3k a month. Cars are also expensive because you also have to pay insurance, tax, maintenance etc. When I did have a car I couldn't save any money the month the insurance was due.

You've already told us you're saving at least £1600/month, so a £3k skiing trip won't cause you any difficulty and you might let your wife enjoy herself for a change whilst you pretend to be richer.

You've easily got enough budget for a sensible car too. You're talking as if you've only got £10 left at the end of the month when your surplus is a full salary for most people.

What does your wife think of the no holiday or car situation? Are you honest with your finances with her?

MeteredOut

I'm now convinced the OP is at it; surely no-one is that detached from reality. Apologies if that sounds too harsh but I can guarantee I'm only saying what many readers are thinking.

RelievedSheff

MeteredOut said:

I'm now convinced the OP is at it; surely no-one is that detached from reality. Apologies if that sounds too harsh but I can guarantee I'm only saying what many readers are thinking.

I fully agree with you.

Ditzy_Mitzy

Mark_Glasses said:

@annabanana82 other people don't have such a hard time getting a job. Some people think I'm talented enough to get any job I want but the reality is I've not really wanted any job I've had but took it because that's all I was offered.

@herzlos ski trips are expensive, I think it's something like £1500 each. We don't save £3k a month. Cars are also expensive because you also have to pay insurance, tax, maintenance etc. When I did have a car I couldn't save any money the month the insurance was due.

I don't think I will feel financially stable until I have enough money to never work again. It scares me how much I rely on my job for money.

@Elliott.T123 I've got much more than 5 years until retirement. Even though I hate work it's not so much me unwilling to work it's more others unwilling to give me a job. I think my salary and savings are misleading, if I put all my savings into buying a property then I'll have no savings and if I lose my job I'll have no salary.

@YoungBlueEyes I could easily end up being one of those people. I've lost my job before through no fault of my own and one thing I've learned about the world of work is your ability to do your job counts for nothing especially in these days of so called diversity and inclusion.

@sheramber my thoughts were that I'd keep the million and spend what I have over a million

@hazyjo I go on holiday to Southend so have visited Leigh-On-Sea 

@rhemmings I think I would struggle in a little town like Leicester

@MeteredOut I do feel poor though

@martico what's wrong with buying someone a drink?

1) Cars aren't that expensive.  There's a lot of middle-ground between a Rolls Royce and a Trabant.  Discounting petrol, I pay less than £100 a month for mine.

2) If you haven't inherited wealth or accumulated riches, it is inevitable that you will be reliant on your job for money.  The overwhelming majority of people are, one way or another, which is why so many go to work.  Having enough to never work again isn't, generally, feasible.  A few, such as Don McLean, will encounter such happy circumstances but doing so requires luck, talent, nous and capturing the zeitgeist.  Life is far too arbitrary to rely on all that happening.

3) There's nothing wrong with buying someone a drink.  There's also nothing wrong with a millionaire accepting a drink from someone else; he may not have wanted to rebuff your hospitality.  It's difficult: I've got friends in less comfortable circumstances who have bought me drinks; I feel guilty about accepting them, but on the other hand cannot refuse as it is impolite to reject kindness.  I just make damn sure that I purchase one in return.  What was wrong, however, was the motive for your action.  You didn't buy him a drink, it seems, because you like him or wished to make a friendly gesture; you did it because of concerns that he would think you were poor if you failed to do so.  If he is the sort of person to assess another's financial worth in such a way, then he doesn't deserve a glass of tap water.