Is it normal that i do well financially but live in a crappy house?

79% Normal
38 Comments

I make about $3500 per week if I work long enough hours. I have $80,000 worth of cars at home and drive a 2006 Hyundai sonata every day. I have about $350,000 in the bank.

Yet I live in a cinderblock house and pay $325 a month rent and have a 10,000 btu air conditioner in the bedroom window. I have a $1,200 Scottish fold cat and buy the little guy the cheapest cat food I can find. I don't believe in spending money frivolously.
My wife is almost as frugal as me. She works at wal mart and uses her 10 percent discount as often as she can. She works in the area of the clearance isle and watches it like a hawk!

We want to save our money to buy some land and build a shotgun house to live in. Ill do most of the building myself, of course to avoid contractor fees.

So is this normal or usual? Am I just a cheap guy or is this something you just have to do to get what you want in life?

Voting Results
79% Normal
Based on 19 votes (15 yes)
Help us keep this site organized and clean. Thanks!
[ Report Post ]
Comments ( 38 )
  • Meowypowers
    5 years ago

    Feed your cat higher quality food please. But the rest is smart, so many people live paycheck to paycheck financing frivolous shit. Basically "nigga rich" , but will struggle in the future.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    1
    1
      -
    • Anonymous Post Author
      5 years ago

      Im certainly not an aficionado of feline nutrition, but the bag says its healthy for cats and full of nutrients and that's what I go with.

      Comment Hidden ( show )
      0
      0
        -
      • Meowypowers
        5 years ago

        "The cheapest food I can find" is cheap for a reason. Garbage food gives ambiguous words about it being healthy when it is not. Feed your cat, feed your wife and feed yourself right so you can all live long enough to enjoy what you are saving to do.

        Comment Hidden ( show )
        0
        0
          -
        • Anonymous Post Author
          5 years ago

          Ive done a bit of research. .. A full grown adult cat needs 75 mg of taurine a day. Meow mix (except the hairball control version), has 500 mg per serving, meant to be given twice per day. My cheap volume priced cat food has 30 mg per serving, meaning that, if fed twice per day, he is getting as much as he needs if you include the white meat we give him as a supplement. Actually, has getting more than what he needs per day.

          I can remember giving my cat meow mix before with 500 mg of taurine per serving and watching him fly through the house at light speed and having a heart rate of almost 200 bpm. Also, there have been several high school football players who passed out or had heart attacks or even died from taking energy drinks with taurine. The stuff has its nutritional value, but it can be deadly also.

          Comment Hidden ( show )
          0
          0
            -
          • Meowypowers
            5 years ago

            Meow mix is McDonald's for cats. There is indeed technically a minimal amount of nutrition required to sustain mammal life. Don't be a minimalist when it comes to health. Do you just consume enough vitamin c to ward off scurvy?

            Give yourself and all friends and family, feline included, the best nutrition you can afford.

            Comment Hidden ( show )
            0
            0
              -
            • Anonymous Post Author
              5 years ago

              I drink pure orange juice 2 or 3 times a week. I guess Im getting enoughvitamin c to ward off scurvy.

              Comment Hidden ( show )
              0
              0
    • RoseIsabella
      5 years ago

      True that.

      Comment Hidden ( show )
      0
      0
  • RoseIsabella
    5 years ago

    I feel sorry for your cat.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    1
    1
      -
    • Anonymous Post Author
      5 years ago

      Don't feel sorry for him. I buy his food in large bags from my local co-op and supplement it by giving him cooked meat. And it does NOT contain that taurine garbage. He is well taken care of and is very happy.

      Also, if you ever get a chance to get a Scottish fold I would highly recommend getting one. Best cats on earth. You can even walk them on a leash!

      Comment Hidden ( show )
      0
      0
        -
      • RoseIsabella
        5 years ago

        Cats need taurine.

        Comment Hidden ( show )
        1
        1
          -
        • McBean
          5 years ago

          Yep. They slowly go blind if they don't get enough of it. Arachidonic Acid is another nutrient that cats cannot produce for themselves.

          Comment Hidden ( show )
          2
          2
            -
          • RoseIsabella
            5 years ago

            Is the blindness reversible?

            Comment Hidden ( show )
            0
            0
              -
            • McBean
              5 years ago

              Not sure. I don't think so. Btw, Science Diet brand cat food is loaded with the stuff. Lots of B vitamins and Arachidonic Acid too.

              Comment Hidden ( show )
              1
              1
        • Anonymous Post Author
          5 years ago

          I didn't know that cats need taurine. I just know that a few high school football players have had heart attacks from taking taurine, and that my cat acts like a rat on shrooms when he eats it, running all over the house at light speed and his little heart beating at over 200 beats per minute. Yes, I counted and that CANT be safe. I dont believe that it helps his eyesight, except in very small amounts maybe.

          Comment Hidden ( show )
          0
          0
            -
          • Meowypowers
            5 years ago

            Taurine is in a lot of energy drinks and helps mediocre human athletes with less than amazing skills take it to the next level.

            Taurine is actually vitally important to cats, as they can't produce it naturally.

            Comment Hidden ( show )
            0
            0
              -
            • Anonymous Post Author
              5 years ago

              You are totally educating me :)

              Comment Hidden ( show )
              1
              1
    • raisinbran
      5 years ago

      What do you feed your cat?

      Comment Hidden ( show )
      0
      0
        -
      • RoseIsabella
        5 years ago

        I feed my cat Blue Wilderness cat food. I buy it at Petsmart. Animals need proper nutrition, and I don't think being a cheapskate in regard to feline nutrition is anything to be proud of at all!

        Comment Hidden ( show )
        1
        1
          -
        • raisinbran
          5 years ago

          Pet food is completely unregulated. They can say anything on the packaging. I would rather feed my cat if I had one actual meat with whatever supplements are needed.

          Comment Hidden ( show )
          0
          0
            -
          • RoseIsabella
            5 years ago

            This is true. Pet food really should have more regulations. I give my cat chicken, and he seems to enjoy it.

            Comment Hidden ( show )
            0
            0
  • Meowypowers
    5 years ago

    Cats need nutrients like taurine that would generally come from rodent organs, so you should follow a specific recipe garnered for feline health if you are making your own cat food, and not just your chicken stock leftovers.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    0
    0
      -
    • Anonymous Post Author
      5 years ago

      I add chicken stock leftovers to get him to eat the cheap food, like drippings, fat, and white meat, mostly white meat. I guess Ive been inadvertently doing the right thing.

      Comment Hidden ( show )
      0
      0
  • lordofopinions
    5 years ago

    I say totally normal. I wish I had done that in my younger days. Success!!!

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    0
    0
  • DoujinMySchool101
    5 years ago

    Small houses are cozy

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    0
    0
  • McBean
    5 years ago

    You're a minimalist. At your income level you should be focusing on return-on-investment. Real estate with tax breaks and capital appreciation can give positive returns that renting can't. Stay diversified with stocks, bonds, and yes, a small portion in home ownership if you won't be moving soon. Btw, $80K in cars doesn't pay dividends, and it depreciates. Keep that 06 Sonata and sell that other stuff.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    0
    0
      -
    • Anonymous Post Author
      5 years ago

      Ive got most of my assets in us savings bondIve make in the neighborhood of 15k per year on interest. The cars are going to go soon, none of them are worth more than 22k and some, like,my camrys were bought for $500 each. But yeah, time to liquidate some of those since we aren't using them.

      I wish I knew someone like you who is obviously well educated in finances to show me the ropes of personal investment. I have no clue and just go off of what bankers tell me is safe. :(

      Comment Hidden ( show )
      0
      0
        -
      • McBean
        5 years ago

        For long term investment, S&P500 index funds are a good diversified investment. Plus, the fees are dirt cheap. I own one million dollars of them (ticker symbol SPY), and $500,000 of other stuff.

        The best thing for someone like you is to open an account with Fidelity Investments at their website fidelity.com. You can connect your brokerage account at Fidelity to transfer money from your checking account. Start with $100. Spend lots of time exploring their instructional videos, chart tools, analyst opinions, and other features. They have more stuff than all the other online brokers combined.

        You are way ahead tax wise by maxing out your 401K first before you make taxable investments. You might also be interested in a bit of "S" corporation exposure as well as bonds. Fidelity has online seminars that explain this stuff. Just call their 800 number.

        Lots more, but this will get you started. Send me a PM with any specific questions.

        Comment Hidden ( show )
        0
        0
  • raisinbran
    5 years ago

    If you're happy there's no reason to spend more... what happens to your money when you die?

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    0
    0
      -
    • DoujinMySchool101
      5 years ago

      You bury yourself with it

      Comment Hidden ( show )
      1
      1
    • Anonymous Post Author
      5 years ago

      Most of it won't be there when I die, because we plan to spend it on a house and land. What is left will go to my wife's kids and my niece and nephew.

      Comment Hidden ( show )
      0
      0
  • Antonio_929
    5 years ago

    Well yeah, some people just want to live in quite minimalistic homes.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    0
    0
      -
    • Anonymous Post Author
      5 years ago

      I don't really like living there, but it gives me a chance to save money and get the house I want when I can afford it.

      Comment Hidden ( show )
      0
      0
  • Jinko
    5 years ago

    Its worth if it in the end you live in a home you truely love.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    -1
    -1