We were married in the 1960's and saved (i.e. walked to the station to save bus fare, didn't wear tights in the summer, went for walks as our dates etc., etc., etc., well you get the drift) really hard for our own home - as did many others at that time.
We have been 'fortunate' in working hard to pay off our mortgage, retire early, blah blah blah - without a penny from state or relatives.
However, I am becoming increasingly cross with the line being fed to the general population regarding those pensioners who 'have had it all' - i.e. us. There really seems to be a move to demonise older people.
I therefore agree that some, obviously not all, of Generation Y need to get a grip. I walk past coffee shops and they seem to be choc-a-bloc at all times of the day with young people. How? Why are they not working or buying a jar of Nescafe?
We had sky-high interest rates, everything seemed unattainable and I can remember walking into Sainsbury's and deciding not to buy a joint of meat as it was too expensive - I think my overall 'housekeeping' was £9.00 a week towards the end of the 1960's.
I see a creep of ageism in newspapers and television by various 'commentators'.
I ensure any money (bar a small amount for immediate pleasure, I'm not that curmudgeonly!) given to my grandchildren is saved. The older ones understand the concept of interest - working both for them as savers and against them as debtors.
Yes, I understand that house prices are appalling for youngsters but do what we did and move up the property ladder bit by bit.
I just don't understand the 'spend it now' mentality instead of doing some hard graft, saving, doing without for a while and obtaining one's own home.
Think I need to take a chill pill...