Every family has a set of friends that always seem to be ahead of them in the way we used to call ‘keeping up with the Jones’s’. In fact the phrase is so old now that it’s likely no one even knows who the original Jones’s were! But essentially it means your chosen lifestyle has to be governed to allow for keeping up with the family in the street who always seem to be one step ahead of you all. They have the latest model car; despite raging problems across the world that causes most folk to take a deep breath before refuelling the car and buying the week’s groceries . . . They will be out there planning a big bar-b-que with every food type covered and all the up to date techie gizmos available for their guests to look at and covet. Funnily enough, as compelling as it is to attend the functions put on by these notoriously flashy ‘pals’, it is unheard of to turn down an invite to attend and oggle with the rest of the neighbours. The natural instinct is to want to beat them at their own game. It’s usually a fruitless exercise – as soon as one minor succes in this field is scored, then they come right back with another astounding purchase and addition to their hi tech lifestyle. The thing to do is to attend and take caerful note of everything that has changed since your last attendance.

If they genuinely have the latest of any type of household gadget/implement/furnishing, then they will have tested it out and know what pitfalls there are to owning the same. This will save the next family masses of their own hard earned dosh finding out. Of course, many of these ‘must have the lastest’ families don’t always get the best out of their quest to lead the pack; When I was a teenager, we had a set of neighbours who were deparate to join in with the smart set . . . they joined all the parties and entertained at christmas and new year. The very first time they hosted the new year’s party, they fell foul of the system which was at that point unknown to them. All the pushier neighbours came to the party and didn’t hold back in their choice of drinks or frequency of top ups . . . to the point the party came to a abrupt and rather disappointingly early end when they dramatically ran out of drinks and nibbles. My parents were older and knew the tactics well – our father was a rep for a very well known brewery. There was nothing you could tell him about party tactics! Our mother was able to offer tea and a very little sympathy to our young neighbour but gave her advice for life. Never try to outdo a show off. Jones or no Jones!