Savings ? comment!

[Art_Critic]

I still read it before the delete, and I said WOWZA to myself. For real. No joke. You should be proud.

 

Non-college grad who owned a home in his 20s that you are...

Thanks JB

 

Yeah.. it was for real..

The killer about that type of investment was that it was outdated after 4 years and not used much.

Upgrades on that sucker were 180k

Today for 35k you can buy a computer that we work on that is 100 times faster.. but it was the '80s and computer retouching was unheard of back then and we were on what was known as " The Bleeding Edge " of technology..

[jerbear]

It was a huge risk for a company our size and it did keep us in the competitive game and ultimately one of the reasons we are still around today.

 

I remember a conversation with you on college awhile back.

 

I think college is a good thing but ultimately it is the business sense, risk, opportunities, ambition, etc... that matter.

 

You took the risk and used your time to focus on the business. It panned out. I personally think non-college grads are not "pathetic" heck one of my love interests started her own company and only had an associates degree. Her bonus exceeds my annual income.

[Art_Critic]

I remember a conversation with you on college awhile back.

 

I think college is a good thing but ultimately it is the business sense, risk, opportunities, ambition, etc... that matter.

 

 

Same here.. I do think college is a good thing..

 

Even though I didn't go I don't think people who spent the time and money on college are pathetic..

 

I also really do not want to give my business to my son ( or make him work there ) and would rather he experience life a bit differently than I did..

 

If he wants college or picks a career that requires it then more power to him and I'll gladly pay for it

and then come to the company and run it or work there then I'm all for that.. but only if he works some other places first..

 

I'm 45 and have never worked anywhere but for myself.. I sometimes feel like I have a skewed look on things because of that..

[lovestruck818]

Same here.. I do think college is a good thing..

 

Even though I didn't go I don't think people who spent the time and money on college are pathetic..

 

I also really do not want to give my business to my son ( or make him work there ) and would rather he experience life a bit differently than I did..

 

If he wants college or picks a career that requires it then more power to him and I'll gladly pay for it

and then come to the company and run it or work there then I'm all for that.. but only if he works some other places first..

 

I'm 45 and have never worked anywhere but for myself.. I sometimes feel like I have a skewed look on things because of that..

 

I think I may also have a skewed look on things as well- i think we all do to an extent, unless one has experienced every possible thing in life- working for someone else is all I have done so I don't know things from the other perspective. I do think college is extremely beneficial though. I learned a lot from business classes in college about how to start & operate a business. I have no desire too, but it was extremely helpful. Had I not gone to college and wanted to start my own business, I would have had to figure it out by myself.

[carhill]

I love that you have a garden and orchard.

 

You should have seen the garden before mom got demented

The orchard is still there and the Rio Oso peaches and the grapes are just about ready for harvest. We live on 5 acres and the orchard is about 1/2 acre. Garden currently is containers in back yard since no time and no more mom (at least as a gardener).

 

I think such activities are good for the soul. Everything in balance.

 

I also think that college degrees are very important achievements. I'd be an engineer now if I had finished my BS. Instead, I live in the country, do what I love and live a somewhat esoteric lifestyle on less money. That's my wish for anyone; being happy in their life, no matter what their status, income or chosen pursuits. The joy is in the journey, IMO.

 

Oh, kinda on-topic, when I was 10 years old, my dad opened a savings account for me at our credit union (the one I volunteered on loan committee at in my adult life) and promised he'd match every dollar I saved until I graduated high school. The only caveat was that I couldn't touch the money he matched with until then. I saved enough to pay cash for my first two cars (one at 16 and one at 17) and had the down payment for my first house before I graduated high school. Smart dad, I had

[AriaIncognito]

Aria, are you renting now? Do you own property?

 

I'm not sure why this is relevant to the topic but no I'm not renting. i've never rented. I didn't want to throw money away, so to speak. I bought my home when I was 26. I lived at home until I was 23, then lived with a boyfriend (paid him rent) then when we broke up I lived back at my parents for about 8 or 9 months while I saved the remaining I needed for a down payment. I've been here ever since.

 

Curious as to why this is relevent to the topic though....

[vonerik012]

I can never put anyone down for getting a college degree. I just do not see the importance in obtaining one for most people. I can see it being more valuable for women who want to be in the work place.

 

You learn absolutely ZERO about running your own business. If you want to open a night club, it is far more beneficial to work at a night club. Same with a restaurant or construction business, etc.

 

I live close to Georgia Tech, and know quite a few people in the engineering program. Most I know that have graduated do nothing close to engineering. Many of these jobs have been outsourced to China, India etc, and the ones remaining definitely are held for people with connections, or those that graduated from a more prestigious school. This is common in many fields. If you do not get an engineering job, for example, what else are you qualified to do? Let's just hope school loans were not required and you do not have to owe money for the next 20 years.

 

And, many people study something that they think will bring home a big paycheck, not something they love. As an example, this is why you see many lawyers, engineers, CPA's hate what they are doing, and then switch to something completely unrelated, if they were lucky enough to even land a job.

 

I have a BA in finance, and I remember going to interviews for one low paying position, in which 400 other people with the same degree would show up. I suppose I was let down after working my own way through University. After going to interview after interview like this, I was relieved that I had my business to fall back on, and never looked back since.

[CommitmentPhobe]

er... wow. Why do so many people on this thread argue so vehemently that their own life choices are absolutely correct, justifiable and better than others?

 

I would just like to point out a few things

 

1: You don't OWN your house until you've paid off the mortgage. Until then the bank does. What you actually own is a giant debt

2. In certain cultures it's practically the done thing to live at home for an extended period of time. Perhaps if that was the way of life all over we wouldn't have so many over-agressive and over-confident people posting here.

3. If someone here mentioned how they blew their cash off trying to get to the top of everest or something I might be impressed. To have lived purely to work, purchase a house and save some money and do a bit of partying, you don't have any right to claim greatness to a wider audience.

[lovestruck818]

I can never put anyone down for getting a college degree. I just do not see the importance in obtaining one for most people. I can see it being more valuable for women who want to be in the work place.

 

You learn absolutely ZERO about running your own business. If you want to open a night club, it is far more beneficial to work at a night club. Same with a restaurant or construction business, etc.

 

I live close to Georgia Tech, and know quite a few people in the engineering program. Most I know that have graduated do nothing close to engineering. Many of these jobs have been outsourced to China, India etc, and the ones remaining definitely are held for people with connections, or those that graduated from a more prestigious school. This is common in many fields. If you do not get an engineering job, for example, what else are you qualified to do? Let's just hope school loans were not required and you do not have to owe money for the next 20 years.

 

And, many people study something that they think will bring home a big paycheck, not something they love. As an example, this is why you see many lawyers, engineers, CPA's hate what they are doing, and then switch to something completely unrelated, if they were lucky enough to even land a job.

 

I have a BA in finance, and I remember going to interviews for one low paying position, in which 400 other people with the same degree would show up. I suppose I was let down after working my own way through University. After going to interview after interview like this, I was relieved that I had my business to fall back on, and never looked back since.

 

You are very right about the lawyer thing...happened to my boyfriend. He now wants to start an automotive business for racing cars- nascar-ish stuff. (There is NO market for that kind of stuff here).

[KinAZ]

Hello All

I am 35 years old, have a new boyfriend, 35 for 4 months now. He is a great guy! We had a few bumps in the beginning of our relationship that we had to smooth out, trust issues. Everything has been great lately, i am very happy - he's wonderful!

 

Let me start out by saying i have dated a lot & found nothing but liars, cheaters, alcoholics, drug users, etc. So me finding my new boyfriend was a blessing - he is none of the above. Which is GREAT!

 

Something came up this week that I"m not concerned about but not sure if i should be, at this point in my life. He's looking to get a new car & we were discussing pricing, etc. I told him if you have a hard time paying for it you always have your savings to fall back on. His reply was what savings. I assumed that he had some money saved, but turns out he doesn't.

 

I've always & still do, lived home & banked all of my money, so i am well off. He said that he lived on his own for 10 years & has $3300 in bills every month, so its hard to save anything. He said me living home, is not reality, which is true. I am just lucky enough to get alone great with my parents & they go away alot, so i have no problem living home & being able to save.

 

I have dated men that owned their own businesses & owned a $800,000 house, but were total jerks & treated me like crap. I much rather have a great guy that treats me right than have one that doesn't who has money.

 

So now being 35, I have saved my entire life & my boyfriend couldn't.

Would this be something that would bother you at 35?

 

I love him & don't consider this a problem, should I?

I haven't been this happy in years!!

 

Comments??

 

I haven't read this thread, so forgive me if I'm overlooking updates and explanations.

 

I think that his drive and motivation speak better than what he actually has sometimes. Some have harder times than others. Some have unexpected situations. Could he have had savings and then had to use them? My mom's fiance was in this situation. He was doing extremely well. Saved all his life. Lived far below his means, and then fell into a number of financial situations. Sometimes life happens to people.

 

If you're looking at marriage in the future, I would be more concerned with how he feels about starting to save, and even seeing a financial planner. I haven't reached 30 yet, but I think it's VERY important that two people have similar views on savings and finances.

 

For example, he may not be able to save a lot now, but he may be able to save a little. Unless you're near the poverty line, it's possible. Of course, you wouldn't want to be pushy about that, but I do think that future plans for saving should be brought up.