Observations

[Yoby]

My sister had a boyfriend back years ago that had a 5K stereo system complete with a giant subwoofer, extra power converters, and digital dashboard readout in a $250 hatchback. Mr. Way Wrong also put a sunroof in his mobile music box. To each their own.................

My sister's now husband has done the similar thing. One year they got a tax return, he turned around and bought a 2500 stereo system. His response at the time was "I am doing my part to stimulate the economy". A month later they couldn't make their bills and pond it off for 600.

 

[sweeney]

 

[WormWiggler]

Canned tuna with ramen is generally cheaper than cat food. Just an observation.

I have never combined the two, but I am a ramen fan, and like tuna sammichs.... I chop some onions & pickles, combine with tuna, miracle whip, and pepper... Dammit I got go eat now.

 

[sweeney]

 

[Yoby]

did your parents give you money?

Give.... nope. I have leveled many dump truck loads of dirt during high school, helped my folks build about 10 houses. An for that They gave me their old car for college and paid for my books during college. Past that I have earned every damn time I have through the "typical" job market. (and no, not employed by any relatives)

 

[WormWiggler]

Worm, maybe they could move in with you. That would give them extra coin to eat better.

I always thought this would happen, but so far they(parents) or my wife don't want anything to do with that plan. To be honest, likely be divorced before that happens...

- - - Updated - - -

did your parents give you money?

are you addressing me? my parents helped me with college, in hindsight that was a mistake...

 

[martinslanding]

My observation would be spend less time observing and more time making money to afford the things that one observes…but wait how can one know what one wants if they are not observing things??? So are you saying you have to observe to know what you want, but then that takes time away from making money to observe things … or is one observing things while making money, I guess if that’s the case then you should be good at multitasking ,like typing and observing NDA while at work…so if you’ve mastered observing and making money then is there anything else to observe ???

 

[tikkalover]

You all need to spend it before you go into a nursing home.:;:exactly Put my mother in the nursing home 2 years ago and the more you have the more they charge you to be in there. Talk about a rip off. ::thinking:: Maybe I should build one so I can over charge old people to stay there.

 

[sweeney]

i am addressing the masses I know my parents didn't put money in a savings account for me, or give me a car, or pay for my books, or college, but i know a lot of people who's did, or helped them with a down payment on a house. I am wondering if maybe that is the reason for a lot of this entitlement shit i see now.

- - - Updated - - -

for the record i don't care what other people do with their money or how they got it, it's not my business i usually just try to get out of the area when people start talking about how other people spend this or that or save here or don't. I just plan to be able to quit working when i decide i have enough money and never work again unless i want to, i will see if the stock market will allow that in 20 more years.

 

[FishinRN]

To the original post I too have often wondered about these situations, but to each their their own. The problem I do have is knowing what percentage of rigs in these situations, or perhaps even more prevalent in both nice truck/toy combinations that are not paid for. People that have the means to but do not save anything for retirement, emergency, or helping kids at least get a start in life frustrate me. Going through life recklessly even if able to pick up the tab and being alright with sticking someone else or Joe taxpayer with the bills in the end isn't right. I am concerned our country is headed for a lot of trouble with this mentality in the future, take a peak at the cost of healthcare it won't be going down anytime soon.

 

[Davey Crockett]

Always been a motorhead and enjoy tinkering with vehicles. If we want a nice ride we jump in the 17 year old Lincoln Town car that is getting right up there now with 101,000 miles but it looks like it just rolled off the showroom floor and gets 24 MPG, It's easily good for another 100,000 miles. For heavy pulling it's a 13 year old Ford 350 dually that looks like crap but I like the flatbed and the power. Just bought my wife a new car last month , That's a 50 year old Mercedes diesel with 75,000 miles, Inside still looks like new but has a couple rust spots, Drove home from the RR Valley and got 35 MPG. According to online gossip it's a 400,000 mile car. If I want to go fishing I hook up my 2008 POS ford to my sparkly new looking 16' lund that is 37 years old. 08 Ford could go down the road anytime and It wouldn't bother me. Not sure if it's the same truck as in my picture but it came from a neighbor of my Dad sister , The one I have is 1931 and fun to tinker with, Makes a person realize where the old saying "Rides like a lumber wagon" came from. For a bunch of old junk I sure get asked if I want to sell them when out and about.

 

[BrokenBackJack]

Had nice vehicles usually through my years but always had an old junker or 2 that i drove most of the time and left the good ones in the garage for trips or when we wanted to take them out. Asked by many people why drive a junker when you have a good one in the garage. I answered because they are all paid for and that is what we choose to do. Even now living in town we have a 15 Honda CRV, a 16 Crewcab duramax and a 17 crewcab dually duramax that we pull our toyhauler with. Not many miles on either pickup and i know it pisses some people off that we have 2 pickups as they have so much as told me so. Keep asking why we need 2 diesels pickups and i guess now i just say because we can and everything is paid for. We both worked our butts off throughout our life and we both were brought up if you can't pay cash you don't buy it. I have taken a couple loans out through the years but paid them off in a matter of months.
My advice to people is to pay cash if possible and don't take out anymore loans than totally necessary. I always ask my kids when they are thinking of buying something, do you want it or do you need it? Big difference between the two.
I don't care what others have and am happy if they get something whether it is new or used. I don't have to pay for theirs and they don't have to pay for mine. I am really glad i was brought up this way because now with all the neck and back surgeries that i have had i am not dependent on someone elses money or charity. We get buy because everything is paid and we saved for the future. Our kids will benefit some from our years of saving and hope they do as they are very good kids!

 

[FishinRN]

You all need to spend it before you go into a nursing home.:;:exactly Put my mother in the nursing home 2 years ago and the more you have the more they charge you to be in there. Talk about a rip off. ::thinking:: Maybe I should build one so I can over charge old people to stay there.

That is naive, who do you think is picking up the remainder of that balance? For those unable to pay full next will be the assets, once those are gone the system eats the cost aka passed on to someone else to cover.

 

[Callem'In]

I have a 1 year old boat and a 14 year old Ford Super Duty. I look at it this way, a new truck will lose about 20% of what you pay for it in the first year and depreciate from there. It does not make financial sense to buy new at this time in my life. The boat on the other hand, I can more than likely own it for 10 years and only lose 10-15% of its value. It still will lose value, but not nearly as much. Both are paid. I also find the prices of new trucks absolutely insane.

 

[Fish whisperer]

I have a 2012 diesel that has roughly 57k on it. Use it primarily for pulling trailers or hunting/fishing, otherwise it sits in the garage. Have a 1992 Olds 88 with roughly 234K on it that's my daily driver. Paid a lot for the pickup and can't justify putting 40 miles on it everyday just to get to work. To each their own. My parents wanted better for us than what they had and I plan/hope to do the same for my kids. My parents worked their asses off and I like to think that I got my work ethic from them. I can guarantee that my kids will/already know what a day's work is and thus appreciate what they have and hopefully not live in debt up to their eyeballs.

 

[Yoby]

I can see what you are saying Sweeney. In college some of the people that had it all paid for them just went to go drink. This also went with some that got student loans. I did take out student loans, but that was my down payment on my first house. Hindsight, may not have been the best idea, but when I penciled it out compared to renting an apartment I was paying towards principal and gaining equity for the same price.



I guess as stated already different strokes.

 

[Davey Crockett]

I learn the hard way, I bought a new diesel International scout in 1982 and traded in a perfectly good 72-73 ? forget the year Souris River telephone 3 door suburban that I wish I still had . The IH was the biggest piece of junk there was and I got pissed and ordered a 82 chevy 3/4 ton diesel and that was junk too . All they did for me was give me incentive to work my fingers to the bone to pay for them. Oil boom crashed and I sold them both at a loss and bought a POS that ran like a top and have never looked at a new vehicle since. I can't even say it was fun while it lasted.

 

[WormWiggler]

I learn the hard way, I bought a new diesel International scout in 1982 and traded in a perfectly good 72-73 ? forget the year Souris River telephone 3 door suburban that I wish I still had . The IH was the biggest piece of junk there was and I got pissed and ordered a 82 chevy 3/4 ton diesel and that was junk too . All they did for me was give me incentive to work my fingers to the bone to pay for them. Oil boom crashed and I sold them both at a loss and bought a POS that ran like a top and have never looked at a new vehicle since. I can't even say it was fun while it lasted.

yeah, in hindsight those mid 80's diesel were a knee jerk reaction to high gasoline prices. I got 305000 on my duramax and cringe at the thought of trading it off...

 

[ShootnBlanks]

Well shit, looks like I better upgrade my 01 sierra...didnt know poeple were judging. Always thought they were staring at my wife in passenger seat.

 

[espringers]

It's better with cheese. But, then one needs to do a different cost/benefit analysis. At which point, cat food might appear to be the better option from a strictly cost perspective. However, if taste is a benefit, then it's entirely possible the $0.25 additional cost of the cheese could still be viewed favorably.