Indicators of Wealth?

I'm 60, retired 5 years. I have an enormous lawn that's been turned to crabgrass years ago. I have nothing but time and am in good health, but whenever I try to tackle say 50 square feet I realize all the brutal labor involved and poop out.

Screw it. I took the first bid I got (stupid I know but we're talking f u money and extravagance). $8500 took me in a week from worst eyesore to best lawn in the neighborhood. Totally reworked sprinkler system because that was a major part of the problem. Now I inspect my neighbor's lawns and advise them where they have brown spots.

Extravagance is quickly solving problems with money.
 
Yeah, I' gonna throw some dough at my front yard too. I did lawn and it all died. I'm going to hire it "xeriscaped" with rocks and shrubs that don't need much water or attention. We are all advised to use less water here and that sounds like the way to do it.
 
RobbieB said:
Yeah, I' gonna throw some dough at my front yard too. I did lawn and it all died. I'm going to hire it "xeriscaped" with rocks and shrubs that don't need much water or attention. We are all advised to use less water here and that sounds like the way to do it.
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Plastic ferns and other synthetic material planting work fine. Neighbor has an artificial grass lawn and it is very nice. With that kind of stuff, water is used to wash off the dust on occasion.
 
Hehe, yeah the local Ace hardware has a display of artificial turf right at the front door and will hook you up with installers too. That could look real good in with the xeriscape, a little green patch here and there.
 
Obviously, it differs for each person. People will tend to put the indicator at their own limits, ie something they would do or have done, but close to their limit. Wealth and its indicators are relative and quite personal. There are almost always people more wealthy than you. Their indicators will be different too.
 
A few weeks ago I met a couple billionaires at a party, my first ever. From observation, their indicator appeared to be very slim wives.

Ha
 
haha said:
A few weeks ago I met a couple billionaires at a party, my first ever. From observation, their indicator appeared to be very slim wives.

Ha
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Necessary but not sufficient criteria for billionaire status. My DW is very slim, great figure, exceptionally attractive. But I'm no billionaire??
 
Congratulation on having a beautiful wife. The pleasure that comes from a lovely woman cannot be overemphasized.

Like I say, this is my only sample of this group. I know they are billionaires from separate knowledge. I know that their wives are very slim because I can see.

I would certainly like to be a billionaire, but I am in a much less glamorous condition. My perk of wealth is different too, though my GF is also very thin. My perk is I that I have very low financial anxiety because I have always kept an eye on my nut. There are a number of things that I might like, but none of these is more attractive to me than knowing that I am not going to blow up financially, unless some societal mashup claims me.

Ha
 
haha said:
A few weeks ago I met a couple billionaires at a party, my first ever. From observation, their indicator appeared to be very slim wives.

Ha
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And much younger I would suspect. With good prenups in place, a billionaires current wife should always be between 20 and 30 years old, no matter how old he is. :)

a.k.a. the Anna Nicole syndrome
 
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Other than the solar panels on the roof and the 4 motorcycles in the garage, I'm pretty stealthy. The FedEx and UPS trucks give me away, but the garage door is closed most of the time and my 2003 Taurus sits in the driveway. My lawn of dirt and weeds adds to the effect too.

But tomorrow UPS will deliver my lobster roll kit - :)
 
RobbieB said:
But tomorrow UPS will deliver my lobster roll kit - :)
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We have some friends in MA (I grew up there) that sent us a gift certificate to the same place. Plan is to order 6 - 1.5lb lobsters, invite two other couples over, and have a good time. Enjoy the lobster meat, but half the fun is cracking the lobster and getting it out!

Actually it is also fun watching 4 mid-westerners trying to figure out how to attack the lobster.
 
Did you hear the story about the poor girl with the rich date?

To her horror she found that her beau ordered the best in the house, whole lobsters for 2 at the fancy place with bibs and everything. She had never even seen one before let alone on her plate. She did perfectly though, just watched and followed along one step behind her experienced date.
 
Lobster and wealth is only the result of the need for them to be cooked alive and the problem that presents. If you are in the right location, they are just a common seafood.
Now a good wine on the other hand....
 
You are correct. My friends on the east coast tell me they are $5/lb if you go to the docks.
 
bob boag said:
I'm 60, retired 5 years. I have an enormous lawn that's been turned to crabgrass years ago. I have nothing but time and am in good health, but whenever I try to tackle say 50 square feet I realize all the brutal labor involved and poop out.

Screw it. I took the first bid I got (stupid I know but we're talking f u money and extravagance). $8500 took me in a week from worst eyesore to best lawn in the neighborhood. Totally reworked sprinkler system because that was a major part of the problem. Now I inspect my neighbor's lawns and advise them where they have brown spots.

Extravagance is quickly solving problems with money.
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Wow!
 
RobbieB said:
You are correct. My friends on the east coast tell me they are $5/lb if you go to the docks.
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Quite true. lobster prices were up for a long time, but now they are reasonable, if you live there.

Years ago (40+) My family bought and cleaned an 18 lb lobster, to serve as lobster rolls. I think they paid the exorbitant price of $1/lb!

The under claws (the ones you usually throw away) had enough meat to make a sandwich - each!

Not politically correct any more!
 
The lobster discussion reminds me of David Foster Wallace's "Consider the Lobster" essay, with this prime quote:

Up until sometime in the 1800s, though, lobster was literally low-class food, eaten only by the poor and institutionalized. Even in the harsh penal environment of early America, some colonies had laws against feeding lobsters to inmates more than once a week because it was thought to be cruel and unusual, like making people eat rats.
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http://www.columbia.edu/~col8/lobsterarticle.pdf Only 20 footnotes and no footnotes to the footnotes; I think he restrained himself for Gourmet Magazine. ;)
 
bob boag said:
I'm 60, retired 5 years. I have an enormous lawn that's been turned to crabgrass years ago. I have nothing but time and am in good health, but whenever I try to tackle say 50 square feet I realize all the brutal labor involved and poop out.



Screw it. I took the first bid I got (stupid I know but we're talking f u money and extravagance). $8500 took me in a week from worst eyesore to best lawn in the neighborhood. Totally reworked sprinkler system because that was a major part of the problem. Now I inspect my neighbor's lawns and advise them where they have brown spots.



Extravagance is quickly solving problems with money.
Click to expand...


Im glad it worked. My neighbor hired Scott Lawn to do his, and he spent thousands. I seeded and fertilized mine my own, and spent less than $70. Summer - all his grass turned brown, and mine was all complete and green. He got so mad at the crab grass one day, as it were the only green ones, he pulled the out one by one


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum
 
Kelly and I started with a couple of martini's with salami & cheese roll ups, then popped the cork on some sparkling rose and I did the lobster roll prep.

Used the "warm roll" instructions, coated the outside of the rolls with melted butter and lightly grilled while the lobster chunks were warming in the butter. The rolls were like a short loaf of wonder bread split on the top and the inside was lightly mayo'ed before the buttery chunks were loaded. I guess the function of the rolls are to simply hold the meat and not add additional flavor. They seem to simply decompose while chewing leaving only buttery lobster taste. All fresh claw meat and simply wonderful. We ate 2 each for dinner with a couple of bites left for the dogs. Got 2 remaining for todays's lunch.

Wonderful, will be ordering again the next time they go on sale -
smile.gif



30291104696_6d5dbee872_z.jpg
 
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I take advantage of all the "high-end" discounts I can get. Truffles and lobster rolls and caviar too. Once you order from these guys, you get on the "list" and they email you the "specials" for the rest of your life.
 
RobbieB said:
I take advantage of all the "high-end" discounts I can get. Truffles and lobster rolls and caviar too. Once you order from these guys, you get on the "list" and they email you the "specials" for the rest of your life.
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Congratulations, you are an accredited eater!

Ha
 
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