Downsides of success
I am a single mother of a disabled teenager – not a typical Mustachian, probably. I also had a very odd route to FIRE. My ex husband and I (both government employees with lower middle class salaries) bought a home that we ended up renting out. It appreciated a lot and we sold it and bought two duplexes in “up and coming” areas in the SF Bay region, one of which we lived in for several years. Fast forward 15 years – we are divorced and because my ex became discouraged during the real estate melt down, he let me buy out his interest in the properties. The buildings appreciated and the cash flow is enough for me to live comfortably.
When I was struggling financially after the divorce, my friends were kind and supportive. Now that I no longer have to work, I have become more and more isolated. A couple of my “friends” tried to take advantage of me financially - leaning on me to lend or give them money, etc. Even my family members are behaving badly – refusing to pay back loans. My parents have suddenly adopted an unaffordable and extravagant lifestyle and it is obvious they expect me to support them if /when they run out of money.
I have tried many things to make new friends: hiking meetups, volunteering, church, part time work, you name it. I feel like a unicorn and it is isolating me. One of the problems is that my lifestyle looks odd to people so it is hard to “stealth wealth” – people ask me what I “do” and I have to give a vague answer because I don’t want to tell them about my financial situation.
Any ideas around this? Sometimes I think that living in the hyper competitive social environment of the Bay Area is part of the problem. But, it would be hard to move because my son has a support system here.