Things you can and cannot afford

What can one afford being an average citizen in your country? Which things are general to be able to do for the great majority?

1. Go on holiday for at least a week each year.
2. Have a car in the household
3. Have an own car from around 20.
4. Eat as much as you want.
5. Having possibility to do sports regularly in the proper recreational areas and gyms.
6. Have a healthy nourishment (eat healthy food)
7. To trust local healthcare.
8. Living in a flat/house with proper size.
9. To trust local police.
10. Going in the streets relaxed at night too.
11. Buy a new larger household device at once it is totally broken. (refrigerator, TV, washing machine, computer...)
12. Drive a car or ride a bike or walking without anxiety (without too many aggressive drivers or riders)

I would like if you answered from as many countries as possible. I am very interested in it!

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Well anyway, my answers:

1. Go on holiday for at least a week each year.
Yes. Tho it depends, where to. Inside our own country, defenetely. To our neighbor countries and some other closer ones, probably. To somewhere exotic, probably not, unless it's really cheap.
2. Have a car in the household Yup
3. Have an own car from around 20. Not maybe a new Ferrari, but I think yes.
4. Eat as much as you want. As much as I want, yes; as much as I want something expensive, don't think so.
5. Having possibility to do sports regularly in the proper recreational areas and gyms. Yes
6. Have a healthy nourishment (eat healthy food) Yes
7. To trust local healthcare. Our hospital is abit infamous, but yes.
8. Living in a flat/house with proper size. Yup (we live in a house)
9. To trust local police. Small city, no problem. Yes
10. Going in the streets relaxed at night too. Again, small city, tho it has it's dangers.
11. Buy a new larger household device at once it is totally broken. (refrigerator, TV, washing machine, computer...)Unless it's once a month, yes.
12. Drive a car or ride a bike or walking without anxiety (without too many aggressive drivers or riders) In our town, yes. In the capital, it's abit more difficult.

International Hate wrote:

Who is average citizen? Those are quite subjective things... one can trust the police and one cannot. Like bobhatersfriend said he can't trust the police because they won't do anything if bike his bike gets stolen... Well in those measures i can't trust them either, but what could they do about it anyway?
Go on holiday where? To Japan? Hardly...
What has walking in the streets feeling relaxed to do with money? Can one afford a pistol for self defence?

No, not to Japan. Just anywhere for at least a week which is a holiday trip for you. I think it is clear in the question.
Those last questions are not related with money, but I thought they were understandable. Hypno understood them

1. Go on holiday for at least a week each year. No!
2. Have a car in the household Pensioners can never, but the other 75% is usually able to.
3. Have an own car from around 20. No
4. Eat as much as you want. Usually yes, though bobhatersfriend, just in case if you were joking, I tell you that for 60% of the world population it is a problem actually. It happened to us too sometimes, but usually we can eat as much as we want.
5. Having possibility to do sports regularly in the proper recreational areas and gyms. Unfortunately no, gyms are available for our wallets, but there is simply no nature around and recreational areas are not very well developed like in Germany (having twice as much pop-density as in Hungary)
6. Have a healthy nourishment (eat healthy food) No
7. To trust local healthcare. Majority can, but not the great-majority, so rather No.
8. Living in a flat/house with proper size. Rather no (though I am personally lucky)
9. To trust local police. Yes
10. Going in the streets relaxed at night too. Not the great majority, but usually we can say yes
11. Buy a new larger household device at once it is totally broken. (refrigerator, TV, washing machine, computer...) Yes
12. Drive a car or ride a bike or walking without anxiety (without too many aggressive drivers or riders) Things are getting better, more or less Yeah

Hypno wrote:

Well anyway, my answers:

1. Go on holiday for at least a week each year.
Yes. Tho it depends, where to. Inside our own country, defenetely. To our neighbor countries and some other closer ones, probably. To somewhere exotic, probably not, unless it's really cheap.
2. Have a car in the household Yup
3. Have an own car from around 20. Not maybe a new Ferrari, but I think yes.
4. Eat as much as you want. As much as I want, yes; as much as I want something expensive, don't think so.
5. Having possibility to do sports regularly in the proper recreational areas and gyms. Yes
6. Have a healthy nourishment (eat healthy food) Yes
7. To trust local healthcare. Our hospital is abit infamous, but yes.
8. Living in a flat/house with proper size. Yup (we live in a house)
9. To trust local police. Small city, no problem. Yes
10. Going in the streets relaxed at night too. Again, small city, tho it has it's dangers.
11. Buy a new larger household device at once it is totally broken. (refrigerator, TV, washing machine, computer...)Unless it's once a month, yes.
12. Drive a car or ride a bike or walking without anxiety (without too many aggressive drivers or riders) In our town, yes. In the capital, it's abit more difficult.

And which is that smaller town? I am just reading a book about Estonia.

1. Go on holiday for at least a week each year. I think about a half of society and rather domestic destinations (but this is hardly a bad side according to my taste:D )

2. Have a car in the household

I think that yes, at least current generation.

3. Have an own car from around 20.

Yes however those who still study and don't have constant job might not afford.

4. Eat as much as you want.
Yes

5. Having possibility to do sports regularly in the proper recreational areas and gyms.

I think that most of the people is not really interested, among other reasons a lack of time. In Gdansk we have a lot of areas for jogging (parks, forest, beaches) and quite many bike lanes were built recently all over the city. Local forests are perfect for mountain bikes. Problem is with roper football/basketball playgrounds if you are not a kid and you cannot use school playgrounds.

6. Have a healthy nourishment (eat healthy food)

If one is interested I think that this is not a problem.

7. To trust local healthcare.

Trust to doctors yes but you need to wait quite a long time to meet with a specialist.

8. Living in a flat/house with proper size.

New flat prices are horrific and this is very hard to get one in Poland. Since we joined the EU prices became insane. If you want to build one yourself then you will struggle as well because expensive and hard to buy materials.

9. To trust local police.

Yes

10. Going in the streets relaxed at night too.

Every city and especially a large one have its the worst districts. My neighborhood is quite safe.

11. Buy a new larger household device at once it is totally broken. (refrigerator, TV, washing machine, computer...)

If you dont have some other obligations then I think yes.

12. Drive a car or ride a bike or walking without anxiety (without too many aggressive drivers or riders)

Drivers are not that bad I think, however I heard once Swedish woman complaining about them

bobhatersfriend wrote:

Quote :

Usually yes, though bobhatersfriend, just in case if you were joking, I tell you that for 60% of the world population it is a problem actually. It happened to us too sometimes, but usually we can eat as much as we want.

no i'm not joking, my mom doesn't have a job, well she does but she doesn't have students, (she's a ballet teacher)

and i'm not aloud to have a job because i'm only 14. -_- we have food stamps but i have two other siblings and they eat a lot, so usually we are only able to eat in the beginning of the month,

she's also NEVER home, she's always going to college or at the bank... sometime's she'll buy us food from the Polish market in the morning since it's like right next to us, but like yeah....

Okay, I wasn't sure, then it is really not joking. Is it unique in the USA, what do you think?

Quote :

12. Drive a car or ride a bike or walking without anxiety (without too many aggressive drivers or riders) Things are getting better, more or less Yeah

I hope that better than this:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2063667852598904740

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International Hate wrote:

By the way, i read from a English-language newspaper in Budapest that there's plenty of homeless workers in the city, is that true? Sounds quite weird that somebody is working and still can't afford an apartment. I guess that flats in the capital are much more expensive than in other parts of the country and if the wages haven't reach the same level, it could make a gap.

Exactly. Though I am surprised that it sounds weird for you. But yeah, Finland is more justiceful than Central and Eastern Europe. We aren't famous for that *if someone has a job then can pay the needs*. Of course there are many homeless in my town too who work.

Kiskun wrote:

And which is that smaller town? I am just reading a book about Estonia.

Kuressaare, the only town on Estonias largest island Saaremaa (2,673 km²). About 16 000 people live here (~40 000 for the whole island). And if I may ask, what book is it?

Hypno wrote:

Kiskun wrote:

And which is that smaller town? I am just reading a book about Estonia.

Kuressaare, the only town on Estonias largest island Saaremaa (2,673 km²). About 16 000 people live here (~40 000 for the whole island). And if I may ask, what book is it?

Yay! Kuressaare! It has a famous market or how? I have already read about it. You don't pronounce ő, but ö instead as far as I know. I have already read about Saaremaa.
But this is another book, a tourist-guide, though written by a half Estonian, half Hungarian: Bereczki Urmas (Urmas Bereczki). It is very particular and the Saaremaa part is just coming. Now I am at Hiiumaa. Estonia seems very simpathical for me I must tell.

Yup, the ö thing is our 'trademark'

And our market? Dunno, for me it's a tourist trap and 2nd hand stores under the open sky. Plus some honey, fruits, strawberries etc seasonally.

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International Hate wrote:

Kiskun wrote:

Exactly. Though I am surprised that it sounds weird for you. But yeah, Finland is more justiceful than Central and Eastern Europe. We aren't famous for that *if someone has a job then can pay the needs*. Of course there are many homeless in my town too who work.

Well don't know about that we have quite a lot of homeless ppl too, but they're mostly drunkards or junkies (not all) who aren't fit for work anyway. Maybe the thing that makes it weird for me, is that i don't think anyone here would hire a homeless person. There's not much services like free showers or laundry and i think no one wants to work with person who haven't taken a shower for a week. Other thing is climate. when the weather gets cold like -20c you have to be a true bad ass to take care of yourself.
Anyway the minimum wage is around 6.5-7€/hour so i guess it isn't really impossible to get a flat with that money, if you don't have 10 person family or something

So there are factors there which make Finland a more different place from other Western countries. By the way I experienced the same about homeless in other Western European countries too: Most of them seem like who spoilt their own life because of their own fault. Here the Ukrainian flat-maffia and other factors are also important factors.
Minimal wage - Of course it is 5 times higher than here, but compared to what was here before, now our minimal salary is quite good. Though of course one cannot rent a flat by own, not even with a normal salary, one needs flat-mates, but it is rather fun, better than to be alon (like Swedes)