Money

[Mad Erik]

Don't know if I've been lucky or some of you lot have been unlucky.

 

Never had a problem with rounds whatsoever. If there's a fair few of you then people inevitabley are in little groups anyway. If someones's drinking really slowly for whatever reason, or on the soft drinks, or something of that nature, then you can just take it into account. Provided you're not an absolute tight-arse, who's literally counting pennies and you have a modicum of common sense you're fine.

 

I've certainly never seen or been part of a row over rounds. Occasionally you'll get a bit shafted, other times you'll do okay out of it. Provided you hang around with decent people, I really do think it all evens out in the end.

 

With regards to money in general, I think someone summed it up well earlier in the thread: if you really hanker after it, you'll always want more. Instead of being happy with a Ford, you'll want a BMW, then you'll want an Aston Martin, etc, etc. In part it's human nature, but I think it's important to remember that there might be a few people doing better than you; but there's always a lot who are doing worse.

 

I think a really interesting question is about saving/spending. I have always been really financially aware and prudent. I have been fortunate to come from a relatively well off background and have always appreciated the value of only buying what you can afford, trying to put a few hundred away (when possible) each month and the like. However I totally understand the 'can't take it with you' attitude of some people. People can accrue vast amounts for retirement and tragically never get to spend it, or thanks to a weak FTSE get far less than they'd hoped.

[A Red]

I fucking hate rounds. Went out last week with friends that were staying with us (4 of them), suggested we got our own but got the distinct impression they thought I was a twat for even considering it. Spent £40 and had 4 pints.

 

The only time rounds work for me are when youre all drinking the same, the bar is busy and you're not going anywhere else.

[Brownie]

I used to subscribe to the view that money can't buy you happiness etc but that's a load of shite.

 

You need money to be able to enjoy yourself, or at least I do anyway. If that makes me a cunt in any way then so be it but it's a lesson i've learned over the years.

 

When I was a kid we went from being really comfortable to having nothing when my dad left and lumbered my mum with a mortgage she couldn't afford to pay on her own with 4 kids etc.

 

So we lost what was a really nice house and ended up moving around 4 or 5 times. In those years we had very little and it showed.

 

When I was old enough to fuck off to uni I did so with absolutely no financial knowledge whatsoever and I got myself into bother (still paying the student loan back now).

 

From around 2004 onwards i've been much better with my understanding and these days i'd describe myself as comfortable enough. I think about money a lot though, I wouldn't say i'm tight but I try to be efficient as possible with stuff like bills so that I have as much disposable income as possible to spend on the enjoyable things (we all have different tastes).

 

I learnt the hard way that you can be overly wreckless with your money.

 

Having said that, I still spend a lot of money each money paying debts but I guess I see it as manageable debt when I have enough left over to still provide for my son and do the things that I enjoy.

 

One day in the distant future I aim to be debt free so that I can retire relatively early and just park myself on a golf course somewhere.

[Rick Sanchez C-137]

Money by itself won't make you happy though, but it will allow you the freedom to do things that might, more often. But can you imagine being a billionaire, but all alone? I'd rather be poor and have my family.

 

Obviously given the option I'd have my family, friends, and be loaded too.

[Total Longo]

Too right. Not enough life skills taught at school. How to be with money, how not to be a prick, how to fend off muggings....

 

Nah forget about all that, how about learning about annual precipitation in Guatemala and the date that the entente cordiale was agreed instead?

 

Both absolutely pointless, yet i recall them. Maybe school did work after all.

[Nunavut Patrick]

Until you are in Guatemala during rainy season with no brolly.

[Bjornebye]

A + B?

[Mil-ing Around]

People actually take a group to a cheaper pub so their own round costs less? I honestly can't believe that happens! Part of me wants to applaud such cuntish tactics. 

[Elite]

You're a slave to money then you die-iiiieee

[Elite]

People actually take a group to a cheaper pub so their own round costs less? I honestly can't believe that happens! Part of me wants to applaud such cuntish tactics.

When's it mine round we go the offy for a crate of skol.

[JagSquared]

It's an odd one i am not really motivated by money, especially at the cost of work life balance however I had the opportunity last year to leave my current job for a role that was a 4 minute walk from my house (rather than the 40 min motorway drive). But despite being offered the job working with my old boss I had to turn it down.

 

Although i say it was down to career development, industry and ability to climb. Money was the important factor.

 

My current workplace offered me a promotion and a sizeable increase to stay, better pension, bonuses, better healthcare and the best industry to get ahead in what I do.

 

Being honest with myself I thought about being able to provide for a future family and how if I had taken the other job would have meant not being able to do the things I would have liked )holidays, experiences etc)

 

I've always said I don't care about money but I do. I want to be comfortable and I want to give my partner and our potential offspring the best start in life. If that means having to chase money in the immediate term then I guess that's it.

 

I've always been a massive lefty and against the pursuit of money and had I been care free and single I would have done it. Guess we all do have a price.

[Bob]

Jairz summed up a lot of my views on the first page, to the point I actually thought I'd written the start of his post myself on a single topic previously and he'd nicked it.

 

Having said that, I'm almost delirious with tiredness.

 

I didn't read the whole of his post though as my eyes started hurting and I expect he got a bit socialist as he does, but I imagine he was mostly right anyway.

 

I'm tired.

 

Rounds annoy me if the group is bigger than 5 or 6 because most people are unreliable after half a dozen pints and I'm a happy spender when I'm pissed, so I always end the night knowing I've bought twice as many drinks as some.

 

I can't think of a time I've ever had a kitty though, with the exception of our 5-a-side xmas all dayer, which is only really because the guy who organises the pitch booking charges everyone the same fixed fee no matter how many turn up (as little as 7, as much as 14) and puts the surplus away each week to have a few hundred quid by Xmas. Everyone that's staying out for the full day & curry throws £10 or £20 in, depending how juicy the surplus is, and tops up what's missing when the curry bill comes. We're drinking in quiet enough boozers on a Sunday afternoon and you can as easily go and grab yourself one drink from the kitty as you can half a dozen for people. It works well but on a night out it'd be shite.

 

Other than that one occasion, if out in a large group - stags, races, whatever - natural splits into mini rounds are the way. 3, 4, 5 of you, join forces. All the benefit of knowing you don't have to go to the bar for a good while, none of the shit.

[Bob]

As for my relationship with money: I'm shit with it.

 

I earn a decent salary, have a fully expenses company car, and rarely seem to have any cash.

 

I've a reputation for being tight, but when I have cash I'm not tight at all.

 

If my Employer was to double my wage i'd still expect to have no money and wouldn't have any noticeably better stuff to show for it either. Fuck knows where it goes.

[G Richards]

Good topic Ginny, repped. I'd just like to correct this slight misquote if I may,

 

Some people think it's 'the root of all evil' or so we were taught by religion.

The actual quote is, "The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil..." (1 Timothy 6:10). The scripture goes on to talk about people who loved money and "pierced themselves with all kinds of grief." It's the love of money that is the problem. Money in itself is just a tool and can be used for good, evil, and everything in between.

 

On a personal note I grew up on a council estate and we didn't have a lot. But we were all fine! I'm thankful that our parents instilled a value on education, as it helped most of us go on to better lives than they knew. As an adult I've had times of want and times of plenty and we've been fine throughout it all. I'd like to think Mrs G and I have been fairly generous with money during our married life as we've alway given at least 10% of what we earn to charity each month. One of the difficulties of modern culture is the accumulation of 'stuff' and it's always a temptation to have newer, bigger, better... When we give it keeps us grounded. But I don't want to pretend we live a monastic lifestyle. We have a house, car, TV, iPhones and all the rest of it, but giving money away reminds us that there are far more important things in life.

 

If I could sum it up I'd say we try to love people and use money. Too many lose their way because they love money and use people.

[A Red]

I found my pursuit of money was at its strongest when i was married with a family to bring up, every job decision was based on who would pay the most. Now i dont have those responsibilities its based on quality of life. 

 

I was going to say that I am lucky to be in the situation I am now but its not luck but rather design (mainly)

 

My problem with money is the way that some people use it as a means of measuring others success or status. 

[Paulie Dangerously]

Kittys always seem to go further I find. Plus if you're pub hopping the difference in round prices can vary to ludicrous levels so it eliminates someone getting stung in all bar one for a round of £4.65 pints

[Mad Erik]

Agree that the biggest problem with money is people use it to measure success, achievement or status. For example I have a mate who's Dad owns a company of 30 or 40 people. He gave his son a job managing one of the departments. Fair enough, I'd have done the same. He's a nice lad, neither particularly intelligent nor thick. Yet, thanks to his Dad he must be on 35-40k by the age of 30. He's got no kids, so is obviously pretty cash-rich.

 

It's not his 'fault' and he's certainly not brash with it. Good luck to him. However, when you consider he's got a well-paying job, pushing round bits of paper through no real talent or hard work of his own, it that shows the problems with judging someone by salary, car, cash in bank, whatever. There must be people out there with Masters, PhD's, whatever, slaving away on meaningful shit and taking home half that. That's obviously the way of the world, but it does show why money certainly doesn't equate to 'success' or 'achievement'.

 

On rounds, yes, you can get stung, but unless you're buying rounds for ten people, you shouldn't ever be more than a tenner out of pocket. Maximum. I always find if that happens, I'll pay far less in the taxi home, or whatever. I really do think it evens itself out over time provided you've got decent mates of course, but that's just my opinion.