[MrRoboto]

True wealth is measured not by what you need but by what you don't.

[Hawkeye]

Originally Posted by CollinsE90

i work for a bank, i see peoples money everyday, FYI the happiest people that come in my bank have a good enough amount of money to retire, 100k or so and have a 10k car at most. sometimes less and just spend money on kids/grandkids,vacations etc...its not about HOW MUCH you make, its how much you keep

edit: i had a guy in a e92 n52 pull through the drive thru today with his polo shirt and expensive watch, with all of $30 in his account haha, daddy's money, and he was like 30

That is not necessarily true. I have accounts at 3 different banks. One of them I just keep $200-300 just cause I hate ATM charges so I keep a little money at banks with the most ATM locations in the places I visit

I would say that I am pretty content at where I am right now and I don't have a butload of savings by any means. I have a lot of toys, and that is what makes me happy!

[MrRoboto]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye

That is not necessarily true. I have accounts at 3 different banks. One of them I just keep $200-300 just cause I hate ATM charges so I keep a little money at banks with the most ATM locations in the places I visit

I would say that I am pretty content at where I am right now and I don't have a butload of savings by any means. I have a lot of toys, and that is what makes me happy!

Agree. I do the same with an account I pay my home through. Just keep a few hundred in for service charges.

[BayMoWe335]

Originally Posted by Luvmybmw

Sadly, many of us continually postpone our happiness. It's not that we consciously set out to do so, but that we keep convincing ourselves, "Someday I'll be happy." We tell ourselves we'll be happy when we graduate from school, get our first job, a promotion, when our debts are paid off. We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby then another. Then we are frustrated when our children are young. We say we'll be more content when they are older. After that, we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, when we are able to go on a nice vacation, when we move into a bigger home, when we retire. And on and on and on!

Meanwhile, life keeps moving forward. The truth is, there's no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when?

A recent quote I read goes like this, "For a long time it seemed to me that life was about to begin---. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be got through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life." This perspective has helped me to see there is no way TO happiness. Happiness IS the way.

As Mark Twain said, "I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened."
Practice keeping your attention on the here an now. Your efforts will pay great dividends!

Thank you.

[Cosmop]

Building your wealth is not a destination but a long journey.

I had a revelation about five years ago that to this day helps keep my perspective on my long term wealth building goals. Basically the human mind can not wrap its self around the concepts of large numbers. When someone says they want $2M , it’s hard to relate to what that really is. I’ve changed my thought process on money where $1000 = a penny, $100K = a dollar bill, $500K = a five dollar bill, and $1M = a ten dollar bill…you get the idea.

I don’t even go to the bank unless I have a penny to deposit. I can count my bank accounts like the change in my pocket. I know I need a fifty before I can even think about retiring.

[MontegoGoGoGo]

Are you kidding? I thought this thread was going to be about how you lost your job and have to get rid of your car and dip into your savings to pay your mortgage. This thread makes me want to vomit.

There will always be someone more successful than you.

There will always be some one better looking than you

There will always be someone smarter than you.

Be happy with who you are and what you have. Otherwise you will never be happy. Consider exceeding your goals icing, not the cake.

Half the fun is getting there - whatever your "there" might be.

[Cosmop]

Originally Posted by dark335i

sorry but that's a terrible way to think because it's inefficient and unrealistic. you should invest your money or put it in the bank, not say, a penny to me is $1k, LOL.

I don't understand why you think it's inefficient and unrealistic. I've already deposited $11K into my operating account this week so I'm not sitting at home hording my money waiting to hit $1K...lol. Also I do have other investments, I'm not sure what I said that implied I didn't?

[DarkRider23]

Originally Posted by Cosmop

I don't understand why you think it's inefficient and unrealistic. I've already deposited $11K into my operating account this week so I'm not sitting at home hording my money waiting to hit $1K...lol. Also I do have other investments, I'm not sure what I said that implied I didn't?

You've deposited $1.1 billion this week? Please, share some of it .

[Cosmop]

Touché

[Hawkeye]

^ HAHA Well played DarkRider!

[CollinsE90]

you guys are genious, do you not think i know people have multiple bank accounts? I see it EVERYDAY, im not going to explain my reasoning behind the statement bc you would of had to been there to see the transaction, no what branch im at(a VERY small city branch, the only one in the city and the nearest bank is 15 miles and he is from this city) and i somewhat know the guy...so no it wasnt an oblivious guess that he is broke, it was pretty educated...but there is a chance he has money, but i highly doubt it, ive got to the point where i can ALMOST guess whether someone has multiple

[gonzo]

Oldie but goody. Read it.

[JayKay335i]

Seriously though, leave your cubicle, leave your house, and do shit.

Go snowboarding. Go to the beach. Learn to surf. Go to big car meets. Working out and physical activity increases specific hormones which make you happy. Get some adrenaline rushes in. Be active and enjoy it all. You're just going to die, so do something while you can.

[solefald]

I am only starting to get out of the financial hole that my divorce and excessive partying and drug use put me in few years back. I have 0 savings (beside 401k), but I also have 0 credit card debt. I learned to live on what I make and not a penny more.

It's a great feeling to wake up in the morning and know that you will not get hourly calls from an UNKNOWN NUMBER, demanding a payment or trying to collect for someone you forgot that you owed money to.

I had to take a 20% pay cut after being laid off, so I am *really* hurting right now, but there is no fucking way im going back to using credit cards. I would take an odd job painting walls or laying brick, before I touch another credit card.

Sad thing, though, it looks like I will be downgrading to something cheaper after my lease is over next year. I got busted for being really stupid a year ago, and now my insurance payment is almost as high as my car payment. I am looking forward to lowering both of them next year.

[JCtx]

You need to change your perspective on life man, which is easy: just look DOWN, rather than up. You're better off than probably over 90% of the entire world. But if you only look up, there's always going to be somebody with more than you, and you'd always feel miserable.

At least you're living within your means, which is the first thing people should do. Using credit to pay something you can't afford is exactly the reason we're in the hole as a nation, so you're already way ahead in the path to financial success. Just give it time.

And finally, NEVER make money goals, or you'd always be frustrated if you don't make it. Or worse; you'll justify any behavior just to get there, and ignore your principles and ethics, like many folks do. Just work as hard and honest as you can, save all you can, and you'll be fine. Once you have good money saved, then you can think what to spend some of it on. If you have time to think about your frustrations, how about spending it serving others, to gain the perspective you need? Once you see how millions of folks live, you'll appreciate your life more, and feel grateful for what you have. Good luck.

[Mega Man]

If it makes you feel any better...Simon Cowell makes about $80,368,200 per year.

[darkcloud]

Originally Posted by Mega Man

If it makes you feel any better...Simon Cowell makes about $80,368,200 per year.

and he's a salty talentless brit that just knows how to run his mouth and be witty.

[Year's_End]

For once I feel like I got some useful tips out of the OT section.

[ncarter124]

I'm the same way OP, I crave money every split-second I am alive, know I will never have enough, and know I will die an unhappy man because of it. I hate kids and women so the family thing is out, so that just leaves me money. Oh well, another 50 years or so and it'll all be over, hopefully sooner.

At least know you aren't alone.

[BayMoWe335]

Originally Posted by JayKay335i

Seriously though, leave your cubicle, leave your house, and do shit.

Go snowboarding. Go to the beach. Learn to surf. Go to big car meets. Working out and physical activity increases specific hormones which make you happy. Get some adrenaline rushes in. Be active and enjoy it all. You're just going to die, so do something while you can.

Great advice. I do workout 4 times a week. It's my time for meditation and reflection. I am in outstanding physical shape (at least from a cardio perspective; a resting heart rate of about 44 on average). Yes, I keep track because I have worked very hard to calm my nerves and keep my blood pressure down.

I need to do more "different" things. I am starting by planning a nice trip in a few weeks. Spur of the moment because I can. Instead of thinking about getting up for work the next day and letting that ruin my night, I'll stay up and watch that movie with my girlfriend. So I'm a little tired the next day, but I did exactly what I wanted the night before. I need to start doing more of that.

Go to a weekday movie. Go paint balling. Not everything has to be left for the weekend.

The comments are helping guys.

[BayMoWe335]

Originally Posted by ncarter124

I'm the same way OP, I crave money every split-second I am alive, know I will never have enough, and know I will die an unhappy man because of it. I hate kids and women so the family thing is out, so that just leaves me money. Oh well, another 50 years or so and it'll all be over, hopefully sooner.

At least know you aren't alone.

I'm not going to lie. That was some depressing shit.

[BMdblU]

Originally Posted by bolinp78

It's all relative. You say "2-3 mil, why do you even do anything anymore, you have so much money". The way I've grown up, 2-3 mil isn't very much in the grand scheme of things. But to some people it is their dream.

People that are worth a lot of money usually get that way because they have a skill, be it a technical skill, a people skill, etc, they are driven to succeed, and they work their ass off. A little luck along the way doesn't hurt, either. At a higher level in most businesses, relationship management (who you know), is vitally important.

This is right on.. when you make x you live a certain way, when you make more, your lifestyle and expenses also increase.

You see a guy in a 100k plus car. He either has a nice car and lots of money, or he has a lot of car and little money.