I've just been reading about a 30 year old who is complaining that her parents are charging her £50 a week to live with them. She's struggling to afford to save and have her hair cut regularly and thinks they are being unfair.
Someone else is moaning that his benefit's been cut and he can no longer afford regular foreign holidays.
A neighbour is whinging because she may have to increase her working hours from 10 to 15 to afford her current standard of living. This includes £120 a month on various beauty treatments and £100 for Sky TV.
Hey ho, first world problems!
3 comments:
My goodness, hard up Hester, I'd whinge too if I heard stories like that! The trouble is that today people tend to think holidays are compulsory when they are not. We simply don't go away (but then, we don't need to - we're retired and have a nice home in a seaside town and a pretty garden to sit in and lovely things to eat and nice restaurants to visit if we don't feel like cooking). What a pity that people feel that they simply must go away! Just think, they work all year for a couple of weeks somewhere different and, in our case, often not as nice as our own home. I'd certainly not scrimp and scrape all year for just a holiday, no way. And then think of the problems at airports and ferry terminals ... How lovely to be able to take a meal out into the garden while so many were in their cars queued up at Dover ...Margaret P
For the first 12 years of my life we never had one. Days out, by train, all over the south coast, but never stayed away even with family. I have never "expected" holidays as a right in life and am grateful if we have even a basic break - camping, budget, with friends. As for the others attitude to finance = good grief, wake up to yourselves!
I know I'm getting old because all I can do is shake my head in disbelief! When I was 15 and still at school I got my first official part-time job (not just babysitting which I'd been doing for years) - I think I probably made about $20/week. I had to give my mom $5 for "my keep" and then buy my own school supplies and most of my clothing with the rest. My dad said that the amount wasn't the important part - it was the principle of the thing - if I was earning then I had to contribute.
I've had my share of decent vacations over the years but I've always saved for them and there were many years when they were "Staycations" or just a couple of days away not too far from home. I never thought I was "owed" a holiday away each year and in fact I won't be having one this year due to finances. I'll find fun things to do here in town with friends at a very low cost and just enjoy the time away from the office. If things work out I'll have a vacation out of town next year (but probably not out of the country) and I'll appreciate the opportunity wherever I end up - First World problems indeed!
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