Money & Investing

I'm new here, can we talk just a few mins

Markets tanking 👀

Where can a girl meet a tall, dark skinned, dependable, well spoken, Muslim man ANYWHERE in Nigeria?😪
Or even abroad????

Heey 🤓🫶🏻

It’s happening 🛰️

https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/30/googles-first-data-center-satellite-is-online-and-writing-poetry/

The UK Budget this week was disappointing. AI tech stocks all in the red. Microsoft cutting 60,000 jobs, Barclays with 5,000 job losses, NatWest with 1,000 job losses. UK businesses have reduced hiring. Everything is increasing in price. Interest rates are likely to increase. There is so much uncertainty in this economy that it is scary. I am planning to save as much as I can. How are you guys planning financially?

Me checking my T212 account

“Red light therapy, sponsored by the Nasdaq."
Apparently the therapy stimulates natural healing, skin rejuvenation, pain reduction and hair growth 🤣

Some women are impressed by expensive things; others appreciate the character of the man who provides them. 🌹

I believe a beautiful marriage is a partnership between two people who bring peace, loyalty, affection and ambition into each other's lives.

I am a woman of faith, standards and sincere intentions. I'm not searching for endless conversations or temporary excitement. I'm interested in something rare: a man whose words match his actions and whose intentions are as beautiful as his ambitions.

Perhaps the best love stories begin with one sincere Salaam. 🌙❤️

How are people actually affording £20,000–£30,000 cars outright in this economy?

This is something I’ve genuinely been curious about for a while, and I’d love to hear people’s perspectives, particularly those who have bought relatively expensive cars with their own savings.

I regularly see people around my age driving cars worth £20,000, £25,000 or even £30,000+. I’m talking about cars like the Audi RS3, BMW M140i, Golf R, Mercedes A35 AMG and similar performance cars.

Now, before anyone says finance, I’m specifically talking about people who purchase these cars outright with cash. No PCP, no HP, no monthly finance agreements. They actually own the car.

And I sometimes sit there wondering, how on earth are people managing to afford these cars, especially in today’s economy?

Because it’s not just the initial purchase price, is it?

You’ve got insurance, road tax, servicing, tyres, brakes, fuel, unexpected repairs and potentially some very expensive maintenance bills, particularly with performance cars.

Then you’ve got the actual cost of living. Rent or mortgage payments, council tax, utilities, food shopping, family responsibilities, marriage expenses and everything else that comes with being an adult.

I understand that some people earn significantly more than others, some live with their parents and have minimal expenses, and others may have family support or successful businesses.

But even then, I find the financial decision itself quite interesting.

Let’s say you’re earning a decent salary and managing to save £700–£1,000 a month after covering your living expenses.

You could spend two or three years building up £20,000–£30,000 in savings, only to then spend a huge portion of it on a car.

And that’s where I struggle to understand the logic.

You’ve potentially sacrificed years of saving, only to purchase an asset that generally depreciates and continues costing you money every month.

It’s not as though most people can easily replace £20,000 in savings within a few months, especially when they have bills to pay, families to support or other financial commitments.

Of course, I understand that cars are a passion for some people. I love cars myself, and I can absolutely appreciate the enjoyment of owning something powerful, comfortable and exciting to drive.

But at what point does that enjoyment justify the financial sacrifice?

For example, imagine you’ve worked hard for three years and finally saved £30,000. Would you genuinely feel comfortable spending £25,000 of that on a car and leaving yourself with just £5,000?

Or are the people buying these cars outright generally in a much stronger financial position than I’m imagining? Perhaps they’ve got £80,000–£100,000 saved and spending £20,000 on a car isn’t particularly significant to them.

I’m also curious whether people are actually saving the entire amount from scratch, or whether they’re gradually upgrading their cars over the years.

For example, buying a £5,000 car, eventually selling it and adding another £5,000, then repeating that process until they’re driving something worth £20,000 or more.

That would make more sense to me than suddenly taking £25,000 out of your savings.

And for those who are married or financially responsible for other people, how do you justify such a large purchase when that money could potentially go towards a house deposit, investments, starting a business or building financial security for your family?

I’m not criticising anyone who spends their money on cars. Everyone has different priorities, and if you’ve worked hard for something, you’re entitled to enjoy it.

I’m genuinely trying to understand the financial thinking behind it.

So for those of you who have bought cars worth £20,000 or more outright:

How old were you when you bought it? What did you do for work? How long did it take you to save for it? And most importantly, what percentage of your total savings did you actually spend?

Did you ever regret spending that much money on a depreciating asset, or was the enjoyment worth every penny?

And for everyone else, how much money would you personally want to have saved before feeling financially comfortable buying a £25,000 car outright?

Would £30,000 in savings be enough? £50,000? £100,000?

I’m particularly interested in hearing from people who have mortgages, rent, children or other financial responsibilities, because buying a performance car while living at home with minimal expenses is a completely different financial situation.

I love cars, but I also value financial security, and sometimes I wonder how people manage to balance both without feeling like they’re undoing years of hard work and saving.

Only 55k more to spend till a free avios flight 🥲