Is everybody broke?

Your landlords mortgage won't pay itself you know. Won't anyone think of the poor landlords?

Got to keep them in the lifestyle they're accustomed to.

These threads are always fascinating. It's almost self-selecting people from both extremes (those that are fighting to survive, and those that are awash with cash earnings 6 figures).

The truth lies somewhere in the middle I think and really depends on your lifestyle and your outlook and how much value you put on things.

For example you'll have people who watch every penny and still be poor, or others that'll watch every penny and make sure every penny has a job to live and plan for the future.

On the other hand, Ireland has a super highly educated workforce (mainly tech/pharma/legal) where salaries are super competitive. And in this bracket again you'll have people who'll be poor due to lifestyle creep and those that spend frivolously but still plan for the future.

I'm in the latter portion here, I earn well but I'm frugal as feck. I'd pick a penny off the floor where others would walk over it. I'm smart when it comes to spending, every euro of my pay cheque has a job, I separate my outgoings into needs and wants and make sure that all my needs (housing/future/food/transport) are taken care of before a single euro is spent elsewhere). I have a buffer fund that anything unforeseen is taken out of and is topped up over the next few months (car needed new brake pads and a service, €800 came out of the buffer and was replenished over 3 months), this stops any unexpected cost to cripple me for a month and it's extremely liberating not having to worry about this on a weekly basis.

Living this way is quite tough to set up and took me years of investing in myself and my wife to get to this point but I'm reaping the rewards of it now. It allows me to go on two/three holidays a year (did Indonesia and New York this year and maybe one European city break by year end). I know my family and peers are jealous of this lifestyle, but really don't like it when I point out that their 3 kids that are all teenagers cost roughly 11k per year until they hit college age ( https://www.layahealthcare.ie/pressandmedia/pressreleases/105321---the-cost-of-raising-a-child-from-cradle-to-college.html#:~:text=Irish%20households%20are%20spending%20an,every%20year%20on%20their%20children. ) (not a super valid article statistically but eye opening nonetheless). They've put their money into growing a family (totally fine), whereas I have not (also totally fine).

They used to talk about the rat race years ago and it's still going on

Parents commuting and paying OTT rent and creche fees no time or money

It's hardly living at all

Almost like it's a personal choice, I get it. I just don't get when people are jealous of someone's choice.

Am I jealous of someone who personally decides to have kids for whatever reason? No. Should others be jealous of my personal choices? I'd say no but (in my opinion) they show otherwise and that's on them not on me. I guess there's a reason why Irish people are known as begrudgers but I don't know where it's come from personally (the well off girl that comes back from London at Christmas, the fella that's always away/wears nice clothes etc.).

I don't need to have kids to support me in the future as I'm not banking on there being a state provided pension to the levels it's at currently (which is piss poor already) when I retire in 40 years.

I'm frequently called "Rich Uncle John*" by my siblings (that have kids). So no, it's not just my perception. If that's not jealousy then I don't know what is. This is just one example, there are many others that I won't go into.

*Johnn not my real name, just example.

Yeah and the bastards probably have Netflix and eat Avocado & Toast once a week too.

Not to mention the weekly ration of Columbian marching powder to enrich their weekly bout of vanilla sex.