house prices

My DD the facts :

Bought property with b/f who was in the forces . He did a runner, just disappeared one day leaving her with all his sh*t to sort out . A GN member helped us trace him . Fought to keep her tiny home ( with masses of help ) and then met her now partner and had the baby she was told she would never have ( for medical reasons) aged 33 . Works in a coffee shop just over £8 an hour . Partner can’t sell his ex council property so they are completely broke . She Definitely wouldn’t have been wealthy enough to have a baby in your world !

Maybe you should pop up to Tyneside and check out all those jobs available. You really don’t have a clue Jennifer .

Well considering I had my son at 18 as a single parent working full time without a thing to call my own perhaps I should have given him away then Jennifer ?

I couldn't really comment on your daughter gillybob without knowing the facts. Some women decide they want a baby without the means to support themselves or the child, and obviously that is completely wrong, as that was not what the Welfare State was set up for. Now I am absolutely not saying that is your daughter's situation, but just using it as an example.

Regarding the comment that it's not possible to leave one job now and walk into another. Unemployment is at it's lowest level for over 40 years, so clearly there are jobs out there.

Basically “only” not on !

So basically on middle class ( I’m doing alright thank you very much ) people should breed Jennifer is that what you are saying? Blimey I can’t believe anyone would deprive someone like my DD from having her one and only child because she really can’t afford her.

Ain't that the truth lemongrove just the same as all generations really. It's a simple fact you can't save what you ain't got.

Also, we cannot lump all young people together, some are doing very nicely thank you, others are trying to save, others are spending all they get, others have poor jobs and not much money.

Jennifer I agree that younger generations have much higher expectations of life than we had, which enabled us to put up with less and save up.

Good post knickas63 ??

So WHAT on earth is wrong with saying people should only have children they can afford? Who do you suggests pays for those children if not the parents? That has surely got to be a wind up comment if ever I heard one.

Ye gods, I feel I have landed on an alien planet here.

It's totally beyond me how so many seem to feel they have no control over their lives when this is clearly rubbish.

Surely somebody agrees with me?

To be fair, judging from some of the smug, self satisfied "we 'ad it 'hard in our day, why should the young 'uns 'ave it any easier" comments on here, I'm not in the least bit surprised that their is a generational resentment against us.

Exactly grannyactivist. The previous generation may have gone without, struggled with high mortgage rates etc but they knew it would be worth it, it would get better, they would likely pay the mortgage off. If you are a young family renting now, all you can face is years of moving as your family increases and then decreases. Has anyone given consideration to the HB cost when the current working and renting generation retires? No family homes to downsize from and subsidise retirement with. Or pay care fees.

We can argue about 'us' versus 'them' until the cows come home, but I have every sympathy with anyone who struggles with the stress of 'just about managing' and those who live a hand to mouth existence without any real expectation (or let's call it hope) that things will get better soon.

gilly we were far too poor to own anything that came in a cardboard box, but my first 'crib' was the bottom drawer in the bedroom mum and dad shared with my older brother and sister (true story!).

Crikey some very smug and comments from people. Complete lack of understanding of what life is like for some people. Next you'll be saying that people shouldn't have children unless they can afford them......

Exactly chewy

If we are not happy with our lives it is within our power to do something about it

Smug emoticon needed.

Well my parents never owned their own home, they always rented. Of their 4 children I'm the only one who bought their own home, my brothers and sister all still rent. I think I bought out of necessity, at 18 I would have still been living at home but as both my parents had died that wasn't an option. So I bought a house with my BF we had a £500 deposit between us and that was enough. Today you'd need around £25k just for the deposit then you have to add on stamp duty, legal fees etc.That's a massive amount to save up even if you are still living at home and trying to have a relatively normal life but nigh on impossible if you rent your own home. I talked to my sons and we agreed they'd live at home rent free if they saved a deposit, which thankfully in their case was a while ago but they still had to come up with £15K deposit + all the extras. It's not easy, I couldn't afford to give them a deposit but I could afford for them to live rent free and they had the sense to accept the offer rather than rent a flat, they knew it made sense but not everyone can do that.

I would say I can see both sides - but there are no sides, just the media whipping up discord as usual. 'Baby Boomers' struggled to get where they are, and are not to blame for the current situation. 'Millennials' have a whole host of different problems. It is nigh on impossible for you average 20 something to get on mortgae ladder. The deposits are too high and you have to be earning an absolute fortune to get one even if you can get the deposit. They need to re evaluate how you are deemed acceptable for a mortgage. To my mind, if you are in steady employment, and have managed to pay a ridiculously high rent for a few years, then regardless of income or deposit, you should be classed as being able to afford a mortgage. It's not rocket science.

Aaaah but did you ever live in a cardboard box grannya

My apologies if I got the wrong end of the stick ContraryMary

I do hate these threads based on unrealistic assumptions that all young people have the same opportunities to save and better themselves when they clearly do not.

I think it's a bit like comparing oranges and pears to be honest. Life, and expectations are very different now, but there are still people of all ages doing very nicely and still people of all ages struggling just to put food on the table. And that is the problem with sweeping generalisations; they don't address the circumstances of individuals.
I did smile at gilly's comment though: yes, I did have porridge made with water and once (fortunately briefly) shared a pair of shoes with my older sister. We used to laugh (though not at the time) and say that the first one of us up was the best dressed.

Should read trappings of wealth.

gillybob if you read my post you would see that I said that I can’t feel sorry for the people who have the trappings of and complain that they can’t save
Not all Young People.
Yes, I do know the minimum wage and the price of a 2 bed rental cottage with damp walls, because my daughter is renting one at the moment with her friend and is working 2 jobs to try and save, both at minimum wage.
Due to her health she had to give up a well paid job which has set her back.
I wish I had dug up the 4 leaf clover plant we had in our damp cottage and moved it around with us, we could certainly use it now.