Author Topic: What makes you feel rich?  (Read 21778 times)

Misstachian

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What makes you feel rich?
« on: June 09, 2019, 08:45:12 PM »
A few years ago I was talking with a friend who was admiring my usual leftovers-for-lunch habit. She lamented that eating leftovers makes her feel poor. "I hate it when I have to eat out of the fridge or freezer instead of just getting what I feel like - it makes me feel so poor!"

I looked at her, marveling, and said, "My freezer full of food makes me feel RICH."

And it does! A freezer full of meals makes me feel warm and comfortable knowing that if at a future moment I lack money or time, delicious food awaits me anyway. Growing a bit in my garden makes me feel rich (even though I definitely spend more money and time on it than I get edible food). A stocked fridge and pantry makes me feel rich.

I’ve returned to this thought pretty often, as did she in our many money conversations. I feel lucky that what makes me feel rich (other than money in the bank, which also works) is something both good for my life and within my grasp! Boy am I lucky it’s a freezer of food that does it for me and not, like, fancy cars or high heels.

What makes you feel rich? (I do mean other than little green employees, though that’s an understandable answer too....)

Bloop Bloop

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #1 on: June 09, 2019, 08:51:06 PM »
- Having a wonderful partner and a loving family. Their approval is the only approval that I seek, so I would never feel "poor" due to others' judgment.

- Having friends who are supportive and who are themselves successful. I am lucky that if my "Plan A" were to go bust, I could rely on my friends to help pick me up and probably help me get a job in the organisations that they are in (and me vice versa).

- Living in a society where I speak the language, I understand the customs and I fit into the culture. So much easier to feel content when you can mesh with society. I guess you would call this cultural privilege.

- Being able to travel, locally and globally. More often the former. A day trip is enough to restore the sense of wonder.

- Having a dog.
« Last Edit: June 09, 2019, 08:53:23 PM by Bloop Bloop »

jpdx

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #2 on: June 09, 2019, 09:04:56 PM »
It may seem backwards, but I often feel the most rich when I'm not working and not making money. Doing "weekend" things like camping during the week feels very liberating.

2Birds1Stone

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #3 on: June 09, 2019, 09:15:17 PM »
Time!!

ysette9

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #4 on: June 09, 2019, 09:36:50 PM »
Time is huge.

Right now it is one of the freak hot days and it is a million degrees outside.
I am inside enjoying the attic fan, insulation, and AC we added two years ago. It is amazing to have control over one’s environment like this and be comfortable when nature tries to tell you to be uncomfortable. This is very luxurious.

OtherJen

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #5 on: June 09, 2019, 09:53:19 PM »
*A supportive husband, family, and friends. I’ve had a personal crisis this spring and learned that I have even more good friends than I realized. I’m very fortunate.

*A very flexible job that allows me to volunteer my time and talent towards important (to me) causes.

*The knowledge that all bills are paid comfortably every month, with money to spare.

*Pets and the means to care for them properly (including all vet bills).

Serendip

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #6 on: June 09, 2019, 10:08:18 PM »
Having fresh flowers in the house feels very *rich* to me (currently I have a leafy stalk of rhubarb tucked amongst lilies and it feels strange and exotic)

I grew up quite poor but did not feel it/realize it until I was older, in my family we were fresh food rich due to a large garden so I love gardening and having vibrant food around. Making my own food, teas and adding fresh herbs to everything makes me feel like I am winning at life, even though my NW is quite small :)

FIREstache

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #7 on: June 09, 2019, 10:45:23 PM »

A nice stash, a paid off home, a good job, and a good possibility of FIRE in the next year.

Taran Wanderer

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #8 on: June 09, 2019, 10:54:19 PM »
Several things make me feel rich:
1.  Having multiple containers of lip balm wherever I need them.
2.  Having an extra container of shampoo/shaving cream/toothpaste/etc. already in the medicine cabinet and ready to go when I squeeze the last dregs out of the current container.
3.  Never having to say, "Just put $20 of gas in the tank."  I can fill it and not worry about it.
4.  Having enough undershirts that I only have to wash them (and fold them... uggh) once a month.

There are other, bigger things, but it's the little things that I really appreciate.

EscapeVelocity2020

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #9 on: June 09, 2019, 11:41:18 PM »
Pretty simple for me, having a pool in my backyard.  It was a childhood dream that was not fulfilled growing up.  Then, when my wife and I bought our first house, it came with a pool and I was in love.  Allows me to run all summer in Houston, get hot and sweaty and then cool off so it opens up options, as well as gives the kids and their friends something to do outside all summer (and most of the winter).  It's a luxury item, but I luxuriate in it constantly :) 

cloudsail

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #10 on: June 10, 2019, 12:03:18 AM »
I can relate to the OP's friend because my DH kinda feels this way too, though it's not the feeling rich part, he just thinks food from restaurants is "better."

It all has to do with how you were raised. In my family and extended family, everyone feels like home cooking is mostly superior to restaurant food (barring the occasional specialty restaurant or experience). But it isn't that way for my husband's family. For family parties they'll always either go out to eat or get takeout. There was always just the general "vibe" that whatever they make themselves is inferior to what they buy. It was very disconcerting to me at the beginning, and to this day DH has zero inclination to learn how to cook, but at least he enjoys my cooking and understands the financial and health benefits to eating at home. Our friends are also mostly people who enjoy a potluck just as much as getting together at a restaurant. DH still gets lunch out every day and will sometimes have dinner with his buddies, but fortunately we make enough for that not to be a burden.

As for what makes me feel rich, it's a very specific thing: Being able to say yes to any therapy or activity that I think will be beneficial for my autistic son without having to worry about the cost.

sillysassy

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #11 on: June 10, 2019, 12:28:41 AM »
one of those occasions where a friend of mine had troubles with his financial loan repayment.
i know it sounds like i am gloating, but i can't help it. i feel so much better that i took the steps to cut down on expenses, loans, and stuff to FIRE.
sometimes my friends think i am not enjoying life to the max, but when i hear these loan repayment issues, i really do feel richer.

Linea_Norway

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #12 on: June 10, 2019, 04:09:57 AM »
Having a day off on a day that most others need to work, like now that we work 80%, not on Fridays.

The luxury not to worry about an unexpected large bill.

GrumpyPenguin

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #13 on: June 10, 2019, 05:09:29 AM »
I live in a large apartment building and I love the feeling of leisurely heading to our building's gym at a reasonable morning hour on a weekday (say, 8ish,  not 5ish) while all the other folks are suiting-up and headed to work.  Time is luxury and makes me feel rich.


Parizade

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #14 on: June 10, 2019, 05:42:56 AM »
The luxury not to worry about an unexpected large bill.

Yes, this^
A couple of years ago I hit a deer and totaled my very mustachian Toyota. I had just put a couple thousand $ of work into it, thinking I would drive it another 5 years, so it was a disappointing loss (but no injuries thankfully). This was just before Thanksgiving and I was planning a holiday road trip of a thousand miles so I needed reliable transportation fast.

I searched online and was able to find my current vehicle and pay cash within days. It was dealer certified pre-owned so I was totally confident about taking a long road trip with it right away.

Before MMM this sort of thing would have been a major catastrophe and financial setback, but by the time it happened I was getting very close to FI so it was a minor bump. I was able to manage it all calmly and didn't have to cancel my road trip. This made me feel very rich.

samsonator54321

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #15 on: June 10, 2019, 05:47:22 AM »
Warm Showers. On demand heated water is one of the biggest luxuries to me.  I think we take it for granted, but I’ve always thoroughly  enjoyed showers and often think about how fortunate/rich I am to take one every day.

Cranky

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #16 on: June 10, 2019, 05:49:41 AM »
I meet so many people who are so stressed about money, and it is such a luxury to not have that worry.

freya

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #17 on: June 10, 2019, 05:55:52 AM »
Interesting that this article just popped up on CNN:

https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/31/success/feel-wealthy/index.html

Quote
How much does a person need to feel rich?

A recent survey from Charles Schwab revealed that a net worth of $2.27 million would be enough. But can you really put a number on it?
For many people, being wealthy means being financially independent and not having to work for a living, says Bradley Nelson, of Lyon Park Advisors. He says a family with a net worth of $2.27 million could easily be wealthy.
If that family spent a conservative 3% of their assets each year, they would have $68,100 a year to live on. That's more than the median household income in the United States of $61,000 -- without even having to work.

But that wouldn't be enough for some people.

The article gets even more ridiculous as you keep reading.  Apparently "inevitable comparisons to everyone you know" is an important budget item.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #18 on: June 10, 2019, 06:07:19 AM »
Time is huge.

Right now it is one of the freak hot days and it is a million degrees outside.
I am inside enjoying the attic fan, insulation, and AC we added two years ago. It is amazing to have control over one’s environment like this and be comfortable when nature tries to tell you to be uncomfortable. This is very luxurious.

Both of these. Plus, health for myself, my husband & my kids. I have lupus, and am in remission & consider myself incredibly lucky. I also feel lucky that we have great health insurance (or, what passes for great health insurance in the US, anyway) & the ability to throw money at anything health wise that should crop up.

JoshuaSpodek

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #19 on: June 10, 2019, 06:29:37 AM »
1. Talking with world-renowned people on my podcast and leading them to share their personal values and act on them -- heads of industry, an Olympic gold medalist, a Nobel Peace Prize, a Presidential Medal of Freedom, a 3-star Marine Corps General, leaders at West Point, the most watched TED talk of all time, a Pulitzer winner, Time's 100 most influential, an Americas Cup winner, . . .and they thank me for leading them and come back for second episodes. For details and names, here's the list of top downloaded episodes.

2. When I hit a fitness personal best, see new definition on abs, or finish a 10-day silent retreat. You can't pay someone to lift your weight for you, to meditate for you, or to eat for you. When I make myself healthier with a pile of fruit and vegetables, a few kettlebells, a rowing machine, running shoes, and a pressure cooker than someone paying hundreds of dollars a month for a gym membership, thousands a month on food, who knows how much on clothing, supplements, etc., I feel more than rich.

3. When I get invited to events that others pay thousands of dollars to attend because the hosts value me.

It started when I had my art up at Crobar, then one of Manhattan's top clubs. When I put up new pieces, they'd give me tables with an unlimited guest list. At the table next to mine would be finance guys who paid a few thousand dollars for a few hours.

Now I get invited to events to help make them more sustainable, where others pay thousands of dollars to attend.

4. When a year passes and I still haven't filled a load of trash and I haven't flown for another year. I'm helping create an environmental legacy that future generations will appreciate, not curse. It's the future. We'll all eventually quit the victimhood that says we're helpless to stop flying and buying needless crap and realize we like life more with less.

CheapScholar

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #20 on: June 10, 2019, 06:44:30 AM »
Encountering or talking with certain people.  Just a couple examples. My neighbor, a couple years older than me (I’m 38).  His finances are a total wreck thanks to a nasty divorce and then some purchases he made to compensate for the divorce and his midlife crisis.  There’s no way he will be able to retire until his 70s at best.  He had to tap his 401(k) for a home repair.

Uhhh.  One of my best friends unfortunately.  Nice guy and well educated.  But consistently makes one bad decision after another.  Lives in HCOLA, eats out all the time, has stretches of unemployment that go on for months.  He’s 38 but lives like a 23 year old out of college. 

Like a lot of people, they both think retirement planning is something you don’t really need to think about seriously until your 50s.

Gray Matter

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #21 on: June 10, 2019, 06:58:38 AM »
I don't know that anything makes me feel rich.  But a few things make me feel really lucky:

Being able to quit my job and go back to graduate school in my late 40s to embark on a career where I will earn even less money than before.  Simply because I want to (both go to school and start a new career).

Not worrying about my DH losing his job.  If he does, we'll be fine.

Things like car repair bills, unexpected dental work, a leaky roof, etc. are annoying, but not really "bad" news for us. 

Being able to contribute to go-fund-me campaigns that tug at my heartstrings.

nessness

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #22 on: June 10, 2019, 07:05:45 AM »
I was recently without hot water for a week, which was pretty unpleasant, but it made me think about how many people in the world don't have access to clean water, let alone hot and cold running water on demand. So now I feel rich every time I turn on the faucet to take a hot shower.

numbersgame

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #23 on: June 10, 2019, 07:19:11 AM »
I love a full pantry. I always tell me wife to stock up. If something we consume regularly is on sale, buy double! We have about 5kg of oats all the time. Stocked kitchen = rich!

Kris

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #24 on: June 10, 2019, 07:22:10 AM »
1. That my time is pretty much my own.

2. Having everything paid off. No mortgage, no car payments, no cc debt. Love that.

mountain mustache

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #25 on: June 10, 2019, 07:31:28 AM »
1. Spending an entire day riding my bike, with no other agenda, carrying everything I need for the 8 or 10 or 12 hours with me. It feels like a huge privilege!

2. Having a full stocked kitchen, with all the ingredients to make anything I could think of

3. Feeling fully and totally fulfilled by how I spend my free time.

nereo

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #26 on: June 10, 2019, 07:36:16 AM »
Similar to the OP (and others) - I feel rich every time I go grocery shopping.  Not only can I afford to buy whatever I want, but I'm fortunate enough to live in both a locale and time where I can get an absolutely astounding variety of food and food-like substances any day/week/month of the year.  Local, Organic, Low-cost, low-footprint, exotic - it's all at my fingertips. Wine from a dozen different countries and produce from a dozen local farms. What an amazing time to be alive (provided you live in the 'right' country and not in a food desert).

SuperNintendo Chalmers

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #27 on: June 10, 2019, 07:43:23 AM »
One thing that always comes to mind when I think about this question is frozen berries.

I can't believe that I can just go to a Costco 1.5 miles from my house and load up on as many organic frozen berries as I want.  Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, etc.  As much as I want!  And then I can come back home and make all sorts of shakes with them. 

It always makes me feel very rich and also somewhat wrong at the same time.  I didn't plant, grow, pick, or transport any of these berries.  Yet here they are, fresh and sweet, in unlimited supply, in my kitchen.  This always drives home how privileged and ridiculously lucky I am, and most of us are.  And how, on the flip side and as Homer Simpson acknowledged, the machinery of capitalism is oiled with the blood of its workers....

Rural

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #28 on: June 10, 2019, 08:37:28 AM »
The ability to get enough sleep.

Eowyn_MI

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #29 on: June 10, 2019, 08:51:53 AM »
It may seem backwards, but I often feel the most rich when I'm not working and not making money. Doing "weekend" things like camping during the week feels very liberating.

Same for me!  I really enjoy taking a day off during the week and spending time in my garden or going about town without traffic everywhere.

rantk81

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #30 on: June 10, 2019, 09:03:04 AM »
Having enough assets to not worry if I lose my job.  Having enough assets to not worry ever about having housing, food, or medical care.

ysette9

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #31 on: June 10, 2019, 09:18:48 AM »
Time is huge.

Right now it is one of the freak hot days and it is a million degrees outside.
I am inside enjoying the attic fan, insulation, and AC we added two years ago. It is amazing to have control over one’s environment like this and be comfortable when nature tries to tell you to be uncomfortable. This is very luxurious.

Both of these. Plus, health for myself, my husband & my kids. I have lupus, and am in remission & consider myself incredibly lucky. I also feel lucky that we have great health insurance (or, what passes for great health insurance in the US, anyway) & the ability to throw money at anything health wise that should crop up.
Good health is probably the biggest thing to make one feel rich and fortunate in life. It is so important and yet so easy to take for granted until you run into an issue.

Imma

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #32 on: June 10, 2019, 09:45:36 AM »
Looking around in my house and seeing that our hard work really paid off. When we bought this house it was completely stripped, didn't have floors or anything. We've done it up over the past 4 years and continue to improve it every month - and we're doing it on a low budget and use mostly used materials. We hardly had any furniture when we moved in except for a few second hand Ikea items and we're slowly replacing that by nice furniture, again we mostly got them used and renovated them ourselves.

My favourite places in the house are the pantry that I built myself, filled up with healthy food, and the linen closet, a piece of furniture that used to belong to my grandmother, filled with nice looking linen that we mostly got used and free/almost free too and some homemade quilts from mostly recycled or gifted materials. We've got shelter, blankets, food, what more do we want?

I also feel rich whenever we have some bad luck that other people would call an emergency. If an item is damaged or stolen or stops working we can fix it or replace it and we don't have to think twice about it. If we can't fix it ourselves, we can hire someone else to fix it without worrying about how we're going to pay the bill. It's only a minor nuisance that we need to make arrangements for it.

Zikoris

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #33 on: June 10, 2019, 09:47:57 AM »
Travelling, for sure, especially to expensive places. Every time I'm overseas, there's at least one moment where I go "Holy shit, I can't believe that even as a receptionist I can travel to six countries a year and also amass wealth like crazy and retire in my 30s". And like, we don't even have to save up for trips, we just book them when we want to and pay for it out of cash flow.

Omy

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #34 on: June 10, 2019, 09:52:18 AM »
I have a friend in his 50s who quit his job with almost no savings knowing that a new job will come up or he will move in with his parents in another state. He doesn't worry because he literally has nothing to lose. I've built safety net on top of safety net to keep myself from worrying about losing everything...so maybe that makes me feel rich?

That and nice bed sheets.

thesis

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #35 on: June 10, 2019, 09:57:24 AM »
Having a 50% savings rate makes me feel like a serious badass. Having grown up in a low-income household, I sometimes think, "Damn, I'm loaded!", despite only making an average software developer's salary. It would only seem like gloating to somebody who's unaware just how powerful even this much money is for living a comfortable life. Sadly, that perspective is often lost on people, so you have to be careful how you express your excitement. It's all perspective.

Stache is still in the early accumulations stages. Kinda funny, but when you don't need much to live off of, making more than you need feels like a real treat
« Last Edit: June 10, 2019, 09:59:06 AM by thesis »

BTDretire

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #36 on: June 10, 2019, 10:04:32 AM »
I can't say I feel rich (most people would say I am) but I'm very content,
after going through a hurricane which destroyed our business, and did $98,000
of damage too our home.
 So here we lost our source of income, and must rebuild our house,
 and there is zero financial stress.
Hey maybe I am rich. :-)

Duchess of Stratosphear

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #37 on: June 10, 2019, 10:07:53 AM »
Warm Showers. On demand heated water is one of the biggest luxuries to me.  I think we take it for granted, but I’ve always thoroughly  enjoyed showers and often think about how fortunate/rich I am to take one every day.

Yes, this. And the fact that I have an entire well full of water all to myself. In a global context, that is true wealth.

Also being able to have and take care of pets. That's pretty awesome.


OurFirstFire

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #38 on: June 10, 2019, 10:11:12 AM »
Having no debt, including no mortgage, in general.  But more specifically, shopping for a car or house with cash.

Imma

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #39 on: June 10, 2019, 10:12:34 AM »
Having a 50% savings rate makes me feel like a serious badass. Having grown up in a low-income household, I sometimes think, "Damn, I'm loaded!", despite only making an average software developer's salary. It would only seem like gloating to somebody who's unaware just how powerful even this much money is for living a comfortable life. Sadly, that perspective is often lost on people, so you have to be careful how you express your excitement. It's all perspective.

Stache is still in the early accumulations stages. Kinda funny, but when you don't need much to live off of, making more than you need feels like a real treat

I really get what you mean! We "only" have an average family income, but we are DINKs early on in our careers, our parents never earned that much in their entire careers and had several kids to feed.

We are very open about money in our family and recently my mum asked how much I earned. I only work 3 days a week now because I went back to uni for a Master's. I told her how much and she thought that was my fulltime salary and she said that was an amount to be happy with. She was a bit shocked when I told her that's what I earn for 3 days a week.

brute

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #40 on: June 10, 2019, 10:15:21 AM »
Having my own beer on tap. Something about walking over to the 7 tap keezer and pouring a perfect beer makes me feel like I've made it in life.

Roadrunner53

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #41 on: June 10, 2019, 10:23:31 AM »
Just about anything modern should make people feel rich! Years ago ice was a luxury! When people had ice boxes, the ice had to be cut out of lakes, stored, shipped and carried up flights of stairs to put into ice boxes. Now we have refrigerators that make it automatically. Being able to turn up the heat and not having to gather firewood for a fireplace to warm the house. Having an AC unit to cool my bedroom at night and my livingroom anytime I want. My house full of food. My animals well taken care of. Like another said, a well full of water that is available at any time I want it. Electric lights! Movies on demand day and night on tv.

To think the way people lived 100 years ago, people should be grateful for what we have today.

jps

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #42 on: June 10, 2019, 11:26:55 AM »
I have not one, but two super-powered chariots with which I can use to take me anywhere on a whim, with leather seats and air conditioning. Since I started to incorporate mustachian principals in my life (and thus cut my driving down by like 80%) every time I drive feels like such a luxury treat. I am commanding hundreds of horses to take me wherever I desire as fast as I want.

LifePhaseTwo

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #43 on: June 10, 2019, 12:53:35 PM »
- the free time that FIRE has given me
- peace of mind that comes from not worrying about money
- being able to donate to worthy causes
- being able to spend money on experiences that enrich the lives of our kids and grandkids

Kay-Ell

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #44 on: June 10, 2019, 01:35:03 PM »
Living in a beautiful place that a lot of people think of as a vacation destination.  And having the free time to enjoy it.  At any given time, when I meet someone around here, they are blissfully enjoying their hard earned vacation and I'm like "yup, this is my life every day."

Tom Bri

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #45 on: June 10, 2019, 01:48:57 PM »
Having no debt, including no mortgage, in general.  But more specifically, shopping for a car or house with cash.

Exactly. Plus no fear if I lose my job. Being able to eat fresh fruit every day. Keeping bees in my back yard.

Incidentally, my wife always feels very poor. She is very afraid of being poor in old age. I doubt anything will change that as it is bone-deep.

partgypsy

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #46 on: June 10, 2019, 02:14:06 PM »
Having an emergency fund. Being able to cash-flow money emergencies.

Smaller things; when my kids need something like a new backpack or lunchbox or fee for school, not sweating the cost. Being able to afford a pet. Not sweating about buying a new pair of shoes or item of clothing, even if more money than I wanted to spend.
 
Walking home from work to my own home. Especially when my house is tidy and clean, I feel rich (extra double points a bouquet in the house).

FireHiker

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #47 on: June 10, 2019, 02:41:17 PM »
Oh gosh, SO many things make me feel rich!! I grew up poor, living paycheck to paycheck, and spent time actually homeless when I was 12 and 13. The things that make me feel rich today are:
-Being able to pay for my son to go to college next year. He got a scholarship to a private school and we can cashflow the rest
-amazing vacations the last few years, taking my little kids to see the world
-having a dog and being able to take appropriate care of her (we had dogs growing up, but they were kind of neglected like we kids were)
-being able to go to the doctor or dentist, knowing I have the money in my HSA account to cover OOP max, though I still cringe at the high expense
-having a nice house with a pool two miles from a pretty flexible and (mostly) stable job
-maxing out everything and still being able to save after taxes
-being able to donate usable goods to local people who need them (refugee group most recently) instead of needing to sell them for the money
-the amazing luxury of being able to buy any food I want/need, and a nice reverse osmosis system for clean, tasty water
-knowing we could FIRE now if we moved to a L(er)COL area and scaled back our fun spending...we are working for our wants now, not our needs
-being able to run the A/C and heat whenever I want. That was NOT something we could do when I was a kid, ever.
-being able to keep my cars safely maintained. I will never forget the scary brakes on the car when I was about 13

So many things. Thanks for the prompting to think about this. Really, I am so very, VERY fortunate; it's easy to lose sight of it sometimes.

Laura Ingalls

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #48 on: June 10, 2019, 04:44:59 PM »
Warm Showers. On demand heated water is one of the biggest luxuries to me.  I think we take it for granted, but I’ve always thoroughly  enjoyed showers and often think about how fortunate/rich I am to take one every day.

+1
I think cheap hot water is the crowning achievement of the 20th Century.  A hot shower revives me every time.

js82

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Re: What makes you feel rich?
« Reply #49 on: June 10, 2019, 05:14:18 PM »
I'm likely going to have foot surgery within the next year.

I feel rich when I think about how it will suck if my insurance doesn't fully cover something, but I have the ability to choose the doctor and the treatment that gives me the opportunity to have the best possible outcome, not merely the one that I can afford/that my insurance company will cover.