Quote: (05-26-2016 07:14 PM)jake1720 Wrote:
Quote: (05-26-2016 05:32 PM)TheBMan Wrote:
So two years ago I was broke as a joke. Credit cards maxed out, asking my mom for about $1k a month just to pay my credit card bills and put some gas in the tank. I was one year into a new business/career w/a realistic 2 year period before i started making anything. Right as year 2 ended I got a decent little paycheck - about $45k. It felt like I hit the lottery. My 3rd year I got a check for $100k and ended up netting about $250k. Trust me, I realize there are lots of dudes making much more then this, but after living like such a peasant that mentality becomes somewhat ingrained in you. Its like the people who were raised during the depression and stuffed millions in their mattress and counted their pennies. You do not forget what it was like having $3 in your checking account and 20k in credit card debt. But as the OP said, you definitely dont sweat the small stuff anymore and I've told many people that 'worst case' scenario everything went to hell tomorrow I could live comfortably in Eastern Europe for several years. That definitely makes it easier to sleep at night. I can say over the last six months I have noticed myself feeling more charitable/sympathetic towards people who are going through hard times, and I can see how the super rich become more involved in charity.
I just graduated college and got a new engineering related sales job. I know exactly what you mean.
The best advice I can give (or the rest of you youngsters making some coin) is to put something away because you will go through hard times. I just bought a nice car, but it was 3 years old, very well maintained, and took a huge depreciation hit already. The monthly payments wont make much of a dent. Dont live above your means. If you are living paycheck to paycheck you are never more then one bad luck/unforseen event away from being homeless or crashing with friends/parents. I got a little lucky because I had one deal take me from minimal savings to 100kish over night, but build your nest eggs. Having 100k in the bank certainly isnt "fuck you" money, but it does mean you have some cushion, some peace of mind, and most importantly the freedom to leave if you hate what you are doing or dont have the ability to do it anymore. You may thing you are invincible, shit cant happen to you, but you have to look at your situation and say "what happens if I dont get a paycheck for 2 months, and if the answer is "i'm fucked beyond belief" focus on your savings, not shiny new shit you really dont need.