July 2, 2012 - Written by: Yazmin Joy

YOU SPENT HOW MUCH???

This week I am guna rant about money judgers. One thing that quite frankly gets on my tits is people judging other people for what they spend their money on.

Now, we have all heard about yuppies making less financially secure people feel bad about their material inadequacies but I have noticed increasing snobbery of the opposite kind. I mean isn’t judging people for what they have just as heinous as judging others for what they don’t? Maybe I’m being over sensitive but I really can’t figure out if it is jealousy or just down to the fact people don’t know they are doing it.

As far as I’m concerned it’s no-one else’s goddamn business what I spend my wages on but some highly irritating people just luuuurrrvee to add their tuppence worth and place judgement.

For instance… When I was seventeen I spent three weeks wages on a pair of sunglasses. I remember coming into 6th form and sitting around the common room table with tea and toast. There was a bunch of us in the room – people I had known for the majority of my high school existence – including one girl who I, despite sharing classes with her for about 6 years, had never heard say more than three words… TO ANYONE.

As we sat round the table my best friend, noticing the glasses stacked on my head, asked me how much they cost. As soon as I reluctantly uttered the amount The One Who Does’t Speak popped up from behind her Terry Pratchet novel.

‘OH MY GOD…’ She exclaimed. We all turned in disbelief at the sound of her voice.

Then, with pretty much the same amount of disgust as if I had just told everyone that I had just eaten a baby or drunk my own breast milk, she spat like a hissing cat:

‘That is absolutely RIDICULOUS… I would NEVER spend that much on a pair of sunglasses!!!’

After years of silence I had awoken the beast. Unbelievable.

I don’t know what was more shocking: the fact that she was going AWOL at me for no apparent reason or the fact The One Who Doesn’t Speak had found the gift of verbalization. She was absolutely LIVID. Her face went all red and she began twitching. It was all very disconcerting.

This is the thing, I just don’t get it. No-one bats a bloody eye-lid if someone spends a 100 quid a week getting shit faced or blows 800 squiller on a weekend jolly to Ayia Napa. But good-gawd, if I rock up in a pair of Kurt Geiger kicks or a new dress the shit hits the fan. YOU SPENT HOW MUCH??

I mean, why is everyone judging each other by how they spend their cash?

I was talking to one of my friends the other day who went to a party and was wearing this shirt. Another girl approached her and after complementing her on her outfit proceeded to ask where it was from and how much it cost. (Unless you know someone very well, asking someone about how much they spent on their out-fit is a bit rude in the first place isn’t it?)

The stranger’s response to my mate’s answer was just explicable…

‘UGH (she grimaced) I would never spend THAT much on a SHIRT!!’

Firstly, no-one’s asking you to spend that much on a shirt love. chill out!

Secondly, why did you ask in the first place if you couldn’t handle the truth?

Something tells me this chick was just looking for a reason to have a bitch.

‘My tops from Primark,’ she exclaimed proudly.

Contextual Translation: I-want-y’all-to-know-I’m-sooo-down-to-earth-and-unpretentious-I’m-gunna-cream-and-humiliate-your-vanilla-100%-cotton-lovin’-ass-biatch!!

Now I hate to piss on your bonfire love but let’s not pretend to be all self-righteous with the ol rose tinted glasses – your outfit was most definitely made by a small, starving child with arthritis in India who got payed about 1p in rice for a weeks work. Sorry for bringing this up. We all love Primark but keep it real sister!

– but I’m not the one who rocked up this joint on a judging spree, am I?

I really don’t think that that this chick had the right or the clear conscience to make my mate feel like shit in front of a whole party of people because she spent her hard earned cash on a quality shirt. It’s a shirt!!?? Why are you even grillin’ her on it? What is your life?

My friend is not shallow or fake or pretentious! She is a down to earth lovely human being who has about the same temperament of a baby panda bear. It would never even occur to her to judge others by their clothes and yet it seemed to be okay for others to judge her. With her big brown bulbous melt-your-heart doe-eyes. Shame. On. You. Nasty girl. SHAME ON YOU.

Back to my story: almost 6 years on I still wear those sunglasses. Not that I should have to justify my decision to buy them BUT if The One Who Doesn’t Speak had used her vocal chords to spark an ordinary conversation with me about something other then money, she would have probably discovered that I buy my own clothes with my own dollar. Those sunglasses were bought with my SWEAT AND BLOOD dammit. I cleaned up sick… literally… to buy them… So back up sister blister and channel your anger towards political corruption or the unethical treatment of animals! Don’t hate on me for investing in protective eye-wear.

I guess what I am saying is that occasionally we are all guilty of becoming so preoccupied with material things we sometimes forget about the people underneath the label. We all have our little luxuries – for some people it’s gigs for others its holidays – maybe it’s fashion, or even horse riding, but I really don’t think judging people by what they spent their money on is a healthy way to go.

Maybe P-Diddy was right… Mo’ money, mo problems?? I don’t know??

I have kinda come to notice that if somebody wants to find a problem with you they will find it. Ass holes will judge you if you wear designer or H&M – it’s not even down to the labels. If you are ever judged for spending or not spending your chedder on something then maybe the only way to overcome this is to remember that these haters are just bored wankers with nothing better to do.

I mean why can’t everyone just put this foolishness aside and have a nice cuppa?

Anyways enough ranting for one day!

Just because this is a classic chooon and on the date of this post it happens to be a rainy monday here’s P-Diddy wearing some just fabulous jump suits!