Warning this is long!
Me.... I've had big bucks from business and well... didn't care for the social circles and stress associated with the treadmill. That's not directed at anyone here, and if they are comfortable with the folks they surround themselves with good for them. Rich, poor or in between, I've found likable people and people who were snobs about what they have as well as people who were snobbish in their own poor way by constantly living a life of envy or with a "poor mentality" about money. Happiness is between ears, not between the folds of a fat or thin wallet.
Me, I find more happiness building an engine and restoring a hot rod than buying Porsche and its not because I couldn't afford one. I've done the "one payment plan" before with a rather expensive vehicle. After a while... the thrill wore off and the only way it could be replaced was by doing it again, which I declined. I took it out of service, modified the engine, transmission and suspension, did some fabrication... and there's always a new thrill I can think of to "make it my own model." I'd rather build a classic Cobra kit car, drive around cruise-ins and smoke the tires at lights than tool around in a luxury car. I downsized the house after realizing it didn't do much for me. I now have a small ranch house with a few acres in the country, enjoy the slower pace of life and have large workshop out back. That's where I find my happiness... building things with my hands. Heck, I even enjoy cleaning up the shop, especially on a very hot day where nothing feels more satisfying than downing an ice cold diet Coke. I know how to and can enjoy a great dry aged steak and the best gourmet meal but I find beers with people casually laughing it up at a local joint more enjoyable --- especially if there's an old fart there spinning yarns about his youth. I find rubbing grease off my hands at the end of the day far more rewarding on an emotional level. Yeah, cars are a hobby of mine, not my income... but I've busted my ass at work and busted my knuckles under a greasy engine so I've seen both sides of the coin. For me, I've found that you can wash dirt and grease off in a shower but no shower takes away the stress of a tough day at the office, especially those weeks when I put 80 hours (or more on occasion, no kidding), or worse, a week of travel no matter how fancy. Getting pampered by doormen wearing tails, bellhops who act like they are your best friend, having an expensive gift basket awaiting me in the room and a classy waitress at my cocktail table was fun but the conversation was always thin. The only "deep" conversations were the intricacies of business.
So, I guess I'm a simple man, with simple tastes, who's been there, done that... and found my place in life where I fit. I wear faded blue jeans and t-shirts year round, and shorts in the summer. I don't give a damn if the shirt has a stain on it either... what other people think doesn't impact me. The suits come out only for weddings and funerals. While I certainly prefer first class flying over cramped coach the fancy hotels do little to nothing for me... I'm not there to spend my time at the hotel. I'm there to spend as much time with a line in the water looking to catch a big fish! On the rare occasions I go to a high end hotel it's for an romantic weekend getaway with my wife, but we still spend the majority of the time window shopping, too busy sharing our thoughts with each other to spend much money. Heck, 99% of the enjoy is having each other around without having the kids around! lol When I meet with my financial adviser sometimes I get a chuckle wondering if he cringes when shaking my hand because there may be grease under my fingernails!
I'm 43, been retired for 3 years and loving it. Sure, I can find plenty things to do with $300K per year. Anyone who says they can't, well, they probably aren't trying hard. The first year it would be easy to blow some serious cash on machining equipment that I'd rarely use, maybe a dynometer and the best vehicle lift you can buy, and perhaps a 68 Camaro and 64 Mustang convertible but after that my vehicle wants are met. Perhaps I'd spend a good chunk on house sitters so I could take a long road trip with the wife to visit the lower 48 states, and perhaps take the 4x4 for a drive up to Alaska. After that... maybe I'd increase my joy by stuffing money into a single mother's purse at church around Christmas, or having a box of clothes for her kids dropped off anonymously. An absolute blast would be to take all of the gift cards for the needy at Christmas off the tree at a local church and personally insuring all those kids had the best toys, and give them a Christmas they'll remember the rest of their lives. Hard to say exactly what I'd do, but I would try to do something positive with it. And yes, blow some frivolously but can't see it happening much... it's just not me.
