Who's Rich?

I just read this blog post...

http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/110876/why-the-rich-dont-feel-rich

And the original blog post here...

http://delong.typepad.com/sdj/2010/09/todd-henderson-we-are-the-super-rich.html

I believe in living below my means. Sometimes, that means I go withtout. Without gas for the car, without new clothes, without "elective" medications, and so on. Perhaps I make the choices I make because I want a roof over my head. Perhaps it's becuase I have a strong desire to never work more than 30 hours a week outside the home. Whatever it is, those are my choices.

Yes, I do make the choice to not work full time. I have way too many irons in the fire to work full time outside. I have my websites, my SEO business, and some other "projects" that are promising to make a tidy sum. So, I need the time more than the money.

As long as the basic bills and the car is paid for, I'm OK. I may have to put off some work on the car until it's urgent, but that's again my choice. I also choose to hire a lawn service.

I love mowing the lawn, don't get me wrong... But it puts me flat on my back for 2-3 days afterwards. I lose all strength in my legs and my back aches too much for comfort. So, I made the decision to hire it out every 2 weeks. I would do it more often if I could. Besides, I get a full-service package this way. When I need rototilling done, I know who to call.

But this post is about being rich. Define rich... Just for yourself, define it. Does it mean money in the bank? Property? Friends? Health? Stuff? To me it's a mix of all of them. More friends and health than stuff, money or property. I used to think that money and property and stuff were what life is all about. But I've lost everything I've owned 5 times now. I lost it in a fire, when I lost my home and storage locker due to financial difficulties, when I moved to Tennessee. And, let's not forget the 2 times we lost everything when I was a kid.

So "stuff is just stuff." I learned that the important things are photographs, correspondence and cards from family and friends, and important documents that are a pain to replace, like your passport and social security card. In my case, I also have family tree and geneological documents that I would loathe to lose. I keep these things above flood stage, near the roof in my office. They are accessible, but safe. And if something happened, I would know exactly where to start grabbing and tossing out the window!

Rich - memories of friends and family. Close ties with special people all over the world. That is what I call my "rich life." I don't have a lot of cash, or property. I probably have way too much stuff, but that's because I'm a clutter junky. I'm learning to tame and reduce it. At least my floor is mostly clear - except for the cat toys and shoes everywhere...

I have enough food so that I won't starve in the next 30 days. My utilites are paid (mostly on time, too!). I have a home of my own - mine and the bank's. I have a brain, and I'm fairly healthy. (I've been doing "body work" with a masseuse, and my health feels much stronger as a result.)

So, am I rich? NO! I would love a car that didn't have a ton of work to be done on it. Maybe one that was less than 5 years old, instead of 12 years old. And I want to be fully out of debt.

That's RICH! To have no payments to creditors...

Wow! I had that for all of one week, once. I look forward to it again. That's why I drive a 12-year old car.

So, that's my definition of rich. I hope you will think of your own definition. Write it down someplace. Refer to it often. Daily, if you can... And be grateful for the stuff you already have.

We live in one of the richest (if not the richest) countries in the world. We have a life style that is among the most favored. Yeah, we like to bitch and complain about "how bad we have it" but we really don't have it that bad. Think about that for a while...

Finishing that pizza slice???