When I was younger I suppose I had some strange and very naive ideas about money. Somehow I believed that if you were a good person and didn't care about materialistic things that eventually you would be rewarded. Your fairy godmother would appear and grant you three wishes: ABRA CADABRA! You lived happily ever after!
Yes, it is handy being deluded sometimes. Except when it isn't. And you wake up one day and you're middle aged, living in a less than glamorous house, in a less than glamorous suburb, shopping at Aldi. But enough about that. After all, I don't want to make you jealous!
For as long as I can remember, my parents always had the same old conversation about winning the lotto. I'm never going to win it because I never take a ticket. So I'm waiting for my parents to win it for me and share the proceedings. Any day now... It's only been 40 odd years or so of waiting. Waiting, waiting, waiting...
There are advantages to being a born and bred 'westie'. I don't seem to value or care about a lot of things or see the point in them. A car is just a car to me. Labels mean less than nothing to me.
A couple of years ago I used to attend a now defunct writing group. The lady who ran the group was some sort of counselor or 'life coach' or something. She said that many of her clients were in so much debt, yet when she suggested that they just buy clothes at Target or K Mart they were completely horrified and insisted that they could NEVER do that! Really? I don't understand that.
I suppose it's easy to decide you don't care about materialistic shit when you have so few employable skills. This does tend to make it rather difficult to achieve and sustain employment. I'm not sure WHY employers don't value knowing the lyrics to every Carpenters song. That is some serious skillz, people! Sniff.
But back to money...
It seems that Mickey Blue Eyes and I have a rather old school approach to money. Which is this: avoid debt. If you can't afford it, you can't have it. The end.
Meanwhile, it seems like every other bastard (meant in the most affectionate way) is buying or building their dream home and travelling around the world. Either they have so much more money than us or so much more debt (and either way it's none of my business). Sometimes I'm left wondering if we're the stupid ones for being so wary of delightful old debt. Sigh.
We are lucky enough to own a house but it's not exactly our dream house. But even less than glamorous houses in less than glamorous suburbs in Sydney are worth a bit these days. The problem is, the next house would be worth MORE.
That's the thing about living in Sydney. I genuinely have no interest in a big fuck off McMansion. I've visited a couple of exhibition homes and all the bright, shiny whiteness makes this old Aspie seasick. But even a relatively modest home in Sydney is so frightfully expensive! What is a simple soul to do?
We could always move to Dubbo. But I better not give Mickey Blue Eyes any ideas...
Anyway, there is a saying: where ever you go, there you are. As long as I have my health, family and some books it's all good. Who needs a money tree as long as you have the faraway tree?
What are your thoughts about money and debt?
I'm with you on debt. If you can't afford it and it's not an investment for the future (investment dressing doesn't qualify I keep telling myself) then don't buy it.
ReplyDeleteSSG xxx
Good on you guys. I think you and M are the most sensible folk in Sydney! Thanks for linking up for #lifethisweek 6/52. Next week: LOVE. Denyse
ReplyDeleteI hear you on both the labels and the McMansions. We're in the Hills, so there are plenty of both. I do, however, wear my good thongs when I shop at the Towers (I'm such an embarrassment to my class...she says tongue firmly planted in cheek)
ReplyDeleteI live in thongs (and birkenstocks). And I do have good things. They're sparkly. I'm very high class...but my demise, spending wise is books. It's very, very costly and bad....
DeleteWe were out of debt and just did a huge reno and are now massively in debt. I can't tell you how uncomfortable it makes me. I want to win lotto, not to be rich but to be out of debt...that.s all I look at...(but as you say, that's living in Sydney!)
ReplyDeleteWe are much the same. If you can't afford it, don't buy it. We don't have a credit card and our only debt is in our house which is now our soon to be sold investment property in NSW. We will purchase or build our next home with the proceeds and take out another mortgage to fill the gap. It's not going to be our dream home. More the home we can afford. If that makes any sense.
ReplyDeleteTotally with you on this one Ness: " car is just a car to me. Labels mean less than nothing to me" ... I had to do without a lot growing up in a single parent family, and then when I got married we poured everything we could into buying our own home and lived frugally for many years. But as a result, I got to be a SAHM for 9 years, and now we have paid off our house the purse strings have definitely relaxed somewhat. It's not a McMansion but it suits me though I think hubster longs for something bigger and better (I don't coz I know who would be cleaning it!).
ReplyDeleteYou and I have the same views on xlotto, I am still waiting too. If it's not my parents, then hubby might ha ha.
ReplyDeleteI tend not to compare, because those that do have all the good stuff are probably stressed to the eyeballs in debt. You never know.
I think a lot of the financial problems folks are experiencing go directly to this issue. Too many things to spend money on, too many choices, too high expectations about the sort of house, car etc. they need to buy. A lot to be said for if you don't have it, don't spend it. Funnily enough folks with that attitude, even on lower salaries, often have a very satisfactory lifestyle. They just know what their priorities are.
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