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Very true. Just be content with what you have. Be grateful if you have your health.
This. All day this. Being healthy physically and emotionally is the greatest and most precious gift. I've seen too many people have challenges with one, the other, or both. IMO there's nothing more valuable.
I'm due to close on a condo this week. I'm buying at around 40% of what I was preapproved for. I'm not home much during the warmer months, have a lot of other hobbies, and finally found a remodeled townhome with garage for below $100k. I don't need a huge or expensive home. It has a lot of stairs, but that's fine by me, and I have a large garage for storage, 2BR/2BA, with a "loft" with a skylight on the top level. It's a good layout for what I want and do.
A high school buddy of mine posted a pic on Facebook of his kid and others bicycling behind my unit tonight. I sent him a message that we're going to be neighbors. He replied and we started talking.
He splits the mortgage on the ~$90k-$100k condo with his mom and girlfriend, and he says they barely make the bills. He runs a couple of pawn shops locally. He has a son that's 11-12, and a girlfriend as well. All together, they're struggling to keep the place paid for and all the other bills paid. The girlfriend has some fairly significant medical issues. He admitted he makes around $25k.
I couldn't believe that. $25k is a $12/hr job. He runs and manages multiple pawn shops. I told the guy he could make better at the local Citi debt collection call center, and at any number of jobs. He says he likes the pawn shop because it's flexible around what his kid does.
This dude is really barely scraping by. He has no slack in his life, and likely no luxuries. Compared to him, I'm doing incredibly well. Compared to most of the people on this board, I'm dirt poor.
In sum, I'm doing better than the vast majority of my peers. Did you, and when did you realize you did better than those of a similar background?
When I started thinking that I have no idea how someone can live on the national median income is when I realized I was doing okay. I always tried to keep my house note far below what people at my income level were doing has been key to retiring comfortably and early...yesterday went to the Parade of Homes with wife and that will make you and/or your spouse want to upgrade to the latest.
This. All day this. Being healthy physically and emotionally is the greatest and most precious gift. I've seen too many people have challenges with one, the other, or both. IMO there's nothing more valuable.
I totally agree, all the money in the world won't make up for poor health.
My "aha" moment was when I was driving to Kona Airport early one morning to fly to Honolulu to meet some friends for lunch. My thought was "Buckeye77, you aren't in "hometown" any more".
Compared to most of the people on this board, I'm dirt poor.
As a 30+/- year old why would you even consider comparing yourself financially or otherwise to most of us that are 30+ /- years older than you ??? Do your realize that 30+/- years ago while you were toddling around in diapers most of us at that time had already worked 10+/- years in established careers. And for some, while you were getting ready to graduate from high school they were getting ready to retire. You are trying to compare apples to oranges which is a waste of time.
My husband and I were always hard workers and careful spenders. We live a comfortable non flashy lifestyle. I realized the day I was showing my best friend some early retirement calculators and forums (she had become interested in planning her finances) and I plugged in our numbers out of habit for an example and she said " Imagine ever having that much money, you would never have to worry again"
It was then that I realized we had a lot more than most. I simply said to her that i agree, it must be nice.
Didn't you say recently that you make $60,000 per year? That is not considered 'dirt poor' in this forum (or 'on this board') nor is it considered 'dirt poor' anywhere else in the U.S., as a person can live fine and better than fine in the U.S. on that salary, and the average salary in the U.S. among a number of groups and categories is really low, something like $25,000 or $35,000.
In San Francisco it is. Average rent $3600 per month. That's over 60 % of income. Sure, plenty do fine paying 50% of their income for rent, but 60% is not feasible.
Very true. Just be content with what you have. Be grateful if you have your health.
Amen!
After losing a number of very close love ones (including my husband) in a brief span of time, over 3 years, all of them before they were 55 years of age, I recognized immediately that "stuff" is just that,
junk that could be gone in an instance.
Personally I don't really want to know older folks who are still comparing themselves to their friends and others. extremely superficial and sad.
When I put our income in some kind of "what percentage are you" calculator.
Also, when I see old people in old health or someone who is apparently homeless -- both of these make me feel VERY fortunate.
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