You know I've been whingeing about being really poor? Well, this morning I was telling me secretary about the autographed piccy Steph got me. She said that I ought really put it behind glass to protect it. I agreed and said "I will do but I'm broke at the moment so it'll have to wait til I get paid". She has just come back from lunch, having bought me a really nice frame from Habitat as a present. This is dead kind but how pathetic am I being so broke that my bleeding secretary has to buy me things? If anyone had told me that I'd be at this depth at my age.... Does anyone else suffer from crapness at money?

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

Answers

I suffer from it more than most.....I've earnt quite a large amount of money in the last 3 years and up until last september didn't have a penny in savings, shares, pensions or property to show for it....not a bean!

I don't know anyone who can fritter away money like me.....I really don't...

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

Can I join the 'crapness at money' society? Though I do actually have a small(very) retirement fund left over from my last company. Only reason I haven't picked that clean is the US Gov't would take half of it in taxes if I withdraw before I'm 50. Hmph.

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

Ill second that Gav , too generous by half us Geordies man . People take advantage of your good nature too , which p1sses me off down here .

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

The more you earn the more you spend.

I often think back to my student days when I spent too much time eating junk food and drinking lots, but I always had enough money.

No I eat healthily which is not expensive and my socialising with the lads has decreased. I am working to a strict budget this month which is crippling me!! Never mind pay rise in April.

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

Hahaha maybe it's all of us :)))

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

January is traditionally a 5 or 6 week salary month and that has been compounded by a 5 week salary month in February.

Couple that with the purchase of a new set of golf clubs which were an amaxing bargain I suppose I'll never learn. My girlfriend is really good at staying afloat which pisses me off even more. However she doesn't go out drinking with the lads, which is bound to help!!

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

Seems like it's an international epidemic, I had it and lost it and/or gave it away. Money is my nemesis, no matter how hard or long I work it becomes more and more elusive. There is always something. Don't know what I'd do if I had to follow the toon all over the country, give up eating I guess.

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

I'm in the process of getting rid of the leak. However, it's costing me a bliddy fortune to do so. All will be well in the future (I keep tellin' mesel'). At least hooses are a lot cheaper in the NE than in Cheshire (or Lahndaa for that matter). One of these days...............

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

You're telling me they're expensive in london!! I've been looking for a place nearer to work cos travel in London is a nightmare....trying to find a smallish but nice 2 bedroom place in the barbican/farringdon/clerkenwell area of the city and i'm looking at between 450-650 a week in rent! plus the leeches want 6 weeks deposit and a month in advance!!!

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

Gav, I work around there and I've given up on finding a place really close by (I lived in Islington for a while but I resent prices there too much now). I lived in Camden for ages and found that really convenient for Barbican (walkable in about 30 mins) and much cheaper than anywhere local. Currently looking at gaffs in Bloomsbury.

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

yer takin' the piss right Gav? I converted it to dollars and they want $2700 a month in rent???? Wrong Country mate. Stone me, that's before you even get out of bed.

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

Syme......no doubt about it, those are the kind of rents that people want these days.

On the buying side of it, the house next door to me was sold toward the end of last year, basic 1930's style end of Terrace, three bedroom, through room, extended but still only mid sized kitchen, detached garage at the end of a 40 foot garden........£215,000!

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

No better or worse than Dogleash or Gullit Douggie...look how they wasted money :-)

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

i have no problem with money, in fact i'm loaded. of course my only vices are the odd european vacation and a nice glass of creme de menthe now and again.

i would suggest that your financial woes are a direct result of living in the uk and paying taxes out the wazoo. of course you do get excellent public services including transportation and health as a result.

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

Syme it's more than that mate :(( if we say 500 a week and there's 4.3 weeks in a calendar month then that means it's 2150 pounds per month...exchange rate is around 1.46 so that'd make it 3141 per month.....and that doesn't include bills, living expenses etc....

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

Thought you were thinking of moving back home Dougs?

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

Syme, that wouldn't be unheard of in NYC or Boston, or even DC for similar. :-(

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

Ciara, of course you are right. Condos are being sold in Chicago now for over $500,000. Rent in NYC, Boston, SFO, DC and chicago are huge. You end up paying for the privilege of living in the city. It seems like England is so very expensive nowadays, I had some friends come over here, we went down to Orleans and they couldn't believe how cheap it was.

Gav I was taking a very rudimentary calculation. But still it is a fair wedge of cash just for four walls. Real Estate, rent seems to be on a global escalation without an end in sight. The rich are getting richer whilst the not so well off remain the same. Pretty soon it's gonna be back to the top 5% of money earners make over 90% of the countrys wealth. Then we are talking back to the deprssion of the thirties.

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

Talking about living round London for work etc.... The likes of Croydon and Bromley are reasonably cheap and both only 15-20 mins train to Victoria/Blackfriars- rent only about 600/month for a flat. AND for travel, u just have to buy an all day underground ticket which also gets u on the mainline to Victoria.

Im moving to Bromley in October with my girlfriend as she works at Temple. Anyone know what the areas like?????

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

two simple answers Gav,

a) open Supermarkets as a celebrity lookalike

b) claim refugee status

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

Spud it's the train and tube that I'm really trying to avoid at all costs.....the daily crush on the way in is just unbearable...I wanna be walking distance from work.....if animals were packed as tightly as people on the tubes there'd be bloody protesters out....

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

syme, that was an impressive leap from the high cost of rent in major cities to another 1930's style depression.

two points here: 1) the uk really is too expensive, i'm not going back for that reason, well that and the weather, the food and the traffic.

2) there is a big divide in rich free market countries between the wealthy and the not. result is rich enclaves and poor ghettos. the alternative is that everybody is poor. neither seems desirable but what are you going to do?

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

gav, i used to walk to work in Newcastle, 15 minutes stroll. do it, its worth it

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

Northampton:

Journey to work 10 minutes. Currently paying £200 a month rent sharing mid terraced two bedroom house with girlfriend.

But it is in Northampton! Cockney overspill!!

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

This is really interesting. I mean, it looks like legitimate stuff like rent takes up huge chunks of income. What I'm ashamed of is the utter crap I spend my money on. My mam saw my credit card bill a few months ago and it was like "Newcastle United £392, Newcastle United Box Office £88, Newcastle United Club Shop £170, Newacstle United Box Office £108, All Bar One £55..., GNER £77, GNER £77, Virgin Trains £30, Copthorne Hotel Newcastle Upon Tyne £375, Thistle Hotel Birmingham £110". As my mother said, she raised a relatively large family on about a quarter of what I spend on following United (I make no apologies for the United expense) but All Bar Bleeding One £120 in two weeks for God's Sake..

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

i spend nothing on myself at all and still seem to be skint. I had 10k set aside 2 years ago for a car as a divorce present to myself, its all on gone on bailing myself out of crazy rent, bills, travel to games, s.tickets. In that time the only thing i've bought for me is a medium format camera (second hand) for 500 quid. I feel guilty about buying a drink these days. whingewhingewhinge

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

Dougal, you sure we're not related? sounds like my last credit card bill. Heaven help me when I finally do manage to move over there. Not that it's anything new. It's the same story every time U2 go on tour. Except this year, cause I've had no choice but to make a choice and NUFC wins out. I've got a ST to renew and the spectre of an expensive summer trip to Rob Lee's testimonial to consider. However knowing me, I'll still manage a good number of U2 shows. There's simply too many in easy driving distance. I've given up hopes I'll ever really change. As the proverbial 'they' say, ya can't take it with you. :-)

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

LOL. There are positives in being broke - a diet of marmite and toast for two weeks will help the waistline, walking into work is healthy (if you ignore the London air, like), I'll be sooo grateful and happy when I go to the cash machine on payday... Why though, is it only when you are broke that you really fancy buying you supper from M&S?

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

M&S Dougal? I bought a pair of shoes there last week @ 3 quid (some kind of sale, I know they're having probs.), the same pair here in Singapore (~ 2nd. only in expense to Tokyo, Kegsy?) are retailing at over 100 quid! <> I might start a new thread about "SERVICE" in the U.K. = ABSOLUTELY DIABOLICAL & CRAP!!!

P.S. I'm an Englishman (Geordie at that) through and through, and, as for British Airways, hopefully never again!

:-(

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

dougal & ciara what are you doing with your lives?

170 at the club shop - eek expensive trip to rob lee's testimonial- yikes copthorne hotel - whatthe..

get your priorities right for criisakes, you should be spending cash on either drugs or expensive outdoor exercise equipment.

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

NUFC is my drug. And walking is very cheap outdoor exercise equipment. :-)

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

Dougie, I thought you were saying you wasted money but your creditcard bill seems to be just the essentials. A little recomendation though, De Vinci's in Jesmond is much better value than the Copthorne, just as good a room & Breakfast for £45 a double.

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

Ta. Will bear that in mind. I'm actually thinking about moving home but I daresay that'll be in the longer term.. Did anyone know that you can buy a loaf of bread, a tin of ratatouille and a pound of apples in Tescos for £1.57? Well, you can. I also bought a medium jar of Marmite and some Ryvita.

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

It must be endemic world wide. To buy a place you can walk to the city from, I mean a house not a 2 bedroom flat will cost you about $250,000. A one bedroom flat about $70,000 and 2 bedroom about $85,000.

1 $A = 37p. you can work that out yourselves.

Mind you, you will be about 20 minutes from the beach. But that is the price you have to pay, you can't have everything.

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

Thought I'd entered grocery store heaven when I went to Tescos, dougal. 2 litre bottle of water for 23p, 40 teabags for 57p....even translated to US money it's cheaper than I'd ever find here. BTW, Davinci's has very tasty pizzas too.

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2001

Interesting thread, I work on the theory of a dollar saved is a dollar wasted, therefore I have nuthin. My elder cousin who lived/worked in Chicago most of his life fed me this garbage, at over 70 he spends 3 months of the year out of the UK in Florida, receives official mail from places like the Isle of Man!!!!, with shares in Walmart only will shop there, likes to hear the tills jingling . My business plan for the future is (a)lottery win (b)getting on Millianaire before I get too senile (c)will cuz from Chicago last me out.

When I arrived up here in 1980,. bought my place outright, pressed the flesh of the farmer/owner and still had £30,000 in my back poke from the sale of my house in The Orchard, Whickham , now I have a mortage, am skint , badly paid , well dont expect much at 61 , good to have a job still . Still I can look back and say my daughter had one helluva wedding , minutes silence for Lloyds TSB please.

Houses -> I realise that some day I am going to have to move, 3 mile out of village is a hassle, reading Gav`s posting made me wince, in our 17th century planned village there is one house I have always admired, The Old Mill House on the bank of a wee river, complete with water wheel, tastefully modernised but still retaining its charm , 3 berooms. sauna , etc etc £150,000 , bliddy snapped up by Alec Salmond (exleader SNP) who has decided to return to Westminister. Enjoy your spending when you can, and when you are able, if you aint got your health you aint got nothing

-- Anonymous, February 11, 2001

Gus..........Shhhhhhhh.

-- Anonymous, February 11, 2001

I know hiro, I was trying to make it as bad as I could and that is the best I could do!

-- Anonymous, February 11, 2001

Amen, Buff!

-- Anonymous, February 11, 2001

The tirle of this thread sums up yesterday perfectly :-((

-- Anonymous, February 12, 2001

make that title!

-- Anonymous, February 12, 2001