If only someone had let us know sooner!
Kirstie Allsopp has come under fire for suggesting that the reason young people are struggling to get on the property ladder is because they spend too much money on luxuries like Netflix and gym subscriptions.
The 50-year-old TV presenter, best known for her partnership with Phil Spencer on Location, Location, Location, suggested that if people were serious about getting their own place then they should stop wasting money on streaming sites and takeaway coffee.
Allsopp said she feels “enraged” when she hears young people complain that they can’t afford a home because they are not disciplined enough to give up their luxuries.
She also proposed that young people move in with their parents or “find homes up north” in cheaper areas if they are struggling to save up for a home whilst living their decadent lifestyle of gym, coffees and The Crown.
Allsopp claimed she bought her first property at the age of 21 with the help of her family, a time when the average house price was about £51,000, which when adjusted for inflation is £112,000.
Today, the average home costs £255,556.
Speaking to the Sunday Times, Allsopp said: “When I bought my first property, going abroad, the EasyJet, coffee, gym, Netflix lifestyle didn’t exist.
“I used to walk to work with a sandwich. And on payday I’d go for a pizza, and to a movie, and buy a lipstick.”
Young people could afford to get on the property ladder if they gave up luxuries such as their gym membership and foreign holidays and looked at cheaper areas, according to Kirstie Allsopp https://t.co/eG3Yt5JItY
— Times Politics (@timespolitics) February 6, 2022
Although she acknowledged that interest rates are far lower today than when she was saving up for a home, the presenter said that there were “new drains on the finances” of today’s young first-time buyers, which didn’t exist when she was younger.
“I don’t want to belittle those people who can’t do it,” the presenter continued.
“But there are loads of people who can do it and don’t. It is hard. We’ve fallen into the trap of saying it’s impossible for everybody. It’s about where you can buy, not if you can buy. There is an issue around the desire to make those sacrifices.
“I’m up in Nottingham right now and there’s a nice three-bedroom home with a long garden on for £320,000. I get enraged when people say they can’t afford to buy. They can.
“But they have to move, which is hard if you don’t have roots there. I know there are many who can’t afford to buy, but others are not willing to make the sacrifices.”
She continued: “Ask yourself, could you get a job, live at home with your parents for three years, and save every penny for a deposit? I’ve seen people do it. They make enormous sacrifices. It’s not impossible for everybody.”
The article points out that to afford the average first-time buyer deposit of £59,000, you would need to forgo your Starbucks, Netflix, gym trips and easyJet holidays for 37 years.
Her comments sparked fury on Twitter, with Piers Morgan blasting her for saying “another unbelievably stupid, ludicrously ill-informed and woefully privileged thing.”
Every time Kirstie Allsopp trends, I check why and see she’s said another unbelievably stupid, ludicrously ill-informed and woefully privileged thing.
Then I wait for her to respond to the entirely justified outrage by throwing her toys out of the pram & quitting Twitter again.— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) February 6, 2022
Another pointed out that Allsopp is the daughter of an “Eton-educated Baron.”
Kirstie Allsopp, daughter of an Eton-educated Baron, tells young people struggling to buy a home to just look in cheaper areas and give up the gym and Netflix
She says she gets 'enraged' when young people can't buy their first home, something she did – with family help – aged 21
— Anna Mikhailova (@AVMikhailova) February 6, 2022
https://twitter.com/luceyethan/status/1490220541168570369
A third joked that they would be taking Allsopp’s advice to move somewhere cheaper by “moving to the 1970s.”
Move somewhere cheaper says Kirstie Allsopp. So I’ve taken her advice and will be moving to the 1970s as soon as this time machines up and running. pic.twitter.com/6YhOTOJDaW
— Siân Lloyd (@Pessimystic_Meg) February 7, 2022
So there we have it. Ignore the cost of living crisis. Simply stop watching Stranger Things and The Crown and before you know it you’ll have your own place.
Who knew?
Related links:
- Kirstie Allsopp brands Pen Farthing’s Afghanistan pet rescue a ‘betrayal’
- Martin Lewis issues stark advice for households after £700 energy bill hike
- Cost of living crisis: Ofgem confirms how much household energy prices will rise
