On Friday, May 6, 2016 at 4:09:29 PM UTC-4, Don Y wrote:

Income is only one side of the equation. Do you know where your
money is *going*? Or, do you just feel pleased when your bank balance
is ever increasing (regardless of whether or not it is increasing
as fast as it COULD?)

I do feel pleased about the ever-increasing bank balance.

Of course it could increase faster. We could shut off the hot tub
and not have the outrageous electric bills. We could cancel our
cable service.

We're not going to do any of that, and no amount of data entry
would change what we're doing. We buy what we want, when we
want it, and we have enough money to cover our purchases and
save for the future. Happily, "what we want" isn't very much
or very big.

Your net worth is almost certainly higher than mine. I'm
very happy for you.

We don't buy on time. INCLUDING the house, the car, etc. A large part
of how we can do that is by knowing where our money is going. And, doing
for ourselves.

If we didn't have a mortgage, we'd still be paying rent.

It costs $75 to have a tree (5G) planted, here. Not counting the cost
of the tree! I've planted 10 in the past few years. And that doesn't
count the 60+ other shrubs, etc.

The neighbor had a trivial one-zone irrigation system installed for his
small garden -- for $1200. I've buried 1500 ft of 1/2" line -- for the
cost of the pipe (and the 19 valves to control it).

I've got dirty fingernails; neighbor "lost" his house.

Sadly, my husband's joints are breaking down, so we're going to have
to start hiring some things done for us. Up until now, we've
pretty much done everything ourselves, too. Someplace we've
got a picture of me pushing a wheelbarrow of concrete around.

Cindy Hamilton