A large percentage of the population have a false sense of entitlement. They believe, regardless of income they should:
Own their own home.
Own at least one car.
Have a big TV with 600 satellite channels.
Designer clothes.
A new three piece suite.
A two week foreign holiday each year.

Without regard to if they can actually afford to.
( Fucking hell Jeff I am not a robot, Mon 21 Nov 2011, 12:16, 4 replies, latest was 13 years ago)

i have none of these things, how many people here do?

(Quintno EXPERIMENT RUINED CANCELLED, LEFT 4EVER, Mon 21 Nov 2011, 12:18, Reply)

I have a few suits and a big TV,
that's it.
(PsychoChomp, Mon 21 Nov 2011, 12:20, Reply)

We own our home.
We don't own a car (just hire a streetcar when we need one).
We have a couple of long weekends away each year, no two week holiday (personal choice).
Neither of us wear designer clothes.
We do have Sky TV.
We don't have a new sofa nor do we want one.
( Fucking hell Jeff I am not a robot, Mon 21 Nov 2011, 12:22, Reply)

me too, my tv is too big if anything, it was given to me and it imposes itself on my living room like a fucker
my suits are shit tho
(Quintno EXPERIMENT RUINED CANCELLED, LEFT 4EVER, Mon 21 Nov 2011, 12:27, Reply)

All apart from the 3 piece and a two week hol
Not much point in buying a new one until the kids have stopped drawing on it really
( sporters I’m sincerely gratitude to you, Mon 21 Nov 2011, 12:20, Reply)

You missed out "get a degree"
FTR, I only want one thing on that list and I think earning about 5K over the UK average it's not unreasonable to wish to own a small house or flat.

I don't have or want any of the rest and I have no debts to speak of.
( CQ Knows the truth, all of it., Mon 21 Nov 2011, 12:19, Reply)

I see nothing wrong with owning your own home, it's the other items on top they believe they have a right to have that pisses me off.

( Fucking hell Jeff I am not a robot, Mon 21 Nov 2011, 12:20, Reply)

I don't think you have a right to any of that.
But perahps a reasonable expectation of some stuff based on income....
Just for fun I compared my life to your list:

Own their own home. = Nice 1 bed flat in a rough area (rented)
Own at least one car. = several bicycles all worth less than £100
Have a big TV with 600 satellite channels. = 28" CRT, came free from work
Designer clothes. = Mostly second-hand, charity shop or army surplus
A new three piece suite. = Left over bits and bobs form various family members, although planning on getting a second-hand sofa in the new year
A two week foreign holiday each year. = I managed a (UK based)week away with family and friends this year

Makes you wonder where then money goes, in my case it goes on rent and child support mostly.
( CQ Knows the truth, all of it., Mon 21 Nov 2011, 12:26, Reply)

And biscuits.

( girlinthehole, Mon 21 Nov 2011, 12:30, Reply)

This is true.

( CQ Knows the truth, all of it., Mon 21 Nov 2011, 12:32, Reply)

But that is your choice.... your money must go _somewhere_ at some point.
I choose to spend less on X and more on Y.
( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Mon 21 Nov 2011, 12:30, Reply)

About the only thing I could realistically choose to spend less on on that list is rent.
I'd have to move out to zone 4 and find an equally rough area, as the nice once cost about the same as New Cross. I'd lose some of the money I'd save paying to commute, unless I chose to ride 10-15 miles to work each day and I'd loose maybe 5 hours of my life each week commuting. all this for not a huge financial gain, maybe £100 a month if I'm lucky, hardly seems worth it.
( CQ Knows the truth, all of it., Mon 21 Nov 2011, 12:35, Reply)

I don't have a clue about your finances and how they work....
... or for that matter, I don't really have a clue about your lifestyle. But, and this is a presumption here based on what I do know, which could be very wrong... but you don't seem to have much in the way of luxories, which is something most people (even on benfits) seem to get at least occasionally.

If you're gonna move, why not move outside of london but still _easily_ comutable? I've come to the conclusion that I can get more bang for my buck by moving to Enfield, a nice part too, and still easily get into London for work related things on a daily basis. I dont' even have to worry about last non-tube train as I can get the last tube into Southgate or Oakwood and then bus it from there.
( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Mon 21 Nov 2011, 12:47, Reply)

I fully admit, I'm extremely materialistic, where as you're the oppersite of that.
Gadgetry, fags and food is my 'thing', but like a balance, I don't drink and I don't spend a lot on a night out.
( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Mon 21 Nov 2011, 12:48, Reply)

I'll look at it, but I don't like a long commute and I do like to cycle to work
I think living in London is my luxury. Other wise you are spot on, I live simply and cheaply, only other luxury is travelling around the country meeting B3tans.
( CQ Knows the truth, all of it., Mon 21 Nov 2011, 12:52, Reply)

i do have those things
but even with a well-paying job, they would all be a very different quality if i had to pay a whacking great mortgage first thing every month. most of my friends who do have massive credit card loans and overdrafts because they still want the other bits, exactly as you say.
( rachelswipe with a fork, Mon 21 Nov 2011, 12:24, Reply)

There is nothing wrong with choosing to have these things if you can afford to.
It's the stupidity of taking on credit card debt (in particular) that you cannot afford to repay to have the holiday, the sofa and the designer clothes. I just don't understand the mentality.
( Fucking hell Jeff I am not a robot, Mon 21 Nov 2011, 12:27, Reply)

short term instant gratification innit

( rachelswipe with a fork, Mon 21 Nov 2011, 12:29, Reply)

Yep. Must be. That and competitiveness with peers.
If a friend or neighbour has it they must also have it. Pathetic.
( Fucking hell Jeff I am not a robot, Mon 21 Nov 2011, 12:31, Reply)

I think the trouble is that a lot of people who don't work seemingly, according to papers, have all those things.
And, and this is seemingly again, from the papers... a lot of people out there who are chronic benifit users for generations, seem to get that stuff too.
( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Mon 21 Nov 2011, 12:29, Reply)