I worked in a factory. Not in management, but on the floor as a machine operator.
Except for the 12 months that I worked overtime every weekend (2- 16 shifts) + my regular 40hr week, I never earned more than 30K.
My husband and I started buying rental properties in 2004, using the modest equity in our home for down payments. He did the repairs, maintenance, and dealing with tenants..I worked to qualify for rental mortgages.
I was always open with co-workers with the trial and tribulations of owning rental properties.
Describing the disgusting conditions of properties after a tenant skipped etc.
Going to court continuously to make the feral tenants pay their debts.
They saw me with my thermos and brown bagged lunch every day....every day !
They saw my husband pick me up and drop me off, because we only had one vehicle.
They would continuously say about everything I do "I couldn't do what you do"
I would say, it's only for a short while then I'm quitting work forever.
I remember a young co-worker jokingly said to another co-worker, that I was rich.
That other co-worker said, I couldn't be too rich, as I was still working there.
At that time I was 2-3 months from my planned 'retirement' date.
August 2010 was when I quit.(I was 50 and my husband was 46)
All the ones I worked with...are still there working.