Anyone worried?

[abu13]

I honestley think the country is fucked, society is falling apart, many areas becoming lawless and I can see mass rioting very soon. I fear for future generations, i just dont see anything for them to cling to.

 

[The Northern Baptist]

There seems to be constant bad news stories about our economy and it’s been that way for a very long time. When was the last time our economy was in decent shape? What decade do you have to go back to?

 

[remember arthur mann]

Virtually no social housing for the people waiting, private rents sky high, energy prices sky high, food going up and up, yes it’s crap for a lot of people, and there are a lot of angry, desperate people out there.

Agreed, the more comfortable posters tend to feel differently.

 

[mexico1970]

I cut my cloth so I can live without the worry, I genuinely don't want or need things and have mostly been the same all my life and it's served me well.

Peoples idea of poverty is relative, what's a fuck up in this country is law and order we need to get a grip on it.

 

[ChicagoBlue]

^^This^^ all day long.

The human race is losing control.

It’s the Gilded Age all over again.

 

[Northerndave]

Great film. That scene with the block of timber and the sledgehammer, though....

it was a difficult wank

 

[ChicagoBlue]

I cut my cloth so I can live without the worry, I genuinely don't want or need things and have mostly been the same all my life and it's served me well.

Peoples idea of poverty is relative, what's a fuck up in this country is law and order we need to get a grip on it.

I heard a thing recently on a podcast that piqued my interest on this subject of want vs need, ego-driven consumerism, etc…

The person said, if you think you want/need to buy something, just say to yourself “If no-one ever knew I had this, never saw it, never recognized I could afford it, and I could never show it to anyone or talk about having it, would I still want it, buy it, and enjoy it for the rest of its useful life?”

If the answer is not “Yes, of course!” then you don’t need it and shouldn’t waste your money on it.

Same pod also talked about money problems in marriage, and even often for some singles. It said that most financial problems revolve around a car that’s too expensive, a house that is either too expensive to own or too expensive to maintain, and the personal spending habits of at least one of the couple.

He said you should discuss exactly what kind of vehicles, and how often you’d replace them, what size of house, location and mortgage is acceptable, and what level of personal “luxury” spending (restaurants, clothes, entertainment, etc…) every month is reasonable.

If you can get on the same page on those issues ahead of time, your potential for relationship, and financial, security is well ahead of the averages.

 

[mexico1970]

I heard a thing recently on a podcast that piqued my interest on this subject of want vs need, ego-driven consumerism, etc…

The person said, if you think you want/need to buy something, just say to yourself “If no-one ever knew I had this, never saw it, never recognized I could afford it, and I could never show it to anyone or talk about having it, would I still want it, buy it, and enjoy it for the rest of its useful life?”

If the answer is not “Yes, of course!” then you don’t need it and shouldn’t waste your money on it.

Same pod also talked about money problems in marriage, and even often for some singles. It said that most financial problems revolve around a car that’s too expensive, a house that is either too expensive to own or too expensive to maintain, and the personal spending habits of at least one of the couple.

He said you should discuss exactly what kind of vehicles, and how often you’d replace them, what size of house, location and mortgage is acceptable, and what level of personal “luxury” spending (restaurants, clothes, entertainment, etc…) every month is reasonable.

If you can get on the same page on those issues ahead of time, your potential for relationship, and financial, security is well ahead of the averages.

It's great advice to live by if you can do it, all you have to do is say no to yourself when someone suggests overspending at a cafe or a shop or an outing.

Become less fleece-able, don't give away your hard earned on a whim.

 

[ChicagoBlue]

It's great advice to live by if you can do it, all you have to do is say no to yourself when someone suggests overspending at a cafe or a shop or an outing.

Become less fleece-able, don't give away your hard earned on a whim.

A cash only society would fix much of that for most people. Credit should not be a thing for a large swath of society.

 

[idahoblues]

There seems to be constant bad news stories about our economy and it’s been that way for a very long time. When was the last time our economy was in decent shape? What decade do you have to go back to?

There’s always bad news, has been ever since I have been alive. You can’t let that get into your psyche or it will eat you up, I’m not saying it’s easy but you can’t control these things, live your life as best you can and enjoy the things that present.

 

[mexico1970]

A cash only society would fix much of that for most people. Credit should not be a thing for a large swath of society.

A mantra I try to follow to the letter mate, if I can't afford it then I don't buy it. I only acquired the ability to pay by card a year ago and I have only used it twice and that was at the football.

Even then it's a top up card that has money loaded into it that I can't go over with.

 

[Mad Eyed Screamer]

A cash only society would fix much of that for most people. Credit should not be a thing for a large swath of society.

A capitalist society would crash on that theory. Who can afford a new car? Latest “must have” IPhone, that 2 weeks holiday in the sun, your City season ticket and this months flight plus hotel to Madrid?

 

[KS55]

A cash only society would fix much of that for most people. Credit should not be a thing for a large swath of society.

I don’t buy much. I have two pairs of jeans, one pair of shoes, assorted shirts which are all presents. I no longer have a credit card. I have no debts. I spend on frivolities like good food and wine.
Once you get into the habit of not shopping life is very easy

 

[ChicagoBlue]

A capitalist society would crash on that theory. Who can afford a new car? Latest “must have” IPhone, that 2 weeks holiday in the sun, your City season ticket and this months flight plus hotel to Madrid?

Short-term, if you started “right now,” it’d be very painful, but not if you transitioned, for example, with the thought you needed a car in 3-5 years and started saving today.

That said, I think it’s fair to have a 50-50 cash to credit on a car and the standard 80-20/90-10 mortgage on a home, but require cash for daily life.

 

[Slipper One]

I cut my cloth so I can live without the worry, I genuinely don't want or need things and have mostly been the same all my life and it's served me well.

Peoples idea of poverty is relative, what's a fuck up in this country is law and order we need to get a grip on it.

I’m similar to you mexico1970, just live within my means, buy what I need and have zero interest in keeping up with the Joneses.

I’ve never bought a new car, always saved up if I needed anything and apart from a mortgage or car, never had a loan. The credit card is always paid on time and in full.

I’ve never had anybody help me in life and trust me, I’ve had more than my fair share of shitty jobs.

18 years ago I had sweet FA, no money in the bank, paying the upkeep of my ex-wife, along with trying to pay my mortgage and utilities. I’d recently started a commission based job, which at the time of starting paid me next to nothing and after working at that all day, I then went off to a second job until 10 or 11pm and some weekends…..rinse and repeat. I bought nothing but the absolute bare essentials, no beer, although I did keep the Internet (dial up) and put the heating on sparingly in the winter to keep the water pipes from freezing (our winter, not yours) and sat with a coat and gloves on, because I couldn't afford the furnace oil. It was so cold my house plants died, but there was absolutely no way on this earth that I was going to default on my mortgage, or not keep my commitments to my ex-wife and son.

Moving forward life is good and there’s nothing I particularly want or need. I retired early, have a nice rural house with a bit of land, no neighbours and the mortgage paid off a few years ago……...AND now have plenty of beer in the fridge downstairs. Bought a second house that is rented out and I go on vacation twice a year. My car is a 2010, although I could quite easily afford something like a new Mercedes, my phone is an iPhone SE (it's a phone, that's all I need, text, email, phone!!), but I choose not to waste my money and I have reasonable investments and money in the bank.




My point with all this is that I have real difficulty understanding why most people can’t do the same, although I will accept that it is more difficult today than 18 years ago.

It involved a lot of hours, hard work, dedication and a desire not to give up, all things that many could do, but they would sooner whine and play the ‘woe is me’ or 'mental health' card, blame society, blame the government, blame anybody but themselves, instead of facing up to the challenge and doing something about it.

If I can do it, then anybody can do it.

 

[LangleyBlue1970]

Will this country ever be a good place to live again and bringing up a family in a safe and friendly atmosphere or are we heading into a world of doubt, everything is going up on a weekly basis job losses on the horizon the world becoming more violent by the day how do we see the future for our children and their children.

What precisely is it you are talking about?

Do you realise how privileged you are to live in a country like this?

 

[The Northern Baptist]

There’s always bad news, has been ever since I have been alive. You can’t let that get into your psyche or it will eat you up, I’m not saying it’s easy but you can’t control these things, live your life as best you can and enjoy the things that present.

It’s not that deep bro, lol.

Just wondering when the economy was doing great in this country because I can’t remember a time it was reported as such. We get plenty of stories about growth in other countries. The U.K. news for example is currently saying the US economy is doing great.

 

[ChicagoBlue]

My point with all this is that I have real difficulty understanding why most people can’t do the same, although I will accept that it is more difficult today than 18 years ago.

They can, but they don’t.

They’re emotionally weak and succumb to the advertising, keeping up with the Joneses and being told “You’re nothing without this product!”

When I was 21, I was at Uni, my parents had just declared bankruptcy due to a dodgy accountant fucking them over with the tax man, was living in America, and I had $5…and I had to leave it in the bank to keep the account open, because my scholarship money had to be deposited in a bank account. My future wife fed me and, I’m ashamed to say, I used to nick bread out of the fridge of the ladies who own the house where I rented a loft bedroom.

Education, hard work, drive and spousal support have put a fair few zeroes on that fiver over the last 40 years, but I think it’s less and less common that people believe they can do that for themselves.

I’m not saying I can make copper wire out of a penny, but I know the value of a dollar and the effort that goes into generating it. Too many don’t.

 

[N1985]

I love living here. It's a fantastic country full of opportunities and is still absolutely safe if you're careful, like anywhere else in the world! I've never been stabbed, always had work, and my child gets a free education that compared to most of the world is fantastic.

Ditch Social Media and stop watching the news. Spend within your means and don't compare yourself to others. Just do your own thing. Find hobbies that cost little, keep yourself healthy, learn to cook avoid politics.

Get out of the inner city for a few hours a week and into the countryside. We as a nation still have some of the most amazing national parks in the world.

 

[Fernster]

I heard a while ago, that anybody in the UK who was on the dole were still in the top 10% of earners in the world!!
We as a society are obsessed with owning the latest item/fashion, which is a revolving door of stuff, companies are happy to provide, year after year.

Social Media is the poison chalice at the minute and the latest generation are obsessed with it.
I am an 80s lad and thinking back people were happier, trusted their neighbors and there was a community spirit.
Nowadays, nobody trusts anyone and there is no community spirit, it is very sad.
The political wranglings make people take sides which creates social barriers which are nearly impossible to break down. The police have their hands tied because they try to keep the peace but the people at the top of the chain are prioritising the flavour of the day which dictates the outcomes with those upholding the law.
Taxes, rules and regulations create mistrust in the current government alongside the bitching and fighting amongst all political parties, just makes things worse and causes confusion of who is best for the people.

The do-gooder brigade sit and conspire to create reasons why we shouldn't do this or that, creating a tip toe society, shit scared in case they offend someone. Hey let's make pronouns a big thing and create a ton of genders, life will be better for everyone and they can find a group that fits them all, confusion is the outcome, confusion on what the pronoun means and confusion as to why this is good for society.

There is a massive blame culture, instead of owning your error, it is always someone else's fault. Keeping British culture alive is classed as racist and we must change to integrate everyone else's beliefs, watering down what it is to be British. I am all for multicultural experiences but not being allowed to say Christmas in schools, for example, is racist, which is utterly ridiculous. If they don't like that school to do something then don't send your kids there, but that isn't what happens, the school should change their way of doing things to appease the minority.

The world has gone mad and sometimes I just feel that we are in a simulation, the programmer chucking in stupid things just to see what would happen.

There is so much wrong with what is going on around us but we plod on and keep smiling, we are British, after all.

I am happy with my life, happily married, both on a decent income, have healthy and thriving children, amazing grand-kids, have a roof over our heads and have food on the table every day. It's the world around me that is fucked up!! And now here comes the scathing replies to this because i'm racist, sexist and every other 'ist because they disagree with me, take everything I have said out of context and want me hung drawn and quartered!!

Fuck It, I'm a Blue!! CTID!!​