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Oh no. I can't afford to shop at Harrods...

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Reply 80

.Ali.

Original post by Cicerao

Random example. Say a mother buys her son a DS game every couple of months. He doesn't need one, but she treats him. Is that spoiling? I'd say probably not. Now imagine another mother buys her son whichever DS game he wants regardless of whether she can afford it or not. He says he wants it, he gets it. That is spoiling. Buying every item on the child's Christmas list regardless of whether you can really afford it for the sake of "not disappointing them" is spoiling them.

Possibly the second one, but as long as he's grateful I don't see a problem. What people want to spend their money on is their choice. Also, I don't see the issue with Christmas, maybe not everything, but that's why you ask people to make lists...

Having everything you want is a bad thing because it makes children incredibly materialistic and see money and material goods as the most important things in life. You can't always have what you want in life. What an awful lesson the woman is teaching her children. Most people here never got everything or even almost everything they wanted at Christmas and did fine. Look at all the people commenting here in disgust, clearly you are in the (probably rich) minority. It's generally accepted to be a bad thing

. Money is important though. Not the most important, but still very important. Yes I admit I'm in the minority (as for the rich part, it depends what you class as rich) , but I don't see what's wrong with doing things nicely at Christmas. We always have lovely Christmasses (I'm not saying whether that's down to money, family or whatever), and buying nice things at that time makes you feel happy.

No, she did not say "money is better than love," but she did say that Christmas will be "hellish" because she can't afford to shop at Harrods, the Christmas food isn't top-range and she can't buy £50 ribbons and her, so it's not exactly like I'm pulling it out of thin air. For people whose lives don't revolve around money, they still have a happy time, because money isn't what they need to be happy. Love is.

I will agree she exaggerated a tad, but it must feel horrible for her, because it's not what she is accustomed to.

Reply 81

.Ali.

Original post by black_mamba

Fair enough. I'm used to mixing with a variety of people where I live so have met people with big houses and lots of money, and visa versa also those that were struggling to eat. When I was growing up my parents were very poor, we did go through times of struggling to buy enough food, but more often it wasn't that bad (i.e. parents couldn't afford to take me out or travel or buy toys).

Now when this bitch comes on the Daily Fail and whinges about her mate or whoever not being able to buy a f-cking ipad, I want to rip my hair out at her ignorance.

Ali, you're quite young so perhaps haven't come across what it really means to be poor, but this stupid cow should know better. A real life troll. :rolleyes:

I suppose it's all relative really, and I can understand how someone would be offended by what she has said. But I still feel bad for her, as it's obviously uncomfortable for anyone, regardless of financial position, to lose a lot of money.

I'm not going to say I know what it's like to be poor because I don't (and hopefully I won't have to), but I don't think she was intentionally trying to offend anyone.

Reply 82

StrawberryLaces

That article is the ultimate trolling or the author is going to get a visit from me wielding piano wire and bin liner. Seriously though, I just had to spend my EMA on fixing our boiler. That's actual relative poverty.

Reply 83

Cicerao

Original post by .Ali.

People can spend their money on what they want, but it can still be called spoiling. :tongue:

Well, I can understand disappointment with not being able to buy presents. I can't spend Christmas with him, but I bought my LDR partner lovely presents (not expensive lovely, but things he'd really like) for our anniversary and Christmas. Then we discussed it and realised it would only be possible to send an envelope because packages sometimes go missing when I send them. So I could only send flat presents that fit into an envelope. You can imagine how limiting that is - very cheap (student budget) and totally or almost flat gifts.
So whereas he's sent me huge boxes of presents, I can only send him an envelope. I got him things like a magazine about superheroes (he loves them), a chocolate bar, a bookmark, a wristband...far less than I wanted to give him.
However, I know that he'll really appreciate what he does receive. Once I gave him a tiny card with a love phrase written on it and he enthused over it.
So even though I know it can be disappointing to not buy everything you wanted for someone, if they're a good person they'll appreciate the thought and the effort.
At least this woman can spend time with those she loves. We don't have that luxury. :frown:

Sorry for my life story. :tongue:

Reply 84

chinaberry

Hi York Colleger!
(No, I don't go there :wink:

)

'Course it's stupid. But it's the Daily Mail, what on earth are you expecting, for it to be a joke?

Reply 85

rocketwatch

Original post by chinaberry

Hi York Colleger!
(No, I don't go there :wink:

)

'Course it's stupid. But it's the Daily Mail, what on earth are you expecting, for it to be a joke?

~~Eh?~~ I forgot that was in my sig. I set it so it doesn't show them. I find threads easier to follow that way.

I wasn't really expecting much, to be honest, it being from the Daily Fail and all. I just came across it on Twitter and thought it could be something for people to discuss on here. :dontknow:

Where are you from then, if you don't mind me asking?

Reply 86

humy369

wat happened to christmas being about family and jesus and stuff
(coming from a muslim)

Reply 87

chinaberry

[QUOTE='[sophie];28781316']~~Eh?~~ I forgot that was in my sig. I set it so it doesn't show them. I find threads easier to follow that way.

I wasn't really expecting much, to be honest, it being from the Daily Fail and all. I just came across it on Twitter and thought it could be something for people to discuss on here. :dontknow:

Where are you from then, if you don't mind me asking?

I live in the same place you do (presumably), but I go to the sixth form near the uni. Gosh I might know you :biggrin:

It was interesting though, the article, but are they trying to go for the shock factor or if they're not, can't they see it's so see through! Properly-bred people don't moan about having fallen on hard times and especially not about not buying their little darlings the presents they want. They just sound like people who've got rich very suddenly.

Reply 88

Angela_Beth

"This year, the arrival of the festive period has sent shivers down my spine. And not because of the cold"

Wait, this woman actually claims to make a living as a writer?

Reply 89

ily_em

"wondering if I will be deemed mean for spending £10 less on a favourite godson."

That must mean she spends at least £20... my mum spends ~£10 on people who aren't immediate family and people don't think she is 'mean'. You can get nice presents for that amount if you put in the effort to look.

Reply 90

toofaforu

mega lolz at this thread and that article. harrods isnt even expensive, they have expensive stuff in there, but when you compare the price of the same goods and stuff, they are relatively normal.

Original post by *Lollo*

I can't imagine the 500 being household income, if that is all there is for one family, they wouldn't be able to afford to live in West London, which is probably the priciest area in all of Britain.

clearly has never been to west london

Original post by .Ali.

Lol I'm 16, I don't have a job, so yeah.

And because I've never expereinced it. Until I came on here, I thought my background was normal, until I got branded a "rah". Lol. I find it hard to believe people can live off what seems to me, so little. Where I live, everyone comes from a similar background to me, so I guess it's just what you're used to? :dontknow:

living off 500 quid a week is absurdly hard to believe.

Original post by Cicerao

The recession is affecting everybody

not really

this woman is a dumb bitch, with a point. if my family had to survive on 500 pounds, i'd feel like a pauper.

Reply 91

rocketwatch

Original post by chinaberry

I live in the same place you do (presumably), but I go to the sixth form near the uni. Gosh I might know you :biggrin:

Near the uni? Hmmm... *thinks*
Does it happen to have a new website, by any chance? If so, I thought the old green one was better... :wink:

Reply 92

amelle

if i told my mum i wanted an ipad like the girl in the article she would have just said hell no... save up and and give that money to charity :P

Reply 93

vin

This has to be a joke :s:

Reply 94

*Lollo*

Original post by toofaforu

mega lolz at this thread and that article. harrods isnt even expensive, they have expensive stuff in there, but when you compare the price of the same goods and stuff, they are relatively normal.

clearly has never been to west london

living off 500 quid a week is absurdly hard to believe.

not really

this woman is a dumb bitch, with a point. if my family had to survive on 500 pounds, i'd feel like a pauper.

I believe Kensington, Chelsea and Fulham are considered to be pricey, but you are of a different opinion? If you find an apartment for a full family there at a couple of hundreds a month, let me know.

Reply 95

mariashafira

[QUOTE='[sophie];28779083']I thought that posting such an article would be a bit ridiculous when so many people have much more important financial problems than being unable to buy salmon from Harrods at Christmas.

That was not the message of her article though, you're reading what you want into it. She made the Harrods comment to show how substantial her spending power has dropped. To go from salmon at Harrods to Poundland in such a short amount of time, obviously the women is going to be devastated?!
She is not complaining about herself, she is upset over how she cannot provide her family with what she feels she needs to provide. She feels she's disappointing her daughter and other family members as a result. Her message is that to save her this embarrassment, she wishes christmas could be cancelled this year, if you read past the first paragraph.
In no way did she prioritise her worries over other people's financial problems. Unless you didn't know, there have always been people with "much more important financial problems" as you put it, there have always been poverty stricken people on our streets. But that does not render this woman's article "ridiculous".

Reply 96

blue_shift86

god, what a zealous, arrogant, stuck up cow! I mean even her new x-mas budget is a luxuary for me. Posh rich people should stop moaning because there are always going to be people worse off than them, but they don't go running to the newspapers begging for sympathy now do they?

Reply 97

mariashafira

Original post by .Ali.

Agreed and repped.

Reply 98

toofaforu

Original post by *Lollo*

you have established yourself as a moron already. west london does not consist solely of kensington, chelsea and fulham.

Reply 99

*Lollo*

Original post by toofaforu

you have established yourself as a moron already. west london does not consist solely of kensington, chelsea and fulham.

Anger issues, maybe? My God. I didn't say that those three made up all of W London, but West London is in general not cheap, and from her other articles I believe she lives in Notting Hill, which has become, I think we may agree, an expensive area.