Weekly disposable income

PiKe

PiKe

PiKe

Caporegime
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
25,287
Location
Lake District
I watch Rich house, Poor house on Channel 4.

I don't really agree with what the program is setting out to do, as typically, every episode is the same, with the poor family basically living it up for a week, ultimately using it as a life lesson to tell their kids "Look what you could have if you work hard at school" and the Rich family coming to the conclusion that they should spend more time with their kids.

However, what I find interesting, is that I am typically in the Poor house camp, being left with £140 a week after mortgage and bills, yet survive fairly well (although its very difficult to save anything).

However I don't really spend money frivolously or have children which lightens the burden.

Do people just have children at whatever cost, without thinking whether you can actually give them a good quality of life? I thought long and hard before getting a pet, ensuring we would be able to afford it, let alone having a child.
 
It's hard to see into the future.

Some people may have a few kids and doing very nicely due to a decent work income. Then something drastic happens and that income is not as good anymore but the kids are still there to be fed and watered! The mortgage still has to be paid!
 
You can never really afford children.

You have children to show your love for each other, Which then refocuses your entire purpose - Or it should !
 
I watched the first episode of this season and it just seemed like a lesson in how to blow 3 grand in a week on mostly needless things, I don't think it really taught the poor family anything they didn't already know, I mean the oldest lad had already got a degree and started work and the younger one seemed a pretty decent chap involved in the community and what not, should do well for himself with the attitude he has.
 
Only the Rich Should Have Children says Internet Man

In an unusual turn of events, a man on the internet stated today that poor people really shouldn't be doing such irresponsible things as having children.

In other news: rain is expected this week; there's nothing you can do, it stopped growing when you were 19; science still hasn't solved how to make a toaster that will give the same result with consecutive slices; bears probably do **** in the woods.
 
PiKe said:
Do people just have children at whatever cost, without thinking whether you can actually give them a good quality of life? I thought long and hard before getting a pet, ensuring we would be able to afford it, let alone having a child.
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:D made me smile ( i'm a father of 3 )
 
Me and my wife have a good joint income (over £100,000 pa) but even we had to think hard about having our first child.
Mainly because of child care costs, the food and clothes are all relatively fine in the grand scheme of things.

We both want a second now, but having to delay it because we couldnt actually afford it until our first is at least a year or two older.
I guess the handouts on the lower end of the socio-economic divide are pretty good because they seem to be popping them out!
 
Mine is somewhere between "not a lot" and "not a lot at all". The greater impediment to having kids tho is having no ability to chat up women ;) And having a face only a mother could love. And not having a lot of money.

Yup, you guys can sleep easy at night knowing there'll be no little FoxEyes running around :p
 
PiKe said:
I watch Rich house, Poor house on Channel 4.

I don't really agree with what the program is setting out to do, as typically, every episode is the same, with the poor family basically living it up for a week, ultimately using it as a life lesson to tell their kids "Look what you could have if you work hard at school" and the Rich family coming to the conclusion that they should spend more time with their kids.

However, what I find interesting, is that I am typically in the Poor house camp, being left with £140 a week after mortgage and bills, yet survive fairly well (although its very difficult to save anything).

However I don't really spend money frivolously or have children which lightens the burden.

Do people just have children at whatever cost, without thinking whether you can actually give them a good quality of life? I thought long and hard before getting a pet, ensuring we would be able to afford it, let alone having a child.
Click to expand...

You can never afford children on paper!
 
The one thing I've learned watching family and friends starting up families it's not about what you can afford, it's the network of friends and family around you who either offer time or treats for the new little ones. Baby showers, hand-me-downs, neighbours with kids, family with kids, grandparents offering to look after them (especially if you're close to and on good terms with both sets). It all becomes a competition, who will look after them the most, which friend will offload all their old stuff first to be "the best friend" when really they are de-cluttering their own house. If you plan to do it all yourself it's expensive, it's why they often say the 2nd one is usually cheaper.
 
PiKe said:
However, what I find interesting, is that I am typically in the Poor house camp, being left with £140 a week after mortgage and bills
Click to expand...
subbytna said:
Haha sorry fella but if you have that AFTER bills then you're NOT in the poor house camp....
Click to expand...
^Exactly what I was thinking!!
I don't even have that much for a month, let alone a week, yet I'm also not considered to be in the poor camp. And I have no kids, either.

See, this is why I don't watch BS programmes like this - I saw one where it claimed that some people pay more than 40% of their income on rent and bills, like that's the average.... I'm paying more than 75% and I know I'm not the only one!!!
 
Yea on paper I don't think anyone could afford to have kids.

My partner and I earn a fair amount above the average income and still look at it on paper and go how is this going to work.

Then we remember people in this country manage it on a lot less than what we are on...
 
tax credits are pretty generous tbh ie a couple where only one works the minimum 30 hours at min wage wage (and have 2 kids) get £1000 month extra tax free tax credits/benefit
 
To me that's crazy. At what point did it become normal for taxpayers to subsidise other people's kids? :confused:
 
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