Ha ha ha ha ha ha!! Rob and Elissa, what you said is sooo true. I'm often asked at work "Man, how do you get the money to buy so much stuff?" It's hilarious that they don't take a good look at how long I've had a vast majority of my stuff. I make sacrifices all the time. I never leave the faucet running for 10 minutes just to brush my teeth. I never leave the TV on unless I'm actually WATCHING TV! But then, I watch less than 2 hours a WEEK. I am not kidding. I never run the dishwasher just to wash two cups and one plate (why people do this I never know). I never sleep with half the lights in my house on (you'd be surprised how many in my neighborhood do this!). I don't smoke or drink. If I eat out, I ALWAYS refill that cup and save it for tomorrow. I probably eat out only 2-3 times a week. I'm not kidding. Everyone else at work eats out almost all the time and I'm used to the shocking reaction "You brought your lunch?!" Excuse me but I need to stop and laugh my ass off for a few minutes...
Okay, now I'm back to normal!
And here's the kicker: got a car? Keep it running as long as you friggin possibly can. I mean, I drove my Jeep until it went totally kaput. It was in my family for almost 12 years! NOBODY but my retired uncle in Florida has kept a car as long as I have. Meanwhile, everyone else at work celebrates a pay raise or promotion by splurging on a new car! Got a cell phone? Keep it until it breaks! Shop around for the lowest price on gas. Get a frequent shopper card from every single grocery store in town. It saves you on the fuel costs so you don't have to drive clear across town to save some money. Did I mention that everyone at work always has a new cell phone every year! I ignore their laughs at how old and bland my cell phone is and am secretly laughing my ass off when they complain about their paychecks.
And they all act shocked when they see how much I have after paying off all my debts! Again, I find it hilarious that they're amazed how much one can save if you're careful. I pretty much expected an explanation similar to yours Robb. And yes, I Ebay stuff every so often. And yes, I always save up my paid vacation time and use after the company threatens to revoke it. Everyone else (you guessed it!) takes 2-3 day mini-vacations every other month! WTF? No wonder they're outraged that my vacations last an average of 2-3 WEEKS, not 2-3 days! No wonder they're in shock when they see how much they make at the end of the year!
