ON RESPONSIBILITY

I had someone come in yesterday and talk to me about my finances. While I have a guy to take care of my long-term investments, I figured it couldn't hurt to talk with someone else. This new review of my financial state was a good exercise, even if I don't know what kind of actions I will or won't take based on his advice.

For instance, he was delighted - some would say giddy - that I have no debt. I think that comes from my very fiscally responsible upbringing, in part. As kids, we would get five dollars a week for an allowance - and have to put half of it in the bank. So while a friend getting the same allowance could but TEN packs of baseball cards a week, we could only get five (baseball cards used to be much cheaper). And I learned to get by with less of the frivolous things in life.

When I went to college and got my first credit card, it was made very clear to me that it would only be used for major emergencies. So I didn't use it - I would actually write checks to myself and slowly drain my checking account over the course of the school year, only to build it up with summer jobs. While friends were spending money taking awesome vacations, I would just go home.

I should also point out that I was an academic scholarship student, and, as such, had no student loans to worry about.

When I bought my car, I HATED the idea of having that giant balance hanging over my head. So I paid it off as quickly as possible, paying about 133% of my payment each month, as well as putting tax return and work bonuses toward it. And within a year, I had paid down the entire balance and owned the car outright. Debt avoided.

And now...I am saving money for retirement (thirty-two years to go!) and trying to stay ahead, savings-wise. I see people my own age taking sweet vacations again (or still) and wonder how they are affording it - I feel like while I'm not making a boatload of money, I'm not on welfare, either. So I don't get it - why am I not jetting off to exotic destinations every other weekend? Is it because so much of my money goes to buying fancy unnecessary new electronics and media? (It could be worse - I WANT a new receiver and new cell phone and new bedroom TV, but keep trying to save toward those purchases.)

I guess my problem isn't so much me not having those things, but that I see my friends having these things and want them for myself. So I guess I am just coveting instead of being greedy...well, that's a relief. I'm breaking a commandment instead of committing a deadly sin. Awesome.