So sad

[joanmc]

Is it possible to invest and enjoys life's luxuries such as good food and travel. I thought that was the point of investing and making money.

I thought the point of investing was to give you choices.i.e. the choice to do whatever you want. I believe that Kathryn and Bob are doing exactly what they want therefore they have been successful in their investing, same with Virgo's friend.

There are soooo many paths, you just have to pick what's right for you. Some may work until 65, denying themselves all along the way and retire with an annual income of 250k but is that success if they are dead at 67 of a heart attack? Others may just pay off their house and have a bit there to supplement their pension and live into their 90's happy as pigs in mud (my parents lol).

Also you never know what the future may hold for you. You might be happy on 50 000 a year if you know that waiting longer might give you more money but you will be tied to a dialysis machine......

Investing gives you choices, which are more important than the money itself.

 

[kathryn d]

Very well said joanmc.

Aldi also had bread for 59c today.
carrots are 99c bag

 

[Dan_p]

Well, we do travel 8 months of the year

Since I wasn't born in Australia, this is all new for me...an adventure.

That is a fair bit of traveling.

I was brought up in a family of penny pinchers and got annoyed with never being able to get any of the material things I wanted. The adults were rewarded with financial gains for being tight, but as a kid I wasn't. A major part of my parents divorce was the money where parent 1 wouldn't allow parent 2 to spend anything.

Its a life for some and we are all different.

Since then I have married into a family that is very generous and giving, not just supportive with encouragement and time but also where it hurts in the money department. For me I would much rather be the generous type and not worry about every single cent. Thats why I have pushed to get a high paying job so when I am not working I can enjoy the things that cost money.

On the other hand my dad did say it doesn't matter what you earn, its what you save or do with the money.

 

[kathryn d]

Dan and nan,
There is no denying your upbringing will have a huge impact on how you view things.When I was a kid, we never received gifts outside of Xmas and birthdays, but none of my friends did either. Never had a lot of clothes, except hand me downs once in a while (which was great). My friends, who's family had even less money, always had more clothes. It wasn't until I grew up, that I even knew about second hand clothing stores!
My parents weren't really frugal either. If they wanted something, they got it. Money was never talked about.


Our kids were also brought up with no presents outside birthday and Xmas presents.We did go yard saling every weekend in the summer. Each child was given a set amount of money, and their job was to make it go as far as they could. My daughter, the oldest, was a great bargainer, and would help her siblings.
At times we purchased presents at yard sales for the kids. They knew it, and they didn't mind a bit.

The kids are all grown now. They have purchased large items for their own homes using Kijiji (Gumtree here). A fridge,big screen tv,computer,kitchen appliances etc. They even get them delivered free to their home.

I was lucky, because support in your household is essential.
No one felt deprived.
Family vacations consisted of renting a cottage for a week at the beach, or going to an amusment park and staying in a motel for a few nights. Nothing fancy.

 

[Dan_p]

Dan and nan,
There is no denying your upbringing will have a huge impact on how you view things.

Yes, I guess I do. I think a large part of it is because that side of the family is still giving me advice in regards to money. In the terms of getting over your head, the best place is money in the bank.

One point was we bought our second place and it was a bit sudden for them and one member said do you own it, meaning outright, like it is bad to borrow money. I guess it is a different train of thought and made me a little bitter to this type of sentiment.

Your attitude seems to be far more positive for a frugal compared to my upbringing.

 

[kathryn d]

Your attitude seems to be far more positive for a frugal compared to my upbringing.

For us, it is not about denying ourselves anything. It is about being able to get it cheap or free.

 

[Angel13]

I don't think this is the best week to start the challenge with Melbourne cup on Tuesday. We could start from next Sunday. I will post a new thred later in the week