Quote:
Originally Posted by avistew
That reminds me of a friend of mine. Well two of them. One lived in a studio (10 square metres, about 100 square feet) and earned 800 euros a month. She wasn't doing awesome but she was getting by.
The other, who's from a super rich family, would make comments like "well, you can buy lots of stuff with 800 euros!"
I've shopped with her in the past (which mostly means I've carried her bags lol) and it was common (yes, common, she'd do it regularly, as in several times a month at least) to buy 600 euros worth of DVDs in one go, then move on to the comic book section or clothes and spend even more.
It completely boggled my mind that she could only think of money in matters of "pocket money", that is money to spend on stuff she wanted. It never seemed to cross her mind that things like rent, electricity bills, transportation and food (not restaurants, just basic cheap food) cost money too, and a lot of it. And that my other friend didn't have money left that she could spend as "pocket money" once she was done paying for the basics.
It was a bit frustrating to say the least. Especially since she's such a nice and generous person. For her money just isn't an object, she's never had to stop and think about it, as you said because she's never lacked it.
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Yeah, that's exactly the type of thing that I'm talking about. I don't think you should blame people for that sort of behaviour though - if it's a genuine lack of thought/knowledge on their part then it's best to just let it slide.
About the 50% of your income thingy, though, as I said I get £30 a week, and I usually end up spending about £20 of it on food (which is about 67%). The rest is sometimes saved, sometimes spent on things for college and sometimes spent as pocket money. I think you're right that the amount you spend on things you "need" depends entirely on how much you actually earn.