Chris, I think you may have been a little hard on yourself earlier in this thread. Let's face it, making money is a talent. Sure, the yo-yo kid might end up being the star attraction of his trailer park, but you've got your family set up in a nice home with a comfortable lifestyle and to be completely honest, my daydreams generally revolve around having half the net worth you mentioned in the other thread. If being smart, having a succesful career and enjoying life is talent, you're a superstar. Seriously, I showed my wife some of your political and economics posts and I think she's got a little crush going on you.
Jesus! I'm blushing! Honestly Dave, my wife and I both work very hard and we have both had our share of suffering. I've made a lot of money, I've been broke and living with my mother, and i've been comfortable. We're at a good comfortable place now, not rich, but upper middle class I'd say, but we know it could all go away tomorrow. I'm being a little fecitious about "not being awsome at anything" but at the same time, if I've learned anything it's "don't believe the hype." I still drive my 2002 Explorer, my wife, her 2000 A6. Both have 100K+ miles on them and we're like everyone else who worries about having another car payment... probably 2... and maybe 3 in another couple years when our daughter starts driving. We have debt like eveyone else, but at the same time, we try to live and enjoy what we can have. I mow my own yard, wash my own car, clean my own house, pack a lunch most days, and carpool with my wife just about everyday. I'm a real cheapskate with some things and splurge on others... usually only when I can benefit the family... like with the HT stuff. That was the best investment we made because se now spend a lot of time centralized together in the family room as opposed to each of us being off in our own room doing our own thing. It's funny to say, but my tv and stereo hobby has made us closer as a family. That's what I like to spend money on. We spend... or I should say my wife spends more than we should and I get worried and stressed all the time, but she often counters that we should enjoy life a little since it can all go away.
I look at my mom and dad for instance. He saved and sacrificed all his life and he ended up dying way too early and never got to enjoy what he worked so hard for. We try to balance things as best we can, though we should do a better, more responsible job at it. The one things I learned is that the more money you make, the more you spend, so you never really get that monkey off your back.
I feel very lucky and fortunate to have what I do. At the same time, I know it can all go away... it has before. I had a great job running a financial marketing company. I was making fantastic money. I bought things with the idea that "okay... I make x amount of money.. I can afford this, that, or the other." Welll, just about 3 years later, the President of our parent company felt pushed out of his job by the owner's son wanting more responsibility and decided spend more time poking his head around my company and within a year of mettlling, ran my company into the ground and the owners said the hell with it and stopped funding us. So just like that, I went from making more money than I wanted to having nothing. With the way things are now, it could happen again and both my wife and I work in the same company. We're always a target for takeover and at some point it may happen though our current CEO is the committed to keeping it independent. When he retires, all bets are off.
Anyway... I really appreciate the kind words.
