Lucky Friends - The rant

[Petre]

Dont you just hate it when your 17 year old friend earns £1000 a month, and doesnt have a penny to pay on tax, bills, or needs? Especially when they spend every penny on weed/hash/Cd's/and beer? Especially when You are scr@ping the pennies together to buy something constructive and creative such as a low powered valve amp to slowly move up the ranks gear-wise?

grrr

Especially when they scrounge £1 at the end of the month for bus fare to work the next day  :roll: !!

Anyone else knwo anybody like this? Ive had two friends like it. The above earns his money in a full time job (perfectly reasonable) but wastes every penny (not reasonable). The other friend just came from a rich family  :x . Maybe its just jealousy, but dont u just hate it when you KNOW you could put the money to a far better use?! Im in full time further education, and have just managed to get a low-paid job to fill an evening here and there, so im no lazy bar-steward. Id eat excrement if it paid well :(

Petre

EDIT - Oh, and i know im a hell of a lot better off than some people, but thats not what im getting at  

[Dakine]

I was always taught (and stand by) that saving/working to afford somthing;
A. Makes you appreciate it that much more
B. Allows more time to think about purchase and hopefully negate remorse.

Not helpful but works for me :)

[Cattivo Ragazzo]

1000 a month naff all in reality, but if you have no outgoings, it's ok, but how my friends spend their money is no business of mine, they can piss it up the wall every day for all I care, it's not my money or my body.

[willo]

At the end of the day, whatever they choose to spend their money is their choice. Some people are fine to fritter away money, even if you'd much rather buy the latest pedal/amp/pickup whatever. It works in reverse too - I'm sure lots of people have looked at my gear and thought, why has he got so much? I used to get a lot of stick off my parents for that!

One of my best mates used to earn a lot at 18, and wasted it all. But he had fun, I guess that's why we spend money, if we don't enjoy the actual act of spending, we enjoy the result of whatever we spend it on - be that beer or books or guitars. Diff'rent strokes...

Having said that, at university here, it can be hard when you see people who have so much and mummy and daddy bought it all for them. But that's life; there's $%&# all I can do about it! I'm proud to look at my (fairly extensive) gear set up and to know that every single thing in it, I worked for and bought with my own cash. Even if I get rich, I'd like to teach my children the value of earning your money. :D

[Petre]

Wow. some good opinions there guys. I guess it is their money and its up to them what they do with it, just it feels there is no justice in the world! When i was younger my friend was a bit twisted in the head. He had stupidly loads of cash (would come to school with £100 in his wallet for no reason) then on the way home he'd buy them ultra-size bars of cadburies chocolate and hed just smash it up and hurl it down the road :S . Like £10 a day was wasted on mindless cr@p. Still, it was his idea of fun. But if i had that money, it would have gone to such better use. Maybe im just being a jealous moron  :(

Petre

[Searcher]

When i was younger my friend was a bit twisted in the head. He had stupidly loads of cash (would come to school with £100 in his wallet for no reason) then on the way home he'd buy them ultra-size bars of cadburies chocolate and hed just smash it up and hurl it down the road :S

My mother-in-law went to school with a kid who used to smash expensive things in front of people.  He grew up to be one of Canada's biggest serial killers.  Make new friends before it's too late!   :twisted:

[Cattivo Ragazzo]

I actually prefer to plead poverty, I frequently have large amounts of money, but I don't like people to know about it.. I am quite mizerly really, keep it hidden away safely in secret bank accounts etc.. lol but I think that's the best way to have it, never let people know you have money, especially friends, and NEVER be honest about your income with your girlfriends/wives, keep it zipped, you're always skint, live by that. ;)

[hunter]

Hmmm, just wondering about the interviews I read with the "old guys", Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore, etc, who didn't at all have money or access to proper guitars or amps at the start of their career.

They still became outstanding musicians, so maybe it's just not so important? Think we rather need a GAS cure than more cash ...

[maliciousteve]

At least those of us who can work, are actually working.

I used to have a friend who had no intention of getting a job. The one job he did have (only worked sundays) he quit for no reason. He now only goes out to go to college and band related stuff, he had no interest in beings friends after a while and i don't know why. He gets about by borrowing his money from his family (his mother has an illness and gets certain benefits). He hasn't worked for a single thing he owns.

I can't stand people like that. I work my arse off working through all hours of the night (some times day too), working 100's of miles from home and i just about make 1000 a month. Whilst he sits at home doing f*ck all and living off his parents.

It makes me proud that everything i've bought in the past 4 years (gear relatied and music related) has been earned by me working hard

[hunter]

well you know we could go on and on about that ...

My opinion is people like him shouldn't be judged, you don't know what his reasons are. Maybe it makes his mother happy to care for him and give him money? It's her and his decision.

If you think they shouldn't be able to do that in terms of welfare system, even then you shouldn't judge them but the system.

But hey as said, personal opinion, absolutely subjective.

And yes, I am working hard for my money too, does that make me proud? Not sure. Would be more proud earning 1/4 of what I have but with music!

[Searcher]

If you think they shouldn't be able to do that in terms of welfare system, even then you shouldn't judge them but the system.

"The system" is made up of people.  

I am not taking a bash at you, but politically correct cr@p about not judging people just lets them do whatever they want without having to take responsibility for themselves.

[monkeywalker]

yea i'm not into being 'PC' either, its just rediculous. obv i'm against things that are just out of order but theres no point in rapping people up in cotton wool.

anyway bak to the money thing. my mate ewan is having every single thing he does paid for by his parents. his dad is a partner in a firm of solicitors and he's loaded, he does stuff like  go to norway for the day to have dinner at a resteraunt he likes and so on. but he works really hard for what he gets and ewan is a really cool guy and works really hard just like his dad so i think he deserves it.even if they do blow their noses on £50 notes, thats their choice. i'd probably be jelous of most other people who get all their uni fees paid for them but hey.

still, you never know what you might make of your life :D

[maliciousteve]

If you think they shouldn't be able to do that in terms of welfare system, even then you shouldn't judge them but the system.

"The system" is made up of people.  

I am not taking a bash at you, but politically correct cr@p about not judging people just lets them do whatever they want without having to take responsibility for themselves.

I agree.

I happen to know the rest of his family very well. I would have conversation with them about everything. His mum and dad were annoyed at him that he didn't get his arse out the door to get a job and try to not avoid the real world. Every time they confronted him about it, he would lock himself in his room the entire week and not speak to ANYONE. He became incredibly lazy and had no desire to get out in the world and experience new things. I eventually gave up on him because i don't want to be friends with people who are lazy f*ckers.

[Bainzy]

Dont you just hate it when your 17 year old friend earns £1000 a month, and doesnt have a penny to pay on tax, bills, or needs?

If they really do earn £1000 a month, then they should be paying tax and national insurance. If they're not paying it, shop em lol

[Kilby]

If they really do earn £1000 a month, then they should be paying tax and national insurance. If they're not paying it, shop em lol

I would tend to agree with that suggestion, partitally thats due to me having to live on 150 a month (including transport) after all bills are paid.

Still it emans that when I get something it's usually something I have researched properly, and I truely enjoy appreciate the whatever it happens to be.

Rob...