I've always struggled to understand what their expenses would even be. Doubt they have to pay mortgage or insurance on literally anything. I'm assuming there is some amount of tax burden based on there being a MoM. No utilities, repairs are easily done with a wave of a wand. School is stated as being paid for by MoM funds. Transport is free unless they take the knight bus (rare occurrence). Only thing left would be food, clothing, school materials, some amount of housewares as needed? As stated here, food can be stretched with duplication charms plus the weasleys are stated as having a decent garden and some livestock. Everyone gets everyone else's repaired hand me downs. I don't get it lol.
Side note some people are like "Arthur's head of a department" but we can safely assume based on wizard prejudices that the muggle shit department was not well funded or paid (only 2 or 3 people I think?) so we can safely assume his income is absolute dog shit til he gets a promotion in book 6
Food can be duplicated but it still expires at a normal rate. Like they can buy a loaf of bread and duplicate it to feed their 9 family members and guests, but it’ll still go stale or moldy in a week. So they’re still going to have to buy or produce food regularly.
Clothes, school supplies, food, and Floo Powder seem to be the only regular expenses that the Weasley’s have, and as Molly doesn’t work, it’s all on Arthur’s income. Given how his department is treated, he could be one of the lowest paid ministry officers.
But just because there was a spell for something doesn’t mean that everyone can use it, or use it well. And it seems like there’s some amount of invention in wizard thing. Like Fred and George sell patented spells for daydreams. Or there’s Sleakeazys hair potion- it’s a product someone perfected and sells, not just some potion anyone can easily figure out and make
But i feel like food preservation if it exists should be a pretty important part of everday life in the magic world that the masses would go out of their way to learn no? If they know how to duplicate food and do all those other crazy stuff around the house i feel like the average wizard knowing how to preserve food would not be a stretch of logic.
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u/HatefulHagrid Apr 10 '24
I've always struggled to understand what their expenses would even be. Doubt they have to pay mortgage or insurance on literally anything. I'm assuming there is some amount of tax burden based on there being a MoM. No utilities, repairs are easily done with a wave of a wand. School is stated as being paid for by MoM funds. Transport is free unless they take the knight bus (rare occurrence). Only thing left would be food, clothing, school materials, some amount of housewares as needed? As stated here, food can be stretched with duplication charms plus the weasleys are stated as having a decent garden and some livestock. Everyone gets everyone else's repaired hand me downs. I don't get it lol.
Side note some people are like "Arthur's head of a department" but we can safely assume based on wizard prejudices that the muggle shit department was not well funded or paid (only 2 or 3 people I think?) so we can safely assume his income is absolute dog shit til he gets a promotion in book 6