Incomes What do you survive on

We have a 3 bedroom highset brick house. It's very small by todays standards. I keep having this strange feeling that I'm supposed to upgrade to a mansion, but I just can't see a reason to go into 150k of debt. hmmmm.

Back in 1849, Charles Dickens had a comment on the question of how much income you need.

Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pound ought and six, result misery.Charles Dickens, David Copperfield, 1849
English novelist (1812 - 1870)

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Originally Posted by Ralph1Malph

I had a conversation with a colleague at work today about similar things. He was complaining that his son and D-I-L couldn't afford to buy a house on his single wage. I commented that expectations had risen well above the achievable.
For example, my parents first home that they purchased together in 1972 was a 3 bed, single dunny, 1 bathroom, one combined lounge/dining and totalled about 9 squares of plain brick veneer. I asked if his son and D-I-L would accept that now as they are 'cheap' first homes. No way I was told, they need a double garage for their 2 cars and a rumpus room big enough for their home theatre!
Does anybody not see the irony here? Materiel goods are fine and dandy but the priority is all wrong in some cases IMHO.

Ralph

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Ralph,

Interesting :)
My kids are the same.

However when I was a young Soldier in Sydney, we had three tiny kids, lived in a Army House that was very tiny and the rent was quite high, considering what I was paid.
It was a Labor government at that time, and we felt like second class citizens. The civilians in the street would not give us the time of the day because we were Army trash!

My whole wage went to the wife to keep us alive and I kept a dollar as spending money. This was 1984.

Over the years things got slightly better as my rank increased, but we could never afford to buy a house on the one wage.

When I left the Army, 30 years later, I was able to buy a house almost outright, from my payout.

Mind you that was 30 years.
The young ones of today are disappointed if they cannot buy a house soon after they think about it.

I did could not afford a my first new car until 1992 :)

Now I'm doing better than I ever had, though I should say, "some people are not happy about that". Once I was Army trash and now to some, I may be considered a DVA "bludger".

I can live with that :D
It is better than having rottentomatoes thrown at me at the Melbourne airport in 1970 :(

It takes all kinds to make a world and as we become more "worldly", our expectations increase.

Rant over!
36 volt for power, copper boilers for washing clothes, kero fridges and slow combustion stove s for hot water that ran out of wood! was NOT fun :mad:

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Originally Posted by RonMcGr

Ralph,

Interesting :)
My kids are the same.

However when I was a young Soldier in Sydney, we had three tiny kids, lived in a Army House that was very tiny and the rent was quite high, considering what I was paid.
It was a Labor government at that time, and we felt like second class citizens. The civilians in the street would not give us the time of the day because we were Army trash!

My whole wage went to the wife to keep us alive and I kept a dollar as spending money. This was 1984.

Over the years things got slightly better as my rank increased, but we could never afford to buy a house on the one wage.

When I left the Army, 30 years later, I was able to buy a house almost outright, from my payout.

Mind you that was 30 years.
The young ones of today are disappointed if they cannot buy a house soon after they think about it.

I did could not afford a my first new car until 1992 :)

Now I'm doing better than I ever had, though I should say, "some people are not happy about that". Once I was Army trash and now to some, I may be considered a DVA "bludger".

I can live with that :D
It is better than having rottentomatoes thrown at me at the Melbourne airport in 1970 :(

It takes all kinds to make a world and as we become more "worldly", our expectations increase.

Rant over!
36 volt for power, copper boilers for washing clothes, kero fridges and slow combustion stove s for hot water that ran out of wood! was NOT fun :mad:

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Hey guys,

Sorry if this sounded like sour grapes :D

It was not intended that way.
I loved my life in the ADF and if I was able to start again, I would not change one bit, other that todays rules, FAR better on the body, less damage :D

Ron, when I first joint the army I too wanted to be a twenty year man..but it is funny how things go with serviceman..I did 10yrs and a further 10 as a reserve..

My best mate joined in 1978 (navy) retired last year with his pension, but he was a "Clearance Diver" and spent 5yrs attached to SASR..he retired owns a very swish property, a 7.3m brand new aluminium pleasure craft, newish Toyota Landlooser, a 2003 Saab 95 turbo and lives a nice life now as a offshore commercial diver who earns $21000 after tax for 25days work..
So not all ex serviceman suffer...oh by the way he is entitled to DVA as during his service he broke 12 bones in training and is classed as 87% disabled..but he still can at 46yrs age run 5km in 16minutes..
I think we are all responsible for where we are unless you are confined to a wheel chair as a quad, you can move forward if you really want to.

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Originally Posted by DirtyDawg

Ron, when I first joint the army I too wanted to be a twenty year man..but it is funny how things go with serviceman..I did 10yrs and a further 10 as a reserve..

My best mate joined in 1978 (navy) retired last year with his pension, but he was a "Clearance Diver" and spent 5yrs attached to SASR..he retired owns a very swish property, a 7.3m brand new aluminium pleasure craft, newish Toyota Landlooser, a 2003 Saab 95 turbo and lives a nice life now as a offshore commercial diver who earns $21000 after tax for 25days work..
So not all ex serviceman suffer...oh by the way he is entitled to DVA as during his service he broke 12 bones in training and is classed as 87% disabled..but he still can at 46yrs age run 5km in 16minutes..
I think we are all responsible for where we are unless you are confined to a wheel chair as a quad, you can move forward if you really want to.

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Very true :)

He was a clearance diver?
Did very well then, they are the best in the Navy, those that pass the course are very fit. One of my Soldier did that course and passed it. He told me what was involved.

As for myself, I'm really happy with what I have and doing what I can :D

Cheers,

Ron, we had kero lighting and frig, the same copper,slow combustion stove, tank water and a wireless that ran on big dry cell batteries etc.
Anyone remember "Blue Hills", Mo, Jack Davey,
"Hop Harrigan" and "Dr. Mack".
Over the years we have lived in similar conditions in the
outback and times without any of these luxuries.
I would be quite happy to live that simple existance
full time, but my Wife, perhaps not.
I dont need goodies and toys and lots of stuff.
What I am trying to say is that I disagree !
It was fun.
Cheers.
Robert.
PS:
If those Idiots had grown the tomatoes themselves,
they would not have wasted them !

240k / annum - its enough.

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Originally Posted by olbod

Ron, we had kero lighting and frig, the same copper,slow combustion stove, tank water and a wireless that ran on big dry cell batteries etc.
Anyone remember "Blue Hills", Mo, Jack Davey,
"Hop Harrigan" and "Dr. Mack".
Over the years we have lived in similar conditions in the
outback and times without any of these luxuries.
I would be quite happy to live that simple existance
full time, but my Wife, perhaps not.
I dont need goodies and toys and lots of stuff.
What I am trying to say is that I disagree !
It was fun.
Cheers.
Robert.
PS:
If those Idiots had grown the tomatoes themselves,
they would not have wasted them !

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Hi Robert,

Yes, Blue Hills by Gwen Merridith (sp).
Sunday nights we used to lie on the lounge floor and listen to Sunday Play house, this was BT, Before Tele :D
Mind you, back then things were simple.
The people in Adelaide had an accent, the ones in Melbourne had a different one, the said things like "Schoo-el and Ford Fullcon". We used to get the runs by drinking water in either place as it was different to the rain water on the farm.

No with airplanes and travel, it raely happens unless you go overseas :)

Cheers

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Originally Posted by Grimace

240k / annum - its enough.

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You earning that....BS:D