You’re not poor, you’re broke!

But its not generational is it? Im not a millenium and I'm having to replace rather than repair things because of built in obscelesence. To ME a 5 year old washing machine is still "newish" it should not be made to be unfixable etc

When modes of incomes came up in the conversation, my Mum taught me to say 'that's not how I choose to spend my cash' and never 'I can't afford that' as the latter was often interpreted as a criticism. Has held me in good stead even recently.

latest iphones which models exactly Hazeld?

I'm just intetested in all these posters who say they know exactly which model phone their social circle/extended family all have....

Do you ACTUALLY know exactly which iphone they have? Really?

Does it frequently get discussed?

I am left wing but would never sneer. I have known poverty, in the early 80s with two babies my husband had to steal food from work so that we could eat properly but we had a microwave on hire purchase and both smoked. You could argue that cigarettes were a luxury but it was nigh on impossible to give up living like that. We had a coal fire and enormous storage heaters that we couldn’t afford to run. My husband was a lower ranking RAF serviceman.

(bet half of these "iphones" are Samsungs anyway LOL)

@Anja

Can you post a link I love a good laugh

I grew up in a council house. My parents worked hard, but were not on good wages. We had everything we needed, but there was little money for extra luxuries particularly when we were young. We never had a car or holidays. My mum knitted and sewed. Youngsters today, through no fault of their own, don't have the time. Both parents work. They have activities to run their kids to and costumes etc to make for school events. So much has changed through generations, some good, some bad. My DH and myself are living a different life from our parents. Lifestyles change and surely attitudes change with that. I don't blame the youth of today for the state of the world. I think my generation has most to answer for. But to be fair to us we didn't understand what we were doing. We didn't have the media to warn us. I like to think though that most of us are doing our best to make some amends by doing what we can.

My godmother used the say 'the next generation want to start where the last one finished'.
I took umbrage at the time as she was referring to me, being newly married in 1981 wanting an automatic washing machine instead of an old twin tub we'd been given. My parents had a washer and a dryer and all mod cons and it took me a while to realise what she meant, but it is true.
ps when our son was born 2 years later my FIL took pity on me with the towelling nappies etc and bought us a washer for which I was very grateful!

Being poor 21C is not having sufficient income that sees a person without a roof over their head and living on the street. Being poor 21c is having lost your job the only means of feeding your family is a food bank.

I'm totally with Notanan2 on this. Universal credit has to be applied for online and evidence of job searches for the unemployed. Contracts are cheaper generally than pay as you go and cars are an essential for many. I am disabled and receive just as much as the government says I need to survive and its not much fun especially as it has reduced in real terms over the past 4 years since I had to give up work. This is the case also for a lot of jobs in my area. Jobs have changed over the years, mine is the last generation where people could expect to leave school, worked for a particular company, be paid increments, promoted and got a decent pension on retirement. Many well qualified and experienced people are made redundant and end up on zero hours contracts scratching a living but not allowed to take an extra job. Housing is prohibitively expensive. It's a different world from the one I grew up in.

As for children, there are very few youth clubs and playschemes left, activities offered aren't cheap but the alternative is kids wandering the streets or staying in and more than likely playing on electronic games. The things that my, and my parents, generation thought of as affordable such as a the pictures and a fish supper are well out of my and my younger daughter's price range now and a family film night round the TV with home made popcorn etc and the shared Netflix subscription is a doable alternative. Luckily we've always liked going to the beach or the hills with a picnic and that is still a pleasure.

My Sky TV is cost effective as it covers my broadband and phone costs too and my huge TV is 10 years old and was inherited.

Things have changed, however it is not unusual in my area to see children going to school in unsuitable footwear in the depths of winter because the parents really don't have the means to buy any others.

Don't take benefits street or the Mail as a reasonable source, people really are having a hard time out there.

I agree with the OP.
Wanting is in a different bracket to needing but children nowadays can see what their better off friends have, and social media allows us to see into peoples lives and their possessions to be viewed.
Mum gets an ear bashing when children want the same as their friends and there is the ever present bullying. Some children ban you from their circle if you appear not to fit in clothes-wise or dad doesn't have a car.
It's all so different now which, in some ways, is really sad and children don't have the skills to ignore baiting and ridicule.

Built-in obsolescence really bugs me. If I can and it's safe I'll buy second-hand bits for the car. I've mended things like vacuums in the past, upgraded desktop and laptops, bought new bits for appliances, but sometimes they are pretty dear. things were easier when there were fewer electronic bits in them and repair was mainly mechanical. I took a tablet to have a screen replaced to be told that that the particular model would cost 2/3 of the price of a new one, and would still be an old model. I have a cheap sim-only contract for my mobile, and buy a budget smartphone when the old one becomes unreliable, do camping holidays, cheap BnB, second hand washer dryer and fridge and a microwave off freecycle. But even doing that life is expensive, even though I've got lots of things when there was more money around. My children are living away now so no children's day to day expenses. I did always try and prioritise things for the children, for example driving lessons, without that neither of my children would be able to do the jobs they do, they weren't always keen but I encouraged them, as if you can drive and afford a car you can live in more places and get to more jobs. Swimming, dancing, sports, music lessons etc also a priority, all investments for the future, and have led to some income streams and good mental and physical health. It's getting your priorities right, but I don't feel I'm in a position to judge people who spend differently to me as I don't know the reason for their choices, there may be good reasons for making them. OK, am not quite as virtuous as that, I do silently judge unnecessary new 4 x 4s or high-end new cars but maybe they need one to pull a caravan so they can have cheaper holidays. But without people who buy new there'd be no second hand cars for the rest of us to buy. I do silently judge people who regularly go to expensive restaurants, OK, they have to make a profit as well as overheads and staff, but it seems wrong to charge stupid prices. But there will be people silently judging me or others. It all goes around

My monthly rent is just over half of the amount my mum paid for our first red-brick 3 bedroom corner semi in a tree-lined suburban road with walled gardens front, side and back, wrought-iron gates, a glassed veranda and separate garage.
It cost £1,500 in 1963.

"Broke" is living beyond your means, or poor money management. Poor is another thing.
I have a lovely I-phone which was my Sons at one time, I have had it for two years and love it. Does anyone care if it is new or not? I am not broke nor am I poor, thankfully, and I am not proud either, but I am happy.

Anja I completely get it and agree with you. Basics are food, shelter, warmth, water and clothing. In this country we have to add online and luckily we don't have to add health and education. That to me id the basis for the poverty line. Everyone in this country has an income of sorts be it work or benefits but the trouble is it it not always regular and not always enough to meet the basic needs, hence food banks, clothing banks etc. There are people who cry poverty and to be honest don't know the meaning of it, they have an income and want more than they can afford and spend unwisely.

Being in poverty is literally living on the breadline and not being able to afford etc. to heat your home or pay gas and electricity bills. Being poor in my opinion is having enough to pay essential bills but not much left over for anything else. There is no need to have latest iphone. I have a perfectly adequate smart phone i bought for £35 on ebay and a £10 contract with as many text and three to three mins as i can use and 800 any phone mins and more internet data than I ever use. Paying £40 each month is simply not necessary. Nor is spending a lot of money on tattoos.

Ok so all these people with smart phones how do we know they haven't done the same as new nanny and bought recycled ones, as my son did.

Onestepbeyond

The Link you asked for

Ok so all these people with smart phones how do we know they haven't done the same as new nanny and bought recycled ones, as my son did.

I have asked past posters who claim to know lots of people with "the latest iphone" exactly which model they have, since they are so sure it is a brand new latest model contract iphone.....
.... so far noone has answered...

Or for that matter what network these people are on, since posters claim to know with so much certainty that their bills are high.

I pay £10/month.
My smart phone was second hand
Not all smart phones are iphones mine isnt!

My 2 ds's have new phones. They save up and buy them so can have cheaper contracts but even so it is a lot of money. But as neither of them have any children to support and both work long hours I think it is fair enough. I might make a comment to them if they had children who I could see going without or if they were not working and on benefits. My dd also works hard but has 2 dgs and so has an old phone. I am just very grateful none of my dc are wasteful with money or run up debt. I have always instilled in them the need to save up before you buy something and save in case of losing your job or similar and most importantly not to get in debt. I do know people who overspend every Xmas and then struggle for the whole year to pay off credit cards and incur a lot of interest too. I just think it is madness. I know I sound judgemental but really if you want something but can't afford something you don't really need then don't buy it, go without. This should be taught to children in schools as basic economics. Unfortunately some parents set such dreadfully bad examples to children.

Thank you for sharing that with us notanan

notanan, the subject under discussion is people spending money they cannot afford on luxuries then complaining they cannot afford the necessaries of life.

It is not about, no doubt, the majority of people, who only buy luxuries when they can afford it and/or need it.

Ds 1 has iphone xs and ds2 Samsung Galaxy s 10.

Both on Three network.