What would you do if you had UBI?

As the topic title states - let's say you have enough for bills, to feed your family and go out maybe once or twice a month to the cinema and a decent restaurant.

What would you do; quit your job and live frugal, change job, retrain, do exactly the same as currently but go on fancier holidays?

I get anxious over money so think I'd still work to save money and so I can travel fancier and go to nicer restaurants. The main benefit for me would be a massive increase in peace of mind in case my job fires me or becomes insolvent etc.

I don't think I'd give up working, but I'd drop a lot of hours. Assuming all bills/food/mortgage/etc are covered by UBI, then I could probably cut my working days down to 2 days a week and earn enough to be able to enjoy life.

Edit:

As you said though, one of the biggest advantages to UBI would be the lack of anxiety over what would happen if you lost your job. Knowing that you'll never lose your home and can always cover your bills would be an extraordinary life changing experience for us all.

Fulfill my destiny

Moggy wrote:I don't think I'd give up working, but I'd drop a lot of hours. Assuming all bills/food/mortgage/etc are covered by UBI, then I could probably cut my working days down to 2 days a week and earn enough to be able to enjoy life.

This is why it won't happen. You can see the headlines already.

poshrule_uk wrote:

Moggy wrote:I don't think I'd give up working, but I'd drop a lot of hours. Assuming all bills/food/mortgage/etc are covered by UBI, then I could probably cut my working days down to 2 days a week and earn enough to be able to enjoy life.

This is why it won't happen. You can see the headlines already.

I'm not convinced "MOGGY GOES PART TIME" is the international news story that you think it is.

Moggy wrote:

poshrule_uk wrote:

Moggy wrote:I don't think I'd give up working, but I'd drop a lot of hours. Assuming all bills/food/mortgage/etc are covered by UBI, then I could probably cut my working days down to 2 days a week and earn enough to be able to enjoy life.

This is why it won't happen. You can see the headlines already.

I'm not convinced "MOGGY GOES PART TIME" is the international news story that you think it is.

Workshy Moggy goes part time so he can spend hard earned tax payers money watching his brand new flat screen TV

poshrule_uk wrote:

Moggy wrote:

poshrule_uk wrote:

Moggy wrote:I don't think I'd give up working, but I'd drop a lot of hours. Assuming all bills/food/mortgage/etc are covered by UBI, then I could probably cut my working days down to 2 days a week and earn enough to be able to enjoy life.

This is why it won't happen. You can see the headlines already.

I'm not convinced "MOGGY GOES PART TIME" is the international news story that you think it is.

Workshy Moggy goes part time so he can spend hard earned tax payers money watching his brand new flat screen TV

And I'd start eating avocados.

poshrule_uk wrote:

Moggy wrote:

poshrule_uk wrote:

Moggy wrote:I don't think I'd give up working, but I'd drop a lot of hours. Assuming all bills/food/mortgage/etc are covered by UBI, then I could probably cut my working days down to 2 days a week and earn enough to be able to enjoy life.

This is why it won't happen. You can see the headlines already.

I'm not convinced "MOGGY GOES PART TIME" is the international news story that you think it is.

Workshy Moggy goes part time so he can spend hard earned tax payers money watching his brand new flat screen TV

...which he gets a Netflix subscription for!

Preezy wrote:Fulfill my destiny

Moggy wrote:I don't think I'd give up working, but I'd drop a lot of hours. Assuming all bills/food/mortgage/etc are covered by UBI, then I could probably cut my working days down to 2 days a week and earn enough to be able to enjoy life.

Edit:

As you said though, one of the biggest advantages to UBI would be the lack of anxiety over what would happen if you lost your job. Knowing that you'll never lose your home and can always cover your bills would be an extraordinary life changing experience for us all.

Yeah the shift in peace of mind would be unprecedented, would be amazing.

I'd freak out as inflation skyrockets out of control.

Is UBI generally discussed as being large enough to cover all bills (I'm assuming mortgage / rent too)?

I always thought the amount typically discussed would be a small fraction of the state pension (which is scrapped under UBI?) so it would be maybe 3k a year?

If it was only 3k a year, I'd continue to work full-time and just use it to overpay my mortgage or add to my savings. I think the switchover where I'd look to reduce my working hours would occur around 15k per year of UBI.

The only way I could see UBI being so generous is if AI eliminates the need for virtually all office jobs so the only jobs that people are needed for are more hands-on (construction, medical care etc) jobs that can't be automated / would likely be the very last jobs to be automated.

Moggy wrote:I don't think I'd give up working, but I'd drop a lot of hours. Assuming all bills/food/mortgage/etc are covered by UBI, then I could probably cut my working days down to 2 days a week and earn enough to be able to enjoy life.

Edit:

As you said though, one of the biggest advantages to UBI would be the lack of anxiety over what would happen if you lost your job. Knowing that you'll never lose your home and can always cover your bills would be an extraordinary life changing experience for us all.

I'd do exactly what you said - although I'd need to earn enough to get myself to Japan to see my partner as well so maybe I'd have to work 3 days.

"In a fantasy scenario where all your bills were taken care of, what would you?"

Roonmastor wrote:I'd freak out as inflation skyrockets out of control.

I'd carry on working same job, get my mortgage paid off, my pension topped up and my savings high and retire much younger.

I would buy an avocado farm and give them away for free to make sure the youngsters can get a mortgage.

I don't see this happening any time soon anyway. Unless we see massive job loses in the millions and millions from AI. However I think that will likely just be an expansion of universal credit with those in work not eligible for it. I would be very surprised to see the day where everyone in this country gets a UBI.

Sack all the employees to give the shareholders a nice bonus.

Oh wait, not ubisoft.

Moggy wrote:"In a fantasy scenario where all your bills were taken care of, what would you?"

Roonmastor wrote:I'd freak out as inflation skyrockets out of control.

I'm in a fortune position that I'm at a place that I can cover all my normal bills, so the difference for me is now what happens to my discretionary funds (savings etc) and that is going to get wiped out by inflation. So I'd be worse off.

The topic title clearly frames this as a UBI, so we all get the same at the same time. If we are talking about a fair lottery win (say winning set for life) then it's a different proposition.

But if you want to lean into the fantasy, I'd argue any spending is considered a bill and all bills are magically covered, then I'm stopping work and traveling the world until I get bored and I'd get the house fully renovated whilst I was away.

Edit: If I won set for life, I'd go down to 3 or 4 days a week. I think I need the stability of work for my routine but I don't want to work 5 days a week. I'd try and do one of my big aspirational projects in that time like write a novel or publish a board game, but I'd likely sleep and play computer games instead.

No way in hell I would be working if I won set for life. That takes me to 70 and if I'm sensible I should be set for life.

I would probably do charity work for routine.