I would be a good rich person.
Does anyone want to make me rich to prove it?
I figure, everyone overestimates or underestimates their behaviour when it comes to things they haven't experienced directly. The majority of people think they are in the top half of driving ability, and most managers think they are better than the majority of other managers. Similarly, most people who win the lottery, think they will be "smart" with the money - but the reality of averages tell a different story.
And, most people think they would be good rich people.
History predicts we are usually wrong.
I have never been rich. I have never felt rich. Most of my life, I have lived in some level of debt, or if not, scraping through. But of course, "rich" is a relative term that is often skewed by the constant stream of material about those who are not just rich, they are obscenely wealthy. I know quite a few rich people - but none of the obscenely wealthy. The rich people I know are nearly all self-made rich, and pretty down to earth people - still working hard, still caring about what they do, where they spend, and what the future holds. You will rarely see them in the news and if they are, it is for the work they are doing, their wealth isn't mentioned.
Yesterday, I paid off my credit card debt. There wasn't much and it was on a card I had already cut up, but figured it was better to get it out of the way now, while I still have some money in the bank. Of course, I am not debt free totally, because I still have a mortgage, but at least the debt model is a little more simplified. I haven't used a credit card for a while, other than for online payments which I have been paying off each month. But this particular one had been hanging over my head and I am glad to see the back of it. We tend to learn a lot from our parents. At least I am not paying one credit card off with another - so I guess I have evolved a little since them.
My mother was terrible with money.
I hope I am able to set a better example for my daughter, but it is easier to set a good example when conditions are a little more positive than they currently are. At least financially. When there is enough, it is pretty easy to be able to allocate for different functions, spending, saving, investing. When there is too little, it all becomes about not spending. There are lessons in that too - but it is only part of the equation.
You can't save your way into financial comfort.
My parents didn't teach any of the correct equation at all. There was no investing, there was no saving, but there was spending and spending on debt. It is okay to spend when there is enough income, but when there isn't, it can quickly spiral out of control, with the debt compounding and the hole getting deeper and deeper. I have always hoped that my daughter would see something other than what I did as a financial role model.
There is still hope.
I would like to be "rich", which for me means having enough to cover everything I need, without having to rely on a salary of any kind. The richness would come from being able to truly pick and choose what I want to do, not just for work, but for my family. It doesn't mean I would be able to do anything and everything, but just make choices for everyday living for our own wellbeing. The food we eat, the activities we do, the home improvements we make.
Things for a better life.
That is what we are doing with the garden now. It is a family activity and while there are costs involved, we are trying to do it in a way that keeps the costs down with the material and item choices we make, as well as through the "sweat equity" of doing the work ourselves. So far, there has been a lot of sweat invested, even though the weather has been cold. But still, I would love to be able to speed the process up a bit, and make some choices for some things a little differently. For instance, it would be nice to be able to think about what furniture we want, and then just go and get it - without having to bargain hunt. But since we have to, I try to make it fun too.
It is possible to have fun without being rich.
But I think that it would make it easier if rich. Or at least, the fun would be from a different level of activity, rather than trying to make the most of what is available while making ends meet.
But what do I currently know?
Maybe one day I will find out for myself.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
