Yes you are completely right Ian.

I don't spend a lot of money, but it is true that I spend a certain level of income on having a nice home with Sky TV and do drink and smoke.

If I gave all that up then yes I probably could afford a car easily enough, but then I'd come home to a house with no luxuries (and what I call "luxuries" are just the basics to most people) and couldn't even pour a drink or light a cigarette to console myself.

I don't want a brand new house or a brand new car, just a nice house and a nice car with a wee bit of cash left over to save for the future. Surely working 40 hours a week that shouldn't be insurmountable?

I agree with you and Clive that if you've worked your time then you should be allowed what you like. Right now, material items are not a big part of our (wife and I's life), but that is more because we're diverting any money into our business. We are quite low on handy cash, but it doesn't stop us from getting a takeaway now and again, or having a bite out. Of course as you guys have stated we'd probably be rich if we totted it up over the years, but we'd have just 'existed', rather than lived...

My initial comment was more a reassuring comment rather than a dig, for instance as someone said, brand new cars and shiny things could be chalked down to endless loans with no way out... Rather than the shiny happy view that they want you to see..

My initial comment was more a reassuring comment rather than a dig, for instance as someone said, brand new cars and shiny things could be chalked down to endless loans with no way out... Rather than the shiny happy view that they want you to see..

A good example of this, perhaps an extreme one however, is someone my business was commissioned to vet, by a client.

My client wanted to know whether this character was as solvent, as he appeared to be - before trading with him.

The chap in question, who superficially appeared to have it all, materially. And yes, he had three Ferraris, an Aston and numerous Mercs and an extensive 20 bedroom property in Berkshire and allegedly property abroad.

However, it was all funded by unsustainable unsecured personal debt. The vast majority of which was carpet-bagged sub-prime borrowing. We couldn't find ANY actual assets he owned! Furthermore, several of the sub-prime lenders were about to foreclose through his recent defaulting. The Berkshire property wasn't his: it was rented on a daily basis. The foreign properties had no connection to him whatsoever. It was almost as if he'd taken random properties from a Google search and claimed they were his!

These kind of people make me laugh - quite how they can live a life of pretence, is, thankfully beyond my comprehension - sad thing is that they are fairly commonplace

There are far more important things in life than material assets . . . and very few, if any, are more important than health & happiness . . :)

How very true, my cousin just had her bank accounts compromised somehow, banks not accepting responsibilty for what ever reason, and its all gone, around £600k. But as my dad told her , at least she got health, roof over her head etc.

How very true, my cousin just had her bank accounts compromised somehow, banks not accepting responsibilty for what ever reason, and its all gone, around £600k. But as my dad told her , at least she got health, roof over her head etc.

No doubt health is the most important thing, but if I had 600k (which he/she must have probably spent AGES saving), that "magically" disappeared, I'd be very !Removed!. How on earth did it simply vanish?

How very true, my cousin just had her bank accounts compromised somehow, banks not accepting responsibilty for what ever reason, and its all gone, around £600k. But as my dad told her , at least she got health, roof over her head etc.

That's an incredible amount to lose , I hope she's taking good legal advice to get the bank to reconsider it's current attitude :)

No idea how it happened at the moment, could be more than£600k, one of my other cousins is solicitor so she arranging a fraud expert to investigate, all my cousins are on the richer side of the family tree,

No idea how it happened at the moment, could be more than£600k, one of my other cousins is solicitor so she arranging a fraud expert to investigate, all my cousins are on the richer side of the family tree,

We both bank with the same bank & have personal safeguards in place, which mean that no more than a certain figure can be withdrawn by any means, anywhere, unless these safeguards are invoked.

We also receive weekly automated updates of our balances by text & e-mail & alerts when our balances fall below a certain preset level.

I'm fairly sure that this benefit can be requested at any bank that hold large sums of your money.

I do hope your cousin gets recompense Ian.

Ive not a lot but what I do have has same safeguards as you,

We both bank with the same bank & have personal safeguards in place, which mean that no more than a certain figure can be withdrawn by any means, anywhere, unless these safeguards are invoked.

We also receive weekly automated updates of our balances by text & e-mail & alerts when our balances fall below a certain preset level.

I'm fairly sure that this benefit can be requested at any bank that hold large sums of your money.

I do hope your cousin gets recompense Ian.

I have something very similar in place, across all my business and personal bank accounts. :)

I've done for it years, I'm quite surprised how few people have

I have something very similar in place, across all my business and personal bank accounts. :)

I've done for it years, I'm quite surprised how few people have

There's far too many dodgy fokkers out there not to :(

She not long changed banks, after 40 years, someone must know she had money , could be identity theft out your bin bags!!

She not long changed banks, after 40 years, someone must know she had money , could be identity theft out your bin bags!!

That's grim, we burn all important unwanted / unneeded documents.

She not long changed banks, after 40 years, someone must know she had money , could be identity theft out your bin bags!!

Indeed, I shred my unwanted documents into 2mm x 4mm pieces. Which are then incorporated into the nitrogen rich mowings, vacuum cleaner dust and kitchen waste.

Which in turn go into the compost bin, and rot down, surprisingly quickly. :)

Ive not a lot but what I do have has same safeguards as you,

Everything is relative, earlier I said we've not got much spare cash or free savings for ourselves, everything is tied up, £50 for me is a huge amount that really I could not afford to just throw around, but 600k... Wow!

Mine get shredded and mixed with food waste.

Nothing with any personal details on it goes near a bin untreated, not even pizza boxes with delivery details on them.

All receipts are shredded too.

I take no risks.

Everything is relative, earlier I said we've not got much spare cash or free savings for ourselves, everything is tied up, £50 for me is a huge amount that really I could not afford to just throw around, but 600k... Wow!

yeh. I went wow also, I shouldn't have been surprised though, my other cousin has a 1 million yacht. Not jealous. Lol .much.

yeh. I went wow also, I shouldn't have been surprised though, my other cousin has a 1 million yacht. Not jealous. Lol .much.

I've got one of those!

LOL Not the yacht but a very successful cousin, who always seemed to move into the right business; just before a boom and get out before the bubble burst - not unlike a poorer Warren Buffet!

There are far more important things in life than material assets . . . and very few, if any, are more important than health & happiness . . :)

True, but the stresses of being poor can exacerbate smoking and drinking which in turn leads to poor health and little happiness (plus making you even more poor).

Mine get shredded and mixed with food waste.

Nothing with any personal details on it goes near a bin untreated, not even pizza boxes with delivery details on them.

All receipts are shredded too.

I take no risks.

One of the benefits of having an open fire is that all my financial documents go in the fire and literally turn to ash and smoke. Anyone who can decipher those deserves a medal.

I'd love to burn my secure data but as soon as I strike a match in the garden some miserable beggar is out their window moaning.

I'd love to burn my secure data but as soon as I strike a match in the garden some miserable beggar is out their window moaning.

Really? I couldn't live in an area like that, where people interfere with your life.

Really? I couldn't live in an area like that, where people interfere with your life.

My dad used to have bonfires all the time.

Now you so much as buy a Tiki torch and they're calling the Fire Service.

I like working an 8-4 shift tomorrow and Tuesday. An extra hour in the morning means nothing to me, but an extra hour in the evening is much more valuable.