This is very true for many people, but I happen to very much enjoy my job (web design), and I don’t have many marketable humanitarian skills. There’s no way I could really be in Doctors Without Borders or similar organizations, but I can work 40hrs/week, volunteer locally on weekends, and give money to international…

Sadly, my skills lie in fields that aren’t really directly helping people - IT work doesn’t feed the homeless, for example. But good advice, and great conversation. Thanks!

I’m not a miser, but I do realize something about myself that many people advocating “financial independence” don’t seem to want - I find it unconscionable (personally) to consider having hundreds of thousands in the bank while there are many people in need. No judgement on those who do strive for that, of course, to…

Oh, there’s no way I’d be able to retire by 35, I don’t make nearly that much. The BMW example was for years, years down the road, I drive a used Hyundai at the moment and love it to bits.

Trust me, I’ve done all sorts of math and realized that, even without taking into account bonuses, raises, inheritance or any income other than what I bring in *right now,* I could in theory be financially independent by the time I reach 45. It’s a very comfortable thought, frankly.

I think part of my problem is that I see what I can reach with saving 45%, and then see what I can get with 60%. Even though the 45% is very, very nice (say, a mid-range BMW 3-series) the 60% is even nicer (a 5-series).

I’ll admit, I needed a post like this.

That last picture...I almost cried.

Aww, really? I’ve got an Elantra in this body style, and I love it. The headlights are angled, sort of a sharp design pointing away from the body, and it looks fantastic in person.

Company announces plans. Consumers complain. Company changes plans to better work with what consumers want.

I’d argue that could be a lot more delicate - if you’re trying to get to know someone, an maybe get to the relationship stage eventually, it could be tricky to show interest without making money part of that interest.

It depends on the person I’m talking to, really. Recently graduated, I have some friends who are working full-time and earn about the same as I do, and we’ll talk about it freely. Other friends are in debt and struggling to pay for food, so we don’t much discuss money.

I want to know this too, it’s perfect.

This. This is how my parents have done it, and how I’ve managed to build up my savings as a recent grad. Taking the free toiletries, saving napkins from fast food bags, always using the “free” toothbrush from the dentist instead of buying my own...I’m amazing how many people pass on these things because they don’t…

Sad thing is, he’s barely tall enough to have put it on the Mini. Which, by the way, is blue, and has racing strips and the Union Jack. The quintessential ‘60s Mini.

True Story:

Coca Cola, Cheerios and Aspirin.

Reading a book. A novel, something fictional, any story to take a few minutes to escape and get my mind away from thinking like I’m at work.

YES. I was so sure German would be on that list, since so much of our modern English comes from it. It’s the easiest language I’ve ever tried to learn, and if you’re from somewhere with a lot of Germans already (Wisconsin!), it’s incredibly easy because you notice all of the little things you already took for granted…

Well, it’s not about staying commited and reaching a goal or a point where you can say “ah, yes, this will finally bring me lasting happiness,” because the entire point of hedonic adaptation is that the happiness will not last. You essentially build up a tolerance, and the same things don’t make you happy anymore.