My wife and I are friends with almost everyone on our street. There is one couple that embodies typical American consumerism. They have good jobs, but the house is rented because the 3 cars are mortgaged and you just can't put anything away with all these Disneyland trips.
My wife and I have the same floor plan house as them, it's just a mirror image. We are on a 15 year fixed and I aim to have it paid off in ten. We also have 3 cars. Two 99's and an '03. They all look 2-3 years old because we keep up on the maintenance. Our kids think Disneyland is a fictional, mythical place, but they sure know how to help pitch a tent and bait a hook.
Recently, our refrigerator gave up the ghost and we asked those neighbors if we could throw some of our meat and such in theirs while we went fridge shopping. Upon hearing this, the wife told us "You should go to Aaron's. They don't even check your credit!" I replied "Nah, those places rip you off and get twice the price of the fridge with all the finance charges. We'll just buy one."
"Yeah buh......." I could see the wheels turning in her head as she realized the couple with an 18 year old Ford Explorer could write a $1000 check and she probably couldn't.
I've never felt so satisfied to have a frugal lifestyle and an emergency fund.
Edit: We did take the kids to Disneyland once but they were too young to remember. I hated it. Huge crowds, tons of money, long lines. A week at a borrowed cabin still remains my favorite family vacation of all time and I think the kids agree.
We will do Disney again, but I swear I will only go if it's raining. I hate crowds.
Submitted October 30, 2017 at 11:29AM by robinson217 http://ift.tt/2ieue1p personalfinance
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