Awkward Wealth

[FUEGO]

Quick update: A's husband never called me back to do any work. I've obtained quotes from one local company for siding and a few miscellaneous roof repairs already and the price isn't too bad ($6000 total plus a few hundred for some optional add ons, and more than half that is materials I think) so I'll probably use that contractor or another one if the bids come in lower.

I finally found my fish eggs in the freezer section at the Korean store up the street (below the sliced octopus, sea urchin, and seasoned tofu slices). $10 for a pound of capelin eggs. Or $7 for a quarter pound. I bought the 1 lb. bulk package, enough for probably 30-50 rolls of sushi. Nice crunchy texture, slightly sweet and salty (I noticed they add high fructose corn syrup and MSG). DW is happy, although I'm not sure we saved any money versus visiting the all-U-can-eat chinese and sushi buffet for $7+tax+tip (that offers pretty awesome sushi). I still want to try caviar style fish eggs, so I'll have to hit up trader joe's when they have caviar in stock.

[Meadbh]

I can't believe we just spent 622 posts discussing fish eggs!

[Keim]

One post for each egg?

[old woman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amethyst I've never lived anywhere, where people considered it polite to ask what you paid for something. They prefer to look it up for themselves, on the Internet! E.G., I have certain relatives who always know what everyone paid for their house. Some less inhibited people can be nosey about "what did you pay?," but that's pretty easy to deal with. Nosey people know they're being impolite; they just like to see if you'll let them get away with it. Amethyst

In the early 70s I bought a house near an old lady. She was from another country were men are head of household and every thing she saw she asked "how much you pay" She asked me about the house, I told her I don't know my husband bought it. In her world a woman wouldn't know what her husband spent, in mine I was the one to make the offer and negotiate the price. My ex didn't care about money, that was my thing. Once we were to meet to refinance a house and he was outside and said he had already signed the papers, I asked if he read them and he said he thought I would read them when I got there.

Now I am on SS and have a bunch of investments but don't know what my income is. People mostly think of income as paychecks, or SS checks so my income is 780 a month. I am able to live on that because dividends or selling assets but when people ask my income I just say I don't know, I try not to think about money. When getting a roofing quote I told them I was low income when applying for a loan I tell them I am high income.

[Hamlet]

Yes, there has been a sea change in attitude about vehicle safety since when I was a kid in the 1980s. When I was little no one bothered with seat belts or car seats. I rode around in the back seat without a seat belt, and it wasn't unusual for people to have their infant on their lap. Drunk driving was considered a pretty trivial thing.

These days, pretty much everyone uses seat belts and no decent parent would consider driving with their small child not in a car seat. Drunk driving is considered a pretty serious offense nowadays. Air bags probably save a lot of lives as well, but I think just getting everyone to use the seatbelts/car seats probably had the biggest impact.

I think the next improvement in car safety that is coming up soon is the mandatory back-up cameras in new cars. I think that will likely prevent a substantial number of childrens' deaths.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andre1969 Good point...I imagine the mandatory seatbelt laws were what really started dropping the death rates. Even though cars had seatbelts (I think lap belts front and rear were federally mandated in 1965 and shoulder belts up front were mandated on 1/1/1968), people rarely used them. And they don't do any good if you don't use them! Tougher drunk driving laws, and a general public awareness and stigma of it have probably helped as well, and that didn't really gain power until the early 1980's.

[jon-nyc]

Speaking of drunk driving I should post my mint julep recipe. It's a winner.

[38Chevy454]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jon-nyc Speaking of drunk driving I should post my mint julep recipe. It's a winner.

A mint julep is the official drink of the KY Derby!

[jon-nyc]

There's a derby for KY? Now *that's* awkward.

[MichaelB]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jon-nyc There's a derby for KY? Now *that's* awkward.

Well, it is an awkward thread ...

[O2Bfree]

My DSO and I aren't retired quite yet, but we're those "millionaires next door", living in a modest, long-paid-off home, driving older cars, doing things ourselves whenever possible, etc. A few years ago we decided to increase our real estate holdings by buying a little get-away place while the housing market was down. We were able to pay cash for a great little place on a short sale.

One day we mentioned our second place to our neighbor, and she said, "Well, now you have two mortgages!" When my DSO politely informed her that everything was paid for, she gave us an incredulous look and clammed up. I got the feeling she thinks we both make minimum wage or something.

Living as she does in a bigger house than ours, hiring out her yard work and other routine maintenance, buying a new car every 5 or 6 years, and spending freely on new furniture, kitchen upgrades, and electronics, I suppose she can't imagine how anyone could own two places and be mortgage-free, especially the "poor" souls next door who can't even afford to hire a landscaper!

[youbet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by O2Bfree Living as she does in a bigger house than ours, hiring out her yard work and other routine maintenance, buying a new car every 5 or 6 years, and spending freely on new furniture, kitchen upgrades, and electronics, I suppose she can't imagine how anyone could own two places and be mortgage-free, especially the "poor" souls next door who can't even afford to hire a landscaper!

I like the idea of doing the spending your neighbor does and still being the millionaire next door! Yes, it's possible to have it both ways.......

[steelyman]

You can also hire out people to pat you on the back.

[youbet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by steelyman You can also hire out people to pat you on the back.

Not sure that would fit the true spirit of frugal living and LBYM!

Although, I do remember one situation from years ago. I was in a job interview and the interviewer was a bit intimidating to a young guy out of work, with a new baby at home, and really needing the job. Suddenly my back itched, really itched! I wanted to rub my back against the chair. I wanted to reach under my suit jacket and scratch that spot more than you can imagine, but I was afraid I'd look awkward. I just suffered through it.

I probably would have paid for a good, hard series of pats on the back right about then!

[steelyman]

I recall hearing of an interview where a cute student was just looking for a job. I wasn't there.

At one point, one of the interviewers lifted a cheek and farted righf there. How do you do?

She just rolled.

[RISP]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hamlet Yes, there has been a sea change in attitude about vehicle safety since when I was a kid in the 1980s. When I was little no one bothered with seat belts or car seats. I rode around in the back seat without a seat belt, and it wasn't unusual for people to have their infant on their lap.

You might enjoy this article about Col. John Paul Stapp, who lobbied hard for seatbelt usage and also was an all-around awesome person:

Ejection Site: Fastest Man on Earth- John Paul Stapp

He also coined Stapp’s Ironical Paradoxon: „The universal aptitude for ineptitude makes any human accomplishment an incredible miracle.“

[Mo Money]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jon-nyc Speaking of drunk driving I should post my mint julep recipe. It's a winner.

I'm still waiting (PATIENTLY) for the mint julep recipe! (Or is that hijacking the thread?)

[pb4uski]

What is this thread about?

[Tree-dweller]

It's about 638 posts long.
(Sorry.)

[Andre1969]

It's about drinking and driving and not wearing your seatbelt in an old car with no airbags, while on your way to the Piggly Wiggly to ask your out-of-work neighbor's wife where the fish eggs are

[Amethyst]

Paging Bob Dylan. This could be the plot for a new version of "Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts."

A.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andre1969 It's about drinking and driving and not wearing your seatbelt in an old car with no airbags, while on your way to the Piggly Wiggly to ask your out-of-work neighbor's wife where the fish eggs are