Hey, my Mom used to iron those patches on the knees of my jeans when I wore holes in them!
I ironed one on yesterday, on my $50 LL Bean fleece jeans.Hey, my Mom used to iron those patches on the knees of my jeans when I wore holes in them!
Running_man. I love your father story. Simple life and contentment.
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Aunt and uncle of mine...They partied their whole life like there was no tomorrow...Raised four kids, traveled, blah, blah, blah... Middle class family in the 60s/70s. My father (aunt's brother), on the other hand, lived like a miser, never went anywhere and watched TV on the couch for 20 years after retiring. He lived until he was 74 and had no fun to speak of, which he could have afforded, if only a little here and there. While he was still working he constantly bitched about how his sister (my aunt) and her husband were not going to have any money for retirement.
My aunt and uncle both died in their late 50s, within a few years of each other (breast cancer for her, lung cancer for him). They seemed happy and seemed to pass with no regrets. My father, on the other hand, could not point to much happiness.
Which life would you want?
Some people are homebodies and are very content to live a simple but fulfilling life. Did you know he was unhappy or are you saying because he did not party and have so called fun that he must have been unhappy? I have know several people like your aunt and uncle who are no longer here simply because they partied too much and died from the effects of imbibing too much. The most recent one I know died of liver cancer.Aunt and uncle of mine...They partied their whole life like there was no tomorrow...Raised four kids, traveled, blah, blah, blah... Middle class family in the 60s/70s. My father (aunt's brother), on the other hand, lived like a miser, never went anywhere and watched TV on the couch for 20 years after retiring. He lived until he was 74 and had no fun to speak of, which he could have afforded, if only a little here and there. While he was still working he constantly bitched about how his sister (my aunt) and her husband were not going to have any money for retirement.
My aunt and uncle both died in their late 50s, within a few years of each other (breast cancer for her, lung cancer for him). They seemed happy and seemed to pass with no regrets. My father, on the other hand, could not point to much happiness.
Which life would you want?
Unless one is hungry, cold, or sick, it is an individual's fault to be unhappy. People spend money because they can. They don't really have to. And counting money can bring happiness the same as spending it. In fact, spending money on stuff that you do not really care for can be counterproductive.
I've been reading this forum for over 10 years, and based on what I have read I would say that a fair number of people do plan their lives to be sure to use up every bit of buying power, or at least they write as if they do.Yes, any of us could die 6 months into retirement, but we could likewise have died 6 months after birth or 6 months after marriage or 6 months after making our first hole in one - does anyone plan his or her life on the basis of this fact?
w2r. Can't argue with you on this. If I may summarize: do what makes you happy if you can afford it and don't worry. Don't spend just for the sake of spending because that probably won't make you happy. Miss anything?
That about covers it. Nice and concise, too.
I don't see any reason to criticize anybody that dies with a lot of unspent money, as long as they lived a happy and contented life and weren't longing for anything.
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Very well said. I totally agree.OK, I just HAVE to weigh in on this thread. As always, I have many opinions (who me, opinionated? yep). Some of these opinions may not be all that popular but here goes:
My views are that someone who has achieved bliss, contentment, nirvana, or whatever you wish to call it, in life, does not have a duty to toss it out the window and engage in hyperconsumerism when they are already content.
If someone is already content, it seems to me that very little enjoyment can be had from just spending more money on things/experiences for the sake of spending it. Sometimes not spending can provide more enjoyment than spending. Sometimes the greatest new experiences are free. Sometimes extra things are just an albatross.
I see zero reason for someone who is content to feel obligated to spend everything they've got, even though they do not find doing this is necessary for further contentment, so as to not have a penny left when they die.
My thinking is that it is not immoral to leave money to one's heirs, or to charity, and at the same time to ensure that one has enough money to live to over 100 years old without depending on someone else's tax dollars.
Now, on the other hand, if someone is truly NOT content, then that's a different matter.
* If you always longed to, say, go on a photographic safari in Africa, and can afford it, then do it while you're young.
* If you always wanted a Dream House and can afford one, then buy one and move (and hurry up with that too - - moving before you're 65, in my experience, was a whole lot less exhausting and stressful than moving after 65).
* If you want to travel by RV before you die, then by all means buy a nice one if you can afford to do so, and take off! Again, this is probably better done while you are young enough to see well and drive safely.
And so on. But if you would rather just stick with the status quo, there's nothing inherently wrong with that either. Just make sure that is really what you want, and that you are truly content.