Hello Dear Reader,

We live in a topsy turvy world where everyone, whether they earn enough or not enough expect to be able to buy or pay for what ever they like. Some where along the line, some people just didn’t learn the concept of tough luck. Oh blimey, some of us learnt that at a very early age. I remember that pouting and moaning that I didn’t have this, that or the other meant my mother would dole out a liberal dose of reality and that would be the end of that. My kids faced the same short shrift if they whined for something we couldn’t afford. Even now, if I can’t afford it, I just live without it.

We also live in a wonky world where financial priorities are oddly skewed. Here are my humble thoughts on priorities.

Housing - always rent or buy something well beneath your means as circumstances can change, food and commodities can get more expensive. That might mean you might have to live on a cheaper street, in a cheaper town, in a cheaper county as location, location, location means you will pay over the odds for housing and council tax. It might mean you won’t have a flashy home, anything with kerb appeal and you won’t be able to wax lyrical about period features. When you manage to get somewhere to live, wherever that may be, the rent or mortgage come first every month, on time. It’s tough luck that the UK is expensive, it’s chuffing crowded! More people live on this tiny island than either Canada or Australia so don’t expect much for your wages. Tough luck? Yep, and plenty of it!

Bills - the lights, gas and water does not turn up as a gift and needs to be paid for on time every month. I don’t expect anyone to donate utilities to me and neither do you because we don’t think it’s a right or entitlement Not paying those bills on time each month affects credit ratings and any chance you have of renting or buying anywhere else in the future. I’ve always paid our bills on time, every month and never once thought I’ll pay for something else and catch up on the water bill another time. You and me will have heard all the griping and moaning about bills as if only oligarchs should pay. It’s tough luck that we all have to pay even if that means there’s very little left after paying the basic bills.

Food - unless you’re here for the first time, you’ll know that it’s possible to eat well for a reasonable price. Food doesn’t take masses of time or money and where the heck did this crazy world make eating out normal? I’m not missing out because I go home to soup or baked beans on toast and I’ve never moaned that I can’t afford lobster….and I flippin’ love seafood! The reality is we can’t all afford to eat out but with home cooking, budgeting and preparation we can eat healthily.

So, there’s the neccessities. Get them right. Anything else is bonus. There are plenty of things that are not essential but you’d be amazed what this bonkers world thinks as necessary and that they have a right to as if a night down the pub is a human right. We can’t have what we can’t afford so why has this loopy society raised humans to think they have an entitlement to more than they can afford? It beats me, it really does. Not so long ago, you lived within your means but now everyone expects to have ‘what everyone else has’ whether you can afford it or not.

Over to you, what’s essential and what’s not? Where do you think this crazy notion of entitlement has come from? I’m scratching my head on this one and maybe you have the answers.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxx