The Rich act Poor and the Poor act Rich.

MattMattMattUK

Rob5342 said:

Bigbobby said:

Going on holiday to expensive 5* hotels with fine dining and drinking?  My colleague is going to Marbella in next few weeks.  £2000 for 5 nights in  5 star hotel with breakfast.  They then plan to spend another £2000 on eating and drinking out posing on the seafront.  Both have average incomes.

You never know what anyone's actual situation is really like. I've apent £5000 on a holiday before when I had an inheritance but I also paid £15,000 off my mortgage with it

Some people would choose to spend all £20k, others would have paid the whole amount off their mortgage, many will have done something in between. It is human nature to judge others based on their actions and choices, especially when those choices are different to our own. 

Martico

The "with breakfast" emphasis in the OP when discussing a 5* hotel made me chuckle a bit

Olenna

There's nowt so queer as folk as they say in Yorkshire - everyone is different.

I wouldn't have BTLs as they negatively distort the housing market and think they also to contribute to overcrowding and homelessness. REITs or Build to Let properties would be okay.

I wouldn't take in a lodger unless I needed to financially to cover the bills; I shared when I was a student and I'm well passed it now. 

4x4s and premium cars are available on cheap lease deals so don't personally associate them with wealth. I tend to think the exact opposite with 4x4 drivers 

eskbanker

Bigbobby said:

When you next drive past that large 4x4 just ask yourself, are they really that rich?

Or just mind your own business?

Hattie627

Two phrases I remember when growing up:

Fur coats and nae knickers (when referring to the apparently well-to-do)
Spam Valley (reference to the posher side of town where the mortgage took all the money and only spam for tea)

Tucosalamanca

Let's not forget that one in four pensioners live in a million pound household.

Plenty of people have money to spend, that doesn't mean that they're not being frugal as well.

Top 10% of households (i.e not all 'rich') have an average £70,000 disposable income each year.

I had to laugh at some of the figures mentioned.

£2,000 for a short break - that could easily be £20,000
£200 for a handbag - that could easily be £2,000

I'm guessing that OP doesn't know many 'rich' or even moderately affluent folk.

There's plenty of money out there, I'd argue that these spenders are doing us a favour when the economy is limping along, certainly more useful than accumulating wealth in btl properties.

MattMattMattUK

Tucosalamanca said:

Top 10% of households (i.e not all 'rich') have an average £70,000 disposable income each year.

It will be regional as well, in London and the South East a £70k disposable income is not that great, that is only two adults on a net of £44k pa each.

For London the figure as a whole is nearly twice that of the worst performing regions, for sub regional areas the contrast is bigger. 

https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/regionalaccounts/grossdisposablehouseholdincome/bulletins/regionalgrossdisposablehouseholdincomegdhi/1997to2020

https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/regionalaccounts/grossdisposablehouseholdincome/bulletins/regionalgrossdisposablehouseholdincomegdhi/1997to2021

poshrule_uk

Guy who appreciates everyone's situation is different can't understand why people do things differently to him. 

Ordinary_Yet_Unique

Why the concern about the spending and saving habits of others? I just get on with my own life and take responsibility for it. 
Not everyone is able to get ahead as the OP appears to have done. For some poor health and other circumstances have been huge obstacles to obtaining financial security.
Some people work extremely hard, and in a dedicated way, in poorly aid jobs. Putting money by and acquiring wealth is not always easy to do.
Furthermore financial success is not necessarily the mark of a life well and fully lived either.
I would not presume it is my place to ever judge the lifestyles of others.

HillStreetBlues

I'm surprised this thread lasted past the weekend.