WHat the hell do you all do
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 358
Likes: 2
From: Portland, OR
Construction Engineer, wife is a Facilities Management Engineer.
We both went to Tech school in Canada, work our butts off, strive to constantly learn and eventually got "engineer" after our name based on experience (25 years now), but we are not engineers.
Together we make enough to afford that 400k home, but, the one we paid 150k for is plenty big for us as we are also DINK's.
We started off life living at the poverty line. Lived a little beyond our means and debt began to pile up. Eventually buckled down and are "comfortable" on the income we make now, but unfortunately, a great deal of it goes to retirement savings now, because, as mentioned, earlier we, well, I was not responsible.
I'm 47, and will have to work another 17 years. If I had been smarter when I was younger, I could be retiring in 3 years... like some of my friends.. but I wanted the toys that allowed me to play (with same friends when they could afford it, and, really, I could not). I neglected the future. Looking back, it wasn't about the toys, it was about the people in my life.
If you are younger, and spending at your limit or above, please, take it from someone who has been down that road, keep the costs down and save for the future. I know when I was in my 20's I though at 50 life would be over, but I tell you right now, I still mountain bike, DH mountain bike as fast as I ever did, ski, hike, shoot, Jeep, drag race... but, lots of my friends are retiring in the next 3-5 years... I gotta make up for that lost time at a point when I'm really starting to get tired of the whole "working" for a living thing. Hindsight being what is is, I could have had just as much fun when younger with less, and less expensive "stuff".
off soap box.
We both went to Tech school in Canada, work our butts off, strive to constantly learn and eventually got "engineer" after our name based on experience (25 years now), but we are not engineers.
Together we make enough to afford that 400k home, but, the one we paid 150k for is plenty big for us as we are also DINK's.
We started off life living at the poverty line. Lived a little beyond our means and debt began to pile up. Eventually buckled down and are "comfortable" on the income we make now, but unfortunately, a great deal of it goes to retirement savings now, because, as mentioned, earlier we, well, I was not responsible.
I'm 47, and will have to work another 17 years. If I had been smarter when I was younger, I could be retiring in 3 years... like some of my friends.. but I wanted the toys that allowed me to play (with same friends when they could afford it, and, really, I could not). I neglected the future. Looking back, it wasn't about the toys, it was about the people in my life.
If you are younger, and spending at your limit or above, please, take it from someone who has been down that road, keep the costs down and save for the future. I know when I was in my 20's I though at 50 life would be over, but I tell you right now, I still mountain bike, DH mountain bike as fast as I ever did, ski, hike, shoot, Jeep, drag race... but, lots of my friends are retiring in the next 3-5 years... I gotta make up for that lost time at a point when I'm really starting to get tired of the whole "working" for a living thing. Hindsight being what is is, I could have had just as much fun when younger with less, and less expensive "stuff".
off soap box.
