HELP - I think I'm turning into a tweed coat-wearing, sensible shoe-loving, snobby young-fogey.

It was when a colleague referred to my footwear as "granny shoes" that I really began to panic - they're comfortable, all right?

Not to mention my penchant for nights in and a growing fondness for Radio 4 and healthy food.

The realisation that I was also turning into a snob dawned some while ago when I found myself wanting to scream "get a job" at someone trying to convince me they had a problem. They didn't.

But they wanted someone else to get something done about it.

And as this person carried on complaining, I found myself thinking up a term that best described those who do beggar all and expect to live a privileged lifestyle.

The best I could come up with was Blissfully Unemployed Materialistic Spongers - aka "BUMS."

My encounter made me take a long look in the mirror and question whether I'm still the liberal, peace-loving individual I used to be.

I found myself totting up the hours of hard slog I do week in week out and thinking about my own standard of living. And I felt a little miffed that the person had almost as much as I do without actually having to do anything.

The flat my fianc and I worked hard to buy is beautiful but you have to virtually dislocate your hip to open the front door because the wood has expanded in the rain, the sink smells like egg sandwiches if you run the tap for too long and the windows are drafty.

But it's ours and we earned it. And though I don't begrudge help being provided to those who genuinely can't provide for themselves I can't help but hope that, in this modern western society, you get back from life just what you put in.

But then who knows - one day I could find myself in a Burberry tracksuit, on the poverty line wishing for more. In the meantime, I can tell you that I'll be in tonight knitting in front of a warm fire and heating up the milk ready for my Horlicks.

First published: Oct 16