I'm 33 now, and I'll share a few things I have learned so far: - If you always see yourself as a "have not", then you'll always BE a "have not"... no matter HOW much coinage you bring home. - If you have too little, you're always consumed with worry about getting "enough" (which seems to be at least 10% more than you have at any given moment). If you have a lot, you get consumed with worry about losing it all. (The wealthiest people I know have to constantly protect themselves from potential lawsuits and such, as people are more prone to sue people they know they can get $$$$ out of.) - for young people starting out (especially newlyweds), our society has placed this burden on them that they have about 3-6 months to attain what it took their parents 30 years to get. - others mentioned living within your means. Bingo. I have a couple of friends from my college days that are still paying for groceries that went bad in their fridges 7 years ago. And that 69¢ can of green beans has cost them 3 or 4 dollars... so far!!! - it's too easy to get into debt these days. Credit card offers pour into our mailboxes every day, offering way too much credit than anybody can pay. Even when getting a mortgage, they'll tell you that you can afford $XX,XXX, but in reality, you should probably only apply for half of that... unless you want to have mac & cheese or ramen noodles at every meal, and get your car repo'ed, and still have no hot rod/custom. - for those of you who are Christians and go to church regularly, you can't afford NOT to tithe. Set aside that 10% off the top (before you do ANYTHING else with your check), and you will be amazed how the remaining 90% will go farther than 100% did! PM me on this if you need to discuss! - if money burns a hole in your pocket, don't put money in your pocket. Seriously, don't cash your whole check and stick it in your pocket. It'll all be gone by lunchtime tomorrow. If you put it in a checking account, leave the checkbook at home unless you are going to a "planned purchase" (groceries, car parts, etc.). A few people I know give themselves a weekly "allowance: of cash in their wallets. Basically, it's enough to cover a sit-down lunch every day for the week, but if they spend a little extra (buying a CD or round of golf, etc.), then they get to take leftovers for lunch a couple days.
the haves also have because they have the insight as to how to attain more wealth, and this is usually combined with not just working hard, but working smart. have nots, i think, can be broken into three categories the first group eventually becoming part of the haves, perhaps starting out slow doing their own business or taking jobs for the experience and not the pay; the second group doing their own business but unsure as to how to increase their money; and the third, just straight up ignorant as to their options to bring money in, or just plain lazy. i'd put myself in the first group. it's slow but improving. and i'm working towards building something for the future. in the meantime that means i can only manage a decent car project every 6 months, but i'm hoping that will change with time.
My Dad told me ..... The leaves do not fall far from the tree.... And as I get older, I find this to be more and more true. People with $$$.......their children usually end up " with $$$ " . And the POOR have a bunch of POOR children. Is it because of example or because of genes.....or a little of both. My Dad worked hard, saved his money and set a great example for my brother and I to follow. He owned his home, had a few investment properties and lived within his means. The older I become.....the smarter my Dad gets... I am not a HAVE by a lot of people's standards........but not really a HAVE NOT either.... I have a small home, a few old cars and a great wife. I am fortunate. BUT I worked steady ( the same job for almost 30 years ) never went thru a divorce, and managed what little money the wife and I had ( she worked for the government too....school teacher ). I have no debts...........now And that is good, because I am retired. The only bad thing about being retired is " you never get any vacation days...." This topic is O/T .......but a great thread.
som practical advice from everyones favorite woodshop teacher.... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=61867&highlight=mind
OK My turn....... First,There's a lot of good advice here HAMB'rs sharing with HAMB'rs I wasn't born into 'money' I've been rich and poor so many time in my life that I can't count 'em.You can be at the top of your game and back to square one in a moment. Since school I've never had a job(worked for someone else)but have always been very busy. If you loose it all. You get up and try again. Each time it's easier(no matter how f'n hard it feels) cause you not only know more about what to do but one more thing not to....... And know there is always going to be someone with more 'Something' Money,Skill,Luck,whatever .... You honestly have to say to yourself 'So What' and mean it to get on with whatever life has for you The only thing money gives you is 'More Choice' and then only sometimes And don't ever be afraid to ask someone 'How did you?....Do..Get...Fix.... Figure out...Find....Stop....Help....(ect) THAT?' AND listen closely to the answer People can save you years of grief with an answer
great thread. that's what i like about you folks. thought provoking ideas & subjects & the willingness to share almost anything to help. i guess i'm a "have" when it comes to cars. i've had a race car or old street car to play with since i was 15 (47 now). all the younguns come to me for help & i give it to them if they have tried to fix it themselves 1st, just the way the old guys treated me when i was 20. the way i look at it is that money doesn't make you a better person, but being a better person just might make you a little money someday...mel
If the earning of good money, owning a successful business or having a plenty of cash in the bank makes one a Have, then I'm definitely a Have-not but am fine with that. I've never had expectations of owning big ticket cars, expensive vacations and stuff anyway. I completed two years of college, but dropped out at 19 and took a job "working the line" at GM because my daughter was on the way. I was injured there in '77 and have only been able to work part time gigs since. So there are no Deuce roadsters in my future...... I regret not finishing my education, but that's all. I'm buying a nice newer home in partnership with my roomie, have a wondeful daughter and granddaughter plus friends that I would trust with my life. At 54, I've never owned a new car ..they're over-rated anyway. , but I own cars that I like, plenty of tools and manage to hustle together a few extra bux to play with them. Shit, I'm even going to race an oval tracker again! To me that's big. So while my path wouldn't be the recommended one for a youngin' to follow, I feel like a bigtime Have! That's my story and I'm stickin' with it! Jan
Very well written. We all, I imagine, have been guilty of being alittle jealous of those who have more than us. Especially when it's evident that those who have, have in fact overdone it in our mind. Its easy for all of us to take the side of the underdog, one who works hard and never seems to have the ends meet. I started in this hobby and adult life with no money. Raising three kids and working two jobs to get the extra things to make us comfortable. I never ever had any adult toy and couldnt afford one till well after the kids left college. I have never ever borrowed or asked for any monitary help from any relative. Everthing I have, was through pure hard work of my wife and I. Within the past year i have been the joke of a few here who seem to be jealous that I had a car for sale well past 30 to 40 big ones. Little do they know in order for me to even keep this car i had to sell my first rod i had built 14 years ago. Now I put this car up for sale...you know why??? So i can build a garage I desperately need I cannot afford. Its all in the eye of the beholder. It all comes down to.... Dont be quick to judge the book you see by the cover.
take care of yourself. if you get married marry some one who is not a "need to have more" cause it sucks, in my case it was a "need to have more, but work less and want it as gifts from the rest"?! just have fun, i just blew the engine in my Nova, it is going to take me the next 2 paychecks of dedication to get it going again (exluding rent, bills, etc.) i am already drooling over a 350 and an od in that thing... stuff is cool, friends are better (ex. thing again, she hated all mine: friends, family, and cars) smile, wax poetic, draw a picture of it, kiss a girl, call the beer, cool signatures for the hamb, watch the sun set. stuff is stuff, you sure aint using it sitting on the fwy. put your tv in the closet, listen to music instead you will feel better. ...and blondes are more fun... !!!
Well, here is my 65 year old advice. 1. Whether you have $100. or $100,000 dollars, that money falls into two categories. It is either: INVESTMENT CAPITAL, That if invested will return you more money or POCKET CHANGE that will be gone as fast as you spend it. You are in control of which happens. 2. You can make more money with your head than your hands. 3. If you are looking for something that will make you money, you are standing on it. If you want to work for someone else, accept the fact that they are in charge of your financial life for as long as you work for them. In most of our cases, in 50 years everything that we own will be in someone else's name.
ya know what??? this is the most beneficial post i have ever read on the hamb.....i have my shit together , i take care of my family, and i have a few cars ,and i run this shitty biussness.. and yet reading this made me realize that maybe i still dont try hard enough, and now im reavaluating my work ethic. and im for once realizing im not alone in this rat race.. thanks 3w larry..
Great post. I love the HAMB. The key to being in the 'haves' is a simple plan, it just takes balls to get going. Invest in assets not liabilities and let your money work for you instead of you working for your money. I am currently buying real estate investments with a plan to have enough cash flow from them to not have to work a job. I will continue working, and that income can be used for anything, trips, cars, and more real estate.
Doc you have a GED and a PHD doctrate. well I thought one of my friends who I set up a circle track car was the only one with those letters behind their name. I cannot wait to tell him. He was bored in school and after working at a oil change place a while he said I am tired of being broke so off to school.
Plenty of top quality responses here. I like that. As many have pointed out : ' watch your money , no body else will'. Our son and his wife would spend 12 bux if they had 10. I finally cut them off from our money near 3 years ago... now I am the asshole after I told him to get a f***ing full time job or get 2 if needed to pay the bills. A neighbor kid (33 yr old) just sold a vending business he and his wife had busted their asses on for 8 years....... $ 1.3 millon To make something of your self, it is up to you to do it.
I would suggest that people read and listen to a common sence radio person named Dave Ramsey. I did things his way for a long time before I ever knew he existed . Dont buy any thing you cannot pay cash for. Buy what you want but conserve your resorces. Only go into debt to buy a house. he said use debit card not credits card. Get out of debt. save money. have a emergency fund to run a minimum of 3 months. Then after that you can BUY nice new things if you can pay for it.other than millitary and Racing autos for years I went broke. So I got first my regular first job at 29 yrs old and retired at 51. Now almost 9 years later I do things that I want to do and make enough extra money to have some fun. I have bought 3 new trucks in my life{ I still have them} and you should have seen the salesmans eyes when I paid him in Green. Of course the next week I had to explane to several law enforcement agencys where and how I got the cash. I just told them it was from over time{one week I worked 52 actual hrs overtime}, grass cutting, and any legit job I wanted to do. Then I asked thim If they did securty work when not on duty and why? all 3 said nice talking to you and good bye. So I guess I am a have. Work a lot and be smart and you can have a lot of good shit. But be genorous to those who deserve it. And by all means Treat all friends with respect and genorisity.. Give a little bit back to the community.I guess its time for this old man to shut up.. GOOD LUCK to all.... Bobby..
Everyone looks at me as a have but I view myself as a have / have not. I own a 62 Caddy Coupe, paid in cash, and an 01 impala paid in cash for daily driving. BUT I have 3k in debt to a 17% credit card, and I am still living at home ( I'm 21 ). The HARDEST part of picking myself up, is trying to sell what I have to pay what I owe. I have been trying to sell both cars, to buy a bike and a smaller car and to get me a house! I have two places in mind now, but niether I can afford with the 3 part time jobs I have now. I eat out once a week with my car buddies, and spend way to much in gas getting to work. 80 hours a week, at 9.50 an hour. 30 % of it goes into gas, another 30 % into credit card bill and insurance, and the rest into living. I put away maybe 15 % every month, but the rest just seems to disappear. I need help with money management, no doubt about it. Just wanted to post to thank those of you who have taken the time to contribute to the thread. I'll be stickin in here to see if anyone has any advice to offer me on a personal level. Thanks again guys.
I'll never call myself a "have" or a "have not", instead, I'd say i have what i have. Some have more, but some have less. What I do I do have is a pretty nice car that is progressing slowly by surely, parents that love me and do everything they can to give me what I need and some of what i want, loyal friends and a pretty decent head on my shoulders. So in non-material wealth, I'm lucky to say that I'm a "have". I'm still a young guy, 21 to be exact. Monetarily, I'm still dependant on my parents for the essentials. The path I've chosen to take to become a "have" myself is that of a college education. 3.5 years down, 3.5 to go. Lots of peopel I'll meet will quickly dismiss my life as easier than that of someone who works full time, eventhough routinely my day of work/class/studying/ and school related extra curriculars often lasts from 8 am to 2 am...with a very minimal paycheck. However, I manage to motivate myself to accomplish major projects on my '57 in the 7 weeks i have off over the winter. This past winter, i reswapped the motor in my Ford, it was 8 degrees in my garage when the motor came out. Many times here on the HAMB, my path has been held against me, and I've been cast off as a "punk ass law student". That kinda hurt. Th fact is, we all have our racket, and we all gotta pay our dues. Someone who is a bodyman or a welder and has become successful has nothing but my utmost respect. They've worked hard to get to where they are. And someone like myself who is in college, and buying Speghetti-Os on sale for 89 cents a can so I can have my '58 Edsel Bermuda taillights rechromed this winter is paying his dues too. mutual respect for those who have become sucessful and a helping hand to those who haven't quite gotten there is what it's all about
have nots spend way too much energy complaining about the haves. turn that energy into a positive and get focused on the what you need to do to become a "have". i was blessed with a hard workin dad and a loving mother. i am the son of a drag racing machinist and a bank teller. my folks gave me the oppertunity to suceed. even though they could never help me out with money they made me stand on my own two feet. it didnt seem like much then but now it has paid off in ten fold. i have no problem sharing with any of my younger friends and always try to steer them from the bad descions i made. patients builds beautiful cars. the money comes with time. the skills come from mistakes and determination.
Shit, I just thought it was about the Iron. You can't put a price tag on Class or Cool. You know when you have it, and so does everyone else.
I grew up on the borderline of a project kid with an absentee dad- moved out on my own at 18 and had to do it all myself.Built my car form scracth and it took 8 LONG years before it even looked like something.Didnt have much but I was willing to take the time to learn- for the knowledge and not the paycheck. Now I own my own business and hopefully if all goes well Ill make it on my won- with TONS of hard work and perseverance. I think the yound kids need to realize you just HAVE to pay your dues first -without attittude, and it will pay off. Be a good person, help others like you would want to be helped and take your time to do things right. I guess Im a HAVE now but it took a while and I worked hard at it.
Sounds like you are just treading water. I would suggest that you get some type of formal education that will get you a degree in something you are interested in. Was not that smart in highschool but I started with comunity college and ended up getting a four year degree because I knew that more education equals more dollars up front, more dollars during a lifetime and a better lifestyle than living at home. But that 4 year degree took me 6 years as I didn't finish untill I was 24. Then, no more living at home. Give it a try. Keep a part time job to help pay off your debt. It's not to late for you to make the change. But the longer you wait, the rut you are in now will turn into a deep hole and you'll be too old to climb out. Do it now and make you and your parents proud.
So much great advice...... Truth. Honour. Attitude. Love. Respect. Patience. Persistance. Focus. Work. Was reminded once, that "everybody gets 24 hours in a day, it's what you do with it that counts"...... Cheers, Drewfus
long before dave I ahve been debt free since 1988. I have beeen broke and I have been prosprous. I like prosprous better.I know I cannot spell worth a shit....................................bcarlson you have a PM.............................
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