[natedogg]

1) Are you a Have Not, Have, Have Lots?

I am currently middle class (a Have I guess).

I come from a very poor family. We survived on the kindness of strangers at times, getting food and clothing from charities, our church, etc. Now I own a home in the bay area (got lucky and bought one in 2000 when it was cheap) and I feel like one of the richest people who ever lived. Technically, I am, as some of the posters have pointed out.

Despite the fact that my household income is nothing special, I feel incredibly wealthy.

2) How important is this to you going-forward?
I really don't care much about material things but the most valuable thing money can buy you is *time*. I'd like to retire ASAP so I can spent most of my time backpacking, writing, playing games, and having fun with my kids and friends. I don't care much about my car, or getting a big house, and I certainly don't care about my clothes or accessories.

I wear jeans, and drive a civic, and wear $10 shades.

The biggest luxuries that I will buy with my money are health care, and time, all of which I feel are worthy any price. (This year I spent almost all of my disposable income on health care for my wife, who required a lot of treatments that weren't covered).


3) Will this impact your decision to have a family, number of children?

It didn't. And it wouldn't.

People worry WAY too much about the cost of college. My parents spent $0 on my college education. I intend to spend close to that for my kids. We live in California and the UC system is great.

It looks like I'll probably pay for private high school though, if I can get my wife to start working eventually.

4) Is your sense of what I wrote above true? Is this true only in expensive metropolitan areas?

A lot of people get sucked into the rat race. I know people who make 3 or 4 times what I make and are strapped. They have no equity in their house, no money in the bank, nothing. I don't even know how they get themselves into that spot. There's definitely a HUGE disparity from household to household in terms of what they get out of their money.

I think most people are idiots when it comes to their finances.

natedogg