Heart breaking story in the Daily Wail

[doodab]

You are destined for greater things than just ruining a nations economy

FTFY

[TimberWolf]

They really wanted everything. 4 kids, send them to private school AND live in a big smart detached house. You need a huge income to do that, and you need some security of income. Most huge incomes come with a high degree of uncertainty because they tend to involve self employment with all the risks that go with it, or bonusses which can be big one year and then dry up altogether the next. Alternatively, you need to have saved a lot of money or inherited a large sum. Or even better, inherit the house.

Really, I don't get what's so difficult about making choices with money. If I buy another new racing bike it'll cost me 1000 euros for the one I want. That's fine, but I shouldn't then use my credit card to go off to some smart place for the weekend with Lady Tester, costing me another 1000 euros. I also have to consider that I need to find a new contract, so best not to eat up the reserves too quickly. Simple choices and setting priorities; get the new contract, bump up the reserves back to where they were (plus a little bit more), and then buy the new bike or go for a weekend away.

What is so difficult about this?

Buy a tent and a bike. Sorted.

[Platypus]

Interesting comment from one person who notes that Shona Sibary is a journo who in all liklihood made some or all of this up.

A quick Google reveals that Shona writes all sorts of controversial (not) stuff, mostly about herself, mostly for the Wail, e.g.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/ar...ment-life.html

EDIT, gotta love this comment from a reader of one of her pieces in December:

Shona Sibery has a talent for cobbling together the most vacuous and pointless articles. I read on in the hope of some insight or at least some sort of semi entertaining punchline but it was total drivel to the end. If you are still struggling for cash Shona (once you've paid the school fees and all the other 'essentials') perhaps you could step away from the PC thereby saving you electricity money (which you can put towards Roedean) and saving us the precious time it takes to scan your drivel and step outside to shoot ourselves.

[petergriffin]

Stuck in the rent trap: How one middle-class family kept remortgaging their home to pay the bills, until they could no longer afford the repayments | Mail Online

Sounds like the story of HM Treasury

[hyperD]

Interesting comment from one person who notes that Shona Sibary is a journo who in all liklihood made some or all of this up.

A quick Google reveals that Shona writes all sorts of controversial (not) stuff, mostly about herself, mostly for the Wail

Which is why when you define your belief system upon the tulipe that splatters the recycled paper print from the intellectual giant that is The Metro, to the tittle-tattle dross that is The Telegraph, to the daily tabloid excrement that is the Grauniad, you ponder why you are being pushed and pulled from incredulity to rage to condescension?

Seriously, stop buying this crap.

It has more value as a fire starter. Collect the free stuff for that very purpose.

One finds one's life more relaxed, enjoyable und klar when one unplugs from this hideous, deceptive, all-controlling Matrix of filth.

[wim121]

Remortgaged to pay school fees??

Borrowed half a million when hubby looks about 50.
Interest only in 2002?

a fool & their money /house?

For once I agree with you. What a bunch of stupid muppets. Deserve everything that happened to them.

+ 2

I switched off, when they started blaming Thatcher! She actually helped kick start the private sector and gave council tenants the right to buy. Kind of ironic really for them just to be throwing around a Thatcher insult because they're mentally retarded.

and I bet most of those who are under 35 own tiny shoeboxes barely adequate to live in let alone raise a family.

I feel that is an unfair statement.

Friends we have, all have a three bedroom house or bigger, some rent, some own outright. However many fail to have our grasp on finances.

We purchased this house, a semi 3 bed in one of the best areas in my location over six years back when I was 22. Back then our repayments were capital+interest for £550 approx per month and we have made every payment without re-mortgaging, so despite the crash, we're still in positive equity and our repayments are just over £300 p/m now, which is far cheaper even after factoring in life insurance than renting.

Even living down south, I would never rent for £2k a month if I had money issues! What fools in the article!

Our house would be perfectly big enough for a family, with a front driveway/garden and rear garden. However we would prefer to spruce the place up first before letting kids run around it.

I feel your comments are age-ist. If only that was a crime in society, as many people treat younger generations like garbage. Positive discrimination yet again huh! The facts are though, as I have observed, is the young arent "irresponsible" with cash and older people more sensible.

I know plenty of financially foolish people twice my age, including my own mother. I have found the most foolish sometimes wont ever "wake up". We have one couple of friends, with a baby, etc, who couldnt afford to rent a flat any longer and now rent off family which they still cant afford and are swimming in loans, debts, etc. Yet they are the "I want" persona. They see something and buy it, when others like myself, would say "I cant afford that/have better things to spend my money on, so I'll make do with what Ive got". We have quite often thought, they may wake up, when they go through bankruptcy, but with others to bail them out, we dont think they ever will.

Unless I missed something, I don't see why the house price crash forced their sale. So long as they could afford the payments, who cares what the house was worth. Buying at the top of the market and selling at the bottom is pretty stupid by any standard.

Sounds like they kept on re-mortgaging so their repayments went too high and when they had money problems in the crash with lost jobs, they were in negative equity because of all the re-mortgages, hence the bank repossessed.

When will people learn their is no shame in adequacy and not being a millionaire and instead, live within their means?

[Bagpuss]

She convinced herself of the same as many others did, including many on this site, the old "this time it's different" "house prices can only go up" "it's supply and demand". Proven time and time again, bubbles always burst, and I'm not even convinced it has properly crashed yet.

Those of us who buy what we can afford, have had to pay over the odds for goods and services for the best part of a decade, due to the cash poor gobbling up all the resources and falsely inflating prices with their cheap credit. Well now it's over, boo hoo, and cash is king once more. Please move out of the way love, I want to buy that, and you can't afford it.

[xoggoth]

and I bet most of those who are under 35 own tiny shoeboxes barely adequate to live in let alone raise a family

Number 2 son is an IT manager in the city and his missus is an accountant in the city specialising in company law with a well known firm. Very few earn what they do at 30 and they still had to borrow 25k off us for deposit to buy a maisonette.

[vetran]

Don't think it was meant as ageist, first house we bought together 15 years ago was 3 times my salary which was below higher rate tax. Same house is 6 times my salary which is higher than high rate tax.

Houses are just more expensive now.

[doodab]

One finds one's life more relaxed, enjoyable und klar when one unplugs from this hideous, deceptive, all-controlling Matrix of filth.

WHDS