General Chat

Dea I agree. It's amazing how many tv ads are either 'get this fantastic credit card' or 'how to consolidate your debts [with yet another loan!] I'm not sure that its because everything is so expensive - after all wages do go up as well as costs. It's just there are so many more goods to buy nowadays. When I was a small child we managed to live without a tv, car or telephone, all of which would now be considered essential household goods. My mum didn't have a fridge or washing machine when she and dad set up their first home. Holidays were considered a luxury we could manage without. My socks and jumpers were all knitted by my gran and my mum made my dresses. Many clothes, toys etc came from jumble sales or were handed down by neighbours. nell

It all looks and sounds good to have...a new car, bikes for the kids, sofa etc and pay next year. By that time people think they might have a job or manage to save by then. That is part of the reason folk get into a lot of debt. Debt leads to even more debt if you are not carefull. It must be hard at this time of year not being able to afford what 'wee Jimmy' would like for xmas, then getting into more trouble paying for it. Marion

And Dee you are not old fashioned but have 'old fashioned' values, there is a difference. sorry meant to add this earlier but had to go out. ann Glos

i find the problem is everything costs a fortune, we pay huge taxes on everything, and soon the air we breathe will be taxed, the wages dont go up in line to meet this rise, the biggest robbery of ths country is the council taxes, so no wonder people borrow, more is taken but nothing given,

Unfortunately it is an ongoing thing now. since HP came in, children born to parents that took advantage of buy now pay by instalments think it is the done thing. We do take advantage of buy now, pay in 6 months etc, but ONLY if we actually have the money already put aside to pay for it. when i was first married and ran a catalogue club I remember my Mum's horror when i had a pair of gloves, paying weekly for them. 'But they will be worn out before you have paid for them' she said. But we accept buying houses on mortgage and even cars on a car loan, so I think it is more a case of educating people to not buy more than they can see they can afford. but how do you do that in this materialistic society. We once bought a freezer on HP when we were badly off and had loads of garden produce which would save us money on food if we froze it. But after a couple of months we scraped the money together and paid it off we hated it so much. Ann Glos

Michelle We get bombarded with letters offering us loans, credit cards, etc. They add to the huge pile of junk mail that has to be recyled every week. Dee x

Hi CB When I was working with Homestart I often came across families that were still paying off the bills for the previous Christmas while they were buying things for the coming Christmas. It was so sad as they were caught in a trap, often owing money to rather dubious 'loan sharks' We have tried to live within our means, although on occassion have taken advantage of intrest free credit. Dee x

I don't think they worry too much about that these days, Dee. The advertising industry has been riding on the back of instant credit and the large loans on offer to most people since the 1970s, so the 'I want it NOW' attitude has become far more prevalent. In days gone by, when we didn't have much cash to splash around, most of our friends and neighbours with similar jobs, homes and lifestyles seemed to be very well-heeled by comparison, but a few of them openly admitted it was all illusory. The lifestyle was funded on mortgages and credit. That made me feel more somewhat more comfortable, as we were trying very hard to live within our means and avoid getting into debt. Festive Flutterby >*|*<

I read this slogan in a catalogue ‘ want it, need it, have it’ It rather sums up today’s society doesn’t it? Do people ever stop to think how they are going to pay for things? Dee x

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