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Compared To Your Parents, How're You Doing?

corndog67

corndog67

Pissant Squid
Joined
Jan 2, 2011
Location
Santa Maria, CA
Moto(s)
KTM 950 SM Weapon
Name
Robert
Like it says, are you doing as well as your parents?

Both my parents worked. They didn't make a lot of money, but they were comfortable. Every 10 years, a new car. Or truck, in the old man's case.

Owned their own house. I believe their first house payment was less than $100. Saved money. Didn't buy bullshit like toys. Took 1 vacation every 2 years or so.

Me? Got my own house, will probably never pay it off. House payment? Through the roof.

Vehicles? Well, my truck is 7 years old. My wife's Escalade is a couple years old.

The bike issue? Well, bought another one Saturday, KTM 950SM. Buy one regularly, sometimes 2 or 3 or 4 a year. They come and go.

I buy a lot of bullshit. My parents didn't buy any.

Am I happier than they were? I don't know. Mom ended up selling real estate in Monterey, during the boom years, she did real well after the old man died. She didn't want for anything. He didn't make it to retirement, drinking and cirrhosis got him.

So, I/we (my wife and I), are doing well. But we live a 180 degree different lifestyle than my parents did. If we want to go do something, we go do it (went and saw Donald Fagan, Micheal McDonald, and Boz Scaggs Tuesday night in Santa Barbara), if we want a new car or bike or something, we do it. My parents were very calculating in what they did, whether it was buying a house, or a car, or vacations, pretty much every thing they did was very well thought out. I am pretty compulsive and act on it too.

Are you guys anything like your parents?
 
i guess i'm dong better than them since they're both dead...:cool
 
Make a lot less.

Parents are doing really well. Million dollar Ranch out in the sticks in the central valley.

Still work cuz they want to.

I pull down a decent amount of cash, but I aint rich. Just trying to eke out an existence where I am. Might get married.
 
yes and no.

my mom who i grew up with mostly, lived paycheck to paycheck, drank and smoked every spare penny she had until it killed her.

my dad, started his own business and did very well. big house, toys, vacations, lived to work, had everything he ever could want and tons of stuff he doesn't, worked till he was mid 60's and has retired fairly well off. honestly doubt he's 'happy'. haven't spoken to him in 2.5 years.

me, i live better than paycheck to paycheck, squirrel away what i can in hopes of retiring someday, but i work to live.... i have a few toys, live fairly modestly, wanting to buy a house again but cant afford to. I am able to enjoy life, but not without a few worries.

i wouldn't trade my way of life for either one of my parents ways.
 
When my parents were my age:
They had two kids approaching college age, I have two cats (ages 11 and 18.)
They probably earned about as much as I do.
They owned their $30K house free and clear, I rent & live with a roommate.
 
35dloa.jpeg
 
V4 said:
i guess i'm dong better than them since they're both dead...:cool
Click to expand...

+me but not till they were 60 & 67. I plan on living longer.

cynner said:
When my parents were my age:
They had two kids approaching college age, I have two cats (ages 11 and 18.)
They probably earned about as much as I do.
They owned their $30K house free and clear, I rent & live with a roommate.
Click to expand...

My parents split up when I was 10 and mom had to raise my brother and me. My dad was a weekend dad but he did he's share.

I have a dog and two kats.

I make more than both of them. Mom worked for Motorola, dad was a truck driver.

They had a house paid off but it cost them like 60 grand. I put 300k into my house and I'm losing money.

Am I doing better :dunno in most ways I guess but they got to have me as a kid and that's hard to beat. :teeth
 
Mom and Dad both worked... bought a tri-level home in Pleasanton, when I was in high school (80's) their mortgage was $196. :|

Mom and Dad divorced years ago... Mom is doing well, finally retired, Dad is in an Alzheimer's facility. He worked really hard to be able to have $100k to leave to me, and another $100k to my brother.
Luckily he had it, because that's paying for his care now.

I rent, have 2 older trucks, 2 older race bikes, an older Gixxer (which I love), and I can more or less afford to race without it pinching too badly. I don't take vacations (I race instead), don't much like the place I live in (tiny house, no garage) but the rent is really low and the neighborhood is mostly decent, and I don't need a roommate to make rent.

Mom and Dad were doing better financially, but they were both really miserable, really unhappy, and had a lot of regrets.

I'm mostly happy, so I think I'm coming out ahead at this point. Maybe not by much, but I smile a lot more than either of my parents ever did! :)
 
At the same ages, I am doing better. I am better educated, I co-own my own home and I have more vehicles and can actually go on a vacation now and then. But I'm from working class with no college prior to my generation. I think if you were already middle-class and/or white collar, there's a good chance you're even or worse off.
 
Mom was a high school drop out. Dad had his high school diploma. I graduated college.

Mom lives in a HUD housing development for seniors and disabled and lives on $700/month SSI income. Ouch. She has a 16 year old 4Runner. She battled alcoholism for a long time but doesn't drink anymore.

Dad isn't making too much more as a park ranger but his housing is included. He has a bunch of old cars. He also had drug problems but has been sober for years now.

I rent a place and have my motorcycle and a couple of bicycles. I manage to save money with each check but I'm paying for student loans and raising a kid so I'm not feeling like I've really made it yet. :dunno I don't have their drug/alcohol issues which helps me stay better focused and I don't think I'll have the same health problems they do.
 
Robert

Interesting enough, my wife and i had this same conversation. It was the typical did we do things right talk. My Son is pretty much surpassed everything I ever accomplished, this is every parents dream. He is married, one child so far and has what seems to be life by the balls. He is doing well, but motivated by his words because he grew up with no money or parents who just made it through. We lived comfortably, good home (Owned) nice cars (We pay cash for our cars) yet we lived not like many of his friends with Boats, Cars, Cabins and debt. But from a kids perspective as he tells us, he thought we were poor. He knows now, we could not afford to go to Disney Land 3 or 4 times a year and when we planned vacations it was not hawaii or Eurpoe for 4 weeks.

My daughter is nothing like my Son, we hope that will change :laughing Life has been tough for her, school is tough (My Son breezed though with A's) my daughter like me, getting a C was an accomplishment. She learns like I do as well, visually as she has so many natural talents in Photography, Design and is actually faster than her brother on the bikes.

How are we doing or Did? from our kids point of few they have issues with some of our decisions, they were angry for some, but all in all compared to my parents and my wifes parents, well we only screwed them up half as bad :rofl

Both my wife and I came from two dynamically different dysfunctional systems. Fortunately for us, w worked together to make sure we did not pass these traditions down. We think we did a great job in spit of our up-bringing.
 
My dad made far more money as an international businessman than I ever did as a small business person...but he had very expensive tastes (large homes, 4 kids, flash cars etc. ), and therefore didn't retire until he was about 65 and married his long time mistress. My mom was a housewife who never gave herself enough credit for being a wonderful and caring woman and mother.

As I was far more frugal, didn't need a large house, no flash cars, only one child, not enough energy (or $$) for a mistress, I retired at 52.

He was miserable most of his life climbing the corporate ladder(s) while, in general, I would say I've had a far happier existence up till this point at age 55.
 
Similar to mom and dad, but not as awesome. They came from nowhere to somewhere.
I went from somewhere to nowhere back to somewhere, but still with work to do. I appreciated them teaching me to keep the head down, work hard, be fair to my fellow man and give back to society.
 
My parent wuz much bettah off, my Ma never worked, Pa supported the whole clan on one income. Themz were the dayz. :thumbup
Mah wife 'n I both work'in can barely squeak by. :cry
Ya know we'z the 1st generation ta have it worse than our parents since the Bubonic plague! :loser
budman said:
Similar to mom and dad, but not as awesome. They came for nowhere to somewhere.
I went from somewhere to nowhere back to somewhere, but still with work to do. I appreciated them teaching me to keep the head down, work hard, be fair to my fellow man and give back to society.
Click to expand...
Hell Budmon, yer the head of BARF, and thaz as good as it getz! There's nowherez to go, butt down from here! :rofl
 
My parents didn't have the toy thing going on. I've got it real bad, from stereo equipment, to guitars I can't even play, to the motorcycle thing.

I'm having a good time, though, and generally don't worry about anything. My wife worries about things (too much in my opinion), but agrees that we are living the American Dream, and we do have a lot of fun getting on with our lives. I don't think you can expect or ask for much more than to have a good time. The kids are doing well, we're doing well, more or less healthy, and we're going for it.

My old man drank himself to death, my mother was getting real tired of it, they had "The Talk" a few times, and then his liver failed and he died 2 weeks later. According to my brother (my old man was 58, and I was just turning 16), I probably never saw him sober before he died. I almost killed myself with cocaine right after Mom died. It took me a long time to smarten up about that shit, weed, and alcohol. Without them, everything is working out just fine.
 
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