The goat's cheese of management

It’s lunchtime in the house of two of my (married) friends:
‘We couldn’t manage without money from our parents.’
‘I’m the same. I’ve only kept going because my Dad left some money. I’ve been more or less living on it.’
‘It’s crazy.’
‘At our age. Why is this? We shouldn’t still need hand-outs. And, how are we going to help our kids when they’re older? That’s what worries me.’
‘It’s not like we don’t work hard. I do except when I’m too depressed about the lack of money and all that.’
‘I’m always working.’
‘You know when we did our taxes after deducting expenses we had £860 to live on for a year! Can you believe it?’
‘That’s as bad as signing on.’
‘Course we’re all artists: music, photography, writing. That doesn’t make you rich, not usually, but we should be making something.’

This was the conversation as four of us (all aged about 50) sat around a table enjoying fresh ravioli, salad, and a half bottle of French wine, followed by Spanish goat’s cheese practically melting on the plate as the sun shone like it wasn’t a Thursday in February.
And we wondered just how are we managing?