What were your "wow we're poor" or "wow we are well off" moments when you were a kid?

It's not just the West - the growth of inequality is almost just as much a phenomenon in Asia as it is here. Read Piketty.

So many stories on this thread about people's families taking a vicious economic battering due to the depression since 2008.

It underlines the reality, that most people are worse off now than then, apart from a tiny number of very rich families, who have gained hugely. This is supposedly a desirable outcome according to the neoliberal politicians and economists who engineered it.

Obviously there is inequality everywhere. But the East in general is growing much faster compared to the West which is slowly dying. The Euro has basically failed, the Eurozone is failing, whereas the East are putting in measures to give access to new ways to accumulate wealth etc. Like in Indonesia there are brokers over there making around 40k a week currently, albeit some are doing other things they shouldn't be xD.

My parents weren't affected at all tbh.

The Eurozone may be sluggish, but the North European countries are still much richer on average than the Anglo-Saxon economies.

Your points about Asia are based on the delusion that their economy has separated, this is false - China is still utterly dependent on the US and Europe and our failure will eventually be theirs - they are already on the edge of a debt/asset bubble style collapse.

For me there were a few things that made it plainly obvious we were struggling financially top ones would probably be.

- When my mum had to work Christmas eve and Christmas day when we were kids because she couldn't afford not to take the shifts.

-When my packed lunches were bread and butter (before they started offering us free school lunches).

-Most of my clothes were second hand or hand me downs, own clothes days at school were just a recipe for bullying.

-When a pack of biscuits or crisps was a major treat

- the look of confusion and pity on friends faces when they asked me what I got for Christmas or birthdays, that one was probably one the worst.

-hearing my mum cry at night on the phone about money, that's when I realised mainly and stopped asking for things.

-never using the heating

Despite all that I had a great childhood my mum always took great care of us and despite being poor we hardly ever felt it as children.

Did anyone have a "wow we're average" moment?

What do you mean by that? Do real beds not have duvets?

When I was at uni I had to travel from Henley on themes. Waiting for the bus, some girls thought I was foreign. I'm from Sheffield, I literally couldn't understand what they were saying. They taught me to talk "properly", not the lazy way like in Yorkshire. By the time I had picked the accent up, everyone at university thought I was from Oxford.

Now I'm back in Sheffield, even though it has been a year, people have no idea that I'm from Sheffield, and think I'm stuck up because I "Sound Posh". I've not noticed the difference, and I have no idea what I sound like.

Most of the people don't mind. But some clearly do. It's rather annoying, as I've even left a job over. But I didn't like the job much.

I don't have as much money as I did. My spending was around £2,400 per week. Clearly it couldn't be sustained, but it wasn't debt. I just had no idea how to manage my money.

Now I don't have much. But I will build up something, as I'm going to start saving.

I've cut down my expenses to just food, a gym membership, rent and the internet.

I don't buy clothes anymore, I have quite a few but I'm still growing, which is going to be a problem.

I don't socialise anymore. I'm quite adapted to being on my own. It saves money, and as I've learned there's not much benefit in having lots of friends. I still talk to a couple from uni. I don't talk to old freinds from secondary school often.

When I'm in the work place I only talk to them during working hours, and leaving buildings.

I don't drink anymore, no do I go out. Infact I don't talk to the people I usually go out with, as far as deleting them from Facebook. Therefore I won't be tempted to go out. In fact I made a new Facebook and deleted my old one. It now looks more professional and doesn't look like I go out every night. I see it more of an extension of my LinkedIn.

I now have hobbies which aren't expensive, no do they require other people. it allows me to waste time, but it also allows me to actually achieve something.

I don't plan on getting married, as it just seems a dumb expensive idea. A divorce seems guaranteed.

I have a schedule, which I keep too. I'm very methodical. I don't plan on saving a huge amount of money, but a realistic one. If I didn't plan ahead I won't be able to save money. When I've saved enough I will put it into assets. I don't plan on sharing it with anyone. I see it more of a retirement fund. Nothing saved nothing gained.

Yes.

To put my situation this way, I'll be a pauper at university, neither my parents, nor the government, can afford to/will give me much money.

So many stories on this thread about people's families taking a vicious economic battering due to the depression since 2008.

It underlines the reality, that most people are worse off now than then, apart from a tiny number of very rich families, who have gained hugely. This is supposedly a desirable outcome according to the neoliberal politicians and economists who engineered it.