Exactly.... especially if you have a family. Unless you make some insane amount of money, it is all relative. The more money you make, the higher the cost of everything is, and the higher the expectations are that you will spend money. For example, as I have made more money, my mortgage has gone up. We moved to a nicer home, insurance costs have gone up as we need more insurance, car costs go up as well. I am now expected to entertain and that is very expensive, and the cost of my clothes have gone up based on the expectation of clients. I am not saying woe is me or anyone else, but it is true that costs do go up and yes some of it can be limited, some cannot.
Just like my momma always said, "It's now how much you earn, it's how much you spend that makes you rich".
Lol Thanks for the reply. I wish I could control her. She is very tight fisted. In Vietnam she made almost all her own clothes. She even made her own jeans. When we married she made her own wedding dress that stunned me at its beauty. At the shop she makes the aprons that the girls wear. We bought a sofa and went looking at sofa coverings and she went ahead and bought the material to make them herself. When shopping at the mall she will look a hundreds of clothes and maybe try on a few and may buy one or two if they are on sale. Of course if I am there I use my money. She will insist that I buy a shirt or something and always pays for it. She was just raised different then people are here. She has 13 bothers and sisters and money could be tight. I have introduced now to a couple of friends a cousin of hers and her best friend in Vietnam and they are now here and married and I noticed they are the same way. It is maybe also a cultural thing. Whatever it is I like it.
$20k/month but the more you make, the more you tend to spend.. so at the end of the day the majority of us are still living paycheck to paycheck
The title and question is semi-flawed. Because a monthly income figure, while significant, it doesnt show the FULL picture of HOW that income is being made, or how its being spent (or wasted). Someone can be just 12 weeks into their beefy monthly salary, but has NO SAVINGS or NET WORTH, no emergency/disaster relief. So they're gonna need a couple more YEARS to BUILD on that to get to that point. I think most people then agree that rich is more ACCUMULATED MONEY AMOUNT. Rather than just monthly income RATE.
BASICALLY, its more a "IF YOU WIN THE LOTTERY" amount of how much do you need set aside to NOT REALLY WORK. Thats what most people define as rich, when you've attained so much monetary comfort that you don't HAVE to "ask for the price" on things ever again for LIFE. I see it now. I admit being a little short-sighted in my view. And I do agree, its when your accumulated money itself can make money, and that made money covers all lifestyle, thats when you begin to make a case of being rich. (There are dunces out there, cuz I know them, that instead of wanting to DO the "STEPS to RICH", they just want the final outcome "DON'T HAVE to DO STUFF to get by" part. Princesses I call them male and female. Yes I know someone that curses his existence in this world cuz his parents were only modest and not rich, he couldnt be "born in it" Or the spoiled kids who's mommy and daddy are rich but they're just beneficiaries who don't do anything, they value the "Don't have to physically work" part. They're rich by proxy. )
There's a part of my brain conditioned with a 1000 years of cultural baggage that won't be content with enjoying the now when long term goals (savings) aren't securely met. I'm saving a bundle by living off expenses, but after taxes and 401k, my savings account isn't growing what I expected it to. This then compels me to think about my job and income situation when other people would be perfectly fine where they are. I guess moving to Texas would fix a lot of that, but it's so ****ing hot there 8 out of the 12 months...
lol We have air conditioning...honest. Also the best thing here is that ladies know how to dress for for the weather. Bring a camera.
I was born in Houston and I've lived in Austin before I started traveling for work. Just spoiled by the California weather, that's all.
Your math is off. It's hot MAY-SEP, OCT. 5-6 months. Also, different parts of Cali can get very hot. Like the valley.
my mom makes $600 a month on disability, uses her money to help out other family members and is content and happy as can be. we should all "Feel" rich.
