Money

[KaHn]

Right,

This might seem like a weird post but its a friday night and thought I'd ask as a few things in my life recently have brought me to the conclusion that I am strange with money. In the fact that I don't really care about it, I'll spend every last penny on my friends with out really worrying about the future.

Am I the only one like this or are they others on OcUK that just see money as something to be spent as soon as you get it?

KaHn

 

[KaHn]

want to buy your old ocuk mate foxtrot a 2500k bundle?

No but I mean close friends, like for example a friend turned 21 this year and i paid for flights for her +2 other mates to poland for a week which was nothing in the scheme of things but still if I tell that to people they think its strange.

KaHn

 

[KaHn]

Oh btw I'm 27

KaHn

 

[KaHn]

I spend money if I need or want something but will never, ever spend it for the sake of it and will never blow it on anything less than the best deal I can find. I also like to have a suitable amount built up at all times because you never know what the future might hold and what opportunities you could miss because your life is full of material items you didnt really want or you've spent it all on booze and your savings balance is nil.

Thats very sensible and I understand why a lot of people do this, I really don't know where my lack of sense with money has come from? At uni I got my self into almost 30k of debt I didn't need to but I enjoyed every minute of it. Thats almost all gone now since I decided to start paying it off this year but you get your self in to much wider life situations if you just say "**** it" in my experience.

KaHn

 

[KaHn]

From what I remember, you earn a very good wage KaHn, don't you? Were you the same when you were earning less?

If I had more disposable income, I'd be far more liberal with how I used it. I'm sure you wouldn't let yourself starve/go without paying bills in order to treat friends.

Yeah I earn a fair. But I've been the same since I was at uni. Credit card prince and all that, always knew I would earn money after uni but I'm just wondering if other people are like this, I have a couple good friends who will always look after the others but was wondering if it went further a field than just the north east.

KaHn

 

[KaHn]

Depends on how much the OP earns, anyone who earns a modest wage and owns a house paying a mortgage will not behave like this.

Are you single?

I've put what I earn on here before, but since then it's risen quite a bit.

Also yeah single at the moment.

KaHn

 

[KaHn]

so your not saving anything and blowing your entire wages on your friends?

No I blow my money on pretty much anything but spending time with friends is pretty much top of the priority

KaHn

 

[KaHn]

wonder how you will feel when you are older and have spent away thousands on rubbish without saving anything for your future

I'm not planning on retiring ever, I love my job.

KaHn

 

[KaHn]

you may well love your job, but how much does your job love you?

I'd say as there is a real real shortage of skills in my field (and thats only getting worse) its not going to change, also as a engineer the experience for working for operators and major contractors will only build on that.

But thanks for the concern, now back to the original question.

KaHn

 

[KaHn]

I think a lot of it depends on your attitude to risk. I am a generally risk averse person therefore it shows through in my spending habits. I don't go without what I want - I satsify my hobbies of IT, cars and travel well - but I don't buy anything without considering it long and hard as well.

I do sometimes wish I could impulse buy things though..

Sometimes I wish I was more cautious with money some times, but I could only see that choking what I see as my social life

KaHn

 

[KaHn]

You're a chemical engineer if I can recall? You work in oil and gas?

No, but I do work in oil and gas.

KaHn

 

[KaHn]

It stops once you get a misses too, so it's not like it's forever or a bad habit you can't quit, it's just being nice.

See i havent been properly single since I was 16, with now being the longest time I've been single out of choice (2yrs).

KaHn

 

[KaHn]

I managed to pull it around and stop the mindless spending, i read some research into the subject and the reason they pinned to this sort of spending habbit is the person felt they didn't disserve the money so want to get rid of it as quickly as possible.

I don't think its that, I work hard for my living but I love that I can make other people happy just by doing something they never expected would happen.

I don't mind spending money, but I hate wasting it. I always thoroughly research any major purchase (even smaller purchases are sometimes subject to extensive research!), I'd never just walk into an electronics store and by the first TV/laptop etc I liked the look of. I urge on the side of caution I guess.

I also hate not having spare cash, as Fox says you never know when you may need it for something important. Living right on the edge would scare me personally.

Atm I'm in a lucky situation of living at home and earning a good wage so I can spend a fair bit going out, seeing mates and buying stuff whilst also saving a decent amount. That's all about to change though, moving out soon!

When I buy things I'm the same I'll look around and make sure I'm not spending too much etch, but going out and spending money I just dont care.

KaHn

 

[KaHn]

You specifically talking about going out and spending money on nights out?

I'm a bit like that, much more willing to splash cash when on nights out (although I'd never get into debt over it). Maybe it's the booze

Like I said not just nights out. I'm paying for 5 or 6 people to go on a friends stag do (I'm best man) because I know otherwise they would struggleto go, that will see me about 2k down in all but it wouldn't be a stag do with out them as the stag has decided to get married in vegas so no chance of them going there.

Also alx saying how ur in Aberdeen now (or soon) you'll probably see what I'm like in person since me and -Ad- go out quite a bit lol

KaHn

 

[KaHn]

I should be up from the 31st October, although I've got to spend a month in Barrow-in-Furness before then .

Yeah we should deffo meet up, I like my nights out too

Well I'm sure you'll fit in well adam keeps coming back to drink more lol

And Barrow is a bloody dive lol

KaHn

 

[KaHn]

You remind me of 'Topper' from Dilbert. Always reminding everyone you are better, be it through telling us you spent £20k on IT kit or the constant references to First Class air and rail travel

One of the 29yr old project engineers at my company drives a R8 which he owns + a number of houses, offshore rate means a lot up here.

KaHn

 

[KaHn]

And he earns less than you

No I'm staff, I'm in this for the long run, I want to be running the company sooner or later.

From where i am its > Senior > Principle > Manager > Director.

Should be chartered and senior this year then just steps up. Project engineers find it hard to move to senior roles.

KaHn

 

[KaHn]

Project engineers in oil & gas seem to earn a relative fortune if they're good.....

£400-500/day at the moment.

KaHn

 

[KaHn]

I wouldnt spend that sort of money on my friends. Im not tight, but Im not that generous. Ive never been a borrower or a lender except in the most dire circumstances.
I always look for the best deals, but I have been know to make a lot of impulse purchases.

I think my main difference is that when ever I've needed money for a short period of time they are always a couple of friends I could count on, and this could be for 20 quid or 10k I dont think it would matter.

So I do my best to repay the favour.

KaHn

 

[KaHn]

You work for SS7 dont you? My next door neighbours son is the European VP, doing pretty well for himself.

No, I work for a project management company, we do contracts for SS7 and a lot of operators and a few major contractors.

KaHn